Mark (5.1)

Mark (Week 5)

Summary

Jesus sends out the 12 apostles, he tells them to take nothing with them, he gives them authority over unclean spirits and they preach repentance. They obey Jesus and their needs are met and experience a fruitful ministry experience.

During this time Herod(Antipas) hears about Jesus and people aren't in agreement with who Jesus is. Herod fears that he is John the Baptist raised from the dead and recalls the account of the death of John the Baptist.

When the apostles return from their journey, Jesus calls them away to a remote place to rest for a while, but the people followed them. Jesus has compassion for the people as they were like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus feeds 5,000 out of compassion for the people with 5 loaves and 2 fish with 12 baskets left over.Jesus then goes to the mountain to pray, later the apostles see Jesus walking on the water and are fearful.

We get the hint that the disciples miss the lesson here.

​Mark 6:51b- 52 “They were completely astounded, because they had not understood about the loaves. Instead, their hearts were hardened.”

(hardened in the greek, to be come insensible (Not susceptible of emotion or passion, Void of sense or meaning))

Now we start to see the pharisees challenge Jesus’ adherence to the religious laws.

Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 7)

He answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written:This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.7 They worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines human commands.

Jesus then lays out exactly why the religious tradition takes away from the worship of God and places it upon man. (Its not what goes in, but what comes out)(how we can live in a fallen world, but we are responsible for how we live despite what happened to us in the past and what challenges we presently face)

Jesus travels north to Tyre and encounters a gentile woman the Bible describes her as a Syrophoenician. In the account Jesus affirms he is their for the nation of Israel, but those who have faith experience the blessings of God.

All the while they are traveling Jesus is teaching and healing. In the area of the Decapolis people have been following Jesus for three days. Jesus being compassionate towards the needs of the crowd then feeds 4000 with 7 loaves and few fish with 7 baskets left over.

The Pharisees now are no longer just asking questions they are arguing with Jesus and demanding a sign. Jesus “Sighing Deeply” (greek here is a great inward groan as in pain) refuses to give a sign.

Jesus then brings all of these lessons together for the disciples: And where I want to sit on a lesson for this evening

Don’t you understand yet?

Let’s Open our Bibles to Mark 8

Mark 8:14–21 CSB

The disciples had forgotten to take bread and had only one loaf with them in the boat. Then he gave them strict orders: “Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” They were discussing among themselves that they did not have any bread. Aware of this, he said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact you have no bread? Don’t you understand or comprehend? Do you have hardened hearts? Do you have eyes and not see; do you have ears and not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of leftovers did you collect?” “Twelve,” they told him. “When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets full of pieces did you collect?” “Seven,” they said. And he said to them, “Don’t you understand yet?”

Here the disciples are not paying attention to Jesus as he is teaching.

They are talking about bread they forgot to bring, and Jesus is referring to the “leaven” of the pharisees and Herod. They are not understanding what Jesus is talking about. Don’t you understand yet?

How often does God work in our lives, but we are not realizing it because we are so concerned with our needs and trials we are experiencing.

We are so concerned with work trying to create a better lifestyle or achieve something seemingly great, or maybe in the home trying to present our house or children in a way that ensures that when people come they see that we are happy, healthy, and successful. Meanwhile, God is providing in better ways that we do not even comprehend and are missing on the better life that only He can provide. All because we are concerned with our needs being met.

The good news is that we are not doomed to this way of thinking and neither are the disciples.

If we jump quickly over to the Gospel of Matthew 16:12 we see that the disciples then began to understand

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 16

12 Then they understood that he had not told them to beware of the leaven in bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Even better, Jesus then drives this lesson home in the last section of Mark for the evening.

Mark 8:22–26 CSB

They came to Bethsaida. They brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and brought him out of the village. Spitting on his eyes and laying his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people—they look like trees walking.” Again Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes. The man looked intently and his sight was restored and he saw everything clearly. Then he sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.”

Why did Jesus, not heal this blind man all the way? The spiritually blind may see but come to full sight gradually. I feel that we often think we need a conversion experience like Saul on the road to Damascus, but in reality much of our spiritual journey will be like that of the apostles. We are following Jesus in our daily lives often missing the lessons we are given, only for the relentless compassion of Jesus for us to still give us what we need.

What do we do with this?

God Provides for our needs, even in miraculous ways.

(Apostles’ mission and feeding of the multitudes)

We are not to be anxious, and good stewards of what we are entrusted.

Jesus is relentlessly compassionate for us, even when we do not understand.

(Jesus had compassion for the crowds and for his disciples, but did not have any for the religious leaders)

Understanding will come when we focus on Jesus and his teaching even if it is gradually.

We must be aware of the sins of the Pharisees and Herod

(Jesus stated it is what comes out of us that defiles us, not what goes in)

Spiritually

Worldly