seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Mark 8:1 During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 2 “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.”
4 His disciples answered, “But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?”
5 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.
“Seven,” they replied.
6 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people, and they did so. 7 They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. 8 The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 9 About four thousand were present. After he had sent them away, 10 he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.
11 The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. 12 He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it.” 13 Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.
14 The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. 15 “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”
16 They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”
17 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
“Twelve,” they replied.
20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
They answered, “Seven.”
21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”
22 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”
24 He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”
25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into[a] the village.”
27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”
28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”
29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”
30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life[b] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
a. Mark 8:26 Some manuscripts go and tell anyone in
b. Mark 8:35 The Greek word means either life or soul; also in verses 36 and 37
Some commentaries are just weird some mornings. Anyway.... this one makes sense and it's from the easy English site.... [of course it makes sense... it's easy Englsih.... lol]
The disciples thought about the practical difficulty. They did not know how they could provide food in such a place. There was no food there. They had forgotten about the five thousand people whom Jesus fed. They still did not trust Jesus.
Although this is a similar story to the one in Mark 6, there are several differences. The crowd had been with Jesus for ‘three’ days. There were ‘seven’ loaves and ‘seven’ baskets. The word for basket is different. In Mark 6:43, ‘kophinos’ described a basket in which a Jew carried his food. In this account, the word ‘sphuris’ means a much larger basket, which Gentiles used. In Mark 6, Jesus was in Galilee, among Jews. Here, Jesus was in the Gentile territory of the Ten Towns.
Mark’s Gentile readers in Rome would have liked this story. Jesus looked after the physical health of Gentiles as well. He did not only look after the health of the Jews.
Jesus had already given signs that his authority came from God. The Pharisees refused to believe who Jesus was. They said that his power came from Beelzebub (Mark 3:22). They wanted him to perform something astonishing.
Whatever Jesus did would not convince them. He knew that. They could not see the truth, because they had decided not to believe him. They were the same as the Jewish people who left Egypt. They tested God and they refused to obey him. They, too, had seen many miracles before they escaped (Psalm 95:9-10).
Jesus gave a ‘deep sigh’. It shows how sad he was. He wanted people to have faith in him.
‘Yeast’ is a substance that people use to make bread rise. The Jews used ‘yeast’ as a sign of something evil. A small amount of yeast makes bread rise. It spreads through all the bread. And the bad things that the Pharisees taught could affect the whole of society. The reference to Herod probably means Herod’s friends, the Herodians. They would do anything to keep Herod Antipas as king. They did not care whether it was right or wrong.
The disciples were like blind people who cannot see something dangerous. The disciples might imitate the bad behaviour of the Pharisees and the Herodians. That was the danger that the disciples were in.
They were also worried because they had no bread. They could not see that Jesus had the power to help them.
Jesus showed the blind man that he would cure him. He took him away from the village so that crowds would not confuse the man. He used liquid from his mouth, as Jewish doctors did. He laid hands on him. That was to show that God’s power was going to cure him.
This miracle, which only Mark records, happened in two parts. Usually Jesus cured people immediately. Perhaps this incident was a sign that the spiritual eyes of the disciples only opened slowly. Perhaps that is why Mark recorded it. Christians do not understand Christ’s love completely at first. They learn his love and power slowly. Christians should not give up easily when they have difficulties. Perhaps that is what Mark wanted to show us.
Jesus emphasised the word ‘you’. It was not enough for the disciples to know what other people thought. They must decide for themselves. The disciples had asked, ‘Who is this?’. Jesus had spoken about the fact that they did not understand. But now Peter spoke for all the disciples. He made the bold statement, ‘You are the Christ.’
Jesus spoke not only to the 12 disciples, but also to anyone in the crowd who might follow him. Jesus was honest. Jesus did not offer people an easy life. He did not try to persuade people to follow him like that. A disciple must forget his own wishes if he wants to follow Jesus. The Romans fixed criminals to a cross. That is how they punished them. The criminal had to carry part of his own cross to the place where the soldiers would kill him. Jesus said that those who followed him must be willing for the same shame and suffering as himself.
So far.... the Gentiles are the ones getting special mentions in the Bible. This chapter is about the bread..... Jesus took a tiny bit of bread and fed thousands and thousand of people. He made them happy, healthy, and satisfied...... and there was lots of bread left over. NOW... I'm looking at the number of loaves left over.... after the first banquet.... there were twelve baskets [the same number as the tribes of Israel]. In this story.... there were seven baskets [seven is a perfect number]. Jesus said the Pharisees had a lot of yeast..... He was pointing out the fluff in their rules.... I'm surprised He didn't bring up the fact that if the Pharisees didn't proof or rise their yeast properly it would not rise.... in fact some yeast breads can come out flat as a fritter if they don't follow the rules.I really love the story about those ignorant disciples who "forgot the bread". They gathered up all those loaves.... and then they forgot the bread!!!!! They had Jesus.....
Jesus was there to give up His life for them. He wasn't there to start an uprising with Rome. He wasn't there to starch the coats of the church leaders. He was there to face the Cross and walk out of the tomb. He was there to undue what Adam and Eve did.... He's there to undue the permanent status of death. He wasn't sprinkling more rules on people.... He was teaching them and healing them. He wasn't there to tax them into submission.... He was there to feed them. He was doing all the giving.... He only wanted those ignorant humans to listen and learn. He wanted the descendants of Jacob to come to their Lord...... it seems to me though.... the Gentiles were more appreciative.... but maybe that's just how Matthew [the tax collector] and Mark [the author] saw it.
The Pharisees in this chapter wanted a sign. They wanted Jesus to perform tricks for them. If He performed for them... they would have arrested Him on the spot. Since He wouldn't do that.... it was best for Him to "move along". The King decided to "move along"..... He crossed to the other side of the lake..... where the Gentiles were. Ignorant Pharisees......
I am struck by the number of times the descendants of Jacob [Shem's descendants] shun Jesus. I am struck by the number of times Gentiles [Ham and Japheth's descendants] have worked to get just a second of His time. Shem's family was trying to run Jesus off..... asking for miracles so they could jail Him.... and defame Him..... or calling Him insane [as His human family did]. I am struck by the fact Jesus came here knowing just how insanely those nerves were going to scream when they beat Him and nailed Him to that Cross. The silence He would feel in the tomb would not be a welcome respite after walking through those huge crowds of needy humans.... it would be a silence before the miracle.
Last thought..... God controls time... not Jesus.... so Jesus was there when Adam and then Eve were designed and created..... so He knew how death started..... and Jesus was on earth to conquer death.... Jesus knew that.... Here's my question..... Did God tell Jesus how the story ends? Did God tell Jesus how ignorant humans would walk away from eternal life? When Jesus surrendered His life..... had He been shown by His Father that it would be worth it [since God controls such matters] or did Jesus act on faith as well?????
I've heard people say that the virus that is killing so many is an act of God. I find it interesting that one of the first things that went missing off of the store shelves was yeast........ Need yeast.... go see a Pharisee..... but if you need bread..... Jesus is the one to talk to.....
