Mark 8

Feeding the 4,000 (vs. 1-10)—This story is found in Matthew 15, and here are my comments at that place: “We’ve seen a similar story in (Matthew) chapter 14 where Jesus miraculously fed 5,000 (men). Now the number is 4,000, and this time there are seven loaves of bread and “a few little fish” (Matt. 15:34). And, when finished, there were seven baskets full of leftovers. Not surprisingly, the disciples show some obtuseness. In Mt. 15:32, Jesus said to them, “’I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.’" And the disciples asked Him, “’Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?’" Didn’t they remember the feeding of the 5,000 men (excluding woman and children)? But let’s try not to be too hard on these fellows; it’s just not every day you see somebody feed over 10,000 people with a handful of food—and have more left over than you started with. It takes time for faith to grow; it doesn’t spring up overnight.”

The Pharisees seek a sign (vs. 11-12)—Mark indicates that, in asking for a sign, the Pharisees were “testing Him” (v. 11, NKJV). The ASV uses the word “trying,” and the KJV “tempting.” Bottom line is, their motives weren’t pure. Jesus had given plenty of “signs”—all the miracles that He did. This particular question wearied Him: “He sighed deeply in His spirit” (v. 12). And He wasn’t going to showboat and perform a miracle when they wouldn’t have accepted the implications of it anyway. Matthew adds that the sign of the prophet Jonah would be given, i.e., Jesus would spend three and nights in the grave and then come forth (Matt. 16:1-4).

The leaven of the Pharisees (vs. 13-21)—Here are my comments on this scene, as found in Matthew 16:5-12: “The disciples didn’t have any bread with them (Matt. 16:5), so Jesus uses the occasion to teach an object lesson: “’Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees’" (Matt. 16:6). The apostles, obtuse as usual, thought He was talking about real bread. Jesus, seemingly frustrated, censures their lack of faith and understanding, referring them to the feeding of the 5,000 and the 4,000. If the Lord could feed that many miraculously, why were they worrying about food? “Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matt. 16:12). They finally got it.”

There is one notable exception in Mark’s account. Rather than the “leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees,” Mark replaces the latter with “Herod.” The Herodians were a Jewish political party that supported the Herod family’s claim to the throne of Israel. They were Roman lackeys, no more, but remember Mark’s audience—it was almost surely Gentile and probably Roman, so the Herodians would mean more to them than the Sadducees, who were basically a Jewish sect enamored with Greek philosophy, something the Romans couldn’t understand for the life of them.

The progressive healing of a blind man (vs. 22-26)—This is an interesting healing. A blind man is brought to Jesus for healing. The Lord first spit in the man’s eyes and laid hands on him, then asked if he saw anything (v. 23). “I see men like trees, walking” (v. 24). Jesus then touched the man’s eyes and he “saw everyone clearly” (v. 25). Why Jesus performed this miracle in two stages is unknown; He certainly could have done it immediately. Clarke has an interesting suggestion. That the blind man’s eyelids were “gummed” together from not being used for so long, and the spitting on them by Jesus was to loosen them. Once the eyelids were open, Jesus asked him what he saw, and then healed him completely. I don’t particularly like that explanation, but I thought it was interesting, and a possibility, I suppose. More likely, there was something in this man’s faith that Jesus wanted to strengthen—step by step, building his faith in what Jesus could do. But this is only speculation, given that the Bible doesn’t provide the reason.

Peter’s confession (vs. 27-30)—Jesus asked His apostles who men said that He was (v. 27). Various opinions were expressed (v. 28). But when the Lord asked them who they thought He was, He received Peter’s famous response “Thou art the Christ” (v. 29). Mark doesn’t mention Jesus’ rejoinder of blessing Peter, building His church, the keys of the kingdom, etc. Matthew 16:18-19 give the fuller account.

Peter rebuked (vs. 31-33)—Jesus them told His disciples about His upcoming passion in Jerusalem: “the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again” (v. 31). This was incomprehensible to the apostles; Jesus was going to reign as an earthly king, how could He be killed? Peter rebuked Him; such a thing as Jesus described could not happen. But the Lord’s return rebuke of Peter is stern: “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men" (v. 33). Peter wanted what men wanted—the earthly king—not what God had been promising, forgiveness of sins, since Genesis 3:15. The ignorance of the Jews regarding the Old Testament meaning was—and is—appalling.

The cost of discipleship (vs. 34-37)—It is interesting that this teaching, a rather hard one, was not spoken in a corner: “When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also” (v. 34). Jesus wanted as many people as possible to know what it would cost to follow Him—deny yourself, take up your cross, follow Him (v. 34). The one who tries to keep his life for himself, will eventually lose it (eternally); but the one willing to lose his life for Christ’s sake, will find it (eternally) (v. 35). Then He asks the piercing questions, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (vs. 36-37). What’s more important to us than eternal salvation? Hopefully nothing, but it is something we all need to consider seriously. Is there anything we would not give up for the Lord’s sake? Because if we are ashamed of Him (not willing to sacrifice all for His cause), then He will be ashamed of us in the coming judgment (v. 38).