Mark 9:20-29

Click here for the Mark 9:20-29 PODCAST

20 So the followers brought him to Jesus. As soon as the evil spirit saw Jesus, it made the boy lose control of himself, and he fell down and rolled on the ground, foaming at the mouth. 21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been happening?” The father answered, “Since he was very young. 22 The spirit often throws him into a fire or into water to kill him. If you can do anything for him, please have pity on us and help us.” 23 Jesus said to the father, “You said, ‘If you can!’ All things are possible for the one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father cried out, “I do believe! Help me to believe more!” 25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he ordered the evil spirit, saying, “You spirit that makes people unable to hear or speak, I command you to come out of this boy and never enter him again!” 26 The evil spirit screamed and caused the boy to fall on the ground again. Then the spirit came out. The boy looked as if he were dead, and many people said, “He is dead!” 27 But Jesus took hold of the boy’s hand and helped him to stand up. 28 When Jesus went into the house, his followers began asking him privately, “Why couldn’t we force that evil spirit out?” 29 Jesus answered, “That kind of spirit can only be forced out by prayer.” ~ Mark 9:20-29

Today, we continue our study of the deliverance of the young man from demon possession. As soon as the demon saw the Lord Jesus approach, it reacted as if it had prior knowledge of the identity of the Lord Jesus. We could only imagine how traumatic these fits of rage were for the young man and his father. And, this had been going on for many years.

In v.20-22 of today's passage we read, "20 So the followers brought him to Jesus. As soon as the evil spirit saw Jesus, it made the boy lose control of himself, and he fell down and rolled on the ground, foaming at the mouth. 21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, 'How long has this been happening?' The father answered, 'Since he was very young. 22 The spirit often throws him into a fire or into water to kill him. If you can do anything for him, please have pity on us and help us.'"

The Lord Jesus asked the question in v.21 because He wanted to give the father the opportunity to tell his story of suffering. The Lord Jesus wanted the father to know that he was not just coming to a power, he was coming to a person. And if there’s anything demonstrated in the miracle ministry of Jesus Christ, it was His compassion, the fact that He cares about the things that break our hearts. 

At the end of v.22, the father said, "If you can do anything for him." After this man and his son had suffered so much, they had begun to second-guess and doubt if anyone could help them. The honesty shown here in their desperation garnered the attention of the Lord Jesus even more.

The word "help" used at the end of v.22 is a rare word. It means to run to the aid of someone who needs help or to run to the aid of someone who cries out for help. Literally, the man asked, "If you can, would you run to the aid of my son and help us?"

In v.23-24 of today's passage we read, "23 Jesus said to the father, 'You said, If you can! All things are possible for the one who believes.' 24 Immediately the father cried out, 'I do believe! Help me to believe more!'"

The weakness of this man's faith he did not hide. To varying degrees we have all been there. There is a part of us that believes and there is a part of us that does not believe. There will always, this side of heaven, be this battle between faith and doubt. And, actually it must happen this way because doubt is the shadow cast by faith. We can't have the one without the other.

At the heart of this story is the response of the Lord Jesus. He said, "All things are possible for the one who believes." This is the first time the Lord Jesus showed the importance of faith and made it a mandate in Mark’s gospel. What we have here is an issue of faith. It was not an issue of power, it was an issue of accessing that power that comes by faith.

The Lord Jesus had healed many people who had no faith. Faith wasn’t always the issue. He healed lots of people who didn’t believe. But, the lesson in this story was about the power of faith. You see, the Lord Jesus knew He would soon be gone from the presence of His disciples, and, they had to learn how to access God's absent power and make it present by faith. The Lord Jesus was training the disciples to live by faith and not by sight. 

The Lord Jesus never expects perfect faith from us; it would be pointless, though He is worthy of it. He is realistic with us and He expects imperfect faith mixed with doubt because that is our reality. The Lord Jesus also wants us to see the battle which called for the need of this miracle in the first place, which was the battle between good and evil. The question is which one will we place our faith in, God or the evil one? When we do not place our faith in the God of the Bible, we are essentially placing it in the evil one without even knowing it.

In v.25-27 of today's passage we read, "25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he ordered the evil spirit, saying, 'You spirit that makes people unable to hear or speak, I command you to come out of this boy and never enter him again!' 26 The evil spirit screamed and caused the boy to fall on the ground again. Then the spirit came out. The boy looked as if he were dead, and many people said, 'He is dead!' 27 But Jesus took hold of the boy’s hand and helped him to stand up."

In response to the order of the Lord Jesus for the demon to come out of the young man, the demon put up a fight. His desire was to kill the young man, but the Lord Jesus desired for him the kind of life that ushers the willing of heart into a personal relationship with God.

In v.28-29 of today's passage we read, "28 When Jesus went into the house, his followers began asking him privately, “Why couldn’t we force that evil spirit out?” 29 Jesus answered, “That kind of spirit can only be forced out by prayer."

The disciples were perplexed by their failure. So, they asked, "Why couldn't we cast the demon out?" The Lord Jesus then said, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer." Other translations read, "This kind can only come out by prayer and fasting." 

Prayer attaches us to God, while, fasting detaches us from ourselves. It is in the context of saying "no" to our flesh, and, "yes" to our God that we do ministry. The disciples obviously tried to do this in their own strength without prayer. For every spiritual miracle that the Lord ever does, we have to depend on Him. We must not depend on the cleverness of our presentation. And, the casting out of demons requires fasting and prayer.

This miracle was done on the basis of the father’s faith which expressed itself when he requested of the Lord Jesus, "Please run to the rescue of my weak faith." That day, this father's faith grew and was found to be sufficient faith. The Lord Jesus could have let the disciples succeed without the prayer of the young man's father, but, that would have precluded the father from persisting in his faith in the Lord Jesus. This is His goal in all of our lives, that we would seek a relationship not with the miracle but that we would seek a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Mark 9:14-19

Click here for the Mark 9:14-19 PODCAST

14 When Jesus, Peter, James, and John came back to the other followers, they saw a great crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. 15 But as soon as the crowd saw Jesus, the people were surprised and ran to welcome him. 16 Jesus asked, “What are you arguing about? 17 A man answered, “Teacher, I brought my son to you. He has an evil spirit in him that stops him from talking. 18 When the spirit attacks him, it throws him on the ground. Then my son foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes very stiff. I asked your followers to force the evil spirit out, but they couldn’t.” 19 Jesus answered, “You people have no faith. How long must I stay with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” ~ Mark 9:14-19

Today, we return to our study of Mark 9 where we see Peter, James and John coming down from their mountain top experience with the Lord. What a contrast is given to us here. Up on the mountain,  the glory of the Lord was overwhelming. Whereas, down in the valley, darkness was in full array. Down in the valley, the other disciples had some of the religious leaders of Israel arguing with them about their inability to cast out a demon from a man's son.

Faith is the second most dominant feature of the believer in Christ, the first is obviously its object. We trust in a God whom we have never seen with our eyes. We trust in a Christ we have not seen. We trust in a Holy Spirit we have not seen. We embrace a death and resurrection we have not seen. We trust in a justification we have not seen. And we look for an eternal heaven, which we have not seen. We are enabled to do this because we have been given hearts that can see Him in our every day lives.

In v.14-15 of today's passage we read, "14 When Jesus, Peter, James, and John came back to the other followers, they saw a great crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. 15 But as soon as the crowd saw Jesus, the people were surprised and ran to welcome him."

Down in the valley below were the nine other disciples, and, even though they had experienced great success before at casting demons out of people, here, they failed. Failure is not always the opposite of success with God. He has often been known to use our failures to bring about His successes. The key is that we learn that He is the One who brings about the success. And, we must be careful to give Him all of the glory for the miracle.

The symptoms of the young man were the classic symptoms of epilepsy. But, the problem was being caused not by epilepsy but by a demon. And, as soon as the Lord Jesus arrived on the scene, the crowd ran to Him because they were "awestruck" by Him. Due to all of the miracles He had been performing, the people treated the Lord Jesus as if He were God.

In v.16-18 of today's passage we read, "16 Jesus asked, “What are you arguing about? 17 A man answered, “Teacher, I brought my son to you. He has an evil spirit in him that stops him from talking. 18 When the spirit attacks him, it throws him on the ground. Then my son foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes very stiff. I asked your followers to force the evil spirit out, but they couldn’t."

The word "arguing" used in v.16, often describes the confrontations the religious leaders were faithful to deliver. After the Lord Jesus asked the question, a volunteer in the crowd answered Him. In the middle of all of this, according to Matthew's version of this incident, the father of the young man had fallen on his knees before the Lord Jesus, calling the Lord Jesus both, “Teacher and Lord.” 

This man had come to bring his son to the Lord Jesus for deliverance. This should be the goal of every father; to get his son or daughter as close to the Lord Jesus as possible. And, even when His followers aren't able to help, we must not relent from bringing them to Him. And, we get them the closest to the Lord Jesus by living in a meaningful and intimate relationship with the Lord for ourselves. It is much easier for our children to trust and love the Lord when we are demonstrating our trust and love in Him for ourselves.

According to v.17-18 the man explains the condition of his son as being demon-possessed. Then he reveals why the disciples did not answer the question the Lord Jesus had posed. They could not cast the demon out of the young man which was strange because back in Mark 6, the Lord Jesus had given the disciples the authority to cast other demons out of other people. We can only imagine the shock of these disciples when they failed.

In v.19 of today's passage we read, "Jesus answered, “You people have no faith. How long must I stay with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me."

The disciples did not fail because they did not expect anything to happen ... they expected something to happen, and, they were surprised when the young man was not delivered from the demon. They had seen people delivered before from demons when they said the word, and did so in Jesus' name. But this time it did not happen. This reveals that faith is not merely a sense of expecting something to happen.  

The disciples had faith, but it had changed from faith in God to faith in the process they were following. Perhaps, they thought that if we said the right words, and followed the right ritual, that the demon would have to leave. Without their even realizing it, they had transferred their faith from confidence in a God who can act, to a formula that can bring it about. It is so easy to take our eyes off of the Lord.

This is what we often do. We get to thinking that it is the words we say, or the way we say them, or the success we are enjoying in our lives spiritually, which is the real reason things happen, rather than the God who acts. The Lord Jesus chided the disciples for this and later said their faith must be in God Himself, if it is to be a fresh and vital faith. God’s will doesn’t always automatically come to pass in our lives when and the way we expect it. We must believe what God has said, or else we may not experience what God has promised. 

Mark 9:9-13

Click here for the Mark 9:9-13 PODCAST

9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone about what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So the followers obeyed Jesus, but they discussed what he meant about rising from the dead. 11 Then they asked Jesus, “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?” 12 Jesus answered, “They are right to say that Elijah must come first and make everything the way it should be. But why does the Scripture say that the Son of Man will suffer much and that people will treat him as if he were nothing? 13 I tell you that Elijah has already come. And people did to him whatever they wanted to do, just as the Scriptures said it would happen.” ~ Mark 9:9-13

Today, we return to our study of Mark 9 where we learn that our mountaintop encounters with the Lord Jesus do not always answer our questions about Him. Like the disciples, sometimes, we descend the mountain with more questions than we had going up. 

I am so grateful that complete understanding is not necessary to following the Lord Jesus. If we had certainty, we would have no need for faith. In fact, it is the nature of faith to be incomplete in our understanding of God. It is also the nature of faith to anticipate the next revelation about Him. We discover, this is what deepens us in our walk with Him. He has been known to speak to us through the strangest things: donkeys, dreams of linen sheets coming down out of the sky, and a still small voice.

In v.9-10 of today's passage we read, "9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone about what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So the followers obeyed Jesus, but they discussed what he meant about rising from the dead."

What is necessary to follow the Lord Jesus is what these three disciples arrived upon on the mountain: worship. And, worship is being defined by God in whatever we do in the way that He told us to do it. The first place in the Bible that worship appears is the very same place that love appears first: Genesis 22. We worship what we love and we love what we worship. And, we worship the Lord Jesus when we ascribe worth to His words by being defined by them. The principle is that we become like what we worship.

That which intrigued these three disciples on Mount Hermon was the Lord Jesus' comment about rising from the dead after three days. The resurrection of the Lord Jesus didn't make sense to them because they had no room in their theology for His death on the cross. They obviously believed He was going to usher in His kingdom with force and with might. But, God does not do things like we do them. His is a kingdom that is inside out and upside down. The Lord Jesus Himself is the Servant who rules and the Ruler who serves.

As they came down Mount Hermon that day, the disciples had a discussion. They entertained their questions, and eventually, they brought those questions to the One with the real answers. This is what discipleship looks like. Discipleship is not keeping a regimen that requires us to get up at 6:00 am to meet with the Lord. But, if you are wired to have the best discussions with the Lord at that time of the day, go for it. But, do not allow that time to be the only time you have a conversation with Him in your day. Get into the habit of talking with Him as often as you can during each day, for this is the context where He trains us in His ways.

In v.11 of today's passage we read, "Then they asked Jesus, 'Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?'"

When Peter wanted to build three tents, one for the Lord Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah, he revealed that in his mind Moses and Elijah were on par with the Lord Jesus. If we have the same theology as Peter did, we will struggle with the culture of the Lord Jesus. We can not just say that the Lord Jesus is a great man and a great moral teacher, we have to go further by recognizing Him as God. 

In v.12-13 of today's passage we read, "12 Jesus answered, “They are right to say that Elijah must come first and make everything the way it should be. But why does the Scripture say that the Son of Man will suffer much and that people will treat him as if he were nothing? 13 I tell you that Elijah has already come. And people did to him whatever they wanted to do, just as the Scriptures said it would happen."

The Lord Jesus clearly states that the coming of Elijah comes in two phases: phase number one, past tense, he's already come; phase number two, he is still coming. The first coming of Elijah was realized in the coming of John the Baptist. When John was being dedicated in the temple at his birth, the priest Zechariah quoted Malachi saying, "This is the one who comes in the spirit and the power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the hearts of the children back to the fathers. Lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." John the Baptist was an Elijah-like forerunner of the Lord Jesus, but the prophet Elijah will come, according to Malachi 4, at the end of days "before the great and terrible day of the Lord" which will come at the end of the Tribulation.

Down in the valley of life, we determine to live by that which we experienced on the mountain with the Lord. This, I am sure, was the determination of these three disciples. But, following the Lord Jesus is hard, and sometimes, this is good, because if we were so successful at it we would lose sight of our dependency upon the Lord. Dethroning and denying self leads us to the most important revelation of all: the decision to follow the Lord Jesus. And, we must operate out of the fact that without the cross and the resurrection, there is no good news, there is no salvation, there is no kingdom.

When we marry the two ideas of worship and love, we discover the key to discipleship or following the Lord. Learning to love and worship Him is the vehicle God uses to solidify our souls in relationship to His Son. The deepening relationship that follows provides for us the moorings that enable us to go deep in a love relationship with Him. This is the deepening of our faith in Him which is learning to see Him with our hearts.

Mark 9:1-8

Click here for the Mark 9:1-8 PODCAST

1 Then Jesus said to the people, “I tell you the truth, some people standing here will see the kingdom of God come with power before they die.” 2 Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John up on a high mountain by themselves. While they watched, Jesus’ appearance was changed. 3 His clothes became shining white, whiter than any person could make them. 4 Then Elijah and Moses appeared to them, talking with Jesus. 5 Peter said to Jesus, “Teacher, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 Peter did not know what to say, because he and the others were so frightened. 7 Then a cloud came and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” 8 Suddenly Peter, James, and John looked around, but they saw only Jesus there alone with them. ~ Mark 9:1-8

Today, we transition into Mark 9. At this point in the story of the Lord Jesus, the disciples had eyes but could not see and ears but could not hear. 

In v.1-2 of today's passage we read, "1 Then Jesus said to the people, “I tell you the truth, some people standing here will see the kingdom of God come with power before they die.” 2 Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John up on a high mountain by themselves. While they watched, Jesus’ appearance was changed."

In v.1 of today's passage, a promise was given, and, in v.2 the promise was realized. Six days after the Lord Jesus made the promise, Peter, James and John all saw the Lord in His glory. The Greek word from which we get our English word "metamorphosis" was used by Mark to describe the transformation or change in the appearance of the Lord Jesus. Metamorphosis is more than a change of appearance, though, it is the change of ones essential form. Like when a caterpillar is in a cocoon and gets changed into a butterfly. Its essential form changes. The Lord Jesus was seen that day in His post-resurrected body which was a preview of His post-resurrected form. 

In v.3-4 of today's passage we read, "3 His clothes became shining white, whiter than any person could make them. 4 Then Elijah and Moses appeared to them, talking with Jesus."

On Mt. Hermon that day, God provided for these three disciples an audio-visual to authenticate His Son. The Old Testament prophet Elijah was there to represent the Prophets and Moses was there representing the Law. The purpose of the audio-visual was to show that the Lord Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets.

Also, Elijah and Moses represent the two ways by which people have entered heaven. Moses entered through the normal, natural process of death. And yet here Moses is, although his body lying in some unmarked grave on a mountain top beyond the Jordan River. And, Elijah, on the other hand, was one of two men caught up to heaven without death. We have the dramatic story in the Old Testament of Elijah's ascension into glory, caught up in a fiery chariot, without passing through the normal process of death.

According to Luke's account of this story, the Lord Jesus spoke with Elijah and Moses of how He would leave the earth by means of the cross and the resurrection. Moses perhaps spoke of how the Lord Jesus was the fulfillment of all the Old Testament sacrifices which the Law demanded, picturing His death that would follow. Elijah, perhaps spoke of how the Lord Jesus was the Promised Messiah who would free us from the penalty of our sin and ourselves.

In v.5-6 in today's passage we read, "5 Peter said to Jesus, “Teacher, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 Peter did not know what to say, because he and the others were so frightened."

This incident took place about six months before the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus. The crucifixion took place at Passover, so that's the springtime of the year. That timing placed this event in our passage for today during the month of Tishri in the Jewish calendar, or, our October, the very month that the Feast of Tabernacles takes place. The Feast of Tabernacles did two things: it looked backward to God's provision in the wilderness, and, it looked forward to the Millennium when Israel will live in complete peace. During the Feast of Tabernacles, Israel celebrated what God did and they anticipated what God will do at the end of time as we know it. According to the Old Testament prophet Zechariah, during the Millennium, we will keep the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem every year.

In addition, the Apostle Peter was so fulfilled, he had no thought of himself and he wanted to make tents so that they could remain there for an indeterminate amount of time. The Lord Jesus is the fulfillment that we have all longed for all of our lives, and, this is the point of our sanctification.

In v.7 of today's passage we read, "Then a cloud came and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud, saying, 'This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!'"

This is one of three times in the Gospels when the voice of God spoke directly from heaven concerning the Lord Jesus. One was at His baptism, when he began His ministry. In today's passage, we have the voice of the Father addressing the disciples, to correct a mistake they were making. The third occurs in John 12, just before the cross in Jerusalem when the Lord Jesus spoke of having completed the work which the Father had given Him to do, and the Father said, "I have glorified my name, and I will glorify it again," referring to the cross immediately to follow. 

In v.8 of today's passage we read, "Suddenly Peter, James, and John looked around, but they saw only Jesus there alone with them."

After the voice of God was heard, Moses and Elijah were nowhere to be found, and the disciples saw only the Lord Jesus. Like these disciples, we have all entertained doubts about the identity of the Lord Jesus. But, God always is faithful to do those things in order to open our eyes to see His Son. This is the point of this passage today. Through this story, God affirms for us the true identity of His Son who came to finish His story of redemption for you and me.

Mark 8:34-38

Click here for the Mark 8:34-38 PODCAST

34 Then Jesus called the crowd to him, along with his followers. He said, “If people want to follow me, they must give up the things they want. They must be willing even to give up their lives to follow me. 35 Those who want to save their lives will give up true life. But those who give up their lives for me and for the Good News will have true life. 36 It is worthless to have the whole world if they lose their souls. 37 They could never pay enough to buy back their souls. 38 The people who live now are living in a sinful and evil time. If people are ashamed of me and my teaching, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes with his Father’s glory and with the holy angels.” ~ Mark 8:34-38

Today, we conclude our study of Mark 8. In our last blog and podcast, the Lord Jesus revealed, for the first time, the startling revelation that He was going to Jerusalem to die. On the heels of that explosive announcement, the Lord Jesus began to give to His disciples a portrait of the disciple.

With this portrait, the Lord Jesus gives the why for allowing God to call the shots in our lives. The why is we lose what isn't real and we find what is real. When we follow the Lord, we will reflect His likeness. However, we must never believe that it is about us, nor shall we believe that our good works justify us before God. Through discipleship with God or sanctification, we acquire His way of thinking and living for now. Through the yielding of our lives, we acquire His culture which enables us to see the real as opposed to the not so real.

You will remember that justification has to do with us going to heaven, and our justification before God is solely based upon what the Lord Jesus has done on our behalf on His cross. On the cross, He paid the penalty for our sin, something we could not do for ourselves. As the result, we are enabled to walk in the wisdom of God and thus live the life the Lord Jesus died to give us.

Discipleship or sanctification is about heaven coming to us now. Sanctification is the acquisition of God's wisdom. Discipleship is the vehicle God uses to dispense to us His wisdom. Sanctification is all about acquiring God's way of thinking and living out of His culture in this world.

In v.34-35 of today's passage we read, "34 Then Jesus called the crowd to him, along with his followers. He said, “If people want to follow me, they must give up the things they want. They must be willing even to give up their lives to follow me. 35 Those who want to save their lives will give up true life. But those who give up their lives for me and for the Good News will have true life."

When we invited the Lord Jesus into our lives, we were "born again." That means, we were made alive to God by His indwelling Holy Spirit. When we were born again, we entered into God's family, never to be removed out of His family. We did not earn our favor before God, in fact, the Lord Jesus earned for us the favor of God through His perfect life lived on this earth and His perfect death on the cross. Then, God raised Him from the dead, and that, sealed the salvation of all willing enough to believe.

Now, as believers in Christ and children of God, if we are going to be the disciples of the Lord Jesus, there are a few requirements: we must dethrone, die, and decide. 

The first thing we do is we dethrone self from being the god of our lives. To resemble the likeness of our Savior, we "must give up the things we want."

The idea isn't denying things for ourselves, the idea is we have come to the place where we are not living for ourselves anymore. It means that we, to the best of our ability, have dethroned ourselves off of the throne of our lives and now we have decided to give God the place of the decision making. We will never be perfect at this this side of heaven, but, the more we dethrone self, the more God will express Himself through our yielded lives.

Along with this, if we are going to be the disciples of the Lord Jesus and resemble His likeness, we have to make the decision to die to ourselves, daily. The cross was a tool of death, and when a disciple embraces his cross, it means that he understands that he is going to die. To die to self means we have come to the place where we are not motivated by ourselves. It means we are now motivated by the Spirit of God who wants to use us in the lives of others for eternity.

And then, if we are to be known as disciples of Christ and resemble His likeness, we must decide to follow Him daily. The cross of Christ made it possible for us to be justified before God, whereas our cross enables us to access the culture of God which may be used of God to bring others to believe in His Son through us. 

In v.36-37 of today's passage we read, "36 It is worthless to have the whole world if they lose their souls. 37 They could never pay enough to buy back their souls."

Following the Lord Jesus Christ is the ultimate adventure, because when we lose our lives, we will not know where His road will take us, but we are in for the adventure of our lives. The Lord Jesus will always call us beyond ourselves. And, as His followers, we will struggle with serving two masters which have access to our souls. Inside the believer in Christ are the Spirit of God and the flesh. The flesh is the wicked desires within us which will always make life about us. The indwelling Spirit of God will always push the agenda of God in our lives.

In v.38 of today's passage we read, "The people who live now are living in a sinful and evil time. If people are ashamed of me and my teaching, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes with his Father’s glory and with the holy angels."

If we truly do not believe in the Lord Jesus, we will be ashamed of Him before the people of this earth. There are times when I am not a good disciple, but that does not mean that I will lose my position in Christ, having believed in Him. The Lord Jesus doesn't just take a snapshot of our lives in a specific moment, and then, draws His conclusion on our eternity. Here, He  refers to the aim of our lives. The disciple is in the process of being convinced that God's definition for his life is the best. And, if we are not in that process, we are in great danger of spending eternity in our own shame.

Mark 8:31-33

Click here for the Mark 8:31-33 PODCAST

31 Then Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and that he would be rejected by the Jewish elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of the law. He told them that the Son of Man must be killed and then rise from the dead after three days. 32 Jesus told them plainly what would happen. Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to tell him not to talk like that. 33 But Jesus turned and looked at his followers. Then he told Peter not to talk that way. He said, “Go away from me, Satan! You don’t care about the things of God, but only about things people think are important.” ~ Mark 8:31-33

Today, we continue our study of Mark 8 where we discover the Lord Jesus leading His disciples toward what has been called the "Transfiguration" which took place on Mount Hermon. Now, Mount Hermon is 9,232 feet above sea level, the highest mountain in the Middle East. We can be sure the transfiguration took place on Mount Hermon because in Mark 8:27 the Lord Jesus and His disciples were traveling in that direction when Peter made the observation that the Lord Jesus was God. 

In v.31 of today's passage we read, "Then Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and that he would be rejected by the Jewish elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of the law. He told them that the Son of Man must be killed and then rise from the dead after three days."

This was the first of three times the Lord Jesus told the disciples that they were going to Jerusalem where He would be killed. Even though this was a foreign idea to the disciples, the Lord Jesus knew He was going to Jerusalem to die a horrific death in order to pay the penalty for that which separates people from God. As a result of His death, burial and resurrection, justification has been provided for all who place their trust in His finished work.

From the opening verses of Scripture, God is presented as eternal, independent, holy, loving, righteous, and good. One crucial implication of this description of God is that God, by nature, is the moral standard. This is why God’s law is not external to Him. The God of the Bible is the law; His will and His nature determine what is right and wrong. He is the ultimate definer of all things good.

A biblical view of God is foundational to understanding the cross of Calvary. God's “righteousness, justice, and holiness” are a threefold cord which largely makes up His nature. This is why God cannot overlook man's sin. This is why He can not just wink at sin and dismiss it. Sin had to be dealt with, otherwise it would have triumphed. God’s holy justice demands that He punish all sin. 

As a result of the rebellion of Adam and Eve in the Garden, all people are conceived wicked, corrupt, and, therefore guilty before God. And, all are, therefore, under God's judicial sentence of death. Based upon God's moral perfection and man's imperfection, God decided to send His Son who willingly came to suffer the punishment for all of mankind's willful rebellion against God and all that is good and substantive. And, in order to redeem mankind, Christ had to become the ransom for man's freedom from sin. This results in man being able to enter into a personal relationship with God and therefore overcome the deceit of the evil one.

In v.32 of today's passage we read, "Jesus told them plainly what would happen. Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to tell him not to talk like that."

Mark's gospel was written a bit different from the other three Gospel accounts because he received his information from none other than the Apostle Peter. Speaking for all the disciples, Peter took the Lord Jesus aside and tried to turn Him from the cross and His destiny. Can you imagine being in Peter's shoes, trying to turn around the execution of a plan that has always been eternal? And, Peter thought he was doing a noble thing. Oh, the deceit of the evil one.

In v.33 of today's passage we read, "But Jesus turned and looked at his followers. Then he told Peter not to talk that way. He said, “Go away from me, Satan! You don’t care about the things of God, but only about things people think are important."

After Peter spoke those words, the Lord Jesus responded with, “Go away from Me, Satan!” Of course, Peter was not Satan, but Peter's previous conclusion and demand was a temptation from Satan. God's presentation of the cross through the Scriptures is consistent and multifaceted. It’s like a beautiful gem that can be looked at from many angles. The cross of Christ is central to the New Covenant which results in the transformation of the willing human heart. 

We have all been tempted with Satan's philosophy on life, and, his message is based upon selfishness and arrogance, and, he will always tempt us to put ourselves first. Satan never tries to get us to follow him or to worship him, He always appeals to our pride and arrogance. He knows that if he can get us to worship ourselves, we will be indirectly worshipping him. 

When Peter resisted God's plan for the cross, he was siding himself with Satan without even knowing it. We live in a day when the evil one is lurking, seeking whom he may devour. We must be diligent to be defined by God's word, thus we will resist Satan's lures of selfishness, hatred, and lies. We must be diligent to stay close to God by talking to Him often and remaining in His word daily. God not only wants to rescue us from the diabolical schemes of the evil one, He wants to include us in on His rescuing efforts of others.

Mark 8:27-30

Click here to view the Mark 8:27-30 PODCAST

27 Jesus and his followers went to the towns around Caesarea Philippi. While they were traveling, Jesus asked them, “Who do people say I am?” 28 They answered, “Some say you are John the Baptist. Others say you are Elijah, and others say you are one of the prophets.” 29 Then Jesus asked, “But who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.” 30 Jesus warned his followers not to tell anyone who he was. ~ Mark 8:27-30

Today's passage provides us with the turning point in Mark’s gospel. There are two overall themes in the Gospel according to Mark: From Mark 1:1-Mark 8:26 we see the Servant who Rules, and, from Mark 8:27-Mark 16:16 we see the Ruler who Serves. Three times in the Gospel of Mark, the Lord Jesus tells His disciples He is going to Jerusalem to be killed and to rise from the dead. Right on the heels of today's passage, the Lord Jesus gave the first of these three predictions.

In v.27-29 of today's passage we read, "27 Jesus and his followers went to the towns around Caesarea Philippi. While they were traveling, Jesus asked them, 'Who do people say I am?' 28 They answered, 'Some say you are John the Baptist. Others say you are Elijah, and others say you are one of the prophets.' 29 Then Jesus asked, 'But who do you say I am?' Peter answered, 'You are the Christ.'"

The Lord Jesus and His disciples traveled through the area of Caesarea Philippi where there were fourteen temples to different false gods. Not only to Caesar, but to Baal the Old Testament deity, Baal worship, and temples to another god called Pan, the false god in Greek mythology, half man, half goat, who played a little flute called a pan flute. 

The setting was provided and the Lord Jesus deliberately took His disciples to that place which had false worship of other gods in order to draw the contrast between the false gods and the one true God. It was in that context that the Lord Jesus asked the disciples two questions: one about the people’s view of Him, the other about the their view of Him. 

The view of the multitude of the Lord Jesus had not changed during the previous two years. They had come to believe the Lord Jesus to be one of the great Hebrew prophets. This indicates that they held Him in very high regard, for these were the great names of Israel. However, never once is it recorded that the populace had even the slightest inkling that the Lord Jesus was their Messiah. They held Him in very high regard, but they never thought of Him as their Messiah. 

On the other hand, Peter himself replied with the descriptive word "Christ" to describe the Lord Jesus. "Christ" is the Greek form of the Hebrew word Messiah which literally means "to smear." The idea was to be smeared with oil. Throughout the Scriptures, oil is analogous of the Holy Spirit. It was at His baptism by John the Baptist the Lord Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit. Messiah literally means "the smeared one" or "the anointed one." In the Old Testament there were three groups of people who were smeared with oil: the prophets, the priests, and the kings. The Lord Jesus is the fulfillment of all of these offices.

In addition, based on the route the Lord Jesus was taking, it is evident He was on His way to Mount Hermon. He did this deliberately because He knew that the Transfiguration would take place on that high mountain.

In v.30 of today's passage we read, "Jesus warned his followers not to tell anyone who he was."

The Lord Jesus told the disciples not to tell anyone about His identity, but, later He will reverse this and say, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." But right then He didn't want there to develop some kind of a rebellion, and, have Rome come in and disrupt the plan. If the disciples had spread the word that He was the promised Messiah, with their incomplete understanding, they would have created an incomplete reaction among the people, one based upon incomplete knowledge. 

In response to Peter's description of the Lord Jesus, according to Matthew 16, the Lord Jesus said to Peter, "Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you." 

We believe in the Lord Jesus in response to the enablement of the God of the Bible who, in contrast to the gods of this world's religions, is a personal being who desires a personal relationship with us. When we see and hear revelation, we see and hear from God Himself. In order to know God, we must seek Him in His way. 

Many have tried to gain knowledge of God through their unaided reason, or through some kind of subjective intuition. But the God of the Bible has told us not only who He is but also how we should seek knowledge of Him. That knowledge comes as we look through His created world to discover Him. In addition, God has given us His special revelation through the coming of His Son and through His word, the Bible. It is only through these appointed means can we come to know God as our Savior and friend.

Mark 8:22-26

Click here for the Mark 8:22-26 PODCAST

22 Jesus and his followers came to Bethsaida. There some people brought a blind man to Jesus and begged him to touch the man. 23 So Jesus took the blind man’s hand and led him out of the village. Then he spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on the man and asked, “Can you see now?” 24 The man looked up and said, “Yes, I see people, but they look like trees walking around.” 25 Again Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then the man opened his eyes wide and they were healed, and he was able to see everything clearly. 26 Jesus told him to go home, saying, “Don’t go into the town.” ~ Mark 8:22-26

Today, we return to our study of Mark 8. The setting for today's passage was the town of Bethsaida which was a village located near the beginning of the Jordan River on the east side of the Sea of Galilee. Mark is the only one of the Gospel writers who recorded this very interesting and strategically used story. 

In v.22-23 of today's passage we read, "22 Jesus and his followers came to Bethsaida. There some people brought a blind man to Jesus and begged him to touch the man. 23 So Jesus took the blind man’s hand and led him out of the village. Then he spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on the man and asked, 'Can you see now?'"

This miracle is different than the other miracles of the Lord Jesus because He spit on the eyes of this man. In three of His many miracles, the Lord Jesus used spit. In the first, the healing of the man who was deaf and mute, He spit on his own fingers before he touched the man's ears. In the second, the healing of the man who was born blind, He spit on the ground, mixed clay with it, and applied it to his eyes. Here, the Lord Jesus spit directly into the eyes of this blind man. We have been told, for eye trouble, the spit of the first born son has unique healing powers. By using His spit in this way, the Lord Jesus subtly declared Himself to be the first born son of the Father.

These healings were object lessons, pictures of the truth the Lord Jesus was offering to the willing heart. Spit comes out of the mouth. The imagery the Lord gave that day was: it is the Word of God which grants our hearts the ability to recognize and to pursue God. Through His mouth, the Lord Jesus was potentially awakening the faith of this blind man and all who were present that day.

Hebrews 11:3 reads, "It is by faith we understand that the whole world was made by God’s command so what we see was made by something that cannot be seen."

In v.24-25 of today's passage we read, "24 The man looked up and said, “Yes, I see people, but they look like trees walking around.” 25 Again Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then the man opened his eyes wide and they were healed, and he was able to see everything clearly."

There is no other account in Scripture of anything like this healing. On other occasions, the Lord Jesus spoke and instantly the person was made whole. Not so with this miracle. The Lord Jesus healed this man in two-stages. He spit on the man’s eyes, then He put His hands on the man’s eyes, because He wanted those witnessing it, including the disciples, to see that they are like this blind man, blind men in need of the Savior.

The significance of this two stage healing is: There is progression involved. It is one thing to be made alive to God or to be born again, it is yet another to grow in our ability to be defined by God on a continual basis. The most permanent healing in our lives is the healing that takes place in our souls. In order to make sense out of life, we must be in progression with the LORD. No relationship grows apart from progression, particularly progression of faith, and trust.

In v.26 of today's passage we read, "Jesus told him to go home, saying, 'Don’t go into the town.'"

The Lord Jesus told the healed blind man to not go into Bethsaida and tell the people there about this miracle. Christ had performed many miracles in Bethsaida, but the people there had rejected them in unbelief. And, as a result of their rejection, according to Matthew 11:21, the Lord had pronounced a woe upon them.

Rejection of truth causes loss of spiritual privilege. If we do not want God in our lives, He will leave us alone, which is the worst thing that could ever happen to us. This proves miracles do not give birth to faith in the God of the Bible, nor do they cause our faith to grow. In fact, our faith grows as a result of two things: that we run to God in the midst of our trials, and, hearing the spoken word of God in our daily walk with Him. You see, it is a relationship. It is more than just a ticket that gets us into heaven, it is about heaven coming to us. And, not only to us but through us. And, when we get to heaven, we will meet those whom we influenced to the point of them getting to heaven. Now, that, that will be an eye opener. Then, we will see what it is all truly about.

Mark 8:14-21

Click here for the Mark 8:14-21 PODCAST

14 His followers had only one loaf of bread with them in the boat; they had forgotten to bring more. 15 Jesus warned them, “Be careful! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.” 16 His followers discussed the meaning of this, saying, “He said this because we have no bread.” 17 Knowing what they were talking about, Jesus asked them, “Why are you talking about not having bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your minds closed? 18 You have eyes, but you don’t really see. You have ears, but you don’t really listen. 19 Remember when I divided five loaves of bread for the five thousand? How many baskets did you fill with leftover pieces of food?” They answered, “Twelve.” 20 “And when I divided seven loaves of bread for the four thousand, how many baskets did you fill with leftover pieces of food?” They answered, “Seven.” 21 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand yet?” ~ Mark 8:14-21

Today, we return to our study of Mark 8 where the Lord Jesus had just fed 4000 people with a few fish and seven loaves of bread. He performed miracles on the behalf of the people so that they could gain an inroad into much deeper contemplation for He knew their greatest need was to enter into a personal relationship with Himself. And, of course, no one can enter into a personal relationship with God until our sins are forgiven and we are "born again." But, the disciples were so focused on the temporal and the finite that they struggled to get the deeper meaning of it all.

In v.14 of today's passage we read, "His followers had only one loaf of bread with them in the boat; they had forgotten to bring more."

It just so happened the disciples had with them in the boat a reminder of God's provision: one loaf of bread. The fact that the disciples had a leftover loaf of bread revealed what they were focused on. However, God uses even our myopic view of life to get His point, His teachings, His culture into our hearts.

The interactions between the infinite with the finite is most amazing. The Lord so arranges things that we are given ongoing reminders of His infinite nature. Yet, like the disciples, we are often found wanting in this arena. Like us, the understanding of the disciples that day was limited and finite. So, the Lord brought the disciples to a traffic circle wherein this loaf of bread quickly became an object lesson of a different sort.

In v.15 of today's passage we read, "Jesus warned them, “Be careful! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod."

The loaf of bread made it natural for the Lord Jesus to warn His disciples of the negative influence of the Jewish religious leaders and that of Herod. He drew their attention to the yeast that was used to make the loaf of bread to make His point. Yeast is a biblical illustration of permeation or influence. It makes dough rise by bacterial corruption. This is what the Lord Jesus was talking about with the disciples in that boat that day. "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod."

Sadly, the people for whom the Lord had just multiplied the bread and the fish, were so limited by the misguided teachings of the religious leaders, they missed the deeper teachings of that day. They missed the deeper teachings of the Lord Jesus because they were so in the habit of living for the temporal. The prison of the finite had prevented them from wandering off into the infinite which the Lord Jesus was offering them.

In v.16 of today's text we read, "His followers discussed the meaning of this, saying, “He said this because we have no bread."

Previously, the people had eaten so much they were satisfied physically. The disciples were not that much different than the people, they were also metaphysically challenged. They were so in tune to the physical that the metaphysical went unnoticed by them. This is mankind's default mode. We were born dead in our sins which means we were born dead to God. And, if we are never "born again" or made alive to God by His Spirit, we remain in our sinful condition. This is why the Lord Jesus came to remove that barrier which was created by our sinfulness.

In v.17-18 of today's passage we read, "17 Knowing what they were talking about, Jesus asked them, “Why are you talking about not having bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your minds closed? 18 You have eyes, but you don’t really see. You have ears, but you don’t really listen."

Most believe this life is about the acquisition of answers. Most believe exclamation marks are more important than question marks. The Lord Jesus demonstrated in His discussion with the disciples that questions are potentially life giving. If our pursuit is for truth, we will discover the secrets to life by entertaining the deeper and most of the time unwanted questions.

Like the disciples, we need spiritual healing, and questions help in the process of being healed spiritually. Those who do not entertain questions are like those who have eyes, but can not see, or, ears and can not hear. It is strategic that in the very next passage in this chapter the Lord Jesus will open the eyes of a blind man. More on that tomorrow.

In v.17 the Lord Jesus asked the disciples two very important questions. "Do you still not see or understand? Are your minds closed?" The Lord Jesus seemed surprised by the disciples lack of heart sight and spiritual understanding. The reason is given in the old adage, "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink." The freedom of choice is a beautiful thing. The problem with it is it takes a lot of trouble to get us to the place where we are desperate enough to ask the right questions and pursue the right answers before we get it.

When we fail to remember God's mercies, and our spiritual history, our hearts are strangely hardened and we lack that certain sensitivity that propels us into an ever deepening intimacy with the Lord. We lose that tenderness of heart and we become entitled. It is so easy to become angry and bitter, because we forget His goodness which is what melts our hearts in the first place.

In v.19-21 of today's passage we read, "19 Remember when I divided five loaves of bread for the five thousand? How many baskets did you fill with leftover pieces of food?” They answered, “Twelve.” 20 “And when I divided seven loaves of bread for the four thousand, how many baskets did you fill with leftover pieces of food?” They answered, “Seven.” 21 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand yet?"

The Lord Jesus reminded the disciples of the feedings of the 5,000 and the 4,000, but, they had missed the point. When He fed the 5,000, there were twelve baskets of leftovers: one for each disciple. With the feeding of the 4,000, the disciples collected “seven” baskets of leftovers: the number for completeness or wholeness. We are only completed when we throw ourselves into an abandoned relationship with the Lord and we are consistently being defined by Him.

The Lord Jesus asked the disciples questions, giving them the chance to delve deeper with Him. This is what He does with all who follow Him. He satisfied the Gentile woman’s need for “bread”. He satisfied the need of the Gentile crowd with bread in the wilderness. The bread was meant to be an illustration for something deeper: the sustenance of the human soul is only found in its Maker.

Very often, we lack the same thing: understanding. We must understand the ways of the Lord that we might walk in them. But His way is upside down, inside out, and backwards. He calls us not to be served but to serve, and to suffer for the sake of the Gospel. There is a pattern there. We must connect the dots. In order to do this we must look to the Lord Jesus to satisfy our deepest longings. 

We must understand that the dots relate to the way the Lord works in our lives. The dots relate to how the Lord Jesus is leading us to know Him in the context of living in a fallen world. We connect the dots by asking of Him questions. It is all about personally relating to Him. 

Mark 8:10-13

Click here for the Mark 8:10-13 PODCAST

10 Then right away he got into a boat with his followers and went to the area of Dalmanutha. 11 The Pharisees came to Jesus and began to ask him questions. Hoping to trap him, they asked Jesus for a miracle from God. 12 Jesus sighed deeply and said, “Why do you people ask for a miracle as a sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to you.” 13 Then Jesus left the Pharisees and went in the boat to the other side of the lake. ~ Mark 8:10-13

Today, we return to our study of Mark 8 where the Lord Jesus has just fed some 4000 people with seven loaves of bread and a few small fish that His disciples had on hand. This miracle, the feeding of the 4000 is the second largest miracle meal provided by the Lord Jesus recorded in the Gospels, second only to the feeding of the 5000 plus in Mark 6. 

Our passage for today begins with v.10: "Then right away he got into a boat with his followers and went to the area of Dalmanutha."

This is the only mention in the Bible of the seaside community of Dalmanutha. In Matthew's account of this it says they sailed to a place called Magdala, the place where Mary Magdalene hailed. Magdala is a little town just north of Tiberias on the southwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Magdala is located near the ancient fishing village called Dalmanutha which was a stones throw away from Magdala. 

Years ago, when the Sea of Galilee was low, archeologist, Ken Dark, discovered this little harbor town submerged under the water between Magdala and Capernaum, which turned out to be Dalmanutha. For many years, the skeptics undermined the Bible's veracity because there seemed to be no evidence that this little fishing village existed. That is, until it was uncovered by the archeological dig. No archeological finding has ever contradicted the claims of the Bible.

In v.11 of today's passage we read, "The Pharisees came to Jesus and began to ask him questions. Hoping to trap him, they asked Jesus for a miracle from God."

Since the attention of large crowds of people had been arrested by the miracles and the teachings of the Lord Jesus, and they were starting to follow Him, and His popularity was growing, the "religious leaders" made yet another attempt to curtail the Lord Jesus. Out of sheer envy and jealousy in the name of "religion" they tried to trap Him by asking for a miracle from God.

In v.12 of today's passage we read, "Jesus sighed deeply and said, "Why do you people ask for a miracle as a sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to you.'"

In response to the request of the religious leaders, the Lord Jesus sighed deeply. Unlike His earlier sighs, this sigh was a deep sigh which communicated a stronger emotion over the spiritual blindness of these so called spiritual leaders. His grief was profound over the hard-heartedness of these men. Their obstinate unbelief in the face of massive evidence led them to willful ignorance.

The typical word that Mark used throughout his gospel for miracles, he did not use here. He most often used the word from which we get our English word dynamic. But here, in today's passage, he used the word from which we get our English word sign. 

These "religious leaders" wanted God the Father to personally authenticate the Lord Jesus in front of them. They wanted a personal, heavenly manifestation from God the Father giving the Lord Jesus Christ the authority as their Messiah. They asked for this because in several Old Testament passages they had been warned that even false prophets would be able to work miracles.  

In v.13 we read, "Then Jesus left the Pharisees and went in the boat to the other side of the lake."

When we compare today's passage with Matthew 16, the Lord Jesus said a few things that Mark chose not to include. In addition, the Lord Jesus said to these stubborn religious leaders, "You can tell the weather, but you can’t discern the signs of the times." Then He went on to say, "You’re a wicked and adulterous generation." 

Then the Lord Jesus reminded the religious leaders of the sign given through the Old Testament prophet Jonah. He said, "As Jonah was in the whale for three days, I’m going to be in the ground for three days." "That," He said, "will be the last sign that will be given to you." And when that sign came, and the word got back to the religious leaders of Israel that He had risen from the dead, they called the Roman soldiers in who were guarding the tomb and bribed them to lie about the resurrection. When they totally rejected the light, they were permanently  enveloped by the darkness.

What a contrast we are given here between these Jewish religious leaders and the Gentile woman in the previous chapter. The Lord Jesus insulted both, but only the desperate woman chose not to play the victim card. In the end, what these religious leaders did was to close their hearts deliberately to the very One whom they said they worshipped.

Mark 8:1-9

Click here for the Mark 8:1-9 PODCAST

1 Another time there was a great crowd with Jesus that had nothing to eat. So Jesus called his followers and said, 2 “I feel sorry for these people, because they have already been with me for three days, and they have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will faint on the way. Some of them live a long way from here.” 4 Jesus’ followers answered, “How can we get enough bread to feed all these people? We are far away from any town.” 5 Jesus asked, “How many loaves of bread do you have?” They answered, “Seven.” 6 Jesus told the people to sit on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, gave thanks to God, and divided the bread. He gave the pieces to his followers to give to the people, and they did so. 7 The followers also had a few small fish. After Jesus gave thanks for the fish, he told his followers to give them to the people also. 8 All the people ate and were satisfied. Then his followers filled seven baskets with the leftover pieces of food. 9 There were about four thousand people who ate. After they had eaten, Jesus sent them home. ~ Mark 8:1-9

In Today's passage the Lord Jesus performed another miracle where He fed a lot of people who had come to hear His teachings. The feeding of the 4000 is the second largest miracle meal provided by the Lord Jesus that is recorded in the Gospels, second only to the feeding of the 5000 plus in Mark 6. 

In v.1-3 of today's passage we read, "1 Another time there was a great crowd with Jesus that had nothing to eat. So Jesus called his followers and said, 2 'I feel sorry for these people, because they have already been with me for three days, and they have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will faint on the way. Some of them live a long way from here.'"

Today's passage begins with the words "Another time." These words are significant because they inform us this miracle was different than that which is recorded in Mark 6. At the earlier miracle the feeding of the 5000 plus, the crowd was with the Lord Jesus just one day. In today's passage, the crowd was with Him for three days. In the feeding of the 5000 plus, the Lord Jesus told the people to sit down on the grass. Based upon these details, we know today's miracle was a separate incident to the miracle of Mark 6, although both miracles were created by the compassion of the Lord for the need of the people.

In today's passage, the people are told to sit on the ground, and  there is no mention of grass. In the Mark 6 miracle, there were five loaves and two fish. In this account, the feeding of the 4000, there are seven loaves of bread and a few fish. In Mark 6, there were twelve baskets of leftovers. In today's account, there were seven. And the baskets are different. In Mark 6, the twelve baskets were the smaller lunch baskets, whereas, in this account, there were seven large baskets of leftovers. Also, there was a clear difference in the locations. The Mark 6 miracle took place in Galilee, whereas, this miracle took place in the are called "the Decapolis."

In v.4 of today's passage we read, "Jesus’ followers answered, “How can we get enough bread to feed all these people? We are far away from any town."

In response to the compassionate statement of the Lord Jesus that the people had gone three days without food, the disciples question how they could possibly feed "these people." Oh, how the disciples forget so quickly. But, just as I question the faith of those disciples, I realize I am guilty as they. I find that I forget the many miracles the Lord has performed in my life. The comforting part of it all is: This dilemma was strategic for all involved.

I always find it quite helpful to remember that when God wants to do something wonderful in my life, He couches His performance with some kind of a difficulty in my life. When God wants to do something really wonderful, he starts with an impossibility.

In today's account, thousands of people had gathered in the wilderness. Add to that the forgetfulness of the disciples of the earlier miracle, and the stage was set for the Lord to do something unforgettable for some. That day the disciples had to entertain a posture that I have wrestled with countless times in my life. They had no idea how the the problem would be resolved. And that is the biggest part of our struggles: NOT KNOWING WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN.

In v.5-7 of today's passage we read, "5 Jesus asked, 'How many loaves of bread do you have?' They answered, 'Seven.' 6 Jesus told the people to sit on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, gave thanks to God, and divided the bread. He gave the pieces to his followers to give to the people, and they did so. 7 The followers also had a few small fish. After Jesus gave thanks for the fish, he told his followers to give them to the people also."

At the feeding of the 5000 plus in Mark 6, the Lord Jesus fed the Jewish crowd. Here, He feeds a Gentile crowd. He fed the Jews first. In both miracles, the Lord Jesus gave food to his disciples first, then the disciples give the food to the multitudes. Here we are given an important principle: God's mercy and grace is to the Jew first and then to the Gentile. 

The Lord Jesus did not need the disciples to be involved in the process, but, He involved them in order to teach them the lesson of the Great Commission, "Go into all the world." He does not need any of us to do His work. But He limits Himself to using imperfect tools to get the job done because it benefits us.

In v.8-9 of today's passage we read, "8 All the people ate and were satisfied. Then his followers filled seven baskets with the leftover pieces of food. 9 There were about four thousand people who ate. After they had eaten, Jesus sent them home."

After the crowd ate the food, they were completely satisfied. And, there were seven large baskets leftover. Here, in today's passage, the Lord Jesus was demonstrating His heart for "these people." Interestingly, in every single phase of Jesus' ministry He ended with a feeding. When He was finished ministering in Galilee, He finished it with the feeding of the 5000. When He was finished ministering to the Gentiles, the second phase of His ministry, He finished it with this feeding of the 4000. When He was finished with His Judean ministry, just before the cross, He ended it with a third feeding, the Last Supper.

Many of the Lord's miracles recorded in the Scriptures were done on the physical level. But, He never wants us to focus on the physical only. He always wants us to see the substance beneath each miracle. He knows we all have this deep spiritual hunger in our souls that is much deeper than any physical need we might have. 

In Matthew 4:4 we read, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’"

Throughout my life my problems have always served me to be useful roadsigns pointing me to God. There have been times when I have responded to these roadsigns quicker than with others, but I have learned that when I respond to them, they propel me deeper into a more meaningful relationship with God.

Most trials seem on the surface to present themselves to us as obstacles that prevent us from a more meaningful life. But, our trials are not obstacles, they are the fuel for deepening our dependency upon God. 

It is critical to see that, while these trials might provide momentary set-backs to our visible progress in the faith, they are ultimately providing the fuel we need to get to a deeper place with God. These trials build into our lives passion, perseverance, and a deeper dependency upon the Lord that goes far beyond what we could think or imagine. More often than not, God answers our prayer for greater wholeness, not by providing better circumstances, but by providing trials which aid our hearts ability to see Him.