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Lesson 7: More Miracles, Mark 6:30-8:30
by Brad Anderson
In the last lesson, we looked at four miracles
that Jesus did. After Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter from the
dead, he went home to Nazareth, where the people rejected and tried
to kill him (6:1-6). He then sent his disciples out to heal and
preach the gospel (6:7-13). Mark next relates the death of John
the Baptist (6:17-29). We then have a series of miracles, which
are capped off by Peter’s memorable confession, “Thou
art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (8:30). We’ll
examine these miracles today.
Feeding of the Five Thousand (6:30-44)
[Matthew 14:21 "five thousand men, beside women and children."]
Jesus by this time in his ministry was becoming very popular, mostly
because of the amazing miracles he had been doing. In fact, even
when Jesus wanted to spend time alone with the disciples, the crowds
found out where they were going and met them there (6:33). On one
such occasion, Jesus was teaching late into the afternoon, and the
crowds were still gathered to listen. What did his disciples urge
Jesus to do (.35-36)? Tell the people to disperse so they could
find food in the surrounding villages. “It’s their problem,
send them away so they can deal with it.”
Why did Jesus not want to do this? He had compassion for the crowds
(.34). He saw the multitude as “sheep without a shepherd.”
What did he tell the disciples to do (.37)? “You give them
something to eat.”
The reply of the disciples to this suggestion indicates how startled
they were at Jesus' command. They could only think of the impossible
amount of money it would take to feed a crowd like this one. Two
hundred denarii represented the pay a common laborer earned in a
period of about eight months. Not even that amount of money would
buy enough bread for all to eat (cf. John 6:7: “for each one
to have a bite”).
How much food was on hand? Not much—five loaves and two fish.
The loaves were small, flat cakes of bread, unlike what we think
of as loaves. This was one person’s lunch.
Jesus did what any faithful Jew would have done before eating—he
prayed (.41). The usual form of the prayer was a thanksgiving: “Blessed
art thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who bringeth forth
bread from the earth.” As to how the miracle was performed,
Mark does not inform us. He simply says that Jesus broke the loaves,
divided the fish, and gave them to the disciples to distribute among
the people.
How much did they have left over (.43)? 12 baskets full.
Walking on the Water (6:45-52)
Jesus told the disciples to go ahead of him to Bethsaida, a town
not far from them. They got into a boat and left while Jesus stayed
to dismiss the crowd. The time of this incident was “evening”
(.47). Since it was “already very late” (.35) before
the feeding of the five thousand, “evening” here must
mean late at night.
The Lake of Galilee is only about four miles wide. Thus a boat in
the middle of the lake could easily be seen in the full moon of
Passover time (assuming that the incident took place at that time)
from the shore.
Apparently the wind was blowing from the north or northeast and
had blown the disciples off their course. They were “straining
at the oars” (.48)—an indication of a stiff headwind.
Matthew literally says “the boat was being put to the test
by torture.” Jesus came to them “walking on the lake,”
at about the fourth watch. According to Roman reckoning (and Mark
follows this), the night was divided into four watches: 6-9 P.M.,
9-12 P.M., 12-3 A.M., and 3-6 A.M.
What did the disciples think when they saw someone walking on the
water (.49)? They thought it was a ghost. “When they were
urged by strong necessity to desire the presence of their Master,
it showed very extraordinary stupidity to be alarmed at his appearance
as if he had been a ghost” (Calvin).
How did the disciples react to Jesus’ walking on the water
(.51)? They were absolutely amazed. Matthew says that when Jesus
got into the ship, the disciples bowed down to him and said “You
truly are the Son of God.”
Mark doesn’t record the fact that Peter walked on the water
(Matt 14:28-31).
How does Mark explain the disciples’ reaction (.52)? 1. They
still didn’t understand who Jesus was—they didn’t
understand the miracle of the loaves and fishes; 2. Their hearts
were hardened or blinded.
Healings Near Gennesaret (6:53-56)
Jesus stayed with the disciples in the boat and crossed over with
them to Gennesaret, referring either to the plain north of Magdala
on the western side of the lake or to a city in the plain.
Jesus had achieved widespread fame as a healer. As soon as the people
recognized him, they brought out all those who were sick, and Jesus
healed them.
The Faith of the Syrophoenician Woman
(7:24-30)
Jews normally had no relationship with Gentiles because associations
with them made Jews ritually unclean. Jesus now shows by example
that the Jewish oral laws are invalid and deliberately associates
himself with a Gentile woman. Another purpose of this miracle is
to emphasize the mission to the Gentiles. The gospel of the kingdom
is not limited to Israel, even though historically it came to the
Jews first (.27).
What did the woman want (.26)? For Jesus to cast a demon out
of her daughter.
How did Jesus respond to her request? Jesus' reply is in the form
of a comparison between the children of the household and the little
dogs (“puppies”) that were kept as household pets (v.
27). This word (little dogs) is not as negative as it sounds. The
contrast is between the privileged position of Israel (“children”)
and the less privileged Gentiles (“little dogs”). First
the children are to be fed. C.f. Rom 1:16 “to the Jew first,
and also to the Greek.”
The reply of the woman (.28) was remarkable. She admitted her status
(“Yes, Lord”—the only time Jesus is called “Lord”
in Mark) but refused to believe she was thereby excluded from any
benefits. “Quite so, Lord; and in that case I may have a crumb?”
is the sense of her reply.
What did Jesus do then (.29)? He agreed to help the woman. He exorcises
the demon.
Healing a Deaf and Mute Man (7:31-37)
Next Jesus journeys north from Tyre through Sidon and then apparently
in a southeasterly direction through the territory of Herod Philip
to the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee and into the territory
of the Decapolis. This territory of ten Greek cities was largely
Gentile, but there were also a significant number of Jews living
there.
Describe how Jesus performed this miracle? Jesus put his fingers
into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue.
He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!”
(which means, “Be opened!”). At this, the man's ears
were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.
Feeding the Four Thousand (8:1-10)
The miracles of healing—the opening of the ears of the deaf
man (7:31-36) and the eyes of the blind man (8:22-26)—are
illustrative of and prepare the way for the opening of the spiritual
understanding of the disciples.
The same circumstances as we’ve seen previously occurred again—Jesus
had attracted a large crowd who had nothing to eat. Jesus has compassion
on the multitude and suggests that the disciples feed them. The
disciples claim that they have no resources to meet the need. Jesus
takes what little food they can find, has the people sit down in
groups, multiplies the food and passes out enough for everyone.
Note: in both miracles of feeding the multitudes, the number of
left over baskets of food is probably insignificant, i.e., there’s
no special meaning to the numbers twelve or seven.
Healing a Blind Man at Bethsaida (8:22-26)
This incident, which is recorded only in Mark, takes place at Bethsaida
(“house of the fish”) located on the east bank of the
Jordan River, where it flows into the Sea of Galilee.
There were two towns near the Sea of Galilee called Bethsaida (the
other one was on the western side of the lake near Capernaum). What
is remarkable about this miracle? 1. That Jesus brought the man
away from the crowds; 2. That Jesus spits on the man’s eyes;
3. That the man sees “men like trees walking”; 4. That
the healing was gradual—the man could see correctly after
Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. This wasn’t a
second effort by Jesus—he didn’t fail the first time
and succeed the second time. We should not make too much of the
man’s description of “men like trees walking.”
He wasn’t seeing demons or angels, etc. His vision was just
unclear—the people around him looked odd to him.
As for the reason why Jesus did this healing gradually, Mark gives
us no hint. Jesus was demonstrating his sovereign freedom to operate
as he pleased. What are some of the practices Jesus used when healing?
Sometimes he just spoke, sometimes he touched people. He didn’t
do it the same way all the time.
The importance of this story for Mark is that it anticipates the
opening of the eyes of understanding of the disciples. It is the
second in a pair of incidents that only Mark records (the first
one is 7:24-37) and that fulfill the OT messianic expectations of
Isaiah 35:5-6. Mark uses both incidents to lead up to the revelation
of the messianic identity of Jesus to the disciples (8:27-30). Their
eyes too are opened, not by human perception, but by the miracle
of God's gracious revelation, which was as much a miracle as the
opening of the blind man's eyes.
Recognizing Jesus as Messiah (8:27-30)
This incident is usually taken to mark the end of the first half
of Mark's Gospel. The account mounts to a climax with the story
of the disciples' recognition of Jesus' messiahship.
Who were the people saying that Jesus was (.28)? “Some say
John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the
prophets.”
Jesus is asking, “Who do you, my most intimate and trusted
friends—in contrast to the other people who neither know me
nor understand me—think I am?” Peter, true to form,
had a ready answer: “You are the Christ.” Peter speaks
for himself and for the rest of the disciples. His confession, that
Jesus is the Christ, is the theme of the gospel message. It is Mark’s
purpose—to demonstrate that Jesus is the Christ.
The Greek word Christos (“Christ”) translates the Hebrew
masiah (“Messiah”) and means the “Anointed One”
of God. In the OT the word is used of anyone who was anointed with
the holy oil, as, for example, the priests and kings of Israel (cf.
Exod 29:7, 21; 1 Sam 10:1, 6; 16:13; 2 Sam 1:14, 16). The word carries
with it the idea of being chosen by God, consecration to his service,
and special empowerment to accomplish the task assigned.
Peter's confession revealed real insight into the nature of Christ's
person and mission, but his concept of Jesus' messiahship was far
from being perfect. Peter still had much to learn of Messiah's suffering,
rejection, and death.
Conclusion:
These miracles reinforce and strengthen the idea that Jesus is the
Messiah, the Christ of God.
Applications:
1. God has great compassion for the lost, who wander about as sheep
without a shepherd. Believers should have such compassion. The spiritual
condition of the lost should motivate us to reach them with the
gospel.
2. God is not bound by the laws of nature. Miracles clearly display
God’s total control over His creation. Believers should have
confidence that God can do anything, far beyond what they can ask
or think. Miracles are not irrational.
3. Miracles may cause amazement, but they don’t always generate
belief or understanding.
4. Our resources, though so little from a human perspective, become
effective when presented to God. “Little is Much when God
is in it.”
5. God meets our needs. He has compassion on us and understands
our weaknesses. His supply often goes far beyond meeting our basic
needs.
6. The Gospel ministry extends to all people without respect to
their ethnic backgrounds. God does not play favorites based on national
background.
Discussion:
1. Some churches practice “Power Evangelism.” That is,
they believe that demonstrating signs and wonders (miracles) will
convince unbelievers of the truth of the gospel. What have such
churches overlooked? The fact that miracles don’t necessarily
cause conversions. The disciples witnessed many miracles first hand,
but yet were still hard-hearted. Judas saw plenty of miracles and
still betrayed Jesus, and Peter denied Him. It’s the gospel
message that is the “power of God unto salvation” (Rom
1:16).
2. If that’s the case, why then does Mark include so many
miracle stories? Miracles served to validate Jesus’ ministry
and message to the Jews (and especially to the disciples). The Jews
expected the Messiah to do miracles, in accordance with OT prophecy.
So Jesus’ miracles gave clear testimony to the fact that Jesus
was who he claimed to be (c.f. 1 Cor 1:22 “the Jews require
a sign …”)
3. Why should we pray before we eat? It’s biblical. Doing
so recognizes and reinforces the idea that God is the source of
the food and that we are relying on God.
4. What are some things that people say about Jesus? That he was
a great teacher or a great leader, a rebel, a crazy man, a prophet
or teacher, etc.
5. Why are some people reluctant to use Jesus’ title “Christ”?
Because the word has a significant meaning. Christ means Messiah.
Jews almost never use the title “Christ” when referring
to Jesus. They don’t recognize him as the Messiah.
