Category: Book of Mark

Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida
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.”

Note:
Jesus follow up on what he did. He make sure this blind man’s vision completely restored before sent him home.

v23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village.
v26 Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into[a] the village.”
One of the reasons why Jesus did so is Bethsaida, the people in this village has the unbelief problem. Jesus also mentioned before that he could not do much miracles because the people’s unbelief. And, he advised him not to go back to the village maybe afraid that he will be influenced by the people in the village to become unbelief. The power of influences of the whole village can be very strong.

I need to also remind myself what types of people I always hang around with. If I always hang around with people who bring negative influences, then sooner or later I will be like one of them. One comes to my mind now is futsal group I joined.

This is one unusual way Jesus heals this blind man. There are many ways God help us. God has unique ways to meet our needs. Sometimes, the way God used is beyond our imagination like what happen in this passage. Why God use unique way instead of normal way? No one knows. Maybe this teach us that our God is a creative God, another quality for us to praise God. And we should also learn from Him to think out of the box for the solutions sometimes.

Adam Clarke has an interesting perspective on this: “It is likely that this was done merely to separate the eyelids; as, in certain cases of blindness, they are found always gummed together. It required a miracle to restore the sight, and this was done in consequence of Christ having laid his hands upon the blind man: it required no miracle to separate the eyelids, and, therefore, natural means only were employed – this was done by rubbing them with spittle.”

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod
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?”

Note:
v15 “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”

Key verse of this passage. Yeast “puffs up” just like pride (1 Co 8: 1 – “But knowledge puffs up while love builds up.”). When our knowledge increase, the temptation to be proud is also increase (http://www.findingsteve.net/chart_diagram_pride.asp)

Another thoughts I have is about influence. Jesus warned the disciples to be careful. I think Jesus knows how influential these Pharisees and Herod. Both Pharisees and Herod were holding very high position in both authority and politically. Pharisees were more on the religious world.

I think as normal citizen, we can be easily influenced by those high authority people. It could be our parents, our boss, our church leader, our prime ministry. But, we should be careful because the influence from them can be both positive and negative. Sometimes we don’t realized that we are under negative influence.

Proverbs 13:20 – Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.
1 Co 15: 33 – Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

Mark 8
Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand
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 set before 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. And having 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.

Note:

I did some comparison between Mark 6 and Mark 8 about Jesus Feeds the thousands. Found it interesting to compare these two similar passages.

v4 His disciples answered, “But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?”
We can imagine Jesus hoping one of the disciples might say, “Jesus, You did this before. You can do the same kind of work again.” Jesus hoped they would regard His past faithfulness as a promise to meet their present need. But, the disciples ask the same question again but Jesus is patient re-teaching them again. Maybe he understand that we all easily forget.

v6 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 set before 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.

The beautiful partnership with God to do great work – What is the disciples cannot do is the miracle to multiply the food. Thus, Jesus do so. But Jesus wants us to participate in His work to meet people needs. In v7, Jesus told the disciples to distribute them. It is not the case, that Jesus cannot work without us. He can. But he choose to use us, not make use of us. But to make us participate or involve in his work. He wants to work together with us.

7 They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them.

Find this really funny after reading the below commentary:

It seems that the disciples kept the fish from Jesus until they saw He could multiply the bread. They needed to see that we are safe giving everything to Jesus.

i. “Why were these not mentioned before? Could it be that they had been withheld by the doubting disciples until they saw how the bread was multiplied? Apparently, the fishes were blessed separately and then distributed as the bread had been.” (Ironside)

v11 The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven.

The word tested could be translated tempted. The Pharisees are tempting Jesus to perform a miraculous sign just as Satan did in the wilderness (Matthew 4: 5-7). Just like in the wilderness, Jesus didn’t fall into Satan’s trap. He didn’t give them a sign and left them (v12-13)

Jesus Honors a Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith
24 Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre.[f] He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. 25 In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil[g] spirit came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

27 “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

28 “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

29 Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”

30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Note:
v27 “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

i. In that day, Jews often called Gentiles “dogs” in a very derogatory way. “The dog was not the well-loved guardian that it is to-day; more commonly it was the symbol of dishonour. To the Greek, the word dog meant a shameless and audacious woman; it was used exactly with the connotation that we use the word @#!*% to-day. To the Jews it was equally a term of contempt.” (Barclay)

ii. Yet Jesus did not use the normal word for “dogs.” Instead He softened it into little dogs – essentially, reminding the woman of her place as a Gentile, yet not wanting to push her completely away. “In Greek, diminutives are characteristically affectionate. Jesus took the sting out of the word.” (Barclay)

v28 “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

The woman responds with great faith. She accepted her low place before Jesus by not debating the reference to little dogs.

i. “Nothing appealed to our blessed Lord more than faith coupled with humility.” (Ironside) Some people come to God with a kind of faith, but without humility. Others come to God with a kind of humility, but without faith. But if the two are combined it is a powerful thing before God.

That Which Defiles
1 The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus 2 and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.[a])

5 So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?”

6 He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:

“‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
7 They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’[b]

8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”

9 And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe[c] your own traditions! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’[d] and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’[e] 11 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)— 12 then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. 13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”

14 Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside you can defile you by going into you. Rather, it is what comes out of you that defiles you.”

17 After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18 “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters you from the outside can defile you? 19 For it doesn’t go into your heart but into your stomach, and then out of your body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)

20 He went on: “What comes out of you is what defiles you. 21 For from within, out of your hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and defile you.”

Note:
Q: How did tradition of God come about? In Exodus 30: 17-21, it says:

17 Then the LORD said to Moses, 18 “Make a bronze basin, with its bronze stand, for washing. Place it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. 19 Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet with water from it. 20 Whenever they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die. Also, when they approach the altar to minister by presenting a food offering to the LORD, 21 they shall wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This is to be a lasting ordinance for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.”

Indeed, God commanded those who enter the tent of meeting that they shall wash with water so that they will not die. I believe in that context, God will teaching them about having proper respect as we approach God. Just like our hands and feet are easily contaminated with dirt, we the spiritual being easily contaminated with spiritual dirt.

But, after times goes by, the Jews modified this original God’s commandment to man’s (tradition of men) by relating this command to physical cleanliness (Mark 7: 1-5). That’s why it is important for us to always go back to God’s word. Without doing so, we can then slowly or little by little modify God’s commandment to our own. And God is very hard-line on this (Revelation 22:18-19).

i. The concept of evaluating Jesus’ ministry was fine. In outward appearance, these men were protecting Israel from a potential false prophet or false messiah. But they way they actually evaluated Jesus was all wrong. First, they already made up their mind about Jesus. Second, they did not evaluate Jesus against the measure of God’s Word. The evaluated Him against the measure of their religious traditions. [Source: enduringword.com]

v1-5 – Actually is it okay if we want to wash our hands as tradition. We are free to do it. But if we impose others to do the same, then it is not right because this is called self-righteous (setting our own standard as standard of righteousness).

To what extend the Jewish uphold their own traditions? How serious the Jew take this tradition?
– The Jewish Rabbi Jose saith, He sinneth as much as who eateth with unwashen hands, as he that lieth with an harlot.” (Trapp)
– The Mishna, a collection of Jewish traditions in the Talmud, records, ‘It is a greater offense to teach anything contrary to the voice of the Rabbis than to contradict Scripture itself.’
– For these ceremonial washings, special stone vessels of water were kept, because ordinary water might be unclean. To wash your hands in a special way, you started by taking at least enough of this water to fill one and one-half egg shells. Then, you poured the water over your hands, starting at the fingers and running down towards your wrist. Then you cleansed each palm by rubbing the fist of the other hand into it. Then you poured water over your hands again, this time from the wrist towards the fingers.
– A really strict Jew would do this not only before the meal, but also between each course.
– The rabbis were deadly serious about this. They said that bread eaten with unwashed hands was no better than excrement. One rabbi who once failed to perform the ritual washing was excommunicated. Another rabbi was imprisoned by the Romans, and he used his ration of water for ceremonial cleansing instead of drinking, nearly dying of thirst. He was regarded as a great hero for this sacrifice.

v6-7
i. This is the whole idea behind the word hypocrite. The word in the ancient Greek language referred to “an actor” or “someone who wears a mask.” The image they promote is more important to them than what they actually are.

ii. Would God say something similar to us?

· “They attend church, but their heart is far from Me”
· “They read their Bible, but their heart is far from Me”
· “They pray eloquently, but their heart is far from Me”
· “They contribute money, but their heart is far from Me”
· “They do ministry, but their heart is far from Me”
· “They love to sing, but their heart is far from Me”
· “They talk to others about Jesus, but their heart is far from Me”

v7 “their teachings are merely human rules” – This is one of the pillars of legalism. Taking a commandment or opinion of men, and teaching or promoting it as a doctrine from God is what supports legalism. It gives man’s word the same weight as God’s word.

i. If I say, “In my opinion, you should no longer eat hamburgers from MacDonald’s” then you are free to say “That’s a nice opinion, now leave me alone.” But when someone says, “God says you should no longer eat hamburgers from MacDonald’s” then they make it seem like you are opposing God if you don’t do as they say.

ii. Not everything in the Christian life is a matter of right and wrong. Some things – many things – are simply matters of personal conscience before God. The Scriptures do not command ritual washing before meals. If you want to do it, then fine. Do it unto the Lord, and without a sense of spiritual superiority before your brothers and sisters. If don’t want to do it, fine also. Don’t do it unto the Lord, and don’t look down upon those whose conscience compels them to do the ritual washing.

v18 – “Don’t you see that nothing that enters you from the outside can defile you? 19 For it doesn’t go into your heart but into your stomach, and then out of your body.”

This is not to say that there are not defiling things that we can take into ourselves (such as pornography). But in this specific context, Jesus spoke about ceremonial cleanliness in regard to food (v19).