Category: ZBible Study

Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah
27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”

29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”

30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

Note:
Why Jesus asked them this question? It is not because he wants approval or compliment from men. Not that Jesus doesn’t know. Maybe because he just wants to find out. Or another reason could be he wants to use this way to let all the disciples know who he really is. Maybe some disciples do not have in mind yet that Jesus is the Messiah.

How I can apply this is I can also ask question periodically to get feedback.

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.