MARK

Mark Chapter 8

• Mark 8:1 In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them,
• 2 I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat:
• 3 And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far.
• 4 And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?
• 5 And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven.
• 6 And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people.
• 7 And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them.
• 8 So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets.
• 9 And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.

No McDonald's, no Wendy's. These people followed Jesus to learn and listen to His teaching for three days without food. Oh that we would have that kind of zeal to hear the Word of God. Again, this shows that God cares about physical needs as well as spiritual. Notice though that the spiritual needs were dealt with first.

He did not want them to go on their way without food. He gave them provisions. He didn't set up stands for them to buy and thereby profit from their need but gave them their need.

I realize we have to make a living and spreading the gospel all over the world cost millions of dollars. If it's by way of radio and television it is especially expensive; but there is far too much buying, selling and profit going on when it comes to the gospel and it makes me shutter. I don't want to say too much here because I don't want to hurt real genuine ministries who need money in order to survive.

Those men and women who preach the gospel and forsake all to follow Christ need our support. The spirit of giving needs to prevail within us. We should not however desire to profit materially from our brothers and sisters in the Lord thereby making merchandise of the gospel.

His dear disciples forgot the feeding of the five thousand before this and forgot the other miracles in the face of this vast need before them. This was even a need less than the one before.

How quickly we forget miracles. I want to see miracles and I believe in miracles but our faith must not stand in miracles alone because sometimes in the time of testing miracles cease and seem not to be. Our faith must stand in the Lord and His word even when our eyes do not see. We walk by faith not by sight. We can't just have faith when everything is going well. We can't find fault with the disciples though because we are exactly the same. When a trouble pops up we sometimes panic and forget the Lord's past deliverance. God is so good to put up with us many times.

• Mark 7:10 And straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha.
• 11 And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.
• 12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.

Here comes trouble after the miracle of the feeding of the four thousand. They seek signs and wonders, trying to get Jesus to prove who He was. As I study scriptures, especially those in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, I notice that Jesus did miracles to ease suffering, meet needs and to accompany the message of salvation. Not once did He do them to put on a show, entertain or to make a name for Himself. He didn't even seem to do miracles to prove that He was the Son of God. He did no miracles unless there was a need present.

I believe the Lord wants to heal because of His compassion for the sick. I believe He wants to save because He doesn't want any to perish. I know that many miracles were done to bring glory to God and to confirm the word but sometimes I wonder if the Lord just wanted to heal because someone needed healing. Think for a minute. If we had the power to heal and saw someone sitting by the road nearly dying, would we not stop and heal that person?

Would we first check to see if anyone was watching so that we could get praise for our actions? It's so hard for us to get it through our heads that God wants to heal. Yet He does deserve praise and glory. We are His vessels the healing is done by God's power, not us.

Jesus sighed deeply in His spirit. He knew why the Pharisees wanted signs. They did not desire the things Jesus had to give, they were there to find fault and hinder the work of God. This grieved Jesus. Jesus had feelings, He knew that not all would receive and believe His message. He knew that some would be lost and perish in Hell. Yet, it grieved Him.

God does want to save everyone but He can't. He gave us the ability to make choices. We can be lost if we do not choose His plan to save us. He wants us to be saved but He will not force it upon us. It shows also that God doesn't just give signs to satisfy a curious crowd. Yet whether or not we see miracles, we are to pray for the sick. Signs are to follow believers in Jesus to confirm the word we teach. The gifts of the Spirit are not supposed to cease.

• Mark 7:13 And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side.
• 14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf.
• 15 And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.

They were to beware of the false doctrines of Herod and the Pharisees.

• Mark 7:16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread.
• 17 And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened?
• 18 Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?
• 19 When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve.
• 20 And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.
• 21 And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?

Jesus was trying to teach them that He was not warning them not to take food but to avoid the doctrine of the Pharisees. The Pharisees say one thing but do not what they say. They honor with their lips but not their heart. They heaped burdens on people but did not lift one finger to help the people carry them. Their religion was an outward show and they lacked compassion, understanding and mercy. They sought to find fault, seek signs and not the salvation and healing of the people.

While we know that God's judgment will surely come to all who refuse to repent and receive God's gift of salvation and way of escape, we must not make the mistake of Jonah and start to desire vengeance upon the disobedient but desire for repentance and change. God would much rather save than bring destruction or else He would not bother to send anyone to warn first.

That should also be our desire also, to see the lost saved. Yes judgment will come upon the nations that forget God, but in the meantime we must pray and seek that as many as can be reached with the gospel will be reached until every last person on the face of the earth has had a chance to receive the gospel and be saved. If just one person is saved by spreading the gospel by way of radio, TV, Internet, local church, tent revival, gospel tracts or personal witnessing then all the effort, money spent and work is worth it. I believe our beautiful Jesus would have still died for our sins even if He knew only one would accept His plan to save them.

• Mark 7:22 And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.
• 23 And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.
• 24 And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.
• 25 After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.
• 26 And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.

We again see Jesus meet another physical need by healing a man that was blind. Again we hear Jesus tell the man not to tell anyone. The only answer I can figure is the reason for this is because   He came was to die for sins not gain the approval of the world. Notice the healing of the eyesight here did not happen like the others. Jesus prayed twice for complete healing. Why this is, I do not know but perhaps it is to show us not to give up if perfect healing doesn't come the first time we ask. My speculation here.

• Mark 7:27 And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am?
• 28 And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets.
• 29 And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.
• 30 And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.

I really wonder about this passage here where Jesus occasionally instructs some not to tell of Him so I thought I would quote someone else on this one: Here is some of Finis Dake's comments:

Four reasons for Jesus doing this:

1. He did not want to set forth His claim to Messiahship this early in His ministry and hasten the controversy He knew that His works would cause. Even later He forbade His disciples to make it known (Mt. 16:13-20). He made no public claim of it at first, but simply did the works that the prophets had predicted the Messiah would do (Mt. 11:1-6).
2. He wanted people to fulfill the law and offer the testimony that Moses commanded in such cases (Lev. 14:4, 10, 21-22). In each case it would have to be known to the priests how one was cleansed and this should be sufficient proof of His Messiahship to the priests. The Jewish rabbis taught that cleansing lepers should be characteristic of the Messiah, so His very works proved it before He was forced by opposition to make such claim for Himself.
3. He wanted to shun popularity and human acclaim and the evil effects of mob clamor to make Him King. When this did happen He got away from it all (Jn. 6:15-21). By this time He knew it was time to declare Himself to the people, so never again did He say, "tell no man," as in Mt. 8:4; Mk. 8:26, 3 Mk. 30; Lk. 5:14; Lk. 8:56; Lk. 9:21.
4. Jesus set an example of putting healings to the test before testimony is given for them. Any real healing will stand any kind of test. Any person maintaining he is healed when he is not, is unscriptural."

Sometimes using the wisdom of bible theologians that have gone on before us can be a real blessing.

• Mark 7:31 And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
• 32 And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.
• 33 But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.

Here is a hint to the previous verses. First Jesus talks of "Who He is," then after that He discusses what the purpose is for which He came. He was to suffer, be rejected, and be killed. He didn't stop there and leave them in total despair, He told them that He would rise again from the dead.

Peter, looking at it from the worldly viewpoint quickly spoke, he was ready to defend the Lord's rights. "This shall not be." "This is not to happen, no way, we will not let it." Jesus quickly stopped Peter even to the point of telling him that he was doing the things of Satan, not God.

Satan did not want Jesus to die for our sins. That's why he tried on many occasions to kill Him ahead of time and hinder the work of God. Remember the temptations in the wilderness. Satan was really trying to get Jesus to bypass the cross and take the kingdom the easy way. If Jesus had of done that, and He could have, we would have no way to be saved.

Someone has to pay for sin. The penalty for sin is eternal death. Someone had to pay that penalty and remove sin. Jesus' death on the cross, the just for the unjust, did just that. He died that we might be saved. His punishment for sins that He did not do could count for us who was guilty of sin. We are not saved like some teach, by doing a bunch of good deeds, feeding the poor, building hospitals etc., but are saved by what Jesus did on our behalf. This can only be given to those that believe this. If we do not believe, the death on the cross does not count on our behalf.

This does not automatically cover everyone regardless of how they believe. We are saved by faith in the Lord's death, burial and resurrection and what He did on our behalf. Praise God. He is the only way of salvation. We cannot inherit eternal life any other way, no matter how good we live. Also, no matter how bad we live, we are covered by His grace and given a new life and spirit if we repent of those sins and come to Christ. Why delay, today is the day to be saved?

• Mark 7:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
• 35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
• 36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
• 37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
• 38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

Here we get to the real message of salvation. This is not easy believeism. Who ever comes after Jesus Christ has to deny self. We are not on our own anymore. We can't do what we want and live the way the flesh wants to live.

He that lives after the desires of the flesh will die, but he that walks after the Spirit shall live. He that sows to the flesh will reap corruption but he that sows to the Spirit will reap everlasting life. When we come to Christ, we turn away from our old life and give our life to God. This is true repentance and no matter how many teach that we can bypass this part of it, we cannot.

Jesus said, not Paul, John, or Peter but Jesus said, "Whoever will save his life shall lose it his life for His sake will gain it."

If we seek the world and all that is in it and hold onto it we will lose everything including our soul. We must forsake all and follow Christ. We can't love the world and claim to love God also. The two do not agree.

What is all this profit if we lose our soul for eternity? If we choose to please people, never mention Christ publicly in order not to offend, leave Him out of public schools so as to please everyone, be ashamed of the gospel and the word, then rest assured, He will be ashamed of us before the Father.

Jesus suffered and died so that we would not have to suffer eternal death in hell but have everlasting life, He is not one to be ashamed of in order to get along with our friends. He is the one we are to live in awe of, not our friends.

Ah! Listen, we give praise to our heroes today, our favorite football player, our favorite singer, our favorite candidate for president. We defend them to the hilt if someone criticizes them. Is not our Lord greater than all the others? Would our movie stars and famous athletes die for our sins on an old cross? Let us not be ashamed of Him who paid dearly for our eternal salvation. DC