Chronological Bible Study – Oct 17
What I Noticed Today (Matthew 14; Mark 6; Luke 9)
Matthew 14
In verses 1-12, Herod Antipas ruled as tetrarch over the region that included Galilee and Perea. Herod had heard about the miracles and teaching of Jesus and thought that John the Baptist had risen from the dead.
Note: From this point on, the majority of Jesus’ teaching was directed to His disciples.
Note: Herod Antipas was the son of Herod the Great, who killed the babies in Bethlehem.
Note: A tetrarch was two steps below the position of king.
Herod Antipas had previously arrested John the Baptist and put him in prison because John confronted Herod about sleeping with his brother Philip’s wife, Herodias. John was executed (beheaded) because his step-daughter asked him (at the prompting of her mother Herodias) to bring the head of John on a platter.
In verses 13-21, when Jesus heard of John’s death, He withdrew to a quiet place, but the crowds followed Him, and having sympathy for them, He healed them. In the evening, His disciples came suggesting they send the crowd away. Jesus said there was no need to send them away to buy food. Jesus took fives loaves of bread and two fish, prayed over the bread and fish, and then gave them to the disciples to distribute to the crowd. They all ate, and the disciples collected twelve baskets of leftovers (one basket for each of the twelve disciples!).
Note: From Luke 9:10, we know this took place in Bethsaida.
Note: Verse 21 says about five thousand men were fed. With wives and children, the number of total people fed was likely around 20,000.
In verses 22-33, after feeding the people, Jesus ordered the disciples to get into the boat and go to the other side of the sea of Galilee while he went by himself to pray. As evening approached, a storm came up on the lake. Sometimes between 3 am and 6 am (the fourth watch), Jesus came to the disciples in the boat walking on water. At first, they did not recognize Him and were afraid, but Jesus comforted them.
Peter asked to walk on water with Jesus, and Jesus said, come. Peter got out of the boat and began walking toward Jesus, but he took his eyes off of Jesus and began to sink. Peter cried out for the Lord to save him, and Jesus reached out His hand to Peter. Jesus rebuked Peter for his lack of faith.
Note: I wonder what the rest of the disciples thought when all this happened? After all, Peter was the first and only one at this point who had enough faith to believe that Jesus really was the Son of God.
As soon as they were back in the boat, the wind stopped, they worshiped Jesus exclaiming surely He was the Son of God.
In verses 34-36, Jesus and the disciples reached Gennesaret. The people there recognized Jesus. Word spread, and people from all over the region came to be healed. Their faith was so strong that even touching Jesus’ cloak was enough to heal them.
Mark 6
In verses 1-3, leaving Capernaum, Jesus and the disciples departed for Nazareth, about 20 miles southwest. When He arrived, He started teaching in the synagogue. They were amazed at His wisdom and also offended by him.
Note: Scripture does not say why they were offended. It certainly could be because of His position pointing out the hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders. More likely, it was because of the people’s refusal to believe His message (v. 6a.)
Jesus’ mother Mary was there along with his brothers James, Jose, Judas, and Simon, along with his sisters (plural).
Note: referring to Jesus as “only a carpenter” and as “Mary’s son” rather than by name were both derogatory references to a man in Jewish culture.
Note: Jesus was not able to do many miracles there because of their unbelief. This is not an indication that Jesus' power was limited but that He chose not to do miracles for those who did not believe.
Luke 9
In verses 1-6, (See also Matthew 10:5-15, and Mark 6:7-13), Jesus summoned the disciples and gave them power and authority over demons and to heal diseases. He then told them to go out and proclaim the Good News. They were to take nothing with them; no walking stick, no travel bag, no extra food, no money, not even an extra shirt. Wherever you go, if they do not welcome you, shake the dust off of your feet as a testimony against them.
Note: When Jews returned home from visiting the Gentile territory, they would shake the dust off of their feet. Jews who rejected the disciples were like unbelieving Gentiles.
In verses 7-9, (See also Matthew 4:1-2, and Mark 6:14-20) Herod the tetrarch, heard about Jesus, and was confused because he thought John had risen from the dead after he had beheaded John. Others thought it was Elijah, and others thought it was one of the other prophets.
In verses 10-17, (See also Matthew 14:13-21, and Mark 6:30-44), when the disciples returned to Jesus, He took them to Bethsaida, but the crowds of people found out and followed them. Jesus welcomed them, healed them, and spoke about the kingdom of heaven. Late in the day, the disciples told Jesus He should send the people away to find food and lodging, but Jesus said you feed them. The disciples found only five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus directed the people to sit in groups of 50. He took the fish and the bread, blessed it, and began handing it to the disciples to give to the people. Five thousand men (probably about 20,000 people total) were fed, and they had 12 baskets of leftovers.
In verses 18-27, (See also Matthew 16:13-28, and Mark 8:27-9:1) while Jesus was praying and the disciples were with Him, He asked them who do the people say that I am. They answered some people say John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of the ancient prophets. Jesus then asked, who do you say I am. Peter answered God’s Messiah.
Jesus warned them not to say anything because the Son of Man must suffer many things, be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed and raised on the third day.
Jesus then told the disciples that anyone who wishes to follow Him must deny himself and take up his cross daily.
Note: “Deny” and “Take up” or “Lift up” are both imperatives, meaning a command that requires continuous action.
Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory.
Note: whoever rejects Jesus’ message now will be rejected by Him on judgment day.
In verses 28-36, (See also Matthew 17:1-8, and Mark 9:28-36), about eight days later, Jesus took Peter, John, and James up on the mountain (Mount Tabor) to pray. As Jesus was praying, His appearance changed, and His clothes turned dazzling white, and two men, Moses and Elijah, were talking to Him. They were speaking about His death that was to come to Jerusalem. Peter, John, and James woke up from sleeping just as Moses and Elijah were leaving, and Peter suggested they built a tabernacle for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. Just as Peter was saying this a cloud above them appeared and spoke from the cloud, a voice said, “This is MY Son, the Chosen One, listen to Him.”
After the voice, only Jesus was there. Peter, John, and James kept silent about what they had seen.
Note: Peter’s suggestion to build three tabernacles may be an indication that he thought the kingdom of God was at hand (Zechariah 14:16-21, Luke 9:27).
In verses 37-43, (See also Matthew 17:14-18, and Mark 9:14-27) the next day when Jesus, Peter, John, and James came down from the mountain, a large crowd met them. A man broke through the crowd begging Jesus to heal his demon-possessed son. The man said he had brought the boy to the disciples, but they had been unable to cast out the demon. Jesus rebuked the demon and healed the boy, and everyone was amazed at the greatness of God.
Note: It is unclear who Jesus was referring to when he said, “You unbelieving and rebellious generation” (v. 41). It may have been the crowd, the man’s father, the disciples, or all of them. Regardless, we know from the Mark passage that what was lacking was faith, prayer, and fasting.
In verses 44-45, Jesus tells the disciples a second time that the Son of Man is about to betrayed into the hands of men, but they didn’t understand what He meant and were afraid to ask Him about it.
In verses 46-50, (See also Matthew 18:1-5, and Mark 9:33-40), then an argument broke out among the disciples regarding who would be the greatest of them. Jesus said the one who is the greatest is the one who is least among you, whoever is least is the greatest.
John responded they had seen someone casting out demons in Jesus’ name, but they stopped him because he was not one of them. Jesus responded they should not stop him; whoever is not against you is for you.
Note: It seems in these two examples, the disciples thought of themselves as an exclusive club who should be the only ones demonstrating God’s power.
In verses 51-56, when it was time for Jesus to journey to Jerusalem, he sent messengers into a Samaritan village to make preparations for Him. But they did not welcome Him, so Jesus decided to journey on to Jerusalem.
Note: The Samaritan’s preferred center of worship was Mount Gerizim, not Jerusalem. James and John wanting to call down the fire of judgment on the Samaritans remind us of Elijah (2 Kings 1:9-12), who called down fire on those who rejected God.
In verses 57-62, (See also Matthew 8:19-22), as they were traveling, someone told Jesus he would follow him anywhere. Jesus responded, saying He (the Son of Man) did not even have a place to lay His head.
Jesus speaking to another man said follow me (the same words He used to call the disciples). But the man said first let me bury my father. Jesus said, let the dead bury the dead, but you go and spread the news of the kingdom.
Another person said he would follow Jesus, but only after he said goodbye to his family. Jesus said no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.
Note: The point of Jesus’ discussion with these three men is that one cannot follow Jesus with divided interests. There can be no excuses that interfere with following Jesus. It is worth noting that Luke ends the conversation without telling us what any of the three men did. Did they follow Jesus, or did they return to their prior lives?
Some points for further thought:
- In Luke 9, we see Jesus calling the disciples. Whom He calls, he also equips (vv. 1-6), enables (vv. 7-17), and encourages (vv. 18-36). Through all this, He will give us the strength to endure (vv. 37-62).
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.