Mark 6-7
What I Noticed Today (Mark 6-7)
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 the people refused 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.
Mark 6b-8:30
This section of Mark’s Gospel is focused on describing Jesus’ ministry in and beyond Galilee.
In verses 6b-13, Jesus commissioned the 12 disciples as apostles and sent them out into the villages in pairs with power over unclean spirits. (See also Matthew 10:5-15)
They could take a staff and wear sandals but were not allowed to take extra provisions or clothing. All they needed was to be provided by the people they ministered to.
They were to shake the dust off of their feet wherever they were not welcomed (See Note Matthew 10:5-15).
Note: The disciples being sent with the power to heal demonstrated to the disciples that Jesus’ power extended beyond Him and His physical presence.
In verses 14-29, (See also Matthew 14:1-12), Herod heard about Jesus and the miracles He performed and was convinced that John the Baptist had come back to life.
Note: Mark refers to Herod Antipas as king, but he was not a king. He was tetrarch (ruler of a portion of his father’s kingdom).
Herod had liked hearing from John the Baptist but was upset when John told him he should not have his brother’s wife. Because of an oath he made to his daughter, Herod had John brought from prison and beheaded.
When the disciples heard about what happened to John, they removed his body and placed him in a tomb.
In verses 30-44, (See also Matthew 14:13-21), the apostles returned to Jesus from their missions’ work (vv. 7-13) and told Jesus all they had done. Jesus said they needed rest, so they left by boat for a remote place, but many people ran after them and crowded around them when they reached the shore. Jesus had compassion on them and told the disciples to feed them. They had no food except five small fish and two loaves of bread. Jesus had the people sit in groups, blessed the food, and gave it to the disciples to give to the people. Five thousand men ate (probably 20,000 people total), and when they were finished, they had 12 baskets of food left over.
In verses 45-52, (See also Matthew 14:22-23), immediately after feeding the 5,000, Jesus instructed the disciples to get in a boat and sail to the other side of the Sea of Galilee toward Bethsaida. In the meantime, Jesus dismissed the crowd and went away to pray. Later that evening, Jesus saw the disciples in the boat in the middle of the sea. The wind had come up and was against them. About three in the morning, Jesus walked on water toward them and wanted to walk by them, but they were afraid and cried out, so he got in the boat and comforted them. They were astounded when the wind ceased because they still did not understand the miracle of feeding the 5,000 or who Jesus was.
In verses 53-56, (See also Matthew 14:34-36), they made it to Gennesaret (south of Capernaum). People recognized Jesus and came from all around as Jesus visited the towns in the area, and he healed all who came to him.
Mark 7
In verses 1-13, (See also Matthew 15:1-20), the Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and confronted Jesus about His disciples not washing their hands before eating.
Note: The ceremonial washing was a tradition prescribed by the elders, not a part of Mosaic Law.
Jesus answered them, asking why they were hypocritical in saying people needed to follow the Law, yet they break God’s Law by not honoring their mothers and fathers (Exodus 20:12). They avoided caring for their parents by declaring their possessions as Corban (a gift devoted to God). In effect, their tradition had revoked or nullified the Law of God.
In verses 14-23, (See also Matthew 15:10-20), Jesus summoned the crowd and explained to them that nothing that goes into the body from the outside could defile him, only what comes out of the body. Explaining to the disciples further, Jesus said it is what comes out of a man’s heart that defiles him; our evil thoughts, sexual immorality, thefts, murder, adulteries, greed, evil actions, deceit, promiscuity, stinginess, blasphemy, pride, and foolishness. All these defile a person and come from inside, in the heart.
In verses 24-30, (See also Matthew 15:21-28), Jesus left that area (probably Capernaum) and traveled to the region of Tyre and Sidon (Gentile territory).
Note: Tyre was a Phoenician port city on the Mediterranean about 40 miles northwest of Capernaum.
Jesus was trying not to be noticed, but people recognized Him. A woman came with her demon-possessed daughter asking Him to heal her. Jesus responded that His purpose to care for the children (the Jews) first. The woman recognized her place as a Gentile, called Jesus Lord, saying even the dogs get the children’s crumbs.
Note: The picture here is of the dogs (representing the Gentiles) eating the crumbs at the same time as the children (the Jews).
Because of her faith, Jesus healed her daughter.
In verses 31-37, (See also Matthew 15:29-31), Jesus left the area of Tyre going toward Sidon to the Sea of Galilee in the region of Decapolis.
Note: Decapolis was a group of ten cities in the region of Syria, Jordan, and Palestine. They were predominantly Greek and independent of Rome.
People brought a deaf man who had difficulty speaking, asking for him to be healed. Jesus took him to a private place. Jesus prayed and commanded his ears to be opened. He was immediately healed and could speak clearly. The more Jesus ordered the people not to speak about this, the more they spoke of His miracles.
Note: Mark is the only Gospel writer who includes this miracle of the healing of the deaf man.
Some points for further consideration:
- Jesus demonstrates the importance of faith and the acceptance of His message for Him to perform miracles.
- Jesus’ list of twelve behaviors/actions that defile us reflects the condition of our hearts.
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.