Mark 8
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CHAPTER 8
Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand (8:1-10)
(Matthew 15:32-39)
1-10 Here Mark describes a second occasion when Jesus fed a multitude. As on the first occasion, Jesus fed the people because He had compassion on them (Mark 6:34). This time there were four thousand men, seven loaves, and seven baskets52 of fragments gathered after everyone had eaten (see Mark 6:32-44 and comment).
After Jesus had fed the multitude, He went to Dalmanutha. According to Matthew 15:39, He went to Magadan. It is not known where either of these two places were located. Or perhaps Matthew and Mark were referring to one place with two different names.
This crowd had been with Jesus for three days with nothing to eat (verse 2). They had come to hear God’s words. They had come to receive spiritual food for their spirits, and God gave them food for their bodies as well.
Here we can see a very important principle. If we seek first of all God’s word and His righteousness, He will take care of all our bodily needs (see Matthew 6:31-33 and comment). But if we come to Christ only to receive some bodily or material benefit—food, a scholarship, a job—then we shall receive nothing from God. Indeed, if one insincerely comes to a church meeting or Bible study only in order to get some material benefit, his guilt will increase in God’s sight. Because, as that person’s knowledge of God increases, so will his responsibility to obey God also increase—together with his guilt for not doing so (see Luke 12:47-48).
The Pharisees Ask For a Sign (8:11-13)
(Matthew 16:1-4; Luke 12:54-56)
11-13 The Pharisees, in order to test Jesus, asked Him to show them a sign. They were not seeking a sign to find out if Jesus was the Savior, the Messiah. They had already decided that He was not. They were not sincere in their request for a sign. They only wanted to prove that Jesus was not the Messiah.
The sign they sought was some kind of absolute proof that Jesus was the Son of God, the Messiah. They wanted a sign from heaven. They had seen Christ’s miracles, but they did not consider these sufficient proof that He was God’s Son. In fact, the Jews had said that Jesus did His miracles by the power of Satan! (see Mark 3:22). Therefore, the sign that the Pharisees demanded was a special proof that Jesus’ power came from God, not from Satan.
Jesus answered the Pharisees: “… no sign will be given it (this generation).” According to Matthew 16:4, Jesus said that no sign would be given except the sign of Jonah. Jonah was a prophet who was swallowed by a great fish and spent three days in its stomach (Jonah 1:17). In the same way, Christ would be killed and spend three days in the earth and then rise from the dead. That would be the sign that He was truly the Son of God (see Matthew 12:38-41 and comment). Yet, in the end, the Jews did not even accept that sign. They said after Christ’s resurrection that His disciples came during the night and stole him away (Matthew 28:12-13).
Jesus did not want to give a sign—that is, complete proof—that He was the Son of God, because if He did so there would no longer be any room for faith. Faith can only exist when the object of our faith is something beyond our finite knowledge. Jesus wanted to find out who had faith and who did not. If He had given an absolute sign, everyone would have followed Him. But He wanted for followers only those who had faith. To demand a sign is the same as not to believe. Jesus did not want to show a sign to unbelievers.
According to Matthew 16:2-3, Jesus reminded the Pharisees that by looking at the sky, they could predict what the weather would be. A red sky in the evening was a sign of fair weather. A red sky in the morning was a sign of bad weather. If the Pharisees could interpret these signs of the coming weather, why couldn’t they interpret the spiritual signs of the coming of the kingdom of God? (see Luke 12:5456). For those with open believing hearts, Christ had already shown more than enough “signs” that He was the Son of God. But the Pharisees wouldn’t believe no matter what signs Jesus showed them (John 10:24-25).
The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod (8:14-21)
(Matthew 16:5-12)
14-16 Here Mark describes the slowness of the disciples to understand Jesus’ teaching. Whenever Jesus tried to teach them some spiritual truth, they thought He was talking about ordinary worldly matters.
Jesus wanted to warn them about the yeast—that is, the evil and hypocrisy—of the Pharisees and of King Herod (Luke 12:1) and of the Sadducees53 (Matthew 16:6). “Yeast” is usually used as an illustration of evil in the New Testament (see 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 and comment). A little evil can spread like yeast through the whole church. A little false teaching can destroy the faith of new Christians (Galatians 5:7-9).
But the disciples didn’t at first realize that Jesus was speaking of spiritual “yeast”—the evil yeast of hypocrisy and false teaching (Matthew 16:12). They thought He was chiding them for having forgotten to bring enough bread (verse 14).
17-21 Jesus said to His disciples, “How can you be talking about not having enough bread? Have you not just seen me feed five thousand men with five little loaves and four thousand men with seven loaves? How can you think there is not enough bread? Don’t you realize who I am? I am the Lord and Creator of the universe. Do you suppose that I can’t create more bread out of your one loaf? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened?” The disciples had eyes and ears (verse 18), but they could not yet discern spiritual things (see 1 Corinthians 2:12-14).54
The Healing of a Blind Man at Bethsaida (8:22-26)
22-26 Jesus then healed a blind man (see John 9:1-7). First He healed the man’s eyes only partly. Then a second time He put His hands on his eyes, and his sight was fully restored.
Spiritually, the disciples were like this blind man. At first they could not see and understand spiritual things. Then they began to see in part. To the blind man, people looked like trees walking around (verse 24). To the disciples, Christ looked only like a miracle worker, a healer, a teacher, a prophet. They could not yet see that He was more than all these, that He was the Messiah, the Son of God.
Peter’s Confession of Christ (8:27-30)
(Matthew 16:13-20; Luke 9:18-21)
27 As they were journeying to Caesarea Philippi, an important city in northern Israel, Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do people say I am?” Who is Jesus? For every man and woman on earth, there is no more important question than this.
28-29 Some people thought that Jesus was John the Baptist risen from the dead (Mark 6:14). Others thought He was an Old Testament prophet like Elijah or Jeremiah (Matthew 16:14; Mark 6:15).
But Jesus knew what others thought. He wanted to know what His disciples thought. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered: “You are the Christ.”55 According to Matthew 16:16, Peter gave a fuller answer: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” At last, the disciples’ eyes were opened!
Then, according to Matthew 16:17-19, Jesus pronounced upon Peter a great blessing.56 He said to Peter: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah,57 for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.” Faith is a gift of God. It is always God who reveals to us who Christ is.
Then Jesus said to Peter: “… you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my CHURCH” (Matthew 16:18). In the Greek language the name Peter means “rock.” Jesus’ meaning was that Peter and the other apostles would be the foundation for Christ’s church (Ephesians 2:19-20). The gates of Hades (Isaiah 38:10)—that is, the power of death—would not be able to overcome this church (Matthew 16:18). The gates of Hades are like the gates of a fortress. They keep the spirits of the dead shut up inside, and they keep Christ from coming in to rescue them. These gates will not be able to stand against Christ and His church. Christ, by His victory over death, has destroyed Satan’s stronghold and set the captives free (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18; 1 Peter 3:18-20 and comments).
Then, according to Matthew’s account, Jesus said to His disciples: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19). In saying this, Jesus gave the apostles the authority to establish His church and to be its leaders. Jesus did not say this only to Peter, but to all the apostles (see Matthew 18:18). The keys of the kingdom of heaven gave the apostles the authority to preach the message of salvation and to bring into the church all those who would believe and be saved. Christ, who holds the key of David (Isaiah 22:22; Revelation 3:7), gave His own key to His apostles. They received from Him the authority to bind and to loose in Christ’s name.58 This means that they had the authority to determine true doctrine, to punish false teachers and unrepentant sinners, and to exercise complete authority in the church.
This didn’t mean that everything the apostles did after that was right, or that they never sinned again. Peter later denied Jesus (Mark 14:66-72). In Galatia, Peter again fell into grave error, and was rebuked by the Apostle Paul (Galatians 2:11-14). But insofar as the apostles acted in accordance with the will of Christ, they acted with His full authority, and what they decided on earth, Christ confirmed in heaven.
30 Then Jesus told His disciples to tell no one that He was the Christ, the Messiah (see Mark 5:43; 7:36).
We must understand why Jesus said this. All the Jews were expecting a victorious Messiah (Isaiah 11:1-5), who would come and be their king, free them from bondage to the Romans, and re-establish the kingdom of Israel (see John 6:14-15). But the Jews forgot that the Messiah must also suffer and die (Isaiah 53:1-12; Luke 24:26). The Jews thought that the Messiah was coming to establish an earthly kingdom; but instead, He came to establish a spiritual kingdom, a kingdom that would last forever (Isaiah 9:7; Daniel 7:13-14; Luke 1:33; Revelation 11:15). Christ didn’t come to give men political liberation; He came to give them salvation and eternal life.
Therefore, if the disciples immediately began to tell everyone that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, then the people would surely have tried to make Him their king. He would not have been given the chance to suffer and die on the cross. His purpose in coming to earth to die for the sins of all men would not have been fulfilled (see Mark 10:45 and comment). Without His death men could not obtain salvation. Therefore, it was necessary to keep secret the fact that Jesus was the Messiah until after He had died and risen again (Mark 9:9).
Jesus Predicts His Death (8:31-33)
(Matthew 16:21-23; Luke 9:22)
31-32 Peter had just confessed that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God (verse 29). But he still did not fully understand what Christ came to earth to do. He thought like the others Jews thought, namely, that Christ had come to be an earthly king. Therefore, when Jesus told him that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected … and that he must be killed, Peter could not accept it. He rebuked Jesus for saying such a thing.
Jesus also said that after three days the Son of Man would rise again. Jesus knew not only that He would die, but also that He would rise from the dead on the third day. The disciples didn’t understand this at all.
33 Through Peter’s lips, Jesus heard the voice of Satan again trying to tempt Him (see Matthew 4:8-10 and comment). He heard Satan telling Him, “You don’t have to suffer and die. I will make you a king if you worship me.” Therefore, Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Out of my sight, Satan!”
Sometimes our best friends, our most faithful colleagues, try to dissuade us from doing God’s will. Their intention is good: they desire to spare us trouble and pain. But we must not listen to them; we must do God’s will instead (see Acts 21:10-14).
Peter was not thinking God’s thoughts, but man’s thoughts. God said through the prophet Isaiah: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. … As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). Peter’s mind was on earthly things, not heavenly things (Colossians 3:2). He was opposing God’s plan and purpose. Jesus told him: “You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men” (Matthew 16:23).
True Discipleship (8:34-38)
(Matthew 16:24-27; Luke 9:23-26)
34 Jesus had just told the disciples a difficult saying—namely, that He would have to suffer and die. Now He tells them an even more difficult thing: they, too, will have to suffer, and perhaps even die. If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me (see Matthew 10:38; Luke 14:27).
If anyone would come after me—that means all Christians. All Christians are called to be disciples. Let us never suppose that there are two kinds of Christians: one kind that follows Jesus and suffers with Him, and a second kind that can lead an easy life. There is only one kind of true Christian; that is, a disciple.
If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself. Many people say, “I want to follow Christ,” but in the end they do not follow Him. Why not? Because Christ says: “You must deny yourself.” That means that to follow Christ a person must give up his own desires and live only according to Christ’s desire. We must deny our own pleasure, our own advantage, our own comfort. Before we became Christians we lived completely for ourselves. But after we become Christians, we must live completely for God. This is why many people at first come to Christ, but afterward turn away. In their minds, it is too difficult to follow Christ.
If anyone would come after me, he must … take up his CROSS. This is the first time Mark mentions the cross. The cross was the Roman method of carrying out the death sentence. Criminals were suspended alive on an upright post, and their hands were nailed or tied to a crossbar. Then the criminal slowly died an agonizing death. Not only were criminals put to death in this way, but they were also made to carry their own cross to the place of execution. Therefore, when Jesus told His followers that they must take up [their] cross, in their minds that could mean only one thing: namely, they must be ready to suffer and die for Him. Suffering and persecution will come to all who follow Christ (see John 15:19; 2 Timothy 3:12 and comments). There can be no crown without the cross.
It is because Jesus died on a cross that the cross has become the main symbol of the Christian church. The cross is a sign of Jesus’ death for our sins.
Finally Jesus says: “… and follow me.” We must turn around. We must stop going our own way and start going Jesus’ way. Jesus’ way was the way of suffering, the way of the cross. That is to be our way, too.
Christians do not follow after an idea or a philosophy or a political party. They do not even follow a religion. They follow a person—Jesus Christ.
35 Then Jesus said an amazing thing: “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” Whoever denies Christ in order to save his life (his life in this world, his pleasures, his pride, his honor and reputation, his possessions, his physical life) will lose his life (his true life, spiritual life, eternal life). But whoever loses his life for Christ (that is, his life in this world, his pride, honor, possessions, physical life itself) will save his life; he will obtain true spiritual life, eternal life. To lose one’s life for Christ and the Gospel means to deny one’s self and take up [one’s] cross and follow Jesus (verse 34).
Worldly life and spiritual life are opposed to each other (Galatians 5:17). To the extent we seek worldly blessings, to that extent we shall lose spiritual blessings. To the extent we give up worldly advantage for Christ’s sake, to that extent we shall gain spiritual advantage. Usually, however, once we have given up worldly advantage for Christ, Christ will bless us in worldly things also (see Matthew 6:33; Mark 10:29-31 and comments). The abundant life that Jesus promised to His followers (John 10:10) begins here in this world. Eternal life begins the moment we believe. Jesus only says to us: “Do not seek these worldly blessings; seek only me, and I will bless you now and forever” (see John 12:25; 1 John 2:15-17 and comments). And let us not fool ourselves: We cannot seek after Christ and worldly blessings at the same time; we must choose (see Matthew 6:24 and comment).
36 What would be the advantage in gaining the whole world if, as a result, one were to lose his life,59 that is, his soul? In other words, what good is the world to us if we lose our eternal soul? Life in this world is very short. Why give up eternal life with God in order to gain a few years of pleasure in this life?
37 There is nothing in this world more valuable than our soul. There is nothing in this world greater than eternal life. Jesus said, “… what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” The answer is: nothing. One soul is worth more than the whole world. If our soul is lost, the loss can never be made up.
Then, according to Matthew 16:27, Jesus said, “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done” (see Mark 13:26-27 and comment). Christ will come again as judge at the end of the world (John 5:22). And He will reward us for whatever we have done for Him (see 2 Corinthians 5:10 and comment). For whatever loss we have suffered for His sake in this world, He will repay us abundantly in heaven.
38 If we are ashamed of Christ here on earth, He will be ashamed of us when He comes again at the end of the world. If we deny Christ before men, He will deny us before the Father in heaven (see Matthew 10:32-33 and comment). We must never be ashamed that we are Christians. We must not hide it because of fear. Christ does not want secret followers.