Mark 10: 1-31, Receiving the Kingdom of God

The Jewish leaders, unhappy with the popularity of Jesus and his challenge to traditions, question him

Mark 10:1-9, On Marriage
Jesus then left that place and went into the region of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds of people came to him, and as was his custom, he taught them.

Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?"

"What did Moses command you?" he replied.

They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away."

"It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law," Jesus replied. "But at the beginning of creation God `made them male and female.'   `For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

The Pharisees' believed that a man could just write out a certificate of divorce and dismiss his wife. Jesus goes to first principles about the question and disputes the Pharisees' opinion, based on principles about the value of marriage.

To answer this question, Jesus reaches back to Genesis, to the very beginning of humankind and their relationship with God. The Old Testament quote in verse 6 is from Genesis 1:27; the quote in verse 8 is from Genesis 2:24.

Mark 10:10-12, Divorce and adultery
When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. He answered, "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery."

What is the difference between Jesus and the Pharisees here?  The Pharisees are “testing” him, trying to find out the “rules.”  Jesus is concerned about the underlying principles, the value of people and marriage. So who makes divorce harder?  Why?

How practical is Jesus's statement?  In our modern world it seems unnecessarily harsh?  Or is it?

Mark 10:13-16, Enter the Kingdom like a child!
People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

Of course, we would expect Jesus to like children. We have here a continuing statement here about the topsy-turvy Kingdom of God, where one should be a child, not an adult, and where leaders are servants and where the first is last and the last first.

Mark 10:17-22, Love God, not just His commandments
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 

"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone. You know the commandments: `Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.' "

"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."

Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Jesus loved him.  Then pushed him really hard.  Why?  (He got such a naive response from the young man!)

The quote in verse 19 is from the Ten Commandments which appear twice in the books of Moses: in Exodus 20:12-16 and Deuteronomy 5:16-20.

Mark 10:23-31, The rich and the kingdom of God

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!"

The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?"

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!"

"I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields--and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

Jesus reassures the disciples that they have put their priorities in the right place. This discussion, although emphasizing the problems of the rich, includes a reassuring comment about commitment to the Kingdom.

In the next passage we continue to follow Jesus and the disciples as they march towards Jerusalem.  

Mark 9: 30-50, The Son of Man & Humility

Jesus has just healed a boy of an evil spirit.

Mark 9: 30-32, Betrayal and a hard three days
They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, 1 because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise." But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.

Jesus withdraws to teach his bewildered disciples.  (This ministry is just not turning out like the disciples expected!)

Mark 9: 33-37, Live like children
They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road?" But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. 

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all." He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me."

They return home to Capernaum.  In the overturned world of the Kingdom of God, death brings life, leadership means being like a child….

Mark 9: 38-42, Living for Messiah
"Teacher," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us."

"Do not stop him," Jesus said. "No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.

"And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck."

The kingdom of God is greater and more important than we understand.  Even some we don't know are ministering in that kingdom (and they may not even know it) while others who may look good and decent, are doing damage to the Kingdom.  

Mark 9: 42-50, Harsh warnings
"If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out."

"And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell."

"And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where "`their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.' "

"Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other."

What is the teaching at the end here?  A teaching about Heaven digresses into a harsh warning about Hell!  Clearly this is a call to commitment, but it seems very harsh to me.

Some later manuscripts add in to two places the description of hell as "where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched" an Old Testament quote (see verse 48) from Isaiah 66:24.

We continue on the road to Jerusalem in chapter 10.

Mark 9: 1-29, Transfiguration and (Un)belief

Jesus has just described a future event, in which he arrives with the angels of God.

Mark 9:1, Kingdom of God comes with power SOON!
And he said to them, "I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power."

This verse almost seems to be an afterthought.  Is it a continuation of the discussion in chapter 8?  Or is it a prelude to what will follow six days later (below)?

Mark 9: 2-8, Transfiguration
After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them.  His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them.  And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters--one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)

Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!"

Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.

What a strange event!!  This event is often called The Transfiguration since Jesus seems transformed into a dazzling being too bright to be looked at.  But what must it have really looked like? Is Jesus's appearance just beyond ordinary visual perception.  How do the two guests appear? How does our writer know they are Elijah and Moses?  (This was presumably passed on to him by Peter, but how did Peter know?)  

One natural interpretation of verse 1 is that it is a prelude to the Transfiguration, in which Jesus is seen, albeit temporarily, in divine power.

Peter, nervously, offers to get to work and build a shelter.  Good ole Peter.

Mark 9: 9-13, Elijah has come
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what "rising from the dead" meant. And they asked him, "Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?"

 Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected? But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him."

Jesus seems to be referring to John the Baptist as the precursor to the Messiah called "Elijah".

Jesus's tone has changed.  He is now telling his disciples about the crucifixion.  From here on we are headed for the cross.

Mark 9: 14-19, Disciples cannot heal possessed boy
When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.

"What are you arguing with them about?" he asked.

A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not."

"O unbelieving generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me."

Mark identifies the problem as the work of an evil (or "unclean") spirit.  Others had said this describes epileptic fits.  Regardless, Jesus is displeased with the disciples' lack of faith here.

Mark 9: 20-24, 'Overcome my unbelief'
So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?" 

"From childhood," he answered. "It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."

"`If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."

Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

I am so much like the father – “I believe, but help me in my unbelief!”  Notice the response of Jesus to this "unbelief" -- he moves on and meets the father's need.

Mark 9: 25-29, Healing and rebuke

When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit," he said, "I command you, come out of him and never enter him again."

 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, "He's dead."  But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"

He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer."

Jesus acts quickly, before the crowd arrives.  What does it mean that "this kind can come out only by prayer"?  What type of prayer?

Next time: In the rest of this chapter Mark records several more events on the road to the cross.

Textual conflicts and differences

In this second year of New Testament study, I have been rewriting studies and posts from last year. At this time I am traveling and running a bit behind, so ... here is a post from last year where I summarize my understanding of some of the textual conflicts in the New Testament.

Any serious student of the New Testament becomes aware of the discrepancies and differences in the ancient manuscripts.  When we looked at Mark 11, for example, the New International Version (NIV) has no verse 26, but includes footnotes that the phrase, "But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your sins" is not in the ancient manuscripts.

The New Testament was written in Greek, during the first century, on papyrus sheets that did not last long.  The letters that make up the New Testament were copied and recopied.  Our most ancient preserved versions date to the second or third centuries and these ancient versions (or copies of them) vary.  Most of the variations are slight, as the addition (or deletion) of a common phrase like that occurring in Mark 11:26.  Many of the deviations are a single word or a modification of a word, with no change in meaning.  However, some deviations are significant, as the end of Mark, where most ancient manuscripts stop suddenly at the end of Mark 16:8. (See this Wikipedia article on Mark 16.) The sudden ending at Mark 16:8 was surely not intended -- something has been lost -- but what?
Another famous manuscript difference occurs with John 7:53-8-11, which is absent in the most ancient manuscripts. On the other hand, John 21, occurring in the most ancient manuscripts, has some stylistic attributes that suggest to some scholars that it was a slightly later addition.  In the first epistle of John, I John 5:7-8, there is a late addition suddenly describing the Trinity; surely this was not in the original text and is not in the older manuscripts.

Preserved ancient New Testament manuscripts vary by age and region of preservation.  They have been extensibly studied and catalogued. Here, from Wikipedia, is a list of Bible verses in dispute, left out of most modern translations.  (As mentioned earlier, most of these are small minor changes between one manuscript and another, differences that have accumulated over time.  While one manuscript says "prayer and fasting", a commonly used phrase, another simply says "prayer.")

Evangelical tradition is to insist that God was active in creating an "inerrant original manuscript", through the Holy Spirit guiding the thoughts to the New Testament writer.  But due to the quick decay of the ancient writings, we do not have copies of those originals.  It is also possible that some letters had more than one "original".  When Paul wrote his letter to the Galatians, did he just write one copy and pass it around? Or did he write several copies?  Although papyrus was expensive, it is possible that Paul wrote several copies, each varying slightly.  Paul's letters read as if written naturally, on the spot, without drafts or outlines.  (In I Corinthians 1:13-17, for example, Paul starts to write that he "baptized no one" and then corrects himself.)

The situation is even move complicated with the more ancient Old Testament. Wikipedia has nice articles on Hebrew manuscripts (here and here) and on the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament.

My experience in the evangelical community suggests that some Christians focus on making claims about the Bible's inerrancy, in place of reading it.  If one believes (as I do) that the Bible is God's communication to humankind, then we should spend significant time reading it!  We will get back to that tomorrow.

Mark 8, The Anointed One Heals Souls

The popularity of Jesus continues to grow.  He is followed everywhere by crowds.  In Mark 6, Jesus feeds 5000 followers in Galilee.  Here he has crossed the Sea of Galilee into the region of Decapolis and so many of the followers are presumably Gentiles.

Mark 8:1-10, Four thousand fed
During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance."

His disciples answered, "But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?"

"How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked. 

"Seven," they replied.

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. They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. About four thousand men were present. And having sent them away, he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.

The feeding of four thousand occurs in Syria, among Gentiles, outside Israel.

Mark 8:11-13, Pharisees ask for a sign
The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. He sighed deeply and said, "Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it." Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.

The Pharisees are bothered with the miracles and popularity of Jesus.  So they "ask for a sign", a rather disingenuous request, given all that he has done.

Jesus is tired and refuses to provide a sign!  (Why?)

Mark 8:14-21, Leaven and Pharisees
The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. "Be careful," Jesus warned them. "Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod."

They discussed this with one another and said, "It is because we have no bread."

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? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don't you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?" 

"Twelve," they replied.

"And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?" 

They answered, "Seven."

He said to them, "Do you still not understand?"

Jesus is never desperate to win an argument.  He makes his points and then watches to see if they grow.  We see here applications of the parable of the sower.  The disciples are repeatedly offered a bit of “seed” and then given a chance to respond.

What does Jesus really mean by the leaven of the Herodians and Pharisees? Maybe the insidious attraction to religious or political power?

Mark 8:22-26, I see trees walking 
They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 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?"

He looked up and said, "I see people; they look like trees walking around."

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.

Jesus sent him home, saying, "Don't go into the village."

Once again, a “hard” healing, followed by unusual instructions.  (Why should the man stay out of the village?)  I don't understand this miracle -- why the difficulties here when Jesus seems to effortlessly raise a little girl several chapters back.

Mark 8:27-31, You are the Messiah
Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, "Who do people say I am?"

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

"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" 

Peter answered, "You are the Christ."

Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.

Notice the “be quiet” instructions – not to tell anyone about him.  The disciples disciples are resistant.  The Kingdom of God is a very different, a very strange kingdom!

This is the climax of the Gospel of Mark.  Jesus asks the disciples if they yet understand who he is. They almost get it....

Mark 8:32-33, Peter rebuked
He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

I like Peter!  Loud, boastful, ignorant!  So human!

Mark 8:34-38, You must follow me
Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.

What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

A challenge is given to those who begin to recognize Jesus and the Chosen One, the Anointed Messiah.   Their life and soul depend on their priorities here, on how they identify with and follow this Messiah

Mark 7, Pharisees and Gentiles

Jesus has "gone viral".  He is followed everywhere by crowds.  The religious leaders are not happy.

Mark 7:1-5, Improper eating habits
The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were "unclean," that is, unwashed (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders.  When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)

So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, "Why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with 'unclean' hands?"

These poor Pharisees see every act involving a legal restriction.  They focus on external appearances, not on how one thinks or how one develops inside, in their heart and mind.

Mark 7:6-14, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees view of religion
He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: "`These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'

You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men." 

And he said to them: "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! For Moses said, `Honor your father and your mother,' and, `Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: `Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban' (that is, a gift devoted to God), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother.

Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that."

Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a man can make him `unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him `unclean.' "

The Old Testament quote in verses 6 and 7 is from Isaiah 29:13.

Jesus gives a strong response, stressing the difference between heart and outward actions.  In doing so, he quotes from the Jewish Law, to show that the Pharisees have veered from the legitimate commands of God.  The first Old Testament quote in verse 10 is from the Ten Commandments appearing in Exodus 20:12 and Deuteronomy 5:16.  The second quote in verse 10 is from Exodus 21:17 and/or Leviticus 20:9.

Mark 7:17-23, Evil is from the inside, not the outside!
After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable.

"Are you so dull?" he asked. "Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him `unclean'? For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods "clean.")

He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.'"

This seems to be really hard for all of us to learn.  Christians continue to be legalists; Muslims and Orthodox Jews even more so.

Mark 7:24-30, The Syrian woman
Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

"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 their dogs."

"Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs."

Then he told her, "For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter." She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Two things to note: Jesus tries to avoid being seen (how often he seeks to work quietly!) and he aggressively challenges the woman!  Yet she responds with humility and desperation, and he then responds with compassion.  I find this a strange encounter – it does not fit the stereotype of Jesus.

Mark 7: 31-37, Struggling to heal a deaf man
Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man. After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, <"Ephphatha!"> (which means, "Be opened!"). At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.

Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. "He has done everything well," they said. "He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."

Another strange encounter – here Jesus does not heal immediately, but appears to struggle in his healing.  Why?  Why does he do what  he does?

Decapolis is a collection of Greek (pagan!) towns, filled with Gentiles.  Mark makes it clear that Jesus has moved outside the Jewish people.

Mark 6: 30-56, Pursued by Crowds

The disciples have been sent out into ministry and have returned to Jesus, excited about their success.

Mark 6:30-33, Excited disciples

The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.

Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.

The crowds recognize that Jesus is leaving with his disciples.  The crowds them follow him along the lake shore, trying to anticipate his destination.

Mark 6:30-33, Excited crowd, hungry crowd

When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. "This is a remote place," they said, "and it's already very late.  Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat."

But he answered, "You give them something to eat." They said to him, "That would take eight months of a man's wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?"

"How many loaves do you have?" he asked. "Go and see." 

When they found out, they said, "Five--and two fish."

Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 

They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.

What a strange miracle!  The Jew would see it emulating the 40 years in the wilderness (Exodus 16) when the Israelites were fed bread (manna) from heaven.  

How, do you think, this miracle occurred?  And why are there two of these feedings? (There is one more coming. Here Jesus feeds over 5000 Jews; later he will feed 4000 Gentiles.)

Mark 6:46-50, Jesus walks by on the lake

After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray. When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land.

He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."

Another strange miracle....  What purpose does it serve?

Mark 6:51-56, Excited disciples

Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.

When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there.  As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.

And wherever he went--into villages, towns or countryside--they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.

What does it mean, in verse 52, that “their hearts were hardened”?  What did they not understand, his divinity?

Mark now makes it clear that everywhere Jesus goes, he is pursued by crowds.  This is the height of his popularity.