Author: David Petts

It had to happen – or did it?

This week, as I was reading through the Gospel accounts of the resurrection of Jesus, I was struck by a statement in John 20:9 which tells us that the disciples did not yet understand the Scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead.

I found myself asking:

·      Why didn’t they understand?

·      What was the scripture that John was referring to?

·      Why did Jesus have to rise from the dead?

We’ll deal with the first two questions fairly quickly, before answering in more detail why Jesus had to rise from the dead.

Why didn’t they understand?

Four possibilities:

Some things we don’t understand until after they have happened

Their minds were clouded by unbelief – too good to be true?

Jesus had not yet opened their minds to understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:45)

They had not yet received the Holy Spirit who would guide them into the truth (John 16:13).

What was the scripture that John was referring to?

It’s clear from Acts 2:24-32 that Peter, having been filled with the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, now understood Psalm 16:8-11 to be a clear prophecy that Jesus would rise from the dead. He says in verse 24 that God raised (Jesus) from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

Quoting where the psalm says

my body also will live in hope, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay,

Peter applies it directly to the resurrection of Jesus, saying in verse 31 that David saw what was ahead and

spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay.

There are, of course, many other OT passages which prophesy the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ (notably Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53). But we can’t be sure exactly what scripture John had in mind because he doesn’t tell us. What we do know is that Jesus himself had explained to his disciples that

he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life (Matthew 16:21, Mark 8:31, Luke 9:22).

But notice that these verses not only say that he must be raised to life, but that he also must suffer and be killed. So that now widens our question. We need to ask not only why Jesus must be raised to life, but why he must suffer and die in the first place.

Why did Jesus have to suffer, to die and to be raised to life?

Because:

·      The Scripture must be fulfilled

·      It was the only way that we could be saved

The Scripture must be fulfilled

Matthew 26:53-54

Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”

Luke 24:25-27

He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

Luke 24:44-47

He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Why are these references to the fulfilment of Scripture so important? Because what God says in the Bible MUST come to pass. He said, Let there be light, and there was light. What he says, happens. Jesus had to rise from the dead because in the Bible God had said he would. We’ve also seen that it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. Why? Because he was God’s holy one.

But why did Jesus have to suffer and die. The NT gives us clear reasons for this, but, before we come to that, we need to think about what the words had to mean in this context. Did he really have to die? Didn’t he have a choice about it? Yes he did. Notice what he said in John 10:17-18:

The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life – only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.

So Jesus didn’t have to suffer and die. But before man ever sinned he voluntarily chose to do so, because he loved us. He knew that if he chose not to, there would be no hope for us. The only way to save us from the just punishment our sins deserve was to take that punishment for us by dying on the cross. So in Gethsemane he ratified the decision he had made before the world began. He knew he must suffer. He knew he must die. It was the only way that we could be saved.

It was the only way that we could be saved

Let me explain it like this. Because God loves us, he wants what’s best for us.

Because he knows what’s best for us he sets boundaries for our actions.

If we go beyond those boundaries, there can be serious consequences.

For example, we heard about the tragedy in Baltimore recently where a bridge collapsed.

I imagine that as soon as it happened, they erected a NO ENTRY sign to prevent traffic from crossing the bridge. If anyone ignored it the consequences could have been fatal.

It’s like that with God. NO ENTRY signs like You shall not kill…You shall not steal… You shall not commit adultery… You shall not lie are there for a good reason.

And the Bible has a word for ignoring God’s NO ENTRY signs. It calls it sin.

And if we disobey those signs, there’s a price to pay.

And the Bible is clear that this applies to all of us:

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

There is no one who does not sin (1 Kings 8:46).

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves (1 John 1:8).

And the Bible warns us of the seriousness of sin. Sin separates us from God.

Our sins have hidden his face from us (Isaiah 59:2)

And unless our sins are dealt with, our separation from God will be eternal.

Jesus himself talked eternal punishment (Matthew 25:46).

Paul tells us that the price we pay for our sin is death (Romans 6:23)

So sin is serious. It separates from God. And there is nothing we can do about it.

We cannot hide it, for our sin will find us out (Numbers 32:23).

We cannot cleanse ourselves from it.

Turning over a new leaf today won’t eradicate yesterday’s sin.

No one can be righteous in God’s sight by keeping the law (Romans 3:20, Galatians 2:16).

We have all sinned. We are all separated from God. There is nothing we can do. We all need a Saviour.

And this is why Christ died.

He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

He died on the cross to reconcile us sinners to God (Colossians 1:20).

He did this by offering himself as a sacrifice to God (Ephesians 5:2).

He died in our place. Because of our sin, we should die. Instead, Christ has died for us.

He took the punishment for us. He was wounded for our transgressions (Isaiah 53:5).

He suffered for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18).

We deserved to die because of our sin, but because he loved us, he came and died in our place, so that we could live.

So why did Jesus have to suffer and die? So that we could be saved.

But what must we do?

You must be born again

Listen to what Jesus once said to a very religious man called Nicodemus:

I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again… You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’

Of course, Jesus was not talking about physical birth. He was talking about a spiritual birth where God so completely changes us that we become a new person. This happens when we repent of our sin and trust Jesus for forgiveness, relying on the fact that he has already taken the punishment for us when he died on the cross. The Bible also calls this being saved and it’s important because it’s the only way to get to Heaven. Jesus said,

I am the way… no one comes to the Father except by me (John 14:6).

And Peter said

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

And that’s why the gospel must be preached.

The gospel must be preached

Mark 4:43

But he said, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God …because that is why I was sent.”

John 9:4

As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.

Mark 13:10

And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.

And finally, in 1 Corinthians 15 we find two more MUSTs.

1 Corinthians 15:22-25

For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.

1 Corinthians 15: 50-53

I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

Your immortality is as certain as his reign!

About Eileen – a tribute to my wife by David Petts

Eileen was born on 6^th January 1939 in Stockport, Cheshire. Her parents, Cecil and Sarah Littlewood, were from a Methodist background but were not regular church goers. However, they did send Eileen to Sunday School, and when they moved to Dagenham their nearest church was Bethel Full Gospel Church (Assemblies of God or AoG) and it was there that, at the age of seven, Eileen accepted Jesus as her Saviour. From that moment on she never doubted and unswervingly followed the Saviour she had come to love so much.

When the family moved from Dagenham, she attended Hornchurch Baptist Church where she was baptised in water at the age of fifteen. I was attending Elm Park Baptist Church and when we were both 18 we met at a joint youth rally held in the local park. That meeting turned out to be the beginning of a wonderful sixty-seven year long relationship. At that time I was expecting to become a Baptist minister, but in September 1959, having heard about the baptism in the Spirit from some Pentecostal friends, we both started to attend prayer meetings at Dagenham AoG and were both baptised in the Spirit in the very church where Eileen had received Jesus as her Saviour.

We were married three years later as soon as I had graduated from Oxford, and moved to Colchester where I became the pastor of the AoG church in Straight Road, Lexden. Eileen held down a very responsible administrative job in the Colchester Education Office until Deborah and Sarah were born (1964, 1965). Although a busy mum, Eileen always made room in our home for the thirty teenagers who crowded into our small lounge every Sunday afternoon for Bible Class and who had come to Christ in the youth meetings we held in our church.

In 1968 we moved to Basingstoke where I had accepted the pastorate of the AoG church. During the ten years we were there Eileen was responsible for setting up and running the pre-school playgroup for 40 children held five mornings a week and teaching the teenage Bible class on Sundays. She also played an active part in organising and preparing the meals for up to 150 teenagers at the New Forest Pentecostal Youth Camp we held annually during the 1970s.

During this period my ministry was becoming increasingly in demand both nationally and internationally, and, although she now had three young children, Jonathan having been born in 1970, Eileen never complained, but totally supported me in all the Lord was calling me to do. And that support became all the more important when I was appointed to be the principal at Mattersey Hall Bible College.

Eileen served as Matron of the college from 1978 to 1999. Her responsibilities included supervision of all kitchen and domestic staff, organising the rotas for the regular domestic duties undertaken by the students, and attending weekly Faculty meetings. Although she was well equipped for these responsibilities by her administrative skills and experience, she often felt rather inadequate for the task and constantly depended on the Lord to help her. But by far her most important role was as my support, encourager, and advisor throughout the 27 years I led the college.

Eileen was very conscious of the privilege the Lord had given her in fulfilling this role, especially as, when the children were grown up she was able to travel with me in connection with my responsibilities representing Assemblies of God attending meetings of the Pentecostal European Fellowship and the World Pentecostal Fellowship. She greatly appreciated the fellowship with other like-minded Christians around the world, especially at the annual EPTA conferences where we met with other Pentecostal Bible College workers from across Europe.

When I retired from Mattersey in 2004, we moved to Devon and became members of Brixham Community Church (AoG) where Eileen used her gift of hospitality in organizing garden party cream teas for the over sixties, barbecues for the neighbours, and serving coffee after church on Sunday mornings. She also continued to travel widely with me both in ministry and on holiday.

Sadly, this all came to an abrupt end when Eileen was left severely disabled by a massive stroke in June 2016. Despite all the frustration that this caused to a woman who had previously been so active, Eileen never lost her sense of humour and was convinced that God had a purpose in what he had allowed to happen, knowing that one day she would walk again. That day has now come, and, no longer in a wheelchair, she stands in the presence of the Lord she loved and served for so many years.

Although I am missing her already, I am full of joy, knowing that she is now where she wanted to be. Until we meet again in Heaven, I will remember her for her love, her faithfulness, her devotion, her patience, her sense of humour, her impact on our children’s lives, her smile, her perseverance in suffering, her courage in face of adversity, and above all, her childlike trust in Jesus and her total commitment to him. I thank God for the precious gift of Eileen and the privilege of being her husband for sixty-two years.

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Talk 24   Mark 8:22-26  The Healing of a Blind Man at Bethsaida

Welcome to Talk 24 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. Today we’re looking at Mark 8:22-26 where Jesus heals a blind man at Bethsaida. Jesus healed many blind people during the course of his ministry. Luke 7:21 tells us that he gave sight to many that were blind and the healings of Bartimaeus in Mark 10 and of the man born blind in John 9 are well known examples. But this incident, which is found only in Mark’s Gospel, is particularly interesting because it’s the only occasion where Jesus needed to lay his hands on someone twice before they were completely healed. So let’s begin by reading the passage together.

22 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spat on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” 24 He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”  25 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. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t go into the village.”

The first thing I’d like you to notice in this story is that some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. Of course, it’s understandable that a blind man would need others to bring him to Jesus, but what’s most significant here is that it is the people, not the blind man, who beg Jesus to touch him. This is quite different from the healing of Bartimaeus who is discouraged by the people as he seeks healing from Jesus and who calls out, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me, and to whom Jesus says, Your faith has healed you (Mark 10:46-52).

In fact Jesus uses this expression on several different occasions in the Gospels:

·      After giving sight to Bartimaeus (Mark 10:52)

·      When speaking to the woman who touched the hem of his garment (Matthew 9:22, Mark 5:34, Luke 18:42)

·      to the grateful leper he had cleansed (Luke 17:19).

·      and to the woman who poured perfume on his feet and received forgiveness for her sins (Luke 7:50)

It’s exactly the same Greek expression on all these occasions, and it shows the important role personal faith plays in receiving forgiveness and cleansing and healing. But there are other occasions in the New Testament where it’s the faith of other people that brings about the healing:

·      The faith of the four friends who brought the paralytic  to Jesus (Mark 2:5)

·      of the Centurion for his servant’s healing (Matthew 8:10)

·      of the SyroPhoenician woman for the healing of her daughter (Matthew 15:28)

·      and the faith of the elders when anointing the sick with oil (James 5:15).

And here in today’s passage it’s the people who bring the blind man to Jesus who are begging him to heal him. It’s by no means clear how much faith the blind man had, but it seems safe to assume that he was in full agreement with his friends’ request.

The second thing we notice in this story is that Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village (v23). We’re not told why Jesus did this, but it reminds us of the deaf and mute man that Jesus healed in the last chapter. Jesus took him aside away from the crowd (Mark 7:33). We suggested there that he may have done so because he wanted to get the man’s full attention, to show him that he was not just one of the crowd, but an individual he cared about personally, or that perhaps Jesus himself felt the need to get away from the crowd, to get a moment of quiet when he could hear what God was saying about how to deal with this man’s need.

And on this occasion Jesus may have done so for similar reasons. However, in this case it seems that Jesus might have had a further reason for taking the man out of the village. Notice that, after he has healed him, Jesus says, Don’t go into the village.  We have seen on several other occasions in Mark’s Gospel how Jesus tells those he has healed to tell no one about it, and it’s possible that this is just another such occasion. Jesus was concerned that his miracles

should not be the focus of people’s attention. They were signs to confirm the truth of his message. He wanted people to hear what he said, not just to see what he did.

But the fact is, we simply don’t know why he led the blind man out of the village. What we do know is that Jesus only did what he saw his Father doing (John 5:19) and the reasons for Jesus’ specific actions were related to what God was telling him to do, and to the individual needs of the person he was ministering to – a principle we should all be aware of when we are praying for the sick, and which is particularly relevant to the next thing Mark tells us:

When he had spat on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”

We’re not surprised that Jesus put his hands on him, but spitting on the man’s eyes is not what we might have expected. Of course, we remember how, when he healed the man who was deaf and mute, Mark tells as that Jesus spat and put his fingers in the man’s ears. We may also remember how, when he healed the blind man in John 9, Jesus spat on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes (v6).

There were no doubt specific reasons why Jesus used saliva in each of these three cases – one suggestion, for example, is that the man in John 9 was born without eyes and that Jesus was creating eyes for him from the dust of the ground, as God did when he created Adam. But, in the absence of any clear explanation in the Scripture, it would be unwise to jump to conclusions. It’s all right to suggest what the reasons might have been but beware of people who are over dogmatic on such matters.

As far as following the example of Jesus is concerned, we can learn from this that the Holy Spirit might lead us on rare occasions to do something out of the ordinary when ministering to the sick, but we need to be very sure that we are hearing God correctly, and we should remember that the New Testament authorises two main ways of ministering healing, the laying on of hands (Mark 16) and anointing with oil (James 5). But even with these, the important thing is to hear what God is saying. The New Testament offers no formula for healing.

Notice next, still in verse 23, that Jesus asks the man, Do you see anything? There is, of course, a simple explanation for this. It’s not immediately obvious to anyone except the blind person who has been prayed for (or treated medically for an eye condition) whether or not they can see. We have to ask them. But surely Jesus would have known. He was God, wasn’t he? Yes, but he was also man.

This simple question to a blind man reveals one of the great mysteries of the incarnation (cf. 1 Timothy 3:16). Jesus was both God and man. Not half God and half man, but 100% God and 100% man. Our finite minds simply can’t grasp it. But a God who can be fully understood by my tiny mind couldn’t possibly be God at all, could he? But the Bible is clear that while Jesus was here on earth, as man he did not know everything. He grew in wisdom and stature (Luke 2:52). Even though he never ceased to be God, when he was hungry and saw a fig tree he had to go and find out if it had any fruit (Mark 11:13).

So, here, to find out if the blind man can see anything, he asks him. There’s no need to look any further for an explanation.  Neither do we need an explanation for how a blind man knew what people and trees looked like. After all, we’re not told that he was blind from birth. But what does require an explanation is why the man is not completely healed immediately. Why did Jesus need to lay hands on him twice?

Answers to this seem to fall into three main categories:

·      Jesus was aware that the man was lacking in faith

·      Jesus was teaching his disciples that some healings would not be instantaneous

·      Jesus was illustrating his attempts to get his disciples to ‘see’ the truth about him.

Let’s consider each of these ideas in turn.

Jesus was aware that the man was lacking in faith

As we saw earlier, Jesus was constantly looking for faith in those who came to him. Sometimes it was the faith of the person who was in need. At others it was the faith of the friends or relatives who asked Jesus to help them. Whichever it was, it seems that it was the person who was bringing the request who was expected to have faith that it would be granted.

Now if this man was lacking in faith, we are certainly not told that he was. What’s more, it was the people who brought him to Jesus who made the request. And there is no mention of a sudden increase in faith before Jesus laid his hands on the man the second time, although we can imagine that his faith was encouraged by the improvement he experienced after Jesus laid hands on him the first time. However, we cannot say with any certainty that the reason why the man’s healing was not immediate was lack of faith.

Jesus was teaching his disciples that some healings would not be instantaneous

I suspect that this idea comes from the fact that healings today are often either partial or gradual. Of course we do see immediate answers to prayer for healing, especially in an evangelistic context when a miracle of healing is granted to help people come to faith in Christ (cf. Mark 16:15ff., John 20:30-31 etc.). But there are many cases where people ‘receive a touch’ of healing but are not completely healed. At other times, even when there is a full recovery, this may take some time before it is complete. And in attempting to explain the reason for these incomplete healings, it’s easy to refer to this passage as biblical evidence.

However, it’s surely clear that, in the case we are looking at, if the blind man’s healing was delayed, it was not delayed for very long! And it could hardly be described as gradual. Jesus lays hands on him, and there’s an immediate improvement. He lays hands on him again, and the healing is complete. If Jesus really wanted to show his disciples that some healings are not instantaneous, this was hardly the best example give them. Furthermore, there is no evidence of gradual or partial healings in the ministry of his disciples. That is not to say that  healing does not sometimes happen gradually or in stages – there’s plenty of evidence that it does. But I think it unlikely that this was the reason that Jesus laid hands on this man twice.

Jesus was illustrating his attempts to get his disciples to ‘see’ the truth about him

The merit in this suggestion is that it takes into account the context in which the story is set in Mark’s Gospel. As we saw in our last talk, Jesus was often disappointed with his disciples for their lack of faith and slowness to understand, and only a few verses before today’s passage we hear him saying:

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?

The disciples had physical eyes to see, but they were spiritually blind. But Jesus did not give up on them. He persevered with them. And it’s possible that Mark included this story at this point in his narrative as an illustration of Jesus’ determination to persevere with his disciples until their spiritual eyes were opened to see who he truly was.

And this makes all the more sense when we consider what follows. Jesus takes his disciples to Caesarea Philippi and asks his disciples who they think he is. And Peter replies, You are the Christ. His eyes have been opened, but not to the whole truth, for when Jesus tells them about his coming death and resurrection, Peter refuses to accept it. His eyes has been opened to part of the truth, but he had yet to see clearly the whole truth.

I confess I find this explanation very appealing because of the context in which the passage is set. However, if Mark does include the story here as a kind of living parable illustrating how Jesus will persevere with people until they come to see the truth about him, that need not necessarily mean that this was why Jesus did it in the first place. The simple fact is, we simply do not know why Jesus healed this man in this way. The evidence for all these suggestions is inconclusive. And whatever explanation we prefer, we must be careful not to be dogmatic. What we can say with certainty is that Jesus did not leave this man unhealed.

So what other lessons can we learn from this passage?

We see that:

Nothing is impossible with God

He responds to our prayers

We may not understand why he answers in the way he does

What he does he does perfectly

He keeps on working in us until we see everything (including Jesus) clearly.

Once he could see clearly, the first thing this man saw was Jesus.

One day we will see clearly. Now we see through a glass darkly, but then (when we get to Heaven) we will see face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Only a day before making this recording my darling wife Eileen went to be with Jesus.

Now she sees him perfectly. Oh hallelujah. Thank you Jesus. And one day we shall too.

Talk 23  Mark 8:1-21 Feeding the Four Thousand

Welcome to Talk 23 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. Today we are looking at Mark 8:1-21. This passage includes the story of Jesus feeding the 4,000, which is similar in many ways to the account of the feeding of the 5,000 recorded in Chapter 6. As a result, liberal scholars have suggested that this is just a variant account of the same miracle rather than a totally separate one.

So today we’ll begin by looking at the biblical evidence that this was indeed a distinct event which took place at a different time, in a different place, and with a different group of people. We’ll then consider what lessons we can learn from the passage with regard to Jesus, his opponents and his disciples. So let’s begin by reading Mark 8:1-21.

During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 2 “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.” 4 His disciples answered, “But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?” 5 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied. 6 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. 7 They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. 8 The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 9 About four thousand men were present. And having sent them away, 10 he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.

11 The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. 12 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.” 13 Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.

14 The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. 15 “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.” 16 They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.” 17 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? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” “Twelve,” they replied. 20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” They answered, “Seven.” 21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

So, to begin with, what’s the evidence that this is not a variant account of the same miracle as the feeding of the 5,000 recorded in Chapter 6?

Why this is not a variant account of the feeding of the 5,000

We need not spend much time on this. If you take seriously the authority of the Scriptures, you will quickly see that this is a completely different miracle from the feeding of the 5000. Firstly, both Matthew and Mark record them closely together as two separate accounts of two separate miracles. Secondly, despite the similarities, there are also many differences in the details of the two accounts. Thirdly, the two miracles took place in different places and with different people. The feeding of the 5000 took place in the largely Jewish region of Galilee. The feeding of the four thousand was in the Gentile region of the Decapolis. And finally, and most important of all, Jesus himself refers to them as separate events. In verses 19-20 he says:

When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” “Twelve,” they replied. 20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

There is no way that Jesus could have said this if the two stories were variant accounts of the same miracle. And if Jesus was able to perform such a miracle once, he was certainly able to do it twice! But that brings us to what we can learn about Jesus in this story,

Lessons about Jesus

When we looked at the feeding of the 5,000 in Talk 18 we noticed three main characteristics about Jesus:

·      His compassion for the people

·      His concern for his disciples as he seeks to train them to trust him

·      His confidence in his heavenly Father.

And we noticed that these qualities are seen over and over again throughout his ministry. So it’s not surprising that we see them here as he feeds the 4,000. Again he has compassion on the people because they have nothing to eat (vv.2-3). Again we see his concern for the weakness of his disciples’ faith and their lack of understanding (vv.4, 17-18, 21). And again we see his confidence in God as he gives thanks for the few loaves and fishes he has (vv.6-7) and feeds a multitude with them. But perhaps there’s just one more thing we can learn about Jesus from this passage. The repetition of such a miracle shows us that if Jesus has done something once, he can do it again. And if he could do it again then, he can do the same kind of thing again today.

Lessons about his opponents

The Pharisees are mentioned in verses 11 and 13. In verse 11 they come to test Jesus and ask for a sign from heaven, to which Jesus replies

Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it (v.12).

And in verse 15 Jesus warns his disciples

Be careful…Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.

Two questions arise from these verses:

1.     Why does Jesus refuse to give his opponents the sign they are asking for?

2.     Why does he warn his disciples to watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees?

Why does Jesus refuse to give his opponents the sign they are asking for?

First, it’s worth noting the significance of the particular wording Jesus uses here. Although it’s not clear in our English translations, his hearers would have understood him as taking an oath. So his refusal to give them a sign was extremely strong. He was determined not to take a course of action that he had already firmly rejected when Satan had tempted him to throw himself down from the highest point of the temple (Matthew 4:5-6).

Secondly, please note that his refusal is recorded in all four Gospels. In Matthew 12:39, for example, Jesus also says that a wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign and goes on to say that the only sign that would be given it would be the sign of his resurrection from the dead (cf. Luke 11:29-32). And he knew that even then, despite the clear evidence for his resurrection, they, like many today, would still refuse to believe.  Notice what he says in Luke 16:31 when talking about rich man and Lazarus:

If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.

By mentioning Moses and the Prophets Jesus was referring to the Old Testament, the only Bible they had at the time. If people are determined to reject the testimony of Scripture, they will also reject the evidence for the resurrection. God does not work miracles in an attempt to convince those who, in their hearts, really do not want to believe, those who, like the Pharisees, only wanted to test him.

He does, however, work miracles to help those whose hearts are open to his word. John’s Gospel records seven signs to enable people to believe and in chapter 20 it says that

Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name (vv30-31).

It’s by believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, that we have eternal life. And miraculous signs are given to help us to believe. So when Jesus sent his disciples into all the world to preach the gospel, he promised them that signs would accompany their preaching (Mark 16:15-20). But, as may become clearer as we answer our second question, he does not work miracles for those who, like the Pharisees, have no intention of believing him.

Why does Jesus warn his disciples to watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees?

v. 15 Be careful…Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.

Yeast, or leaven, is what is needed to make bread rise. You only need a small amount and it will soon spread throughout the dough. In the New Testament, with only one exception (Matthew 13:33), yeast is used to symbolize evil. It’s an unseen influence that can spread quickly in any society or church. In 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 Paul says:

Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch – as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Here Paul was referring to the Jewish custom of clearing the house of yeast before Passover. He sees the church as an unleavened batch of dough because Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed for us. We are unleavened. Sin has been cleared out because of what Jesus did for us. So we are told to be what Christ has already made us. In effect he is saying, Christ has made you holy, so BE holy. Live holy unleavened lives. And he uses malice and wickedness as examples of leaven or yeast, and sincerity and truth as examples of unleavened bread.

So if yeast represents something bad, what exactly does Jesus mean when he talks about the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod? The answer surely lies in what we have already seen about their attitude to Jesus. We saw in Talk 17 (Mark 6) how Herod:

·      Hardened his heart to God’s word through the preaching of John the Baptist

·      Refused to repent (of his adulterous relationship with Herodias)

·      Insisted on preserving his reputation at all costs

·      Was eventually complicit with Pontius Pilate in the crucifixion of Jesus (Cf. Acts 4:27).

And we have repeatedly seen how the Pharisees too persistently hardened their hearts against Jesus, even accusing him of being demon-possessed. Their reputation and social position were more important to them than the truth, and they were already seeking a way to kill him. Their words and their actions against him were expressions of what was already in their hearts. The ‘yeast’ of the Pharisees was essentially an attitude of heart that is persistently opposed to Christ.

And there are two possible reasons why Jesus warns his disciples to guard against this yeast. He knew that the attitude of the Pharisees and Herod (or Herodians) would eventually spread like yeast to make the entire population rise up against Jesus and he wanted his disciples to be aware of this. But it’s more likely in my view that he was warning them of the danger of allowing such an attitude to develop in their own hearts. Paul was later to warn the Corinthians that a little yeast leavens the whole lump. A wrong attitude of heart among Christians can spread very quickly in a local church and we must be careful not to allow our thinking to become like that of the world (Romans 12:2).

Lessons about his disciples

But that brings us finally to what we can learn about the disciples from this passage. In verse 4 they’re still asking the same kind of question as they did before the feeding of the five thousand: But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them? They were still thinking at a purely human level, and even after Jesus has worked a similar miracle again, he has to say to them:

17 Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” “Twelve,” they replied. 20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” They answered, “Seven.” 21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

They had failed to understand. They had failed to see and hear. They had failed to remember. But before we get too critical of these men, we need to examine our own hearts and ask if we are still prone to the same hardness of heart. The disciples had failed understand:

·       Who Jesus really is

·      Why his resources were not limited to the natural

·      Why they themselves need not be limited to their own natural resources.

They had eyes to see and ears to hear, but they were blind to what God wanted to show them and deaf to what he wanted to tell them. Are we so very different? I think not.

So what’s the cure? The key is in that word remember. We need to remember what God has said to us in his word. We need to remember what we have seen him do already in our own lives. And, most important of all, we need to remember who Jesus is. As we take our eyes off the problems that face us and our limited resources to solve them, and remind ourselves of who Jesus is, and the infinite resources at his disposal, we will learn, as the disciples eventually came to learn, that nothing is impossible to those who believe.

Talk 22   Mark 7:31-37 Jesus heals a man who is deaf and mute

Welcome to Talk 22 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. Today we’re looking at the story in Mark 7:31-37 of how Jesus heals a man who is deaf and mute. But before we turn to the passage, let me begin with a testimony of a similar healing that happened in my own family.

From my earliest years I can remember being told of how one of my aunts had been miraculously healed in answer to prayer . Her name was May and in the 1911 census she was recorded as being ‘deaf and dumb from birth’. When she was in her twenties, my grandmother took her to a divine healing meeting conducted by the evangelist, George Jeffreys , who placed his hands on her and prayed  for her.

That evening, as they were travelling home to Poplar in the East End of London, they went down to catch the underground train. While they were waiting on the platform, suddenly, with a shocked expression on her face, May put both hands over her ears. She could hear the roar of the train as it came through the tunnel approaching the platform!

Until that moment, from the day she was born she had never been able to hear, but now she could hear, and within a few weeks was beginning to speak. My father was her younger brother, and when, years later, I was told at school that miracles  did not happen, he was quick to remind me of my aunt’s healing. I suppose that’s why I’ve never doubted God ’s miracle working power and firmly believe that we should expect to see miracles today. But now, to the passage in Mark 7.

31 Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. 32 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.

33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spat and touched the man’s tongue. 34 He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!”). 35 At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.

36 Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. 37 People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

This miracle is recorded only in Mark. It’s the simple but wonderful story of a man’s need and how Jesus met it. Jesus leaves the region of Tyre and Sidon and goes down to the region of the Ten Cities known as Decapolis. Some people bring him a man who is deaf and can hardly talk. There is no mention of faith in this story, but, as we saw last time, faith comes by hearing the message about Christ. How much these people were able to communicate with this deaf man is not clear, but they themselves had heard about Christ and had enough faith to bring him to Jesus. It’s interesting that in the New Testament it is often the faith of others that results in healing, and not always the faith of the person who is sick. Note too that they don’t specifically ask Jesus to heal the man, but just to place his hand on him.

But let’s look carefully at what Jesus actually does. The first thing we notice is that he took him aside away from the crowd.

He took him aside away from the crowd.

Why did Jesus do this? We’re not told. It can be great to be part of a crowd, especially where miracles are happening, but sometimes the crowd can be a distraction. The miracles Jesus is performing on others can in certain circumstances take our eyes off what he might want to do for us. Jesus deals with us as individuals. And in this case he wants to get the man’s full attention, to show him that he is not just one of the crowd, but an individual he cares about personally. Perhaps the man’s condition, unable to hear and hardly able to speak, made these personal moments with Jesus all the more necessary.

And perhaps Jesus himself felt the need to get away from the crowd, to get a moment of quiet when he can hear what Father is saying about how to deal with this man’s need. When ministering to the sick it’s so important to take time to hear what God is saying in each individual situation, and not be rushed into trying to deal with the needs of everyone who is asking for prayer at the same time.

He put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spat and touched the man’s tongue.

Jesus usually healed by a touch or a word of command, and his disciples sometimes healed by anointing people with oil. On one occasion he even healed a blind man by anointing his eyes with mud made from the dust of the ground and Jesus’ own saliva (John 9:6). But occasions like this, and the one we are considering in today’s passage, were exceptional, and should certainly not be seen as a methodology of healing. Jesus’ only methodology was to hear what the Father was saying (John 5:19.)

So why does Jesus on this occasion put his fingers into the man’s ears, spit and touch the man’s tongue. It’s possible that he was miming. The people who had brought the man to Jesus had shown a measure of faith just by bringing him, but it’s possible that Jesus was also looking for faith in the man himself. And, as we have seen, faith comes by hearing… But the man could not hear. But by miming Jesus could well have been indicating to the man that he was intending to heal him, and the assurance that would give the man would create faith in his heart.

But another aspect of Jesus’ unusual actions is how personal and intimate they are. He is not just touching the man; he’s putting his fingers into his ears. He’s spitting and touching the man’s tongue, presumably with the saliva! Today we might say, He’s invading his space! But if we want God’s blessing in our lives, we must be prepared to let him invade our space. We must make room for him.

When he left heaven and came to earth he was, in a sense, invading our space, but he only did so because he loves us. And he’s constantly looking for that intimate relationship with us where he’s involved with every aspect of our being. If we allow him to do so, the reward, as it was for the man in our story, will be wonderful.

He looked up to heaven

Jesus often looked up to heaven when he prayed. He did so before he blessed the loaves and fed the five thousand (Mark 6:41). And the fact that he does so here suggests three things. First, Jesus had constant contact with heaven. He was sinless. There was no barrier between himself and God. At his baptism the heavens were torn open and the Father’s voice was heard saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (Mark 1:10-11). Jesus lived under an open Heaven.

Secondly, by looking up to Heaven Jesus would be reminded of what Heaven is like. In Heaven there is no sin, no suffering, no sickness. He taught his disciples to pray, Your will be done as it is in heaven… God’s will is that earth should be like Heaven. And Jesus had come to do God’s will (Hebrews 10:7). Jesus knew that in the age to come earth would indeed become like Heaven and he had come to show us by his sinless life, his love and compassion, and by the miracles he performed, what a foretaste of Heaven could be like.

And thirdly, looking up to Heaven was a sign of his submission to heaven’s authority. As we have already said, Jesus only did what he saw the Father do (John 5:19). He looks up to Heaven in submission to Father’s authority before he speaks the word of command – be opened. And we should never presume to speak a word of command in Jesus’ name without first receiving by the Spirit authority to do so from Heaven. We can not take authority. We only have it if it is given to us.

He sighed deeply

It’s been suggested that Jesus’ sigh reflects the cost and pain of ministry. And Jesus certainly did pay a heavy price, not just by his death on the cross to save us from our sins, but even through the years of preaching, teaching, healing, and training his disciples, he warned those who thought that following him might be easy, that Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head (Matthew 8:20).

But I think it more likely that Jesus’ sigh was an expression of his compassion for the suffering. Jesus’ compassion was the motivation for his healings. In Matthew 14:14 we’re told that he healed their sick because he was moved with compassion for them.  It was because of his compassion that he gave sight to the blind (Matthew 20:34), cleansed the leper (Mark 1:41), cast out demons (Mark 5:19), and raised the dead (Luke 7:13).

It is also possible to see his sigh as an expression of anger with this man’s affliction. Does not God, who is holy, have a right to be angry with sin? Yes, but his anger with sin springs not only from his holiness, but also from his love. He hates sin because he knows what it does to our lives. He hates sin because he loves us. And he hates sickness because of the havoc it wreaks in human lives. It’s because of his compassion for this man that he is angry with the affliction that bound him, and no doubt with any Satanic forces that may have caused it.

So Jesus looks up to Heaven and sighs, and then he says, Ephphatha, BE OPENED.

He said to him, Ephphatha… BE OPENED

Just one word – Ephphatha. One word from Jesus is enough. It was enough because it had all the authority of Heaven behind it. Jesus only did what he saw the Father do. He who said at the beginning, Let there be light, now says, Be opened. Now notice what it says in verse 35:

35 At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak plainly.

Th word translated at this literally means immediately! Immediately he could hear. Immediately he could speak – plainly. No wonder the crowd said, He has done everything well (v37). And, as my aunt’s testimony shows, the age of such miracles is not past, though admittedly she did not speak immediately she was healed. I think that perhaps her inability to speak had been caused by her being deaf. Once the Lord opened her ears she was able to begin to learn to speak. But this man began to speak plainly immediately. My aunt’s experience does not in any way suggest that miracles today cannot be as great as Jesus performed while he was here on earth. Did not he say,

I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father (John 14:12)?

No, my aunt’s experience simply shows that God deals with different people differently. What doesn’t change is his love, his compassion, and his power. But is there perhaps also a spiritual message in this miracle that applies to us all? Look at verses 36-37.

36 Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. 37 People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

When we met Jesus our ears were opened to his word and our tongues were loosened to speak it out. Have we begun to speak plainly to others about him? Are they overwhelmed with amazement? Does our testimony about Jesus cause them to say, He has done everything well? Do they keep talking about it?

But finally, let’s remind ourselves that Jesus opens more than ears, and mouths, and eyes. He opens the door to Heaven to all who will believe. There was no other good enough to pay the price of sin, He only could unlock the gate of Heaven and let us in (C.F Alexander). He is the one who opens and no-one can shut (Revelation 3:7). He alone can open the book (Revelation 5:7). And in John 5:28 Jesus tells us that a time is coming when the graves will be opened and

all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out – those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.

And Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 that

the Lord himself will come down from Heaven with a loud command (a shout) with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet call of God and the dead in Christ shall rise…

I wonder what that shout might be. Could it be Ephphatha?

Talk 21   Mark 7:24-40   The Faith of a Syrophoenician Woman

Welcome to Talk 21 in our series on Mark’s gospel. Today we will be considering Mark 7:24-40 where Jesus casts a demon out of the daughter of a Syrophoenician woman. In recent talks we have seen how Jesus often tested the faith of his disciples, and today we will see him testing the faith of a Gentile.

The story is also recorded in Matthew 15:21-28 where Matthew adds some details that are not mentioned in Mark’s account. So, as I read the passage in Mark, I’m going to weave into it the extra details we find in Matthew. (If you’re looking at the notes the words in brackets are from Matthew).

24 Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre (and Sidon). He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. 25 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. 26 The woman was (a Canaanite) a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter (crying out, ‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me. My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession’. Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said). 27 “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.” 28 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs (that fall from their master’s table).” 29 Then he told her, (Woman, you have great faith. Your request is granted). For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter. (And her daughter was healed at that moment). 30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Jesus travels about 30 miles from the shore of the sea of Galilee to Tyre and Sidon which were Canaanite cities on the Mediterranean Sea just north of Israel. He must have been known at least to the Jews living in that area and was probably staying in the home of a Jewish disciple.

Mark tells us that he didn’t want anyone to know he was there. We’re not told why, but it was almost certainly so that he could take time to rest and to pray. But it wasn’t long before the news got out about his presence in that territory and a woman whose little daughter was demon possessed came begging him for help. From all we have learnt about Jesus so far, we can have no doubt that he had compassion on this woman, but on this occasion he did not respond immediately to meet her need.

There are two possible reasons for this:

·      She was not a Jew

·      He was testing her faith

She was not a Jew.

Jesus says that he was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel, and adds,

First let the children eat all they want, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.

The woman would have understood what Jesus meant by this because the Jews frequently referred to the Gentiles as dogs.

At first sight it seems that Jesus is dealing with this woman very harshly, but we need to remember when he said it. God’s ultimate purpose was that the good news of the kingdom would be preached to all nations, but that was to take place after Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Paul tells us in Ephesians 2 that by his death Jesus broke down the wall of the temple that separated the Jews from the Gentiles, but during his earthly ministry Jesus’ purpose was first to give an opportunity to the Jews – the lost sheep of Israel – to repent and believe. But that did not mean that even then the blessings of his kingdom were completely unavailable to the Gentiles, if only they would believe. The true Jew, the true descendant of Abraham, has always been the person who believes as Abraham believed. Because of her faith this Gentile woman not only received healing for her daughter, but also became one of God’s children. But that brings us to the second reason why Jesus did not immediately grant her request.

He was testing her faith.

The fact that God sometimes tests us does not mean that he does not love us, but by being tested our faith is strengthened. Reading the passage, we see various facets of this woman’s amazing faith that provide important lessons for us today.

1 She heard about him

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 (v25).

How had she heard and what had she heard? We don’t know. But Mark 3:8-12 might give us a clue:

When they heard all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. Whenever the evil spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.”

She had almost certainly heard about the healings and the exorcisms. Why else would she come to Jesus to ask him to help her demon-possessed daughter? Her faith came by hearing the message about Christ (cf. Romans 10:17). The more we learn from God’s word about who Jesus is and what he did, and the more we learn of what he is still doing today, the greater will be our faith. And if we want others to come to faith in Jesus, we must tell them about him.

2 She acknowledged who he was

She cried out, Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me (Matthew 15:22). Admittedly, the Greek word kurios could be used then, as it still is in Greece today, as a polite form of address, rather equivalent to Mr. or Sir. But the use of the Messianic title Son of David surely implies that here it means something more. She certainly seems to have had an understanding of Jesus’ authority, rather like another Gentile, the Roman centurion, who came to Jesus for help, believing that Jesus could heal at a distance, and of whom Jesus said, I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith (Matthew 8:10).

So faith begins as a result of hearing about Jesus and coming to recognise who he is. When we do, the appropriate response is to humble ourselves. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.

3 She humbled herself

·      She fell at his feet (v25)

·      She begged Jesus to drive out the demon (v26)

·      She recognised her need for mercy (Matthew 15:22)

·      She came and knelt before (worshipped) him (Matthew 15:25)

·      She admitted that she needed help (Matthew 15:25)

·      She acknowledged that she was not one of God’s children (vv27-28)

But despite all this she boldly persisted.

4 She boldly persisted

Notice that she begged Jesus.

The word used for begged here means that she kept on asking.

But Jesus doesn’t reply.

The disciples urge him to send her away because she keeps crying out after us.

Now Jesus speaks. I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.

Undeterred she comes and kneels before him and says, Lord, help me!

Jesus responds by saying that his first responsibility is to the Jews.

But she still persists. Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.

To which Jesus replied, Woman, you have great faith. Your request is granted.

Sometimes faith is rewarded immediately. Often it’s demonstrated by a dogged persistence that is determined to believe despite adversity and disappointment.

5 She believed

Why did Jesus tell her that she had great faith?

·      She believed that Jesus had the power to deal with an impossible situation.

·      She believed that he could do it at a distance. (She wouldn’t have expected him to come to her house).

·      She believed because her eyes were on Jesus, not on her ethnicity or inadequacy.

·      She kept on believing despite Jesus’ initial silence and apparent denial.

·      She declared her faith.

6 She declared her faith

In verse 27 Jesus says:

First let the children eat all they want, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.

The word used for dogs here means little dogs and refers to family pets. It’s possible that what Jesus meant by this was that his first priority was to provide food for the children (teach his disciples), and not to allow pets to interrupt the family meal. But, as I have already mentioned, the Jews commonly referred to Gentiles as dogs. So there is also the implication that the time for the Gentiles had not yet arrived. Despite this, however, the woman replies:

Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs (that fall from their master’s table).

And it’s at this point that Jesus says:

Woman, you have great faith. Your request is granted. For such a reply, (literally, because of this word), you may go; the demon has left your daughter.

Notice that it’s because of her reply that Jesus says she has great faith. He clearly sees this as a declaration of faith. And the declaration of faith is important. In 2 Corinthains 4:13 Paul says:

It is written: ‘I believed; therefore I have spoken’. Since we have the same spirit of faith, we believe and therefore speak.

And in Romans 10:10 he says that it’s with our mouth that we profess our faith. But this is no ‘Name it and Claim it’ teaching. He does not say, I spoke, therefore I believed! He simply means that if we really believe something in our hearts we will declare it. On another occasion Jesus said, Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34). Jesus saw the woman’s declaration as evidence of the faith that was in her heart, and that was enough for him to grant her request.

7 She received what she asked for

30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

She received a foretaste of the blessings that would soon become available to the Gentiles as well as the Jews. And we too have received a foretaste of future blessings. In the gift of the Holy Spirit we have tasted of the powers of the age to come (Hebrews 6:4-5). For example, the ultimate healing takes place when we receive new bodies when Jesus comes again, but by the Spirit through the gifts of healing, which are distributed as he determines, we may receive by faith a wonderful foretaste of the age to come.

So, to conclude, if Jesus is testing your faith right now, remind yourself who he is, keep your eyes on him and not on the problem, humble yourself before him, persist in asking him to help you, and decare your faith in him. And at the right time, he will do it.

Talk 20   Mark 7:1-23 Beware of the Pharisees

Welcome to Talk 20 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. Today we’re looking at Mark 7:1-23 where the Pharisees see some of Jesus’ disciples eating food without first giving their hands the ceremonial washing that was required by Jewish tradition. So they ask Jesus about this. Jesus replies by quoting a passage from Isaiah where God says:

These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.

He then adds:

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

As an example of this, Jesus points out that they were getting around God’s command to honour your father and mother by a practice known as Corban. Instead of helping their parents when they were in financial need, they would say that whatever money they had was devoted to God, and so they were unable to help them. In doing this they were setting aside the commands of God in order to observe their own traditions!

Jesus then calls the crowd to him and tells them that

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.’

When his disciples ask him to explain what he means by this, he tells them that what we eat or how we eat it can’t make us unclean because it doesn’t go into our heart but into our stomach and then passes out of our body. Mark then adds that

In saying this, Jesus declared all foods “clean.”

Jesus then says that what makes you unclean is what comes out of your heart – things like evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. These are the things that make us unclean.

So what can we learn from all this?

Notice first the continued opposition of the Jewish leaders to Jesus.

The continued opposition of the Jewish leaders to Jesus

They seem to have been against him right from the start. They have challenged his authority to forgive sins, they’ve criticised him for eating with tax-collectors and ‘sinners’, they’ve complained that his disciples have done what is not lawful on the Sabbath, they’ve accused him of being demon-possessed, and they’ve already begun to plot how they can kill him. And now they’re complaining about the behaviour of his disciples again:

Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with ‘unclean’ hands? (v5).

And that was the root cause of their opposition – the tradition of the elders. There’s a clear contrast in this passage between man-made tradition and the commands of God.

The contrast between man-made tradition and the commands of God

Notice the repetition of the word tradition in this passage:

3 …the tradition of the elders.

4 …they observe many other traditions

5 …Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders…?

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

9 …You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!

13 …you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down.

What stands out in these verses is that traditions are made by men, not God. They are handed down by men. And there is the danger that in following man-made tradition we may not only let go of the commands of God, but even nullify his word. It can also easily lead to hypocrisy.

The danger of hypocrisy

Look at verses 6-8.

6 He (Jesus) replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “‘These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’ 8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.”

The word hypocrite comes from the Greek word hupokrites which means actor. In ancient Greece plays were performed in amphitheatres by actors who wore masks. So a hypocrite is someone who covers up who they really are, pretending to be someone else. This was just what the Pharisees were guilty of, honouring God with their lips, but far from him in their hearts. Their hypocrisy involved insincerity and dishonesty.

As a result, Jesus said that they worshipped God in vain. They were not honouring God by teaching his word, but rules taught by men. They knew what God had said, but they had let go of his commands. In Matthew 23, talking of the Pharisees, Jesus said:

…do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. “Everything they do is done for men to see… (Matthew 23:3-4).

In fact, to get a full understanding of Jesus’ condemnation of the Pharisees, it’s worth reading the whole of Matthew 23, but the verses we’ve just quoted give a clear idea of the nature of hypocrisy. Their motivation for what they did and said was clearly wrong. They did not practice what they preached, and by their nit-picking rules they placed heavy burdens on people’s shoulders and were totally unwilling to lift them. But that brings us to the next key principle we see in today’s passage – the freedom that Jesus has brought us.

The freedom that Jesus has brought us

The legalistic regulations imposed by the traditions of men stands in stark contrast to the liberty that Jesus introduced through his teaching. Notice Mark’s statement in verse 19 that Jesus declared all foods clean! (Compare Peter’s experience on the rooftop at Joppa in Acts 10). What a contrast to the strict food laws imposed by Moses! As we saw in Talk 8, the kingdom of God which Jesus had come to proclaim could not be contained within the framework of Judaism. This is reflected in what Mark says in verse 3: The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing.

Admittedly it had taken some time for the church to break free from the restraints of Judaism, but the Council of Jerusalem (c.48-50AD) was a great step forward towards the freedom that Jesus had so vehemently proclaimed. I have dealt with this subject at some length in my book, The Voice of God, where I point out that the decision made by the church leaders in Acts 15 regarding food was an ad hoc decision motivated by the Holy Spirit to deal with a specific problem facing the church at that time. It was not binding on all Christians for all time. As we have seen, Jesus had already declared all foods to be clean, and this was clearly the understanding of the apostle Paul when he says in Romans 14:17-20:

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.

The underlying principle in this teaching is love. When a Pharisee who was an expert in the Law asked Jesus, What is the greatest commandment in the Law? Jesus replied:

‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments“(Matthew 22:37-40).

Notice that Jesus says, All the Law and the Prophets. Not just the ceremonial law. All the law. The Ten Commandments are included. And everything taught by the prophets. The entire Old Testament. As Christians we are free from it all! But of course, if we really love God with all our heart and soul and mind, and if we really love our neighbour as ourself, we will not kill or steal or commit adultery etc. The Law was given to show us our sin and our need of a Saviour (Galatians 3:23-25). But now we are free. It was for freedom that Christ has set us free and we are to stand firm in that freedom (Galatians 5:1). As Paul says in Galatians 5:13-14:

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’.

The importance of the heart

In verses 18-23 he says that nothing you eat can make you unclean because it doesn’t go into your heart. It’s what what’s in your heart that makes you unclean. In Matthew 5:27-28 , for example, Jesus warns against adultery in the heart. This is because, as he says here:

…from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’

This list is clearly connected to the Ten Commandments, where theft, murder, adultery, and coveting are strictly forbidden. But whereas the Ten Commandments relate largely to a person’s actions, Jesus is here emphasising the motivation behind those actions and the source from which they spring, the human heart. In Jeremiah 17:9-10 God says:

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds (ESV).

The desires of our hearts influence the thoughts of our minds, and our thoughts determine our actions. But as those who have received Christ as our Saviour, Hebrews 10:19-22 tells us that we have confidence to enter God’s presence because Jesus has made a way for us by dying for us and as a result we can:

draw near to God with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience…

What’s more, Galatians 4:5-6 tells us that we have been redeemed from the law and adopted as God’s children, and God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. That’s why, rather than giving in to the acts of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21), we are able now to follow the desires of the Spirit allowing the fruit of the Spirit to grow in our lives:

Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

How different these qualities are from the attitudes and actions of the Pharisees. From their bad example there is so much we can learn to avoid. Even as Christians we can fall into their ways as even Peter did briefly (Galatians 2:11-13). As those who follow Jesus we should never:

·      Put man-made traditions before the word of God.

·      Find ways of getting around God’s commands to further our own interests.

·      Impose heavy burdens on others by our legalistic rules.

·      Be more concerned with outward appearance than with true holiness.

·      Act like hypocrites, honouring God with our lips, but far from him in our hearts.

And, of course, unlike the Pharisees, we must practise what we preach.

If we don’t want to fall into their ways, we need to examine our hearts.

Talk 19 Mark 6:45-56 Jesus walks on water

Welcome to talk 19 in our series on Mark’s gospel. Today we are looking at Mark 6:45-56 where we read the remarkable story of Jesus walking on water.This story, which takes place just after Jesus had fed the 5000, is a wonderful example of how Jesus continues to challenge and to strengthen the faith of his disciples. In it we see how:

·      The disciples were very slow to learn and to believe.

·      Jesus deliberately challenges their faith.

·      He supernaturally intervenes to bring them safely through the problem they are facing.

The disciples’ slowness to learn and to believe

Jesus was training his disciples to become fishers of men.

The most important part was teaching them to understand exactly who he was – the Son of God. He did this by the things he taught and the miracles he performed.

But the disciples were slow to learn and to believe.

Even after Jesus had risen from the dead he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen (Mark 16:14).

They were amazed when they saw the miracles, but again and again they reveal their lack of faith. Remember the storm on the Sea of Galilee where Jesus asks, Do you still have no faith?

And, in Chapter 8, when the disciples had forgotten to bring any bread with them, Jesus asks:

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?” (Mark 8:17-21).

It seems that Jesus was constantly working

·      to bring his disciples to a deeper understanding of who he was

·      and to develop their faith in God’s love for them

·      and his ability and willingness to meet their needs.

And believe it or not, he’s doing the same for us too.

So let’s look at the passage in more detail,

bearing in mind that Jesus’ aim is to strengthen the faith of his disciples – and our faith too.

Jesus challenges their faith

45 Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.

Notice that Jesus made them get into the boat. The verb can be translated compel.

So he must have had a definite purpose in sending them on ahead of him and putting them at some distance from himself.

Part of that purpose was so that he could be alone and pray.

Perhaps he was talking to his Father about the disciples’ lack of faith.

And perhaps he sent them on ahead to test and strengthen their faith.

Soon they would be facing a storm without Jesus being physically present with them.

This is made clear in the next verse.

47 When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake and he was alone on land.

John 6 tells us that the boat was about three and a half miles from the shore.

Matthew 14 adds that it was buffeted by the waves.

The disciples are in trouble, but Jesus is alone on the land.

At least in the earlier storm he was with them in the boat, even if he was asleep!

How often when we face problems do we feel that Jesus is no longer with us, no longer aware of our need? Help seems miles away. But look at the next verse.

48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night (i.e. between 3 and 6 am) he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them…

The disciples were having a hard time. The wind was against them.

They were straining at the oars. They were finding it difficult to cope.

But even though it was dark, Jesus saw them. He saw the problem.

And he sees us too, even when our circumstances are so dark that we cannot see him.

Jesus intervenes supernaturally

So …he went out to them, walking on the lake.

He found a way of getting to them, even though it was humanly, scientifically, impossible.

He walked on water! If he can do that, surely he can do anything.

Mind you, walking on water wasn’t his usual way of getting places. He only worked miracles when there was a need.

But why was he about to pass by them? Or he intended to pass by them.

He had come to help them, so why pass by them?

You would have expected him to go straight to them.

Was it to test their faith? To get their attention?

We don’t know, but sometimes when it seems that he’s passing us by, he’s doing it to test our faith or get our attention. Maybe he wants us to really cry out.

Note that when he hears them cry out in fear he immediately encourages them by speaking to them.

His power to answer is not limited by the way we ask for help.

Even when we cry out in fear he is there to help.  Look at verses 49-50.

49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

Why did they think he was a ghost?

Because it couldn’t possibly be Jesus, could it?

Surely nobody, not even Jesus, can walk on water.

So they settled for another, even more implausible, supernatural explanation – a ghost.

And it’s very much the same today. So many prefer other forms of ‘spirituality’ rather than believing the solid evidence for the bodily resurrection of Jesus.

But Jesus says, Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid!

But how can we take courage when we’re being buffeted by the waves?

How can we not be afraid?

The key is in those three little words IT IS I.

In context it could simply mean, It’s not a ghost. It’s me.

But literally translated we can understand it to mean far more than that.

Jesus actually says I AM. The name by which God revealed himself to Moses.

The eternally self-existent one.

If we wonder how it was that Jesus could walk on water, and how he could give Peter the power to do so, we have only to remember who he was –

The I AM with whom all things are possible.

But Mark doesn’t mention Peter walking on the water.  

It’s Matthew who tells us. At this point in the story before Jesus gets into the boat, Matthew tells us that Peter says, Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.

And Jesus says, Come.  

Then Peter gets out of the boat, walks on the water and comes towards Jesus.

But when he sees the wind, he’s afraid and begins to sink.

So he cries out, Lord, save me!

And immediately Jesus reaches out his hand and catches him.

You of little faith, Jesus says, Why did you doubt? (Matthew 14:28-31).

We won’t take time to discuss why Mark does not include this amazing miracle. Any attempt to do so would be sheer conjecture. What’s important here is that

·      Jesus is giving one of his disciples an opportunity to exercise faith in him

·      Peter actually walked on water

·      He soon wavered after Jesus told him to come.

This is so typical of the fluctuating faith of all the disciples throughout the Gospels,

and, if we’re honest, of ours today.

But back to the passage in Mark.

51 Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.

Notice that Jesus didn’t rebuke the wind this time.

It died down as soon as he was in the boat.

His very presence was enough to calm both the wind and the anxious hearts of the disciples.

But what does Mark mean when he says that they had not understood about the loaves, and that their hearts were hardened?

And how do we reconcile this with Matthew’s account which says that they worshipped him saying, You are the Son of God!?

The reference to the loaves, of course, relates to the feeding of the five thousand earlier in the chapter.

It’s clear that they were not expecting such a miracle,

and, even when it happened, they did not fully understand the full significance of it.

Surely miracles like this were pointing to the fact that Jesus was the Son of God, and yet they hardly dared to believe it.

They were amazed because they hadn’t understood who Jesus was.

And so, as we’ve already pointed out, their faith frequently fluctuated, up one minute, down the next. Or, down one minute, up the next!

And this may explain why Matthew could say that the disciples worshipped Jesus and said, You are the Son of God.

They’re doubting one minute, believing the next.

Their initial reaction is amazement. They want to believe, but they hardly dare to.

But after they witness the miracle of Peter walking on water their faith rises and they worship Jesus and acknowledge who he is.

Compare Peter’s confession in Matthew 16.

The realisation of who Jesus is comes by revelation from Heaven.

The process of coming to this understanding was gradual, reaching a climax in a flash of revelation. And it doesn’t just happen once. We need repeated revelation, and repeatedly to confess who Jesus is. And this was Jesus’ purpose – building their faith and bringing them to a steadfast understanding of who he is. It was a gradual process, as it is with us.

But however wavering our faith we can be sure that his faithfulness will always bring us to the other side. As verse 53 tells us – they crossed over, they landed… and they anchored there.

So, to summarise, in this incident we see how Jesus tests and strengthens his disciples’ faith. He sends them ahead without him. He allows them to go through another storm, but he still has his eye on them. He does the impossible by walking on water to encourage them and even allows Peter to walk on water too, despite his wavering faith.  And of course, he gets them all safely to the other side. It was Jesus who had told them to make the journey in the first place. And all this enables them to appreciate better who he is.

But before we leave Mark 6, let’s read the last few verses of the chapter.

54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. 55 They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 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.

These verses are a summary of Jesus’ ministry at that time. Notice the words wherever he was, wherever he went. The healings recorded in the Gospels were no isolated incidents. They were happening everywhere, in villages, towns, and countryside. As we saw in earlier talks, they were evidence of the truth that the kingdom of God was among them and that Jesus was who he claimed to be, the Son of God.

The need for any of us to walk on water today would be exceptional, but the need for healing is always with us. In the passage we have just read five facts stand out:

They recognised Jesus

They ran to him

They requested (begged) him to heal them

They reached out and touched him

They received their healing.

Is it always like that today? If we’re honest, the answer is no. The extent to which miracles of healing are happening varies from place to place. As we saw in Chapter 5, even Jesus’ power to work miracles was limited in Nazareth because of their unbelief. And there were times in his ministry when he didn’t heal everyone as we see from John’s account of Jesus healing at the Pool of Bethesda. The key to his miracles, and indeed to his whole life, was that he only did what he saw the Father do (John 5:19).

We cannot tell God what to do, but we can like Jesus spend time with God and let him tell us what to do. So the five points mentioned above are not a formula for healing. There’s no such thing, and the belief that there is can lead to bitter disappointment. But in our search for healing we can and we should recognise that Jesus is Lord, run to him with our request, and reach out in faith, believing that we will receive our healing in God’s own good time. He does work miracles of healing today, but we need to remember that all healing in this life is temporary. The ultimate healing will take place when we receive new bodies when Jesus comes again. Meanwhile, keep your eyes on Jesus. He will get you there.

For more on this important subject, please see Just a Taste of Heaven – a Biblical and Balanced Approach to God’s Healing Power, available from my website: www.davidpetts.org

Talk 18   Mark 6:30-44   Feeding the Five Thousand

Welcome to Talk 18 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. Today we’ll be looking at Mark 6:30-44 where we read of the amazing miracle of how Jesus fed over 5000 people with five small loaves and two small fishes. Mark tells us that these people were, as so many are today, like sheep without a shepherd, and today I want to concentrate on what the passage shows us about the people, about the disciples, and about Jesus.

But first let’s read the passage to remind ourselves of the details of what happened.

30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31 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.” 32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.

33 But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 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.

35 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. 36 Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”  37 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?”

38 “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five – and two fish.” 39 Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 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. 42 They all ate and were satisfied, 43 and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44 The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

The people

So let’s begin by considering the condition of the people. Verse 34 tells us that they were like sheep without a shepherd (34). To understand what this means we need to remember that the role of a shepherd was to lead and feed his sheep. This is well illustrated in Psalm 23 where David says:

The Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.

But these people were like sheep without a shepherd. Notice the word like. We’re not told that they were sheep without a shepherd. The Greek literally says they were like sheep not having a shepherd. But surely they had a shepherd. Wasn’t the Lord their shepherd? Didn’t Psalm 23 apply to them? Of course it did. The Lord was their shepherd, but, as so often with Israel of old, they were acting as though he were not, some because they were ignorant of it and others because they were unwilling to be led by him. And if you’re not willing to be led, you can’t expect to be fed! A sheep without a shepherd will probably find food somewhere, but it won’t find the green pastures and quiet waters that only the shepherd can provide.

What’s more, one of the great things about being led by the Lord is not just that he takes care of you and meets your needs, but that he gives you a sense of direction in life. He leads you. But the people in this passage, like so many people today, were aimlessly running to and fro, without any clear purpose in life other than to get their needs met. They ran on foot from all the towns (33). They were constantly coming and going (31). The word going here literally means departing. Why didn’t they STAY? Of course, some did. The disciples did. But many were departing. They were in a constant state of flux.

The key to understanding the root cause of this is found in verse 34, where we’re told that Jesus began teaching them many things. This shows very clearly that they had a lot to learn. Of course they would have known well enough about the current political situation with the occupying Roman forces as a constant reminder. They would have known about the history of their nation and of God’s deliverances in the past, and they were well aware of the religious laws of their Bible as they were interpreted by the rabbis in their synagogues. But there was still much that they needed to learn, that only Jesus could teach them. Only Jesus could show them the way to Heaven.

And it’s just the same today. Most people know something about politics and history and law. Some even know something about the teachings of the Bible, but there is still much coming and going, still no clear understanding of truth. Despite all the advances of science and our knowledge of the natural world, people are still living in uncertainty, with no real sense of direction and purpose in their lives. Refusing to be led by the good shepherd, they are failing to find the green pastures to which only he can take them. But that’s where our role as Jesus’ disciples is so important. It’s our responsibility to make sure that everyone at least has the opportunity to know the truth. It’s by knowing the truth that people are set free (John 8:32). So let’s now see what we can learn about the disciples in this passage.

The disciples

At the start of our passage the disciples have just come back from the mission Jesus sent them on. They were excited to tell Jesus all they had done and taught (30). They had preached that people should repent and they had cast out demons and healed many who were sick (12). And by the end of the passage they had become instruments in one of the greatest miracles Jesus ever performed. They were truly a privileged group of people.

But they were also in many ways quite ordinary people, and our passage reveals some of the weaknesses that are sometimes seen in our lives as Christians, and perhaps especially of those God uses in miraculous ways like healing. It’s clear from verse 31 that the apostles were under pressure from the demands of the people. So many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat (31) and, when Jesus suggested they go somewhere quiet to get some rest, it must have been frustrating for them to see that the people had got there ahead of them (33).

I can’t help wondering if the disciples were irritated by this. I know from personal experience how easy it is for this to happen. Just when we think we might have found a solution to a problem, it can so easily crop up again when we’re least expecting it. Problems do sometimes seem to get there ahead of us. And the ‘problem’ on this occasion was the very people whose problems they were there to deal with! They wanted Jesus to send the people away (36). The reason they gave might suggest that they were genuinely concerned for the people:

…so they can go …and buy themselves something to eat.

But was this really their motivation, or were they more concerned for themselves than for the people? After all, hadn’t Jesus told them that they needed a rest? Of course, we can’t be sure what the disciples’ real motives were, but if we’re honest we know how easy it is to think of a good reason for doing what’s most convenient for ourselves. Only Jesus was entirely selfless, putting the needs of others before himself.

But before we turn our attention to Jesus, we need to point out another weakness in the disciples that we often find in ourselves as well. Despite all the miracles Jesus had already performed, and indeed the healings and exorcisms they had experienced in their own ministry, the disciples still had a tendency to doubt when the problem they were confronted with seemed insoluble. When Jesus told them to give the people something to eat (37) they responded by saying, That would take eight months of a man’s wages!

It seems they thought that Jesus was making an unreasonable demand. And at a natural level it probably would have been. It’s unlikely that they carried that much money with them, so how could they possibly feed a crowd of several thousand? Their mistake was to forget that when there was no natural solution, with God there might aways the possibility of a miracle. And, of course, with the benefit of hindsight, we know that that’s exactly what Jesus had in mind.

So is it wrong to seek a natural solution to our problems when we know we have a miracle working God? By no means. We mustn’t limit God to working in one way only. We certainly mustn’t limit him to working naturally, but neither must we limit him to working supernaturally. For example, he may heal by natural means, or he may heal us supernaturally. Proclaiming the kingdom of God means proclaiming that God is king. That means that he decides! We should never forget that he is able to work a miracle, but that he may choose to work through natural means.

When looking for a miracle the important question is, Have you heard from Jesus? The disciples had the benefit of hearing directly from him and when they followed his instructions they discovered that on this occasion his purpose was a miracle rather than a natural solution to the problem. But that brings us to the person of Jesus himself. What does this passage teach us about him?

Jesus

Perhaps the most important thing we learn about Jesus in this passage is his compassion for the people.

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.

They were like sheep without a shepherd, so he began to teach them. We were all like sheep going astray (1 Peter 2:25), but like the shepherd in the parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:1-7), Jesus sought us and found us and has rescued us by laying down his life for the sheep (John 10:11). That’s what Jesus is doing for the people here in this passage, and Matthew and Luke tell us that he was not only teaching them and feeding them, but he was also healing them. Jesus was giving his life for them even before he died on the cross. And if compassion is not our motivation, then any words that we may say or any miracles we may perform will be of little value.

And Jesus’ compassion is evident not only in his care for the crowds. It is also seen in his concern for his disciples. They had just returned from a mission of preaching and healing and he knew they needed rest. So he says in verse 31, Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.

It’s interesting that he does not say, go away and get some rest. He says, Come with me… He knew that they needed to be alone with him. In Mark 3:14 we read that he chose twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach… Now, as they return from the mission he sent them on, it’s just as important that they spend time with him even as they rest. It’s vital that Christian workers learn this lesson. We all need time to rest, and to rest in him.

And Jesus’ concern for his disciples is also seen in the training he gives them. He tells them, You give them something to eat. He involves them in one of the greatest miracles he would ever perform. He guides them step by step through a lesson in faith that so far they have never experienced. Notice the following six things:

1.     He asks them to assess the seriousness of the situation.

“How many loaves do you have? Go and see.”

2.     He directs them to prepare for the impossible.

…have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass.

3.     He prays.

…looking up to heaven, he gave thanks.

4.     He acts in faith.

He broke the loaves.  

5.     He involves them in the miracle.

Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people.

6.     He does not allow anything to be wasted

the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces

 (cf. John 6:12 Let nothing be wasted). Perhaps for them to eat later?

He was not expecting this kind of miracle every day. Neither should we.

So in this passage we have seen Jesus’ compassion for the people and his concern for his disciples. But before we conclude we need to take note of Jesus’ confidence in his Father. He did nothing except what he saw the Father do (John 5:19) and so before he breaks the loaves and the fish he looks up to Heaven – unlike the disciples who looked around for the solution (36). He has already organised the people into groups ready to feed them although as yet he had only five loaves and two fishes. But his eyes were not on the paucity of natural resources, nor on the immensity of the multitude. His eyes were on Heaven.

And the qualities we see in Jesus in this passage are qualities that are seen over and over again throughout his life. He lived and died because of his compassion for us sinners who were like sheep without a shepherd. He was able to do this because of his complete dependence on and obedience to his heavenly Father. And he is still training disciples and involving them in miraculous provision to demonstrate his love and compassion for a world that is lost without him.

So let’s be aware of the condition of the people around us, let’s try to avoid the mistakes the disciples made, and let’s follow the example of Jesus and love those who reject our testimony, even if necessary by laying down our lives for the sake of the gospel.

Talk 17 Mark 6:14-29  Herod and John the Baptist

Welcome to Talk 17 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. Today we’re looking at Mark 6:14-29 which relates the terrible story of the beheading of John the Baptist. The passage is set between Jesus sending out his disciples to proclaim the good news and their return to report to him all they had done and taught (v30). At first sight, the beheading of John the Baptist might seem to be something of a digression, but, when we remember the theme of our last talk, it becomes clear that there’s a very real continuity of thought in this passage.

Last time we saw how the people of Jesus’ home town rejected him and how, when Jesus sent out his disciples, he told them to shake the dust off their feet as a testimony against any who rejected their message about him. Today’s passage begins in verses 14-16 with the theme of people’s attitude to Jesus and his message, and continues with the story of how one particular person, King Herod, hardened his heart against the preaching of John the Baptist and ended up by ordering his execution. And we know from Acts 4:27 and Luke 23:12 that this eventually led to his conspiring with Pontius Pilate against Jesus himself.

But let’s begin by reading the passage to remind ourselves of the details.

14 King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 Others said, “He is Elijah.” And still others claimed, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.” 16 But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, the man I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!” 17 For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, 20 because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him. 21 Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” 23 And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.” 24 She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” “The head of John the Baptist,” she answered. 25 At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter. 26 The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27 So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, 28 and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. 29 On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

The fact that Jesus’ name had become well known (v14) is not surprising, bearing in mind the miracles he was performing and the great crowds who gathered around him. The miracles were causing people to wonder exactly who Jesus was. He reminded them of what they had heard about Elijah and the miracles he performed. Some even thought Jesus was Elijah, possibly basing their assumption on Malachi’s prophecy that God would one day send Elijah back before the day of the Lord came (Malachi 4:5). (Although Jesus said in Mark 9:13 that it was actually John who was the promised ‘Elijah’). Others thought that Jesus was John the Baptist risen from the dead. This included King Herod who said, John, the man I beheaded, has been raised from the dead! (v16).

Mark then goes on to explain how and why Herod came to order John’s execution, but before we go any further it’s important to identify which Herod we are talking about, as the New Testament makes reference to no less than four different Herods, all of whom were unpleasant characters, to say the least. Perhaps it will be easiest to say which Herod this is NOT. This Herod is not Herod the Great (so-called) who wanted to kill the baby Jesus and massacred the baby boys in Matthew 2. He is not Herod Agrippa I, who was smitten by the angel of the Lord and died because of his pride in Acts 12, neither is he Herod Agrippa II before whom Paul conducted his defence in Acts 25-26. The Herod who executed John the Baptist was Herod Antipas whose final attitude to Jesus is found in Luke 23:7-12.

There we’re told that Pilate sent Jesus to Herod, who happened to be in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus’ trial, because Jesus came from the region of Galilee where Herod was the ruler and was therefore under his jurisdiction. Herod was pleased to see Jesus because, from what he’d already heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle. He asked him many questions, but when Jesus refused to reply, he ridiculed and mocked him, dressed him in an elegant robe, and sent him back to Pilate, who then became his friend although up to that point they had been enemies. Herod was thus complicit in the crucifixion of Jesus as Acts 4:26-27 makes clear:

The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed one. Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel to conspire against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed.

So Herod and Pilate banded together against the Lord and conspired against Jesus. And now, as we return to our passage in Mark 6, we see that it was by hardening his heart to God’s word through John the Baptist that Herod took the first steps that led ultimately to his role in the crucifixion of Jesus. His attitude to God’s servant, John, was finally to determine his attitude to God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus once said:

Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me (John 13:20).

To accept Christ’s message through the messengers he sends is to accept Christ himself, and to reject his message through the messengers he sends is to reject Christ himself. In rejecting God’s message through John, Herod finally came to ridicule and reject Christ.

But this need not have happened. Herod had every opportunity to accept John’s message of repentance. Verse 18 tells us that John had been saying to Herod, It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife. And the tense of the Greek verb indicates that he had done so repeatedly. But instead of repenting, Herod had John put in prison where John continued to preach the same message.

So Herod had plenty of opportunity to repent. He knew that John was a righteous and holy man. He feared him and he liked to listen to him but was greatly puzzled by what he heard. This verb (aporeomai) is sometimes  translated in the New Testament as perplexed and can also convey the idea of doubt. The mental confusion that caused Herod to doubt sprang from the fact that he knew what was right but was unwilling to do it.  There were so many voices clamouring for his attention – the voice of conscience telling him that his relationship with Herodias was sinful, the voice of John the Baptist constantly confirming that he must repent, the voice of Herodias demanding John’s death, and the voice of the flesh telling him that he must protect his own reputation at all costs. No wonder we’re told that he was perplexed.

And so, although for a time he protected John from Herodias’s thirst for his blood, the time came when, trapped by his own foolish vow, he murdered, without a fair trial, the man who Jesus said was the greatest person who had ever lived (Matthew 11:11), and in so doing involved a young girl [1] in the bloody process, undoubtedly psychologically damaging her for the rest of her life. But we know the story. It remains now for us to summarise where Herod went wrong.

It began with his decision to break God’s law and live in adultery with his brother’s wife. Instead of listening to the voice of conscience and repenting at the preaching of John the Baptist, he chose to continue to disobey God. Embarrassed by John’s public denunciation of his lifestyle, he attempted to silence him by putting him in prison. Infatuated with a young dancing girl he made a foolish oath, and when, at her mother’s instigation, she made the most outrageous demand, he lacked the moral courage to refuse it for fear of what others might think. This series of wrongly motivated decisions led finally to the ultimate decision – the rejection of Christ.

But before we conclude this message, let’s turn our attention away from the evil Herod to the man he beheaded, God’s faithful servant, John the Baptist. As we saw in Mark 1, the heart of the message God had called John to preach was that everyone needed to repent in preparation for the coming of the Messiah, and vast crowds came to be baptised in the Jordan confessing their sins. It’s clear from Luke 3 that the message was for all – soldiers, tax-collectors, religious leaders, and even for political leaders like King Herod. As we have seen, John told him in no uncertain terms that his relationship with his brother’s wife was wrong, and rebuked him for all the other evil things he had done (Luke 3:19) which led to his arrest, imprisonment and eventually his execution.

John was imprisoned before Jesus started his public ministry in Galilee (Mark 1:14) but his execution took place some time later. We know little of the time John spent in prison except that Matthew tells us that:

When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me” (Matthew 11:2-6).

John’s question shows that he was beginning to doubt if Jesus really was the promised Messiah despite the evidence of the miracles Jesus was doing. He was doubting the testimony of Scriptures like Isaiah 61:1-2 which Jesus said was being fulfilled in his miraculous ministry, and he was even doubting his own testimony that Jesus was the lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. More serious still, he was doubting the testimony of God himself, who at Jesus’ baptism had declared that Jesus was his beloved Son.

These serious doubts would have been caused by the circumstances in which he found himself, unjustly imprisoned, and cut off from fellowship with like-minded people, but also perhaps by the expectation that the Messiah would proclaim freedom for the captives and release for the prisoners (Isaiah 61:1, Luke 4:18). If Jesus really was the Messiah, why was John still in prison? It’s all too easy to doubt when circumstances tell us that God has not kept the promises we believe he has made us, and John was no exception.

But fortunately, there is a remedy for doubt. John sent a message to Jesus and Jesus gave him the answer. Note that even though John was doubting who Jesus was, he still made contact with him. If you’re doubting God, it might seem illogical, but contact him anyway. When my philosophy tutor at Oxford confidently asserted that he could disprove the existence of God, as soon as the tutorial was over I said, God, if there is a God, HELP. And he did! My AV Bible fell open at Psalm 119:99 where I read:

I have more understanding than all my teachers, for thy testimonies are my meditation.

And my doubts were gone. So if your circumstances are causing you to doubt, do what John did. Keep in touch with Jesus, and if it seems that he’s not keeping his promises to you, let him remind you of the things he has done for you and of how he has worked in the lives of others. Faith is not the absence of doubt. It’s trusting the Lord despite our doubts and leaving the outcome with him. In the KJV Jesus’ final word to John was:

Blessed is he who is not offended in me (v6).

John’s doubts were leading him towards the danger of taking offense at Jesus like the people of Nazareth in Mark 6:3. The Greek word is the same, and as we saw last time it’s frequently used in the New Testament to mean a stumbling block or something that trips you up. What tripped up the people of Nazareth was their refusal to see beyond the humanity of Jesus.  For John the potential stumbling block was that if Jesus really was the Messiah, why was he not setting him free from Herod’s prison?

One lesson we can learn from this is that we must not be offended by God’s will for our lives. Some promises – especially with regard to the body – will not reach final fulfilment until the redemption of the body at the resurrection. When circumstances are against us, and when we’re not yet experiencing the fulfilment of one of God’s promises, it’s all too easy to give way to doubt. The remedy is to concentrate on the many wonderful promises we have seen fulfilled in our lives and to rejoice in what we hear God is doing for others, even if we are not yet experiencing the same blessings that they are. If the great John the Baptist could come to the point of doubting the very truth of what God had called him to preach, we should not be surprised or feel condemned if we are tempted to doubt.

Eventually, of course, John was liberated from the prison, but perhaps not in the way he was expecting or hoping. Death, for those who believe in Jesus, is the ultimate release, whether it be from imprisonment, or sickness, or any other form of suffering. Death is the gateway to Heaven where there is no mourning, or crying, or pain (Revelation 21:4). John’s headless body was laid in a tomb, but he himself was already enjoying the rewards of Heaven, far beyond the reach of evil people like Herod and Herodias.