Following Jesus in the Real World
Studies in the Gospel of Mark
Study Guide for Sunday Sermon on May 11, 2008
Mark 8: 1-21
Introduction
Jesus and his disciples are by the shores of Galilee, and they have just seen two amazing signs of healing, incidents which displayed the dawning of the Messianic Age among the Gentiles on the eastern side of the lake. First, Jesus cleansed the demon-possessed daughter of a Syrophoenician woman, and then he opened up the ears of a deaf mute. Mark splices these two miracles together to foreshadow the cleansing which the Messiah would bring to the Gentile nations, and their miraculous obedience which would result from "hearing" God's word. The good news of those two miracles spread like wildfire in this predominantly Gentile area of the Decapolis, and a large multitude gathered to be taught by the itinerant rabbi, Jesus who “does all things well (Mark 7: 37).
Day 1: Read Mark 8: 1-10
Mark means places this passage (during those days) in the context of the Gentile healings in chapter 7. What is important about the context of this passage?
What do you think he means when he says another large crowd gathered? What does the word “another” imply? What is he referring to?
Why did this large crowd gather? These were the same people who had formerly rejected Jesus and his ministry (Mark 5: 17). What had changed such that they were now attracted to Jesus?
Mark tells us in verse 2 that this crowd of people of people had “been with” Jesus for three days. The Greek word translated in the NIV as “been with” here, “prosmenein”, is a rare and intensified form of the verb “to remain”. This verb, “remain” (Greek, meno) is the verb used in John 15 by Jesus when he tells his disciples to “remain in or reside in him”. Jesus tells his disciples to remain in him because he alone is their life and strength. In him alone will they bear fruit that lasts.
Mark, through the verb he chose to use, is implying that the crowd intentionally chose to remain with Jesus. They didn’t just stumble across Jesus and then get caught in the crowd. They made a deliberate choice to be with Jesus, to “live in him”, to give themselves to him and to listen to his teaching. This also means that Jesus chose to be with them, to give himself to them. In doing so they were infused with his life; they were filled with him.
Why do you think Jesus is willing to invest three days in this crowd? What does this crowd have that Jesus values and honors?
What does this tell you about Jesus and about how he views Gentiles? How does this passage help you to better understand Jesus’ comment in Mark 7:27? Will Jesus refuse to “feed” anyone who comes to him with hunger and openness?
Will he ever refuse to feed you if you come to him humbly and eagerly?
Can you imagine yourself wanting to be in a crowd like this for three days? Why or why not?
Can you imagine yourself being in a church service for 3-4 hours in one day? Why or why not? What does this reveal to you about your own spiritual openness and hunger?
Now focus on the disciples. Why does Jesus call his disciples to him? What problem does he put before them? Why do you think he does this? What response do you think he is hoping for from his disciples?
How do his disciples respond (verse 4) to what Jesus tells them? Given what the disciples have seen in the past, is this the response you would have expected? How would you have expected the disciples to respond?
How do you make sense of this response by the disciples?
Day 2: Read Mark 8: 1-10 and Mark 6: 30-44.
Compare and contrast these two “banquets”. What similarities do you see between them? What is significant about the similarities?
What differences do you see between them?
· What is different about the makeup of the two crowds?
· What is different about how the disciples respond?
· What is different about what was left over?
· Is there anything significant about this number (see Deuteronomy 7: 1) for a possible clue)?
· What is different about the role Jesus plays and what he does?
What do these differences mean? What significance do they have?
Many modern scholars assume that the feeding of the four thousand is a “doublet” (a retelling of the same event) of the feeding of the five thousand and not a separate historical event. One of the key reasons they come to this conclusion is because they think it is inconceivable that the disciples could have experienced the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand (which may have happened several months earlier) and not remembered its lessons when confronted with a similar situation. Do you find this argument compelling? Why or why not?
Think back over your past experiences with Jesus. Have you ever experienced God’s power and faithfulness in some area of your life, seen God answer a prayer or do something that confirmed His goodness to you and then sometime later been in a similar situation where you wondered all over again whether God would come through for you? What insight does this give you?
The disciples ask a question in verse 4. James Edwards (The Gospel According to Mark, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, Eerdmans, p. 232) argues that the best way to translate the disciples question is: “For who is able in this remote region to satisfy these [people] with bread?’ What is the answer to the question? Who is able to satisfy them?
Now read Isaiah 55:1-6. What parallels do you see between Isaiah 55 and what is going on here in Mark 8? What is Jesus offering this crowd? How is he fulfilling what Isaiah 55 says? How is the crowd exemplifying what Isaiah says in Isaiah 55: 5-6?
Now think about yourself. How well doers Isaiah 55: 5-6 describe you? Do you want it to describe you? Why or why not?
Day 3: Read Mark 8: 11-12
After the feeding of the 4000 Jesus and his disciples go into the region of Dalmanutha where a contingent of Pharisees from Jerusalem comes to question Jesus. Why do you think the Pharisees come and question Jesus again? What has Jesus been doing that has offended them this time?
What do you think it means that they came to “test” Jesus? Why would they want to test him? What does this tell you about their view of themselves? What kind of people tests others? What does it tell you about their view of Jesus?
In what kind of spiritual state are the Pharisees? What happens when you test God (See Deuteronomy 6: 16; Numbers 14: 10-23)?
How do people today test God? Why do they test God?
In light of all the miracles Jesus had already done why would the Pharisees demand a “sign from heaven”? What is a “sign from heaven”? How would they have known that the sign came from heaven? Was there anything Jesus could have done that would have been received by them as indisputable proof that Jesus was sent from God?
Think about the discussions you have had with people who are hostile to Jesus. What kind of signs or proofs are they asking for? Is there any sign you can show them that would be indisputable to them? If not, what can you do?
How does Jesus respond to the request of the Pharisees for a sign? Why do you think he sighs?
What does Jesus say to them? Why do you think he refers to “this generation”?
When Jesus addresses them as “this generation” he is alluding to the stubborn, rebellious, disobedient generation of Israelites who came out of Egypt with Moses and grumbled and complained throughout their journey in the wilderness (see Deuteronomy 32: 5, 20; Psalm 95: 10-11). It’s an allusion that the Pharisees probably understood Jesus to be making and this would have incensed them even more.
Is it true that Jesus left no sign to this generation? What about the miracles he did? What about the resurrection? What does Jesus mean here when he says he won’t give the Pharisees a sign?
Why do you think Jesus left them? Do you see any connection between what Jesus does here and the instructions he gave his disciples in Mark 6: 10-11?
Day 4: Read Mark 8: 14-21.
Mark tells us that the disciples are in the boat with Jesus and that they had forgotten to bring bread except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. What strikes you about this?
Mark may be expressing some irony here. The disciples have a literal loaf of bread with them but Jesus is the “one loaf” who can meet all their needs. They are bemoaning the fact that they have no bread when the bread of heaven is right in the boat with them.
Jesus takes this occasion to warn them about the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod. What is Jesus talking about? What is yeast? What is the function of yeast? What does yeast do? How does it work?
How is the metaphor of yeast used in the Bible? See Leviticus 2: 11; 1 Corinthians 5: 6, 7, 8; Galatians 5: 9.
What is the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod? Look back to Mark 6: 14-29 and 7: 1-23 for some clues. What did Jesus condemn the Pharisees for in Mark 7? What did the Pharisees do in Mark 3: 6? What did they say about him in Mark 3: 22, 30? See, also, Matthew 16: 6, 11 and Luke 12: 2.
What was Herod’s view of Jesus in Mark 6: 14? Who did Herod think Jesus was?
Though there are lots of ways that Herod and the Pharisees were very different with very different agendas, what do the Pharisees and Herod have in common? What is their stance toward Jesus? Why do they react to Jesus the way they do? What were the Pharisees trying to accomplish? What was their big agenda? How were they trying to accomplish it? And, what was Herod trying to accomplish? What did he want? How did he go about trying to get what he wanted?
How were both the Pharisees and Herod opposed to Jesus and the Kingdom of God? And in what ways were they a temptation to the disciples?
How do the disciples respond to Jesus’ warning? What do they think he is talking about? What conclusion do they come to?
The verb translated as “they discussed” (Greek, dialogizonto) here in verse 16 occurs 7 times in Mark - 2: 6, 8 (2 times); 8:16, 17; 9: 33; 11: 31 – but never positively. What kind of “discussion” do you think the disciples are having with one another?
Why do the disciples discuss with one another and not with Jesus? Why don’t they just ask Jesus what he means? Do you think they really want to know what Jesus is talking about? Why or why not?
How would you characterize the disciples’ response in verse 16? And how would you describe the spiritual state of the disciples at this stage of their lives? Why does Jesus need to warn them to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod?
How are the disciples like the Pharisees and Herod? Do you think the disciples are aware of the dangerous state of their spiritual condition? Why or why not?
Think about Jesus’ warning concerning the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod for yourself. What do you think that might mean in your context and in the context of our church? In what ways does the yeast of unbelief, hypocrisy, self-righteousness, false piety and compromised integrity in the quest for power and status show itself in our culture and in your own life? What are the reasons that people in our culture are hard of heart toward Jesus and slow to understand who he is and what he is doing in the world?
What is the state of your own heart in reference to Jesus? Are you aware of the state of your own heart?
Day 5: Read Mark 8: 17-21
The disciples seem to be anxious about lack of bread. What lack does Jesus seem to be anxious about concerning his disciples?
What does Jesus now say to the disciples? What’s the problem with them? Why can’t they seem to understand what Jesus is saying to them?
See Ezekiel 12: 2, Jeremiah 5:21, and Isaiah 6: 9-10. To whom were these Old Testament passages applied? To whom did Jesus apply Isaiah 6: 9-10 in Mark 4: 11-12? See also Deuteronomy 29: 2-6. So, what is Mark saying about the disciples? Where are they?
For the fifth time in Mark's gospel Jesus rebukes the disciples for their slowness to understand (4:13, 40; 6:52, 7:18). Put yourself in Jesus’ shoes. If you were Jesus how would you be feeling about the disciples right now? How might you be tempted to react? What might you be tempted to do?
How does Jesus react? What does Jesus do? Look at the questions Jesus asks his disciples:
- 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?
- Do you have ears but fail to hear?
- And don’t you remember…?
- Do you still not understand?
- How do you imagine Jesus asking these questions? What tone do you “hear” in his voice?
What does this tell you about how Jesus deals with your hardness of heart and slowness to understand?
Why do you think Jesus asks them how many baskets were left over from each of the two feedings? Is this the question you would have expected? I would have expected Jesus to ask, “How many people did I feed in the first feeding? 5000 men, right? And how many people did I feed in the second feeding? 4000, right? So, why are you worrying about how much bread you have with you?
So, what is significant about the number of baskets of bread that are left over? How are the numbers 12 and 7 used elsewhere in Scripture?
In Jewish territory, twelve baskets of left over bread are collected. The significance as a number representing Israel is clear.
In Gentile territory, 7 baskets of left over bread are collected. Deuteronomy 7: 1 tells us that there were seven nations occupying the land of Canaan before the Israelites entered. So, the two feedings are symbolic of the fact that Jesus is the Messiah of God who will feed both Jew and Gentile and bring his salvation to all nations (See Isaiah 25: 6-8; 49).
What were the disciples supposed to understand from this? What are we supposed to understand?
Questions for Small Group Discussion and Reflection
Read Mark 8: 1-21
What struck you about the feeding of the 4000 in verses 1-10?
Compare and contrast the feeding of the 5000 (Mark 6: 30-44) with the feeding of the 4000. What similarities and differences do you see? What do you think is the significance of these two feedings?
What strikes you about the interaction between the Pharisees and Jesus in verses 11-13?
Who “questions” and “tests” Jesus in our culture today? How does our culture do this? How do you think Christians should respond to this? Why?
In what ways are you tempted to question and test Jesus? Why?
In verse 15 Jesus warns his disciples to be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod. If Jesus were to appear in the midst of your small group, what would he warn your small group to be on guard against? Why do you think so?
What would he warn you in particular to be on guard against? Why?
The disciples were so wrapped up in their own world they repeatedly missed the truth about God and his Kingdom. How do we relate this to our lives now? How do you relate it to your experience as a Christian?
As we approach the mid-point of Mark’s Gospel, what do you believe Mark has wanted us to understand about Jesus to this point?
What do you think Mark wants us to understand about the disciples?
The Gentile mission of Jesus caused real problems for the traditional Jews of his day, who represented him as a "Jews only" or "Jews first" Savior. How do you think we tend to misrepresent Jesus today? In what ways do we try to put Jesus in a box?
What do you sense God saying to you through your study and reflection this week?
How do you want your small group to be praying for you this week?
