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The Gospel of Mark
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BIBLE STUDY MARK 6:1-56 REVIEW: “Do not fear, only believe.” Chapter 5 consisted of two miracles stories (two of a set of three beginning at Mark 4:35 with Jesus’ calming of the storm at sea). The first miracle of Chapter 5 was Jesus’ cleansing of the man possessed by a “Legion” of unclean spirits. The second was the intertwined stories of Jairus’ daughter, whom Jesus delivered from death, and the woman with chronic hemorrhaging, who was healed simply by touching the hem of his garment. As Jesus’ power and authority are repeatedly shown to be stronger than other powers hostile to human life, a definite editorial theme emerges in Mark’s Gospel. In fact, the entire section (Mark 4:35-5:43) is book-ended by this implicit command…”Do not fear, only believe.” See Mark 4:40 and Mark 5:36. CHAPTER 6:1-13 “Without Honor in Their Hometown” He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands? Is not his the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went about among the villages teaching. He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them. In this section we find Jesus returning to “his hometown,” presumably Nazareth, where he was apparently not received with the openness and enthusiasm befitting someone of his revealed stature. Recall the proceeding section, which repeatedly illustrated Jesus’ power and authority and emphasized the frenzied crowd, amazed by his work, trying to get as close to him as possible. This section stands in stark contrast. Rather than focusing on the great uniqueness of Jesus, his power and authority, his potential to bring great changes through healing and teaching, the people of his hometown dwell on his familiarity—his familial identity, his humble origin, his former job. This apparently leaves these people, most of them at least (a few sick people got cured), unable to experience the divine ministry being brought into the world in Jesus. I wonder, in our own time, how much of God’s work or the potential found in those closest to us, we don’t see because of our own preconceptions of them? It is striking to me, reading in Mark’s Gospel, the power of the people to limit Jesus’ ability. “And he could do no deed of power there….” Again, in contrast to the previous chapters where the people have been amazed by Jesus’ works in a positive sense, here Jesus is amazed “at their unbelief.” Also, notice the significance this has on the Christology of Jesus. Here he seems totally human—a low Christology. Compare to the version, most scholars believe was written some 10-20 years later in Matthew’s Gospel (13:57-58). Look at the judgment that occurs in this passage. It is practically applied. Unable to perform his works on account of their unbelief, Jesus has no other recourse than to move on…to go about in other villages teaching. Their loss. In the next passage, Jesus will call his disciples to himself. His disciples, in contrast to the people from his hometown, do accept his teaching and his power and they gain access to it. This passage forces us not to forget the church’s origin as a missionary community. While staying rooted in one location can bring a certain element of stability to our lives, let us not forget the loss of freedom that a closed community can inflict on its people (Jesus himself, found himself virtually powerless). Instructed by Jesus, his disciples were never supposed to let themselves get bogged down with possessions or with fighting, or with fear. There is freedom in being a disciple of Jesus. Question: How does this passage inform our own church identity? CHAPTER 6:14-16 “Naming Jesus” King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some were saying, “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him.” But others said, “It is Elijah.” And others said, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” At this point in the story we learn that, despite of his attempts to keep his messianic identity secret, Jesus apparently had received a fair amount of publicity—enough publicity for his name, or his reputation, to have reached the ears of Herod. King Herod described here is Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great. After Herod the Great’s death, Herod Antipas became ruler of Galilee and Perea and ruled from 4 BCE to 39 CE. It is interest to learn what people were saying about Jesus now that his name, or his reputation, had become known? Many, including Herod, identified him with the most recently deceased prophet, John the Baptist. Others saw in him as the prophet Elijah, who is viewed in Jewish tradition as the precursor to the messiah. Public opinion, in contrast to the people in his hometown, at a bare minimum, recognized him as “one of the prophets.” All of these early interpretations hold that Jesus was a prophet …one who speaks on behalf of God. In a way, this passage speaks to the nature of prophets. Prophets give image to an invisible God. Through his encounter with John the Baptist, Herod Antipas certainly encountered the voice of God and will forever be haunted by this tragic encounter. Question: Through whose prophetic voice do we (hint: as Christians) encounter and experience God? CHAPTER 6:17-29 “The Death of John the Baptist” For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her. For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. When his daughter Herodias came in and danced she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it.” And he solemnly swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.” She went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the baptizer.” Immediately she rushed back to king and requested, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb. Beginning with this narrative, we will see that Mark does indeed identify John the Baptist with Elijah. As stated by John R. Donahue and Daniel J. Harrington, in their commentary on the Gospel of Mark, this story has strong parallels to the Jezebel and Elijah motif found in 1Kings (18:1-46, 21:1-29). Herod, while he saw John’s righteousness and liked to listen to him, finds himself unable to counteract the wicked plot of Herodias to kill the prophet. The broader relevance of this story in the Gospel of Mark is of course a messianic claim for Jesus. For, as stated above, Elijah was viewed as the messiah’s precursor. Also, by sandwiching this narrative between the sending out of the twelve disciples (6:7-13) and their return (6:30-32), it could serve as a reminder that prophetic figures may be expected to suffer and to die at the hands of rulers who “lord it over.” Again, a good point made by Donahue and Harrington is that “this story would be a sobering reminder to (its original audience) a church under pressure from the Roman imperial authorities.” CHAPTER 6:30-44 “Feeding the Five Thousand” The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As they went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. When it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat.” But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?” And he said to them, “How many loaves have you? Go and see.” When they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” Then he ordered them to get all the people to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. And all ate and were filled; and they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men. Already we have seen how biblical images from the Old Testament have been recast (in history and in scripture) to add nuance and meaning to a new story as it unfolds. Likewise, this beautifully crafted “Feeding of the Five Thousand” would have seemed quite familiar to an audience versed in the stories of the First Testament. Ripe with unexpected irony and pointed imagery, Mark here paints a memorable image of what I, Pastor Josh, call “Jesus the Prophet of Peace.” First, it should be stated that the occurrences here on this secluded mountain would immediately and obviously call to the peoples’ minds the works of a different Prophet from another time. In 2 Kings 4:42-44 it was the Prophet Elisha who performed a similar miracle, feeding one-hundred people with twenty loaves, and there was some left over! This being said, it should be obvious that the message in the Gospels, by comparison, shows how much greater Jesus is, even than the great Prophet Elisha. For the numbers are drastically inflated in this miracle as Jesus feeds five-thousand men with five loaves and two fish. In John’s Gospel, the narrator even hints at the crowd’s familiarity with this story and its meaning. Upon seeing this sign unfold before them, they proclaim, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world!” An interesting aspect of Marks telling of this story is that things seem deliberately ironic. That is, things unfold exactly opposite of how the reader (and the disciples) expect them to unfold. For example, what begins as an attempt by Jesus and his disciples to get away by themselves, winds up being a huge gathering. The “deserted” place is opposite of deserted. The crowd that is following Jesus and his disciples winds up not following, but arriving ahead of them. The fish and loaves, which seems not enough, winds up being more than enough. The gathering crowd, those apparent outsiders who seem to be unexpected, uninvited and unwelcome, find themselves on the inside. That is, they were received by Jesus and, “he began to teach them many things.” The only thing that remains consistent in this story, a detail which goes to the heart of the message of Mark, is the restful nature of this event. From beginning to end, the goal of this outing is for the purpose of taking rest. They are going to a place, a deserted place, a place set apart for the purpose of rest. Despite of the near adversarial behavior of the disciples, what remains is…a restful event. They gather together in groups, protected by a shepherd, seated on the plush green grass and have a meal together in which there is more than enough. Again, we should not have to search far to find rich biblical imagery of a shepherd providing rest and food on green grass (See Psalm 23:2-5). And at the heart of the story is the prophetic figure…Jesus. He is the one who has compassion. According to Donohue and Harrington, the root of the Greek word used for compassion “is used for the inner parts of the body (“guts”) and for the seat of emotions as well as for the heart. The term is virtually synonym for the Hebrew word, meaning merciful love, which is an OT quality of God” (Isa 54:7-8). CHAPTER 6:45-52 “Jesus Walks on Water” Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray. When evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the sea. He intended to pass them by. But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. Although at first it may seem to the modern day reader that Jesus is planning to leave his disciples behind, for it reads, “He intended to pass them by,” this is actually an allusion to another vivid and well known story from the Hebrew scripture. It evokes God’s epiphany—God’s revealing of himself—to Moses (Exodus 33:19-23 and 34:6). In this story, Jesus intends (or attempts) to disclose his true identity to his disciples in an amazing revelation. However, he finds the disciples unable to receive the revelation. Rather than being privileged, unique, blessed (like Moses), they are terrified. Jesus winds up immediately having to comfort them amidst the storm. Many scholars believe that there is a theological premise in Mark—a description of the world’s design and of the human dilemma. It holds that the clear revelation of God in Jesus Christ divides the world into two sides…Insiders and outsiders. That is, misunderstandings about God exist among people despite of God’s clear revelation in Jesus Christ. The disciples in this story serve as the personification of the hardened heart—a people unable to understand—or as Donohue and Harrington phrase it, they are impervious to God’s revelation. Still bewildered by the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand, the disciples remain unable to understand the revelation of God in Jesus Christ. So, perhaps the story found in Mark about Jesus, is also a story about the disciples’ struggle to come to an understanding of who this Jesus character really is. Perhaps this can be of some comfort to us as we struggle to understand Jesus in our own lives. Perhaps, rather than fearing our own inability to see, we should see this as part of the story—part of our spiritual journey—our own walks with Jesus. CHAPTER 6:53-56 “Healing in Gennesaret” When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed. This passage is the second of two transitional summaries of Jesus’ mighty works (see 3:7-12). In effect, this short section gives a broad description of his healing ministry and the magnitude of the crowd that now seeks him. It sets the stage for Jesus next encounter with his chief adversaries…the Pharisees and Scribes. -------------------- Joshua W. Magyar, Pella Lutheran Church 418 W. Main Street Sidney, MT 59270
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