Mark 8

 

Mark 8:22-29

 When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then He spit on the man’s eyes and placed His hands on him. “Can you see anything?” He asked.

The man looked up and said, “I can see the people, but they look like trees walking around.”

Once again Jesus placed His hands on the man’s eyes, and when he opened them his sight was restored, and he could see everything clearly.  Jesus sent him home and said, “Do not go back into the village.”

Then Jesus and His disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way, He questioned His disciples: “Who do people say I am?”

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

 “But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Christ.”

And Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about Him.

 

Seeing Clearly

Chapter 8 begins with another long teaching section, three days and Jesus again has compassion and tells the disciples to feed the crowd.

They had only 7 loaves and once again Jesus provides with 7 baskets left.

12 baskets = 12 tribes (geography) 7 baskets = 7 days (complete)

Pharisees demand a sign, Jesus says no.

WHY? The truth is that they claim they want one, but they really don’t. We see later in the resurrection of Lazarus that though they said it was real they still denied Jesus. They even consider killing Lazarus (the sign) Signs won’t change your heart.

Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod = Pride puff up to look like more than it is. They tried to look good but compromised so they could get what they wanted.

***BLIND MAN

Jesus took him outside. Jesus wasn’t trying to just get a following.

Yet this miracle fits perfectly here as it is a picture of the people around him.

***Jesus came to the world that was blind to the truth and gave them truth from his lips.

Why did Jesus spit? This miracle was more than just a healing it was a picture/illustration to those around as to their own spiritual life.

John Calvin said Jesus did the miracle this way to prove his sovereignty. He can do the miracle the way he wants to.

Jesus laid his hands on his eyes.

We need both what comes from Jesus lips, we need his touch.

epitithémi: To lay upon, to place upon, to put on (lay a burden on)

This man was probably not born blind as he knew what trees looked like.

After first touch some sight was restored but not all of it.

Jesus needed to touch him again for his sight to be fully restored.

This is a picture of the disciples and also of us.

We often need more than one touch from Jesus so that we can see.

The Disciples did.

****Jesus is at Caesarea Philippi. The gates of Hell.

1.    Located between Dan and Manasseh

2.    Temple to Caesar (rise to godhood)

3.    Temple to Pan (party in hades)

***Who do People say that I am?

Peter gets it right.

Peter has as it were both received Jesus word and the touch of God.

Jesus begins to make things clearer.

***Mark 8:31-33 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

But Peter isn’t seeing clearly. He tries to teach Jesus what a messiah is.

Satan- accuser

Get behind me – Follow don’t lead.

***We make the same mistakes when we look at things from a human perspective rather than a Godly one.

The good news is that God will correct up. (This is GOOD!)

We need to have our minds set on the things of God not on the ways of humanity/world.

Now Jesus begins to teach the crowds.

This is important because what Jesus is going to say isn’t just for the few, the radical, or the chosen ones. Jesus is going to teach something that is true for ALL of His followers.

***Mark 8:34-38 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life  will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

***The Way of the Disciples:

1.    Deny themselves

2.    Take up their cross

3.    Follow Him

Deny Themselves:

Augustine: How hard and painful does this appear! The Lord has required that whoever will come after im must deny himself. But what he commands is neither hard of painful when he himself helps us in such a way so that the very thing he required may be accomplished. For whatever seems hard in what is enjoined, love makes easy. (Sermons on NT Lessons)

Way of the Cross:

“The cross is laid on every Christian. The first Christ-suffering which every man must experience is the call to abandon the attachments of this world. It is that dying of the old man which is the result of his encounter with Christ. As we embark upon discipleship we surrender ourselves to Christ in union with his death—we give over our lives to death. Thus it begins; the cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise god-fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ. When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”

― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

***We live a culture that is adverse to pain. We look at pain as the ultimate defeat.

Yet, there are things worth fighting and suffering for. They are usually the things that really matter.

There is some truth to the old phrase, “No pain, no gain.”

How does one lose?

1.    Gain things rather than salvation

2.    Try to buy your own salvation

3.    Ashamed of Christ / Embarrassed by the Gospel

CONCLUSION:

I was recently asked if everyone has to be deeply committed to God (as the apostles). I paused for a moment because although I know that God has much patience, the call to Christ is to follow him not just believe in him. Paul makes it clear that if we are to follow Christ, be disciples, we have to die to sin and live unto God. This, of course, isn't some drab, puritan-looking life, but it is a surrender of everything. However, the answer I had to give was, YES. We are called to be just as deeply committed to Christ as any apostle or saint of old. We are called to follow Christ not just believe in Him.

What that looks like for each of us is different in some ways but in other ways, it means that we should be the same. We should all want to be a part of a group of believers (yes, a church). We should be spending time getting into the Word of God (faith comes by hearing the Word).

Yet for some, they believe but struggle with wanting to go to church or reading the Bible. What can you do?

****Pray!

James tells us that if we lack, we need to ask God. He is speaking of wisdom but the wisdom to begin loving the church and the Word is something we may really need. So, ask. Pray, "God, help me love your church," and "God, help me love your Word."  Prayer works, this is why Jesus tells us to pray for our enemies because when we pray for them, we can learn to love them as he commands.

You may say what if the prayer isn't fully sincere? Pray anyway. I have learned from my own experience that God will answer prayers offered in faith even when that faith is lacking. 

What if you're struggling with the thought of making this kind of commitment? You know you should but part of you doesn't. Then I will give the same advice. Pray, Pray, pray.

What if you feel God isn't listening? You know the answer...PRAY!