In our study of Mark chapter six, we will look at relationships and how they may change when we come to faith in Jesus Christ. We will look at the friends and family of Jesus and examine how the relationship changed when He began His ministry.
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Then Yeshua left and went to his home town, and his talmidim followed him.
After demonstrating His authority to the people of Galilee as we saw in chapter five, Jesus went back to Nazareth. This is where He would have grown up and so many people would know Him.
On Shabbat he started to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They asked, "Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom he has been given? What are these miracles worked through him? Isn't he just the carpenter? the son of Miryam? the brother of Ya`akov and Yosi and Y'hudah and Shim`on? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.
When Jesus taught in the synagogue, the people were amazed at His teaching and even knew of the miracles but they could not see Him for who He was. Many of them would have grown up alongside Him in the town and all knew His family.
But Yeshua said to them. "The only place people don't respect a prophet is in his home town, among his own relatives, and in his own house."
Jesus had just come from having massive crowds follow Him wherever He went. Now, when He gets back to His hometown, He faces this opposition because the people had seen Him grow up from a child. We, as Christians, may face the same type of thing when we come to Christ. There may be some old friends that remember you from the old days and they may not be able to accept the new creation that you are in Christ. There may even be family members that call you things like "Jesus Freak" because they do not know Him but they remember you.
So he could do no miracles there, other than lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of trust.
Jesus was not able to do much work in His hometown because of their unbelief. We have seen that faith is the key that unlocks the power of God and most of the people just could not accept Jesus as the Son of God.
Then he went through the surrounding towns and villages, teaching.
We see that Jesus did not stay there and try to force them to believe in Him. Instead, He moved on to other villages and many times we, as Christians, need to do the same. It seems that many today will stay in the same place doing the same thing "for Jesus" but there is no fruit produced from their labor. Many will also go so far as to criticize a Christian who moves on to more fertile soil and productive work. We must remember that the plant is judged by the crop it produces not by the amount of its growth.
Yeshua summoned the Twelve and started sending them out in pairs, giving them authority over the unclean spirits.
Jesus sent the apostles out in groups of two and gave them the authority to demonstrate His authority and power. We might ask why he sent them in groups of two instead of alone or as one big group. We are reminded that, throughout the Bible, the number two is associated with the number of legal witnesses required to make something be accepted as truth.
He instructed them, "Take nothing for your trip except a walking stick -- no bread, no pack, no money in your belt. Wear shoes but not an extra shirt. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place; and if the people of some place will not welcome you, and they refuse to hear you, then, as you leave, shake the dust off your feet as a warning to them."
Jesus' instructions for the apostles were specific but have been misunderstood by many. They were going to nearby villages and were not to settle there but to complete their work so they would have not required a big suitcase of belongings. They were to proclaim the gospel and, if the people did not listen, their blood would be on their own heads. This is a reminder for us that, like the apostles, our job is to clearly proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ but it is God's work to bring people to Himself. On the day of judgment, those that do not heed His call will not be able to say that they never heard.
So they set out and preached that people should turn from sin to God, they expelled many demons, and they anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.
We see, here, that they did preach the gospel and it was backed up by signs and wonders. Today, it seems that there is a kind of divorce between the two in parts of the world. There are some who preach the gospel but there is no display of God's power and very little happens in the lives of the people. There are others who get so caught up in signs and wonders that they do not clearly present the gospel and tell people how they can be saved. The preaching and the signs are designed by God to work together just as it did in the days of the apostles.
Meanwhile, King Herod heard about this, for Yeshua's reputation had spread. Some were saying, "Yochanan the Immerser has been raised from the dead; that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him." Others said, "It is Eliyahu!" and still others, "He is a prophet, like one of the old prophets."
The name of Jesus became well known and even the king heard about what was going on. All kinds of people were trying to figure out who He was and the same thing happens today. There are those who say that Jesus was a "good man" and some that say He was a prophet or even Elijah.
But when Herod heard about it, he said, "Yochanan, whom I had beheaded, has been raised." For Herod had sent and had Yochanan arrested and chained in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. Herod had married her, but Yochanan had told him, "It violates the Torah for you to marry your brother's wife."
Herod was convinced that John the Baptist had returned from the dead. He had been arrested by Herod for calling him to repent for taking his brother's wife for himself. As the herald for Jesus, John went first calling people to repent and he did so for all men. It didn't make any difference whether it was a common man or even the king as John simply focused on his purpose. There are a great many people, today, who will loudly proclaim the gospel as long as it is in a church. Many times, they will not stand up and preach the truth in the streets or in the halls of power. If we want to be true heralds for the return of Jesus Christ, we must faithfully proclaim the gospel even to people that don't want to hear it.
So Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted him put to death. But this she could not accomplish, because Herod stood in awe of Yochanan and protected him, for he knew that he was a tzaddik, a holy man. Whenever he heard him, he became deeply disturbed; yet he liked to listen to him.
Herodias wanted to kill John because she wanted to change husbands for wealth and power. Herod protected him because he new that he was holy and wanted to hear more of the gospel. God was simply giving John time to reach the king.
Finally, the opportunity came. Herod gave a banquet on his birthday for his nobles and officers and the leading men of the Galil. The daughter of Herodias came in and danced, and she pleased Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever you want; I will give it to you"; and he made a vow to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom." So she went out and said to her mother, "What should I ask for?" She said, "The head of Yochanan the Immerser." At once the daughter hurried back to the king and announced her request: "I want you to give me right now on a platter the head of Yochanan the Immerser."
We saw before that Herod tried to protect John the Baptist because he wanted to hear more about God but, as we see here, Satan was at work as well. At this party, Herod made a promise expecting to give away money and riches but instead was forced to make a choice for good or evil. Herod had heard about the things of God and, instead of repenting and sending Herodias back to her husband, kept her around. We all have that same choice to make when confronted with the truth about God and our choice has consequences.
Herod was appalled; but out of regard for the oaths he had sworn before his dinner guests, he did not want to break his word to her. So the king immediately sent a soldier from his personal guard with orders to bring Yochanan's head. The soldier went and beheaded Yochanan in the prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. When Yochanan's talmidim heard of it, they came and took the body and laid it in a grave.
Now, we see the details of John the Baptist's death. The king had boasted in his pride and ordered the death of John. We see that he did not want to do it but, as it is with sin, one thing leads to another.
Those who had been sent out rejoined Yeshua and reported to him all they had done and taught. There were so many people coming and going that they couldn't even take time to eat, so he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a place where we can be alone, and you can get some rest."
When the apostles returned to Jesus they were excited to report all that had happened. We have to ask ourselves whether we are excited, like the apostles, about what God is doing in and through us. If we are not excited, then, we may not be doing what He has planned for us. We also see that Jesus urged them to spend time alone with Him and that is something that we all need.
They went off by themselves to an isolated spot; but many people, seeing them leave and recognizing them, ran ahead on foot from all the towns and got there first. When Yeshua came ashore, he saw a huge crowd. Filled with compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, he began teaching them many things.
They left expecting a little peace and quiet but were met by a crowd looking for help. We see that they put aside their plans and had compassion on the crowd. We may ask ourselves if we would do the same thing or do we get upset when people interfere with our plans. We may also ask how they could show compassion when they were so tired. We see that it is only by and through Jesus that they were able to put their needs and plans aside for the good of others. As Christians, we have to do this continually in hopes of teaching people about Jesus.
By this time, the hour was late. The talmidim came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's getting late. Send the people away, so that they can go and buy food for themselves in the farms and towns around here."
It was late in the day and so the disciples were worried about feeding the people. This has often been pointed out as a lack of faith but, in fact, they were trying to imitate Jesus in showing compassion for the people. They were still a little confused and focused on the flesh but they were growing in their faith.
But he answered them, "Give them something to eat, yourselves!" They replied, "We are to go and spend thousands on bread, and give it to them to eat?" He asked them, "How many loaves do you have? Go and check." When they had found out, they said, "Five. And two fish." Then he ordered all the people to sit down in groups on the green grass. They sat down in groups of fifty or a hundred.
We are let in on this conversation between the disciples and Jesus and we can guess at how puzzled they would have been. They had seen Jesus perform miracles and they had themselves performed many but this was going to be something else. Jesus gave simple instructions for them to inventory the food they had and to then have the people sit down. We grow in our faith when we see God do things that we have never seen Him do before. We exercise our faith when we trust in what we have seen Him do and act accordingly.
Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, and, looking up toward heaven, made a b'rakhah. Next he broke up the loaves and began giving them to the talmidim to distribute. He also divided up the two fish among them all. They all ate as much as they wanted,
Jesus demonstrated faith to His disciples by simply thanking the Father for His provision and passing out the food. He did not give a long prayer and hope that it would be answered. Imagine the looks on the faces of the disciples as they kept passing out the food until everyone had enough. Faith works in the same manner today and this demonstration is for us as well as the disciples. He has promised to provide for His people and we can simply trust that He will do so. This is going to get more difficult in these last days but His promises never fail.
and they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces and fish. Those who ate the loaves numbered five thousand men.
We see that God does not provide just the bare minimum as they picked up twelve baskets of leftovers. We are reminded that the number twelve is associated with divine authority and that authority had produced enough to feed more than five thousand people.
Immediately Yeshua had his talmidim get in the boat and go on ahead of him toward the other side of the lake, toward Beit-Tzaidah, while he sent the crowds away. After he had left them, he went into the hills to pray.
Jesus sent the men on ahead while He went to pray. Although we are not told about what His prayers contained, we can be sure that He was lifting up these disciples as they had become His family and were heading for their next lesson in faith.
When night came, the boat was out on the lake, and he was by himself on land. He saw that they were having difficulty rowing, because the wind was against them; so at around four o'clock in the morning he came toward them, walking on the lake! He meant to come alongside them;
Why would Jesus see the disciples "straining at the oars" and yet be "about to pass by them"? Jesus will not barge in and do anything in our lives. If we want to continue straining and struggling to do things on our own, He will let us.
but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought it was a ghost and let out a shriek; for they had all seen him and were terrified. However, he spoke to them. "Courage," he said, "it is I. Stop being afraid!" He got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. They were completely astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves; on the contrary, their hearts had been made stone-like.
The disciples did not recognize Jesus and so cried out in fear. The same type of thing happens in our lives many times. If we are not looking to see God at work in our lives, we will not recognize His hand and we may think that we are alone. He calmed them and the wind down but we see they did not understand what had happened. A hardened heart can not feel and we see here that their hearts were hardened concerning the things that they had seen Jesus do. They had seen the multiplication of the loaves and fishes but did not let it sink into their hearts and change their understanding of Jesus and the natural world.
After they had made the crossing, they landed at Ginosar and anchored. As soon as they got out of the boat, the people recognized him and began running around throughout that whole region and bringing sick people on their stretchers to any place where they heard he was. Wherever he went, in towns, cities or country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the tzitzit on his robe, and all who touched it were healed.
People brought their loved ones from all over the region to be healed. Everyone that touched Jesus was healed and it reminds us that all who come to Jesus will be healed spiritually and saved for eternity. These people did not understand this yet but they acted in faith with what they knew. They had heard that this man could heal their loved ones physically and they believed it and took action. This, too, would have been a lesson and an encouragement to the disciples as they were being stretched in their faith. Likewise, Jesus asks us to live out our faith because when we put it into action we will grow.
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