Sermon Notes: Mark 8:22-26
Text: Mark 8:22-26
Big Idea: Jesus is the divine Son of God, the suffering servant Messiah who inaugurates the kingdom of God, who atones for sin through his death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus calls his people to a costly discipleship of self-denial and suffering with purpose and joy.
Big Idea of our text: The disciples are struggling to hear, really hear Jesus. The disciples are struggling to see, really see who Jesus is.
The disciples must stay close to Jesus and not give in to disbelief in Jesus. Unless they are all in with Jesus the disciples are no different than the Pharisees.
There is no half faith. It is all or nothing. They disciples are either with Jesus or against Jesus. They either gather with Jesus or they scatter.
If that sounds strange in light of what we just read, hang in there.
Observation: What does this text say?
Author: John Mark
Audience: Gentiles who are being told the good news of the kingdom of Jesus.
Followers of Jesus who are growing up into maturity in Christ and learning how to live under the rule of his increasing kingdom on earth as in heaven.
Occasion: Mark, as Peter’s missionary helper, is writing a gospel “tract” for use on the field as they preach the good news to Gentiles.
This is important as we enter this section of Mark.
These Gentiles must be all in, and the disciple’s struggle with true hearing and true seeing is a point of connection for those who read John Mark’s account as they weigh faith in Jesus with the consequences of following Jesus or not believing and following Jesus.
This is a point of connection for us as well.
We must evaluate ourselves and weigh the consequences of true hearing and seeing and responding by following Jesus. Faith.
Genre: Overall, historical biography.
Key words and phrases (big words, words that are repeated, etc.):
“begged” – Same word used by the “they” who brought their deaf and mute friend to Jesus. Parakaleo – to come alongside and call upon the one they come alongside of.
“Took him by the hand and led him out of the village” – The fact that Jesus heals this man in private may indicate that the healing is not central to Jesus’ full intent. In other words, the healing is secondary to Jesus’ purpose. That is why I believe Jesus does this.
The healing, while good for the man, is serving a purpose related to the disciples. Mark captures this account from Peter as Peter retells the account for John Mark to write down. Peter is key to that as he is about to get tested pretty hard.
This does not mean Jesus did not care about the man. Jesus clearly does care. Jesus can and does take situations and do good to those in the situation while working the situation to the good of others who also need the Lord’s refining, healing, and helping work.
There is a lot on the line. Jesus has not yet been crucified, buried, ascended, and sent the Spirit to indwell his church.
“Do not even enter the village” – This is one of the ways the Lord employs the “Messianic secret,” one of Mark’s themes. Jesus must get to the cross, and as Paul notes in 1 Corinthians 2, if the forces of evil understood Jesus’ death is Jesus’ victory, then they would not play along by manipulating Jesus’ enemies to have him executed.
You can go read earlier notes on the Messianic secret. We don’t have time to deal with that again today.
Lists:
None.
Contrasts and comparisons (What is being contrasted or compared? Is there an illustration?):
Comparison – The disciple’s faith compared with the status of the deaf man and blind man.
Now, what I’m doing here is using my interpretation rules to help me see the larger section. The healing of the deaf man and the blind man with what is between and immediately following is significant.
When Jesus says in 8:18 what he does, we have to pay attention to what Jesus is doing for his disciples as he graciously heals those who need healing.
Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? (Mark 8:18, ESV)
The disciples have some inability to hear and see, and like the Lord heals the blind man in two stages, the work of the Lord in the disciples is ongoing. The disciples are not “there” yet. The disciples have to stay the course. These guys are pre-cross, pre-Holy Spirit. God is still God, and the Triune God is capable of holding his elect. I can’t pretend I fully understand how God’s sustaining power works before and after the resurrection, and I don’t want to presume too much.
The battle is intense, as as we know, Judas is going to bail.
These disciples are partially deaf and blind as Peter is about to display next week.
KEY Contrast – The disciples are different than the Pharisees because they stay close to Jesus as insiders while the Pharisees choose to stay outsiders (this is a theme of Mark’s gospel).
This is an interpretive and application moment: We, like them, need to stay close to Jesus. Whatever you do today, don’t bail on your faith in Jesus just because you fail, don’t understand something, or things are hard.
Expressions of time (until, then, when, after):
When v. 23
Then v. 25
These two expressions of time show the sequence of events.
Terms of conclusion/purpose clauses (wherefore, therefore, for this reason, finally, for, so, so that):
None.
What does the text say: (Don’t interpret here. Just restate the passage in your own words.)
Jesus has healed, cast out demons, preached the good news of the kingdom, fed five thousand, fed four thousand, and after all that the Pharisees want him to show them a sign.
The disciples who have seen all that Jesus has said and done up close and personal forget to bring some bread for their trip and are concerned about lacking bread. Jesus uses the bread foolishness to teach the disciples something important about the fast-multiplying teaching of the Pharisees and Herod with a part of bread, leaven.
The disciples must beware the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod. That teaching is growing, and it might infect the disciples. In fact, it will infect one of them. They must be on their guard.
Rather than understand and receive the Lord’s teaching, the disciples don’t hear or see. The disciples believe Jesus is gigging them about forgetting bread.
Jesus is all like, don’t you remember what I just did?
Jesus uses the healing of the deaf man (recent past), and the upcoming healing of the blind man (about to happen) to ask the disciples about their hearing and sight…their understanding. Jesus’ words in 8:18 are prophetic.
Jesus employs what he has done and what he is about to do to show his disciples a reflection of where they are. This is a prophetic and fatherly action by the Lord Jesus for his disciples.
And as Jesus does this for his disciples, he is merciful and gracious and compassionate to the blind man by healing him.
Interpretation: (What does this mean? Take all of the observation data into account)
There are 11 words in today’s verses related to sight. So, seeing is clearly the big idea.
That level of reference to seeing is not accidental to John Mark’s account of Jesus for his audience.
Peter is about to confess he believes Jesus to be the Messiah, yet they just pulled the “forgot the bread” foolishness. Then after Peter confesses Jesus to be the Messiah, ole Pete is going to pull Jesus aside and rebuke him for telling the crew he must be killed and rise in three days.
Perhaps the disciples don’t see as well as they think they do.
Jesus’ two stage healing of this blind man is similar to the Old Testament prophets acting out their preaching.
Think Jeremiah 27-28 and Jeremiah wearing a physical yoke on his shoulders while he preached about the yoke of Babylon coming on them.
Or Ezekiel 4 where the LORD had Ezekiel build a mini city and build a siege against it, then had him lay on one side of his body for 390 days to illustrate their exile. Then had him lay on the other side for 40 days for the same reason.
Jesus’ healing here in two stages might be the Lord Jesus doing what he sent his prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel to do, and that is illustrating the preaching. In this case Jesus illustrates with the healing of the blind man the state of his disciple’s faith and their need to remain close to him as insiders so they can continue to have their spiritual eyes opened and their spiritually deaf ears made able to understand.
The difference in the disciples and the Pharisees is simply that the disciples are choosing to stay close to the Lord, and the Pharisees are outside and remain outside.
The disciples are very much like the blind man. They’ve had some contact with Jesus, and they can see men like trees walking, but they are still fuzzy in their understanding about the Lord and his mission.
They evidence that they lack spiritual hearing and sight with the no bread unit, and Peter is about to evidence his lack of hearing and sight as he rebukes the Son of God for making the mission explicit.
The disciples’ “see” Jesus like the blind man “sees” his world. Fuzzy.
The disciples, even with a front row seat, still don’t “see” with all of the perception they need to who Jesus is.
Miracles and proximity to the miracles and the one performing the miracles do not automatically open the hearts of people for a walk with God (cf. Ps. 81:10–13), for unregenerate hearts remain in enmity or indifference toward the triune God.[1]
1. The disciples must stay close to Jesus, lean in, and refuse to walk away.
Gospel Connection:
We live on the completed side of Jesus’ work. We have the privilege of having a completed canon of Scripture that reveals the full metanarrative of the good news of the kingdom. Unlike the disciples when they were living this out, we have the whole historical biography of Jesus. We know what they didn’t until they lived it.
Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus was crucified according to plan. He was buried. He rose. He ascended. He sent the Holy Spirit. Jesus has made salvation and sealing with the Spirit available for all who will believe.
And he calls his people to follow him, and like the disciples to stay close to him, and refuse to turn back in the struggle.
Have you followed Jesus?
Are you tempted to throw faith in Jesus away because things have gotten difficult?
We, like the disciples, have to stay close, lean in, and refuse to turn back.
Application: (What does this text require of me?)
1.Stay close to Jesus. “Lean in” to Jesus. Stubbornly refuse to turn back.
The disciples were in the middle of this titanic cosmic battle as the Son of God took on flesh to keep his promise from Genesis 3 to crush the head of the Serpent Dragon by dying in our place for our sin, being buried, rising, ascending to the Father, and sending the Holy Spirit.
Like them, (because the war didn’t end at the resurrection and won’t end until Jesus returns) we are together in a physical and spiritual struggle between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world. Do not mistake these for equal forces. They are not.
But the Serpent Dragon has been cast down, and as John told us in the Revelation, he is angry and is going to be finally cast into the the lake of fire, and in the meantime will make war on the saints. That is you and me. That is the church.
The kingdom of this world will throw everything it can at you to hurt or destroy the local church.
How can you stay close to Jesus, lean in, and stubbornly refuse to turn back?
Take on the armor of God together in the fellowship. The armor is corporate in nature (Ephesians 6:11 is plural not singular) not merely individual. Paul gave that instruction to the church not just isolated individuals.
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you (plural – you all) may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints… (Ephesians 6:10–18, ESV)
Truth
Righteousness
Readiness with the gospel
Faith
Salvation
The word
How do you put these items on?
Praying in the Spirit at all times with all prayer and supplication.
[1] Hans F. Bayer, “Mark,” in Matthew–Luke, ed. Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar, vol. VIII, ESV Expository Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2021), 577.