Title: Gospel of Mark: Don’t Forget
Scripture: Mark 8:14-26
Date: 11-12-2023
Bible Version: NKJV
BOTTOM LINE: Our faith and understanding of Jesus becomes clearer the more we walk with Him.
Failure To Recall (vv. 14-21)
[Mar 8:14 NKJV] Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.
The disciples had forgotten to take bread - Fresh off of seeing Jesus feed the 4,000, we now have a situation where the disciples forgot to pack their lunch. Not only did they forget to pack their lunch, they also forgot to pack their faith.
And they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat - Not only did they not pack adequate food, they only had one single loaf of bread between them.
[Mar 8:15 NKJV] Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”
T*ake heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod* - If you recall, Jesus warned the disciples of how dangerous the Pharisees were. Jesus was warning the disciples to take heed and not let their harmful influence focused on human traditions from keeping them from believing in the person of Jesus.
Pharisees and Herodians had a tremendous ability to influence the people with their human traditions and lead them away from God. —Tony Evans
[Mar 8:16 NKJV] And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “[It is] because we have no bread.”
They reasoned among themselves, saying, “ It is because we have no bread” - They began to worry about their lack of bread. After Jesus had performed two miracles that involved feeding others, the disciples decided to worry about their situation. Jesus knew there was a spiritual lesson here. This involved more than having them set a reminder to pack a lunch.
Jesus didn’t want their lack of faith to spread, or become a way of life.
[Mar 8:17 NKJV] But Jesus, being aware of [it], said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened?
Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened - Jesus calls the disciples out. Were they not paying attention, were they lacking understanding, or was their heart hardened? They were not understanding that this was about lack of faith, not lack of bread.
The fact that they were reasoning about not having sufficient bread showed a lack of faith in Jesus.
[Mar 8:18 NKJV] “Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember?
Having eyes, do you not see? - Were they not watching and observing what Jesus had been doing?
Having ears, do you not hear? - Were they not listening to what Jesus had been saying to them?
Do you not remember? - Did they not remember ALL that Jesus had done to this point?
[Mar 8:19 NKJV] “When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.”
[Mar 8:20 NKJV] “Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?” And they said, “Seven.”
When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up? - Jesus would now give them a pop quiz. He would ask how many baskets were full upon feeding of the 5,000. The answer was twelve.
When I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up? - He would ask the same question concerning the feeding of the 4,000. The answer was seven.
Jesus miraculously fed thousands on two differing occasions using nothing more than a few loaves of bread and fish.
[Mar 8:21 NKJV] So He said to them, “How [is it] you do not understand?”
How is it you don’t understand? - Jesus calls them out and asks them how they don’t understand. It was not man’s provision, it was about a move of God.
Don’t overlook how God worked in your life yesterday; you’ll need that knowledge for the trails you’ll face tomorrow. —Tony Evans
The Healing of The Blind Man. (vv. 22-26)
[Mar 8:22 NKJV] Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.
Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him - Bethsaida is located on the northern coast of the Sea of Galilee. It is the hometown of Philip, Andrew, and Peter. This is also the area where the feeding of the 5,000 had occurred. The people there brought a blind man to Jesus.
[Mar 8:23 NKJV] So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.
He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town - Jesus took this man by the hand and took him to a place that was out of town and out of the view of the public.
When He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything - We will now see Jesus perform a progressive healing. This is the only time we see this in the ministry of Jesus. Jesus would first spit on his eyes and put his hands on him.
[Mar 8:24 NKJV] And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.”
He looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.” - We can infer by this statement that if he recognized men ‘like’ trees then he must have had sight at some point in his life.
[Mar 8:25 NKJV] Then He put [His] hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.
He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up - Jesus put His hands on his eyes a second time.
He was restored and saw everyone clearly - The result of Jesus’ second touch was a full restoration of his vision.
It is also possible that Jesus performed two distinct miracles, the first being the man’s ability to see, and the second his comprehension of what he saw. —D.L. Moody
[Mar 8:26 NKJV] Then He sent him away to his house, saying, “Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town.”
He sent him away to his house saying “Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town.” - We can note that Jesus sent this man back to his home, not to Bethsaida. He would be a witness of the power of Jesus back in his hometown.
Perhaps through the two stages Jesus was showing the disciples that their faith and knowledge of the person of Jesus was becoming clearer all the time, as this man’s sight. —D.L. Moody
What the disciples learned:
1. Live by faith, not by signs.
2. Jesus can meet your needs.
3. Avoid the leaven of false doctrine.
4. Expect Jesus to work in a variety of ways
A Picture Of Our Spiritual Growth:
1. We all start off spiritually blind.
2. We have an encounter with Jesus.
3. We experience salvation.
4. Our spiritual sight becomes better every day.