
Mark 8:1-21
8:1-3 | In His compassion, Jesus noticed the weariness and hunger of the crowds, and He refused to dismiss them with nothing in their stomachs. That these crowds came from a distance was likely shorthand for saying that they were Gentiles (Josh. 9:6; Isa. 60:4; Acts 2:39; Eph. 2:11-12).
8:4 | Somehow the disciples had forgotten about the earlier feeding of the 5,000. Or perhaps, with so many Gentiles present (an abhorrence to them as Jews), they wanted to forget what Jesus could do. Ironically, while the disciples failed to respond with appropriate belief, the Gentiles received the full benefits of Jesus’ power.
8:5-9 | In the feeding of the 5,000 earlier, five loaves of bread and two fish yielded 12 baskets of leftovers at Jesus’ hand. Here, with the four thousand, He began with seven loaves and a few fish, and seven large baskets of leftovers were collected. The words for baskets differ in these passages. In the first, a small, personal-sized wicker basket used for carrying food is described; in the second, a much larger basket is spoken of, such as the one used to help the apostle Paul escape from Damascus (Acts 9:25).
8:6-8 | The seven loaves and baskets may represent the biblical number of fullness or completion.
8:10-12 | Jesus refused the Pharisees’ challenge to prove His authority with more miracles. He had provided enough signs (1 Cor. 1:22-24).
8:15-16 | Since yeast (leaven) was thought to be a corrupting agent, Jesus warned against the corrupting influence of the political and religious influences of the day. The disciples had yet to understand that the kingdom of God would not be driven by the “my tribe first” mentality of the Pharisees or a show of brute force like Herod but by meekness and humility.
8:17-21 | When Jesus’ disciples did not understand this saying, He did not just explain it to them. Only by putting the pieces together themselves would they truly understand and remember.