Mark: The Divine Standard
of Service – 6: 14 - 8: 30

Jesus does reply to the attacks of the Pharisees, but in each of the three sections He makes a tactical withdrawal from the diversionary action of the enemy.

• He could have stayed and engaged in prolonged conflicts, but this would have attracted attention and perhaps popularity.

• He has come to minister, and minister He will, but without seeking personal prominence or popularity.
  • "For also the Son of man did not come to be ministered to, but to minister, and give His life a ransom for many", 10: 45.

Each withdrawal seems to place Him in relative obscurity, but He finds scope for further service both to individuals and to the crowds.

• Jesus' conduct in the face of continuing hostility contains many instructive lessons for the disciples, and for us today.

A flashback follows recounting John's earlier arrest and his recent beheading.

• Compare chapter 1: 14; Matthew 14: 12-13.

• Without thought for his own safety, John had fearlessly condemned the immoral marriage of Herod; he was a true prophet speaking for God.

• Herod feared and protected him, but Herodias nursed her grudge until Herod's pride and her daughter's pliability provided her with the opportunity to secure the death of the Servant's forerunner.

Jesus would have been deeply affected; John was His herald, a prophet and more than a prophet, he was the messenger of Jehovah.

• See Luke 1: 35-37; Matthew 11: 7-11.

• His own violent end, of which He would soon begin to speak openly to the twelve, would surely loom before Him.
  • See chapter 8: 31; 9: 30-32; 10: 32-34.

Here then is a sober consideration for all who seek to serve God.

• Are we prepared, as Jesus and as John and as the countless martyrs, to seal our service and testimony with our own lives?

• It has been well said: A man only truly believes that for which he is prepared to die. Where do we stand?
  • Compare Hebrews 12: 1-4.

The "apostles", as they are now designated as having been sent forth, "related to Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught".

• This is the proper order of service as exemplified by Jesus Himself: "all things which Jesus began both to do and to teach", Acts 1: 1.

• Doing, i.e. our example, should always precede and support our teaching.
  • Paul reminds Timothy: "But thou hast been thoroughly acquainted with my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, endurance", 2 Timothy 3: 10.

  • He exhorted: "What ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, these things do", Philippians 4: 9 – put them into practice. Contrast Matthew 23: 1-10.

Again, as earlier on the busy day, "they had not leisure even to eat".

• After service it is needful that there should be time for rest and refreshment, and so Jesus invites them to come apart with Himself for a little.

Those who carry the responsibility of ministry and shepherd care in their localities have heavy demands on their time,

• as well as those daily requirements which arise normally in connection with their families and their employment.

• The result is that those who have the most need of time alone with the Lord Jesus, in prayer and searching of the Scriptures to properly fulfil their service,
  • often have the least time of any available for these purposes.

The twelve had learned this lesson well, as shown by their united response to the crisis in Acts 6: 1-7.

• "It is not right" i.e., proper "that we, leaving the word of God, should serve tables".

• The result was that others were brought into service, "the word of God increased", and both Stephen and Philip were also used in an out standing way in the public testimony.
  • See Acts 6: 8-7: 60; 8: 5-13, 26-40.

The anticipated rest was cut short by the presence of a great crowd which had already arrived in the "desert place".

• Whatever his own personal needs, the servant must have a shepherd's heart and consider first for those who were "as sheep not having a shepherd".

• Jesus gives up the needed rest and teaches them many things.

The disciples, resenting the intrusion of the crowd, ask Jesus to send the people away to buy food for themselves.

• This has the appearance of concern for the people, but actually is in the disciples' self-interest.

• They still want the promised rest and relaxation.

Jesus uses the occasion and teaches the disciples an important lesson through His own caring example.

• Those who take on the responsibility of serving under Christ must be ready to meet the needs of the crowd: "Give ye them to eat".

• They quickly calculate the cost. A denarius being a day's wage – Matthew 20: 2 – 200 denarii might be some $20,000 in today's terms and this, to them,
  • unattainable amount would only provide the most modest of meals for "about five thousand men, beside women and children", Matthew 14: 21.

• They must learn to trust in the Lord's ability to meet seemingly impossible needs.

• This cannot be done properly for such a large number without following the Lord's directions.

• The crowd must first be subdivided into small manageable companies to allow the servants free and unhindered access.

• Hundreds and fifties are small enough to let each one receive personal attention.
  • A guide to the size of local meetings.

"Green grass" denotes refreshing and comfortable conditions. Sitting implies restfulness and readiness to be served.

• Finally, all spiritual food must come directly from the hands of the Master, sanctified by prayer.

• "And they all ate and were satisfied", and there was more than enough for all. A miracle indeed!

It is also divine instruction for us in the present day when

• large congregations often lead to individuals being overlooked and lost in the crowd, lonely and starving for spiritual food and care.

• Let us follow the divine pattern, learning this lesson well, and be content to serve in the relative obscurity of small numbers,
  • our object being to meet the needs of others rather than to have a great arena in which to make much of ourselves.

Jesus sends the disciples ahead by ship, dismisses the satisfied crowd, and goes to the mountain to pray.

• After successful service how fitting it is to retreat into the presence of God, to report and to be refreshed and strengthened. Let us follow His example.

Meanwhile the disciples were in great difficulty "for the wind was contrary to them".

• Successful service does not guarantee an easy passage; but it does attract the opposition of the enemy.

• In the ensuing panic and confusion even the Lord Himself and His willingness to intervene on their behalf is not recognized.

We must learn that the same One who multiplied the food to feed the crowd is also the One on whose intercession and intervention we must depend when everything is against us.

• As He comes into our circumstances, however threatening, all becomes calm.

• How often our hearts, as those of the disciples, have been hardened so as not to understand that Jesus is able for anything and everything.

• We must trust Him absolutely, and never lean on our own strength and understanding.
  • Confide in Jehovah with all thy heart, and lean not unto thine own intelligence; in all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He will make plain thy paths", Proverbs 3: 5-6.

They reach land and come out of the ship, but the disciples receive no further mention in this section.

• Instead, the people recognize Jesus. Will this not be the result if we learnthe preceding lessons?

• We will not stand out at all. People will recognize Jesus in what we do and say, and results will follow.

There is great excitement that Jesus is present. They run to wherever they hear He is. Everywhere He goes they come to Jesus as the centre, the attracting and healing power.

The acceptance of obscurity has not reduced His sphere of service but, in fact, has increased it.

• May our ministry, be it "only the hem of His garment", so reflect Him and His greatness that many may reach out, and that all who thus come in contact with Him be healed!

7: 1-5 The Accusation: As in our day, a common ground of attack is the disregarding of human traditions, which have been elevated to equal or greater authority than divine principles and apostolic teaching.

7: 6-8 The Confutation: Jesus appeals to the Scriptures and applies Isaiah's prophecy to His attackers personally, bringing to light their underlying state of alienation from God and their resultant hypocrisy.

• They had really apostatized: "For, leaving the commandment of God, ye hold what is delivered by men to keep".

7: 9-23 Their Motive: Jesus goes on to expose their selfish motive in setting aside God's specific command to honour father and mother.

• How could any one claim to honour God by a gift devoted to Him, while deliberately evading the divinely ordained responsibility to one's parents?

7: 14-23 The True State of Affairs: Then He explains to the crowd the real source of uncleanness in "the heart of men".

• Once again Jesus exposes the hypocrisy of all Pharisees – past, present and future – who practise and preach an external and religious ritualism which can never cleanse the hearts of men spiritually.

Jesus was looking for privacy, not personal prominence.

• Perhaps He wanted to be in quiet to mourn for the uncleanness and hypocrisy of the Pharisees. But He could not keep His presence secret.

In stark contrast to the hypocritical opposition which He had just encountered,

• an unclean Gentile mother "whose little daughter had an unclean spirit" comes and falls at His feet and begs for His help for her daughter.

• Indirectly, Jesus asserts the exclusiveness of His ministry.
  • "I have not been sent save to the lost sheep of Israel's house", Matthew 15: 24.

But the woman is ready to take the lowest place in order to receive the crumbs of mercy.

• Here it is "Because of this word" – not her great faith as in Matthew 15: 28.

• Her desperation, to secure the needed relief for her daughter, overcame the disadvantage of her position as outside of Israel's blessing.

• What joy and comfort the Lord must have had in answering her plea for mercy!

Let us learn not to turn away any needy soul, however alienated from the family of God.

• It may be necessary, as here, to test for genuineness and sincerity, but real need plus real faith is never to be ignored.

Jesus returns to Galilee and, in contrast to the unexpected faith of the Gentile mother,

• He finds a deaf and dumb man who exemplifies the state of Israel – unable to hear and understand God's speaking or to render response in praise.

Jesus' sensitivity to the man's plight is shown in the way in which He takes Him apart from the crowd.

• A single word from His lips would have healed the man, but He chooses to deal with this double disability in a unique manner.

• The man's understanding and conscience must be reached and exercised, as those of the Jews will be in a future day.

How can one begin to communicate with a person who cannot hear and who, therefore, cannot "speak right"?

• Jesus uses the only method comprehensible to the man in his isolated state; He uses sign language.

• "He put His fingers to his ears" to convey the welcome message 'You shall hear!'

• Then "having spit", as if to convey the essence of His own speaking for and to God, "He touched his tongue" to convey 'You shall speak!'

Then three things take place:

1. Jesus looks up to heaven, for God's answer;
2. groaning, He takes the man's burden upon Himself;
3. finally, He speaks the word of power and release.

• "And immediately his ears were opened, and the band of his tongue was loosed and He spoke right".

• Hearing must be restored before speaking can be right.

As at other times, avoiding opportunity for personal prominence, Jesus orders that the matter not be spread abroad;

• but as usual, the crowds ignore His express command.

• How like ourselves! We must tell all we know – as if that somehow makes us important!

• Some even think they have a right to do so! Let us avoid such self-centredness.

Their amazement, however, was in order. We may well join in their praise, "He does all things well!"

While there are many similarities, this is no mere repetition of the earlier feeding of the five thousand. See chapter 6: 33-44.

• The differences afford further instruction for servants in training.

• But, as earlier, the "compassion" of Jesus is to be the governing motivation for service to the crowds.

Here it is not the immediate need of those who had run ahead to meet Jesus and His disciples without taking any provisions along.

• Instead, it is a crowd which had stayed with Him for three days. Whatever food they had with them had doubtless been consumed.

• Perhaps they had little to eat during the three days for Jesus feared that on the long journey home they might faint.

On the earlier occasion "the country and villages around" might have yielded food.

• But here they were "in a desert place" with no nearby sources of food.

• It was this that concerned the disciples now, rather than the cost as before.

The disciples, as we ourselves, had quickly forgotten how Jesus had met the need of the five thousand.

• Jesus tests them, only stating the problem, expecting them to remember and to offer Him whatever they may have; but they fail the test.

Here He does not direct the disciples to make the crowd sit down in companies as in the feeding of the five thousand.

• He Himself orders the crowd to sit down, gives thanks, breaks the loaves and gives the food to the disciples to distribute. Again, all are "satisfied".

Let us learn the power of the Lord to meet not only the need of the moment, but also the more extended needs of His gathered people.

• Why should the saints go away from meetings weak, hungry and unsatisfied?

• If this happens, and we must admit it often does, it is the fault of those of us who take the responsibility to feed the flock, of those of us who take the place of shepherds and teachers.

If there is a shortage of food for the brethren, it may be that there has been a lack of dependence upon the Lord, no putting of our few loaves and fish in His hands.

• Such an independence of Him will lead to a dearth of spiritual ministry and an abundance of dry, academic presentations which neither feed nor challenge.

In keeping with His invariable practice of serving without seeking prominence, Jesus refuses to give them a sign.

• Mark's record is particularly succinct, leaving out the references to the signs of the times and the sign of Jonas.
  • Compare Matthew 16: 1-4.

In the second opposition, where the attack comes indirectly through His disciples' behaviour, Jesus speaks at length,

• defending His own and exposing the traditions of men.

• Here however, when it is a question of accrediting or defending Himself, His answer is brief and He refuses to respond to their request.

What a model of conduct for us! Defend others – refuse to defend ourselves.

Jesus meets the second opposition immediately by public teaching.

• Here however the teaching resulting from the third opposition is reserved in the subsequent retirement for the disciples alone.

• So like us, they betray their chronic dullness, connecting His warning with the fact that they had only brought one loaf with them in the ship.

• Jesus reviews the feeding of the 5,000 and of the 4,000, leaving to them the interpretation of His enigmatic warning: "How do ye not yet understand?"

In Matthew 16: 5-12 where the disciples are warned against "the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees" – rather than "of Herod" –

• they finally comprehend that the leaven refers to the corrupting "doctrine".

• Here, "the leaven of the Pharisees" undoubtedly also refers to their doctrine,
  • especially in its corrupting character as "making void the word of God" by their "traditional teaching", 7: 13.

But Herod is not connected with teaching; his power and sphere is not religious but political,

• and its corrupting influence had already been evidenced in the beheading of that faithful servant, John the baptist.

• The warning as to "the leaven of Herod" is particulary appropriate for our day
  • in which the participation of Christians in the political process is both advocated and increasingly practised –

  • a shameful open denial of the heavenly origin, character and destiny of the assembly, foreshadowing "the great harlot", Rev. 17: 1.

Jesus had just challenged His disciples: "Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not?"

• He had already healed a deaf and dumb man indicating that hearing is the prime prerequisite for prospective servants.

• At the first He had called the four, and then He called Levi; they had heard and followed. Later He called the twelve and appointed them.

• The call, the hearing and the response are all connected with the commencement of their discipleship, as Paul confirms:
  • "So faith then is by a report," or hearing "but the report by God's word", Romans 10: 17.

• Hearing must come first, but seeing and seeing both "distinctly" and "clearly" is absolutely essential in a servant of Christ.

• When someone says "I can't see that!" the cause can always be traced back to the inability or unwillingness to hear.

Jesus leads the man outside the village and away from the crowds, just as He had the deaf and dumb man.

• These two complementary healings, handled in the same manner, are the two miracles which appear only in Mark's gospel,
  • and on that account merit the special attention of aspiring servants.

Again, instead of healing by a word, Jesus uses an extended process.

• "Having spit upon his eyes, He laid His hands upon Him, and asked Him if he beheld anything".

• This is analogous to using sign language with the deaf and dumb man.

• He conveys to the man, by spitting, what He is essentially, and augments it by using the senses of feeling and hearing to stir the man.

• The result, though yet incomplete, is that the man sees "men" – the disciples? – "as trees, walking.

• "Then He laid His hands again upon his eyes, and he saw distinctly, and was restored and saw all things clearly".

• The first man he sees clearly is Jesus!

What a lesson for us! The extended healing process illustrates the gradual way in which the greatness and uniqueness of the Lord Jesus dawn upon us.

• We may have heard His call, responded to it and learned much from Him,
  • but it is essential that we see Him, that He fill our vision, if we are to serve Him.

• No one else can be allowed to take His rightful place of authority over us! Compare 1 Cor. 1: 12-13; 2: 3-5.

• This lesson will be repeated even more forcibly on the mount of transfiguration. Chapter 9: 2-13.

• Everyone and everything must be seen in relation to the uniqueness of Jesus our Lord.

Jesus sends the healed man home, forbidding Him to enter into the village or to tell anyone there.

• The man's sight, just restored, is not to be distorted by those who would crowd him and block his line of vision.

The two miracles unique to Mark – the healings of the deaf and dumb man and of the blind man –

• indicate the spiritual preparation necessary to be able to recognize Jesus as the Christ, as in the next section.

Alone with His disciples in this remote northern area, after extensive training by example and teaching, He poses the key question every servant must answer.

But first He asks who people say He is. The replies reveal the perplexity of the people;

• they realize that Jesus is indeed a prophet but do not see Him as unique and distinct from all others.

• They are like the man with partially restored vision in chapter 8: 22-26, still seeing men as trees walking.

• This question would clear the minds of the disciples and help in eliciting an unequivocal response to the final and vital key question.

"But ye, who do ye say that I am?" They had undoubtedly discussed this very matter privately, over and over again during the preceding months –

• and they had come to a conclusion. Peter speaks, but speaks for all: "Thou art the Christ".

Finally they are convinced. They had not been told by Jesus; they had come to it themselves.

• In Matthew 16: 17, Peter's confession is attributed to a direct revelation from the Father,

• but here the recognition is presented as the result of what they had come to by being "with Him".

• He is God's Anointed, God's chosen vessel; they are His followers and servants.

• But, for the moment it is a private matter between their Lord and themselves.