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Gospel of Mark

Peters Confession of Christ: Mark 8:27-30

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Peters Confession of Christ

27 And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” 30 And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.

Mark: 8:27-30

17th October 2024: Horsham

The purpose of Mark’s Gospel is to present Jesus as the Son of God. Mark wants you, the reader, to see who Jesus is, and to respond.

There have been a number  of points already when Mark has shown us Jesus in conflict with the religious leaders of his day. There were argument because Jesus healed of a man with a withered hand in the synagogue on the sabbath. There were the Pharisees, grumbling at the front of the crowd when Jesus forgave the sins of a paralytic. Most recently in Mark’s gospel, Jesus confronted the Pharisees and Sadducees on the shores of Galilee when they demanded a sign of his Lordship. The Jewish leaders, Herod Antipas, the Romans and everyone else is taking a view on who Jesus is. Each time, as he relates these stories, it’s as if Mark is saying, what about you? Which side are you on? What do you think about this? In these verses, it’s happening again!

it would be normal for a rabbi to teach as they walked along, and at this point in the story,  our group of followers have walked a long way. Jesus has taken the disciples on a journey, leading them north, beyond the borders of Israel, to the Mediterranean cities of Tyre and Sidon, and then inland, to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. Jesus was probably teaching the disciples in preparation for his death.

Whilst there would have been some Jews living in the region, this was a largely pagan area under Greek / Roman influence with temples dedicated to Baal, and the Greek god Pan. Against this background of disbelief and spiritual darkness, Jesus asks the disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’ (v27).

Most people, they say, thought Jesus was something pretty special. Some said John the Baptist. That’s a bit strange, because John been alive at the same time as Jesus, but had been recently murdered by  Herod. The idea that he had somehow been resurrected would be deeply troubling to Herod and everyone else.  Some other people say he is Elijah. Elijah was the greatest of Old Testament prophets, and it was thought that his return would herald the coming of the Messiah. Again, the assumption that Christ was a resurrected prophet, and not just any prophet. Elijah was a huge character in the Old Testament and his return was said to precede the arrival of the Messiah. Others again thought he was one of the prophets of old. All of these suggest that Jesus is resurrected. None of them suggest he is viewed as a magician or a charlatan.

‘What about you?’ says Jesus, ‘Who do you say that I am.’ Peter’s response is massive. Thee disciples may have suspected it. They may even have talked in whispers about it. But this is the moment, the first moment, when anyone says it out loud.

‘You are the Christ.’ Peter declares that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah.

Jesus response is simple. This is dynamite. Let’s keep it between ourselves – for now.

End Piece

‘This passage’, says NT Wright, ‘is really the centre-point, the turning point, of Mark’s gospel.‘ From this point, Jesus and his disciples head south, back towards Capernaum and the Sea of Galilee where his public ministry has been focused. He will spend some time there, but their journey will continue on, beyond Galilee, towards Jerusalem, towards the cross.

As I said at the top of this piece, the purpose of Mark’s Gospel is to present Jesus as the Son of God. He wants you to see that, and to respond to it.

So, answer the questions. In your culture – in your world, who do people say that Jesus is? If you ask around, the answers might surprise you.

Mark doesn’t want you to stop there, and neither does Jesus. They want your response. Allow Jesus to look directly into your eyes as he asks the question.

What about you? ‘Who do you say that I am?‘ (v30)

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

Gospel of Mark

Ephphatha! Mark 7: 31-37

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Jesus Heals a Deaf and Mute Man

31 Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis.[h] 32 There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him. 33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. 34 He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). 35 At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly. 36 Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. 37 People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Mark 7:31-37

Horsham: 27th September 2024

In my previous post, we discovered that Jesus and the disciples had travelled beyond Israel’s borders to the region of Tyre on the Mediterranean coast. It was here that he miraculously healed the daughter of a gentile Syro Phonecian woman. Today we read that some time later, he travelled from there further north into modern Lebanon to the city of Sidon, before travelling back down south, probably passing the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee to another gentile region which we know as the Decapolis. We don’t know how long this journey took, but it is likely to have been months rather than weeks, and it was in this area in which Jesus encountered a man who was deaf  and could not speak properly. The word used suggests that the man’s speech was impaired. The friends of this man beg Jesus to lay his hands on him. You might recall that Jesus has been in this area before, so we should not be surprised the people knew who he was and what he was capable of offering.

This is a huge moment for this man, and we shouldn’t be surprised that Jesus draws him to one side. Look at the things he does. First, his fingers are placed in the man’s ears. Next he spits on a finger and touches the man’s tongue. This sounds a little random to us, and in our post covid world it sounds particularly odd. Notice this – the man was perceived by his friends to have two problems. He could not hear, and he could not speak properly. Jesus touches his ears – actually putting his fingers into his ears. Jesus physically touches his tongue. Do you see how these actions meet this man perfectly at his point of need.

Jesus sighs deeply. The word suggests a deep, heartfelt sigh. ‘Ephphatha’ is an Aramaic word, and it simply means ‘be opened’. The man’s ears were opened and immediately (that word is there in the Greek) he began not just to speak, but to speak clearly. To emerge from a place of silence or distorted hearing and immediately be able to speak clearly is a sign of complete healing.

It’s not so surprising that people couldn’t keep quiet about this. The healer who passed through some time ago and healed that man who was so mentally ill that he was chained up has come back. The guy who has been healed would be known locally for his deafness and his strange voice. The fact that he was now hearing and speaking normally would be exciting news and even if the man himself remained silent, others would want to talk about it.

“He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” (v37)

The disciples have heard this being said about Jesus. Any Jew would be unable to miss a link here. This verse of the prophet Isaiah anticipates the coming of the Messiah.

‘Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.’

Isaiah 35:5

End Piece:

A group of people brought a friend in great need to Jesus because they knew in their hearts that he could help them. The person in need was a gentile – not the kind of person you would imagine ever going looking for Jesus. Yet the opportunity was there – Jesus welcomed the friend and met him absolutely at his point of need. Everyone who knew this man could see that his life was dramatically changed.
Who do you love enough to bring them to Jesus?

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK