CHAPTER 8

1 In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them,
2 I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat:
3 And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far.
4 And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?
5 And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven.
6 And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people.
7 And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them.
8 So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets.
9 And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.

Jesus' compassion is the believer's provision! God wants to do MORE for us than save us from sin. He wants to provide for us so that we can be witnesses to His marvelous grace in this world. He also is providing a place of eternal rest from sin.

Jesus had fed FIVE thousand in earlier (Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9), and the disciples should not have wondered at Him being able to feed these in the mountains. But they still questioned providing food.

However, they found 7 biscuits and a "few little fishes." Jesus gave thanks to God for the provision, and then gave the food to the disciples to pass out among the people.

Again, "little is much when God is in it!" These 7 biscuits and a few small fish were ENOUGH! In fact they were MORE than enough!

Four thousand men, "beside women and children" ate and were filled. Then SEVEN leftover baskets of food were taken up from the people.

Remember, when God instructs you to do something, and you think you don't have ENOUGH; just ask Him to BLESS it!!

10 And straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha.
11 And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.
12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.

After feeding the 4,000 Jesus entered a ship and headed for the coasts of Dalmanutha (Matthew 15:39 calls it Magdala -- a place on the Southwest plain of The Sea of Gennesaret).

Jesus was again faced with the Pharisees, but they brought along some Saducees. As explained before, the Pharisees and Saducees were constantly at each other's throats. The Pharisees believed in a resurrection and judgment, but the Saducees did not.

Now these two groups game together to "tempt" Jesus. The manner of their temptation was to ask for a "sign from heaven."

The Pharisees and Sadducees asked for a "sign from heaven." What they really wanted was for Jesus to perform a specific miracle that would PROVE He was the Messiah.

Well, the truth is, Jesus ALREADY HAD!! Why did they want MORE?

Indeed, why do people want MORE today? The Bible was written over a 1,500 year time span by many different men. But it is safe to say that GOD is the AUTHOR! You see, the doctrine of INSPIRATION means that God used men as tools in His hands. He used their time, their knowledge, their language. And God, by means of His Holy Spirit speaking to these men, made sure that HIS thoughts were written down.

For over 1600 years people have been trying to disprove the Bible. But it has NEVER been disproven, not even in one single verse. The Bible is composed of symmetrical truth which cannot be broken. All of the truths of the Bible are still true today!

The Bible is God's revelation of Himself to mankind. Why do some people require MORE?

There's a story about a physics professor who challenged the realness of God every year in his class. At some point in his lessons, he would stop, hold up a piece of chalk and say, "If God is truly alive, then He will not let this chalk fall to the floor and break."

Once, when he did this, a young man bowed his head to pray. The professor said, "Prayer will not help, son. Watch this!" And he dropped the chalk. But the chalk went down his pant legs and got caught in the cuff!

That was the LAST time the professor tried that stunt!

13 And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side.
14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf.
15 And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.
16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread.
17 And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened?
18 Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?
19 When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve.
20 And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.
21 And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?

You'd think that following Jesus for so long, they would not forget to bring a lunch! But they had forgotten, and it was a concern to them.

Then Jesus made the statement, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Saducees."

Now, they were REALLY conscious of not bringing a lunch!

But Jesus knew what they were talking about and explained. He reproved them because of their lack of faith. Was it not He Who fed the 5,000 and the 4,000? Did they not witness the fact that He could provide all they needed?

Then Jesus went on and explained that they were not to "partake" of the "doctrine" of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. This "doctrine" was a permeating corruption like "leaven."

The Pharisees were legalistic, focused on tradition, and hypocritical. These things CORRUPTED their lives and they were spiritually DEAD -- unable to hear truth. The Sadducees were rationalists and existentialists, focusing on self-improvement. This also CORRUPTED their lives and they were spiritually DEAD too.

What Jesus wants is people who are focused on HIM! All our prethought patterns should establish our Master in FIRST place!

Jesus is "the Bread of Life." It is upon HIM that we should feed our thoughts, and not upon the corrupt practices of the world.

22 And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.
23 And 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 upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.
24 And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.
25 After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.
26 And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.

The healing of this blind man is told in the Gospel of Mark alone.

The people brought the man to Jesus and asked Him to "touch" the man. They believed that a simple TOUCH from Jesus could heal.

There was no apparent reason for Jesus to lead the man out of the town, or touch the man's eyes with spit. He could have simply spoken the word, and it would have been done. After all, He had only spoken to the woman who had the demon-possessed daughter, and her daughter was healed. Perhaps Jesus did this to assure the man that He indeed had the power to touch him and make him whole. This, by the way was fulfillment of prophecy from Isaiah 35:4-6.

Though we cannot understand WHY God treats people differently, we do know that His treatment is always gentle, loving, and brings results!!

And however God treats us, it is for His glory, and best for us!

Jesus had led the blind man OUT of the town, and charged him not to return and tell everyone. Now, why do you suppose Jesus would do this?

Jesus was already being questioned by the Pharisees and Sadducees. They were already seeking any excuse to discredit Him. To "flaunt" His power of healing would be ostentatious. Therefore, Jesus sought to "Abstain from all appearance of evil." (1Thessalonians 5:22)

Jesus did NOTHING to encourage the further wrath of His enemies! We, as Christians, should maintain the same attitude.

There were also many things yet to accomplish with His disciples, in order to prepare them properly for His leaving. We must understand that, as God interacts with us in this present world, He does it according to His plan, and in His time.

27 And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am?
28 And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets.
29 And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.
30 And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.
31 And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
32 And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.
33 But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.
34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

Now there are three separate incidents recorded here distinctively following one another for a specific purpose.

First, there is the declaration of Jesus as "THE Christ!"
Second, there is the fact that Peter did not want Jesus to suffer physically.
And, third, there is Jesus' declaration that true Christians surrender ALL to Jesus, regardless of persecution and/or suffering.
The latter, I believe, is the REASON for all three being recorded together.

It is difficult to fathom, but there were reincarnationists even in that day! Perhaps their belief came from misinterpreting the Scripture in Malachi 4:5-6. But Jesus had already spoken about this. He had said that the prophecy of Malachi 4:5-6 was fulfilled when John the Baptist came in the spirit of likeness to Elijah (See Matthew 17:12-13, and Mark 9:12-13). The Bible does NOT speak of reincarnation in any form! It DOES speak of regeneration! (See 2Corinthians 5:17).

There's quite a difference in who the world says Jesus is and who disciples say He is! The world calls Him "Teacher," "Prophet," "Priest," "King," and many other names. But disciples (believers) know that He is Creator, Sustainer, Master, Eternal Judge, Redeemer, Savior and "the Son of the Living God." One might interpret that last phrase as "the One and Only physical image of the invisible God." I believe that's what Peter meant.

Whom do YOU say Jesus is? Is He your Creator; do you own Him as the One Who gave you physical life? Is he your Sustainer; do you realize that He is the One Who provides you the way to live, and keeps you breathing? Is He your Master; are you obedient to His definition of living life? Is He your Eternal Judge; do you realize that one day you'll stand before Him to answer for all that you are and have done? Is He your Redeemer, and Savior; do you realize that your judgment will be "ACQUITTED" because He has paid the ransom for your sin, and opened the way of eternal life to you? If you do, then you know He is "the Son of the Living God!" He is your only link to the Eternal Holy and Righteous God!

You KNOW Him, not because people have told you; but because God's Holy Spirit has REVEALED the truth to you about Jesus!

After the revelation that Peter offered, that Jesus is "THE Christ", Jesus began to share with the disciples that He would suffer and die. But Peter couldn't fathom God in flesh suffering and dying! He took Jesus by the shoulders and tried to tell Him that couldn't happen.

But Jesus likened Peter to Satan! There was nothing Satan would have loved more than for Jesus to NOT SUFFER and DIE! Satan knows that forgiveness can only be offered when the one forgiving pays the price of that forgiveness! Peter couldn't fathom God paying such a price for man's sins! NEITHER CAN I!! But I BELIEVE it, because Christ DID it!

Now, let's get to that last part: where Jesus spoke to the crowd.

As if He wanted to fully document the incident in the hearts and minds of His disciples, Jesus called the crowd to Him as witnesses of the event. Then Jesus made the statement:
"Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

There is no substitution for the fact that surrender to Christ as LORD is the basis for salvation! I've preached it for 27 years, and I'll continue to preach it as long as God gives me breath: "WITHOUT surrender there is no salvation!"

The WHOLE WORLD is not worthy of Christ's love! To gain the world and all of its riches, fame and glory, without Christ is LOSS!

But to gain CHRIST even with suffering and persecution is to gain MORE than the world!

In order for salvation to be offered, Christ died to become what man NEEDED!
In order for salvation to take place in us, WE must die to self and become what God WANTS!

Paul stated it best:
20 I am crucified with Christ : nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.(Gal 2:20-21)

Have YOU "died" to self in order to become what God wants?

PLEASE CONTINUE WITH US IN BIBLE STUDY TOMORROW.