1 In those days the crowd being very great, and having not anything to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said to them,
J3 r1 2,3. The Lord. Compassion.
s1 4. Disciples. Question.
r2 5-. The Lord. Question.
s2 -5. Disciples. Answer.
r3 6,7. The Lord. Miracle.
s3 8,9. People. Filled.
2 "I have compassion on the crowd, because they have now been with Me three days, and have not anything to eat:
3 And if I send them away fasting into their own houses, they will faint in the way (Gr. hodos; well worn path, journey, course of life): for some of them are came from afar." (A Divine supplement, here)
4 And His disciples answered Him, "From which place can a man satisfy these men with bread here on the wilderness?"
5 And He began asking them, "How many loaves have you?"
And they said, "Seven." (7 = spiritual perfection)
6 And He commanded the crowd to sit down upon the ground: and He took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and broke (see Matt. 14:19. Isa. 58:7), and kept giving 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 large baskets. (see v.20. Matt. 15:37; 16:10; and Acts 9:25)
9 And they that had eaten were about four thousand (Matt. 15:38 adds a Divine supplement: "besides women and children"): and He sent them away.
A3 K 10. Departure to Dalmanutha.
L t 11-. The Lord. Questioned.
u -11. Pharisees. Sign sought.
t 12-. The Lord. Troubled.
u -12. Pharisees. Sign refused.
K 13. Return to the other side.
L v 14. Disciples. Forgetfulness.
w 15. Leaven. Warning.
v 16. Disciples. Reasoning.
w 17-21. Leaven. Instruction.
10 And immediately He entered into the boat in company with His disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha.
11 And the Pharisees came forth (see Matt. 9:9), and began to question with Him, (The beginning of things are very often thus emphasized in Mark)
seeking of Him a sign from heaven (cp. Matt. 12:25), tempting Him.
12 And He sighed deeply in His spirit (a Divine supplement, here), and said, "Why does this generation repeatedly seek after a sign? truly I say to you,
If There shall be a given to this generation." (A Hebrew idiom = you shall see a sign; but the sentence is left unfinished Cp. Gen. 21:23 Deut. 1:35. 1 Kings 1:51.)
13 And He left them, and entering into the boat again departed to the other side.
14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread (see Matt. 16:5, &c.), and they had not in the ship with them more than one loaf.(A Divine supplement, here)
15 And He was charging them, saying, "Take heed, beware an [keep away from] the leaven (i.e. doctrine. Cp. Matt. 16:6) of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod."
16 And they were reasoning with one another, saying, "It is because we have no bread."
17 And when Jesus knew it, He said to them, "Why reason you, because you have no bread? perceive you not yet, neither understand? have you your heart yet hardened?
18 Having eyes, see you not? and having ears, hear you not? (quoted from Jer. 5:21) and do you not remember?
19 When I brake the five loaves [and gave] to the five thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments took you up?" They say to Him, "Twelve."
20 "And when [I broke] the seven among the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments took you up?" And they said, "Seven."
21 And He said to them, "How is it that you do not understand?"
B3 M x 22. Blind man brought.
y 23-. Town (Bethsaida) avoided.
N z -23. First application.
a 24. Partial restoration.
N z 25-. Second application.
a -25. Perfect restoration.
M x 26-. Blind man dismissed.
y -26. Town (Bethsaida) to be avoided.
22 And He comes (This following miracle is a Divine supplement in the Gospel. The 2nd part of the Lord's ministry was drawing to a close. The proclamation of His Person was reaching a climax [vv.27-30]. Note the character of "this generation"; the unbelief of Bethaida [Matt: 11:21], is symbolized by this, the last miracle of that period, which that town was not allowed to witness or to be told of. Note also he seeming difficulty and the 2 stages of the miracle as though symbolic of vv. 17,18) to Bethsaida (= house of fish. Where most of His miracles had been wrought. A town on the west shore of Galilee); and they bring a blind man to him, and besought Him to touch him.
23 And He lay hold of the blind man by the hand, and led him outside of the town;
and when He had spit into his eyes, and laid His hands upon him, He was asking him can you see anything.
24 And he looked up, and said, "I see the men [men they must be] for [I see them] 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 thing distinctly. (Implying at a distance. Gr. tēlaugōs [from tēle, far, as in our telescope, telegram, &c.)
26 And He sent him away to his house, saying,
"Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town." (Notice the determination of the Lord not to give Bethsaida any further evidence.)
A4 b1 27. The Lord. Question: "Who say men?"
c1 28. Disciples. Answer.
b2 29-. The Lord. Question: "Who say you?"
c2 -29. Disciples. Answer (Peter).
b3 30. The Lord. Charge.
27 And Jesus went out, and His disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Whom do men say that I am?" (The 2nd subject of the Lord's ministry, as to His Person, was thus brought to a conclusion; as in Matt. 16:13-20)
28 And they answered, "John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, One of the prophets."
29 And He was further saying, "But whom do you say that I am?"
And Peter answered and said to Him, "Thou are the Messiah."
30 And He strictly charged them that they should tell no man concerning Him. (This 2nd subject of His ministry is thus closed. Sufficient testimony had been given to that generation, as to His Person.)
F O R 8:31-9:13. Sufferings. 1st Announcement.
S 9:14-29. Miracle. Demoniac.
P T 9:30-32. SufferingS. 2nd Announcement.
U 9:33-50. Discipleship.
Q V 10:1-12. Question. Pharisees.
W 10:13-16. Discipleship.
Q V 10:17-25. Question. Rich young man.
W 10:26-31. Discipleship.
P T 10:32-34. Sufferings. 3rd Announcement.
U 10:35-44. Discipleship.
O R 10:45. Sufferings. 4th Announcement.
S 10:46-52. Miracle. Blind man.
R X1 8:31-9:1. Sufferings and glory. Foretold. X2 9:2-10. Sufferings and glory. Foreknown. X3 9:11-15. Sufferings and glory. Explained.
X1 Y d 8:31-. Sufferings. His own.
e 8:-31. Glory. "
Z 8:32. Peter. Rebukes of the Lord.
Z 8:33. Peter. Rebuked by the Lord.
Y d 8:44-38-. Sufferings. His disciples.
e 8:-38-9:1. Glory. "
31 And He began to teach them (the 3rd period and subject of His ministry: the rejection of Himself as King), that the Son of man must suffer many things (for this necessity see Acts 3:18), and be rejected at the hands of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed,
and after three days rise again.
32 And He spoke that saying openly (i.e. publicaly: not as in John 2:19-21, or 3:14, in the earlier portion of His ministry). And Peter took Him, and began to remonstrate with Him.
33 But when He had turned about and saw His disciples (who might easily have been led astray by Peter's remonstrance), He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get you behind me, Satan (cp. Matt. 4:10: regarding it as a Satanic temptation): for you mind not the things that be of God (Elohim), but the things that be of men."
34 And when He had called the people to Him in association with His disciples also, He said to them (The Lord now speaks to all who follow Him), "Whosoever is willing come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. (i.e. habitually follow)
35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the gospel's (a Divine supplement, here), the same shall save it.
36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own life?
37 Or what shall a man give [as] an equivalent for his life?
38 For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My words (not of Christ's only, but of His words) in this adulterous and sinful generation; (A Divine supplement, here. Note the frequent refs. to "this generation" as sinful above all others, and as being different from all others.)
of him shall the Son of man also be ashamed, when He may have come in the glory of His Father (Gr. Patēr) with the holy angels.