A Work in Progress Bible Commentary
By: Chip Crush

MARK
CHAPTER 6

After healing the bleeding woman and raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead, Jesus goes to His hometown. We learn here in chapter 6 what happens there. Jesus also sends out the apostles on a mission trip, and before we hear how that trip went, we learn of the fate of John the Baptist. Jesus feeds the 5000 and walks on water in this chapter, and finally in this action-packed narrative, Mark 6 concludes with Jesus continuing to heal the sick.

A Prophet Without Honor

1Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.
3"Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph,[1] Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.
4Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." 5He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6And he was amazed at their lack of faith.

Jesus went to Nazareth (v1), some 20 miles from southwest of the Sea of Galilee, so this trip took several days, but when the Sabbath came (Friday night to Saturday evening), Jesus taught in the synagogue (v2). Some wonder how Jesus was allowed to do this. He did not have formal training, so could anyone just stand up and start teaching? One commentator simply notes, “Each particular worship service was officiated by a delegate of the congregation who was selected by the chief ruler. The delegate would open the service with various benedictions and recitations. Priests and Levites would then read portions of the law. Following that, a section of the Prophets was read in Hebrew with an interpreter to recite it in the common tongue. Finally a sermon was given by a preacher. The delegate would often serve as the preacher and would also read the section of the Prophets. If there was a popular preacher or Rabbi traveling through a town, the chief ruler of the synagogue would invite him to officiate and preach at the Sabbath service (ordination was not required for this).” Jesus had become quite popular in the surrounding region, so it could be that He was invited to teach on this particular weekend. Perhaps there was a standing invitation for a list of itinerant rabbis. Regardless, Jesus was welcomed, and “many” of the people were amazed at His teaching (v2).

The amazement in v2 seems to shift throughout v3, and by the end of v3, the audience is offended by Jesus. “Where did this Man get these things?” The audience, I think, is genuinely curious with this question, as they are surprised by His legitimate wisdom. But then we have a line of questioning that seems to deny any possibility that such wisdom could come from Jesus, whom they think they know so well. “What’s this wisdom that has been given Him, that He even does miracles! Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph [or Joses], Judas and Simon? Aren’t His sisters here with us?” I can see myself critiquing the local meteorologist in similar fashion. “Wow, what a beautiful day! The weather guy got it right, 75 and sunny. But you know, he’s only right half the time, and last week it rained, and there was no rain in the forecast. So surely, this is a fluke somehow.” It seems like the questions are asked solely to justify their negative attitude about Jesus and His teaching. Pastor John Kimbell reminds us of the saying, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” That’s exactly what’s going on here. V3 concludes, “And they took offense at Him.”

While not the point of this passage, I think it’s worth pointing out here that clearly Jesus had siblings. He grew up with brothers and sisters, and those people influenced what others thought of Jesus – probably in a negative light to some extent. Afterall, everyone falls short of Jesus’ sinless stature, and His clear display of wisdom would make one wonder how He comes from that family of “nobodies.” It’s possible that the crowd was offended primarily by the fact that Jesus didn’t have specific credentials for teaching such wisdom. It was certainly common for rabbis to have a trade and not to be solely employed by a synagogue, but perhaps calling Him “the carpenter” refers to their preconceived notions of the wisdom a mere carpenter could possibly possess. Jesus was too humble to earn their respect. Ironically, of course, Jesus is both wisdom personified (Proverbs 8-9) and the supreme carpenter, for He has built all things and by His word all things live and move and have their being (Acts 17:28).

In v4, we get Jesus’ response to their line of questioning: “Only in His hometown, among His relatives and in His own house is a prophet without honor.” Jesus acknowledges that those who know Him best – even His own family (Mark 3:31) – are the ones who refuse to honor Him. V5 says, “He could not do any miracles there, except lay His hands on a few sick people and heal them.” Let’s make sure that we understand this clearly. It’s not that He couldn’t do miracles there; rather, He wouldn’t do miracles there. It would not have been fitting for the occasion, given the unbelief of the audience. And He did, in fact, do miracles there. He healed a few sick people, no small feat and something at which we ought to marvel, as that alone shows Jesus’ great compassion and patience among those who are unimpressed with Him.

The section concludes with Jesus’ amazement “at their lack of faith” (v6). At first, many in Nazareth were amazed at Jesus’ wisdom, and now Jesus is amazed at their lack of faith. That first word, ekplēssō, translated amazed or astonished in v2, conveys panic or the need to fight back as if fending off a blow, as if to say that the audience had an expectation that Jesus surmounted, leaving them shocked and in need of justification to deny His apparent wisdom. The second word, thaumazō, translated amazed or marveled, conveys a level of admiration and wonder, as if to say that Jesus was truly shocked in His humanity that it was possible for this audience to deny what had so clearly been revealed to them – even His own family.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

7Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil[2] spirits.
8These were his instructions: "Take nothing for the journey except a staff--no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. 10Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them."
12They went out and preached that people should repent. 13They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

The twelve disciples chosen by Jesus are now sent out, formally making them apostles, which means “sent ones.” They were sent in pairs to affirm the validity of their testimony, as the Bible establishes in numerous places the importance of having two witnesses (Peter and John or Paul and Barnabas / Silas). And while the gospel accounts vary a bit with the specific instructions (Luke 9:3 and Matthew 10:10 say not to take a staff, whereas Mark 6:8 says to take a staff), the point is to “go as you are,” without a special effort to pack certain things for the ministry. That’s because the fruitfulness is not to be determined by your preparation and thought; rather, the fruitful results are solely to come from the Lord’s provision. And not just the results of the work, but the very provision for the work, including food and shelter, as well. They were to “shake the dust off” their feet when leaving a town that wouldn’t heed their message, a common practice of Jews when leaving pagan territories. Those who deny the gospel deserve the same reaction.

Let’s focus clearly on the work the apostles did. V12 says they “preached that people should repent.” That’s the very same message that John the Baptist was preaching, and it’s no coincidence that we will hear what happened to him in the next section of the chapter. This is also the same message that Jesus has proclaimed since the beginning of His ministry. In Mark 1:15, Jesus was saying, “Repent and believe in the gospel,” for the Kingdom of God is at hand. That’s the simple message. Repent and believe. And it remains the message after Jesus ascends from the earth. Consider Peter’s first sermon in Acts 2:38-39.

In addition to their verbal call to repentance and faith, we also see in v13 that they drove out demons and healed the sick as they anointed them with oil. The apostles did miracles, and not just here when Jesus was with them, but after His ascension as well (Acts 5:12). I don’t think this means we, as present-day followers of Christ, are expected to do miracles; but it does mean that we are to do more than merely proclaim the gospel and call people to repentance. We are to provide practical care in tangible ways to all people. That means generously giving our time, talents, and treasure to ensure the needy receive care – “that they may see the good that we do and give glory to God.”

John the Baptist Beheaded

14King Herod heard about this, for Jesus' name had become well known. Some were saying,[3] "John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him."
15Others said, "He is Elijah."
And still others claimed, "He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago."
16But when Herod heard this, he said, "John, the man I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!"
17For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, whom he had married. 18For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." 19So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, 20because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled[4] ; yet he liked to listen to him.
21Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests.
23The king said to the girl, "Ask me for anything you want, and I'll give it to you." And he promised her with an oath, "Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom."
24She went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask for?"
"The head of John the Baptist," she answered.
25At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: "I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter."
26The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John's head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, 28and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. 29On hearing of this, John's disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

As foreshadowed in the previous section, we now learn of the fate of John the Baptist. The narrative begins with King Herod hearing of Jesus’ ministry and the speculation over His identity (v14-15). Some thought he was John the Baptist, raised from the dead, while others wondered if He was Elijah, or perhaps another like the prophets of old. King Herod (Antipas, son of Herod the Great and tetrarch of Galilee and Perea) was apparently still haunted by what he did to John the Baptist, which we will come to hear about in v17 and onward, so v16 is clear that he thought it must be the resurrected John. That results in a flashback from Mark to explain why there were rumors about Jesus possibly being a reincarnated John the Baptist.

V17-18 explain that Herod had imprisoned John the Baptist, for John was criticizing Herod for taking his own brother’s wife as his own. Her name was Herodias, the daughter of Aristobulus, one of Herod the Great’s other sons – making her a half- or step-niece to both Antipas and his brother Philip, to whom she had been married before. She despised and wanted to kill John (v19), but Herod protected John out of fear, knowing him to be righteous (before men) and holy (before God) (v20). Despite being puzzled by John’s teaching, Herod liked to listen to him. One commentator says, “Despite the appeal of John’s words, Antipas can’t get past the stage of being puzzled. He understands that John’s words are true and right, but they don’t get into Antipas’ heart. Later, Antipas’ great-half-nephew Herod Agrippa II will have a similar reaction to Paul (Acts 26:1,24–32). And many people today treat Jesus the same. They follow Pilate’s example and consider Him a ‘good teacher,’ a good man with good things to say (Mark 15:5,14). But they cannot accept the purpose of Jesus’ message. The gospel is not designed to teach us how to act so we have peace and success in this world. It is to show us how to submit to God and gain eternal life with Him. John challenges Antipas to follow the Mosaic Law regarding marriage to a sister-in-law. Jesus calls us to love others and treat each other kindly. These are good and right things but have no eternal value without repentance and trust in Christ.”

V21 gets to the event that resulted in John’s death, and Mark says it was an “opportune time.” Herod had a birthday party, a grand banquet for all the important men of his kingdom to celebrate. His step-daughter came in and danced for everyone, and it was such a pleasing performance that Herod promised her a gift – anything up to half his kingdom (v22-23).

V24-28 show the outcome of Herod’s foolish promise. Herodias’ daughter comes to her to ask what she should request from Herod, and you can practically see the wicked smile on the mother’s face as she responds immediately, “The head of John the Baptist.” Herod was distressed at the request, but he was pressured by his oath and his banquet guests to honor the promise. He had John beheaded, and he presented the head on a platter to the girl, who in turn took it to her mother.

This whole section portrays the chaos that results from such moral corruption. You’ve got the righteous John, unrelenting in his stand for the truth; and he is beheaded for that. Then there’s Herod, the leader of the region, who certainly recognizes and appreciates the truth but who cannot subject himself to it; he wants to keep it nearby for some false sense of peace of mind, as he won’t / can’t let the truth affect his life in application. Then you’ve got Herodias’ daughter, who some say is a mess of an individual, seeking approval in all the wrong places; it’s been said that if a woman tries to catch a man with her flesh, all she will get is dogs. But others say this girl was only a kid at play. One commentator notes that “Jairus’ daughter is identified as a korasion in Matthew 9:24-25 and Mark 5:41-42. And we are given her age. She was twelve years old (also in Luke 8:42). The other korasion in the New Testament is the daughter of Herodias… Josephus tells us that the daughter’s name was Salome.” I don’t see that we can know for sure, but she was definitely a pawn of her mother, the wicked Herodias, who has no moral compass and will do anything and everything to ensure selfish gain and retribution on any who wrong her. Another commentator says, Herod “was an inconsistent man, and was continually the victim of a conflict between the good and the evil within him, in which evil – alas! – triumphed. Herodias, on the other hand, had always wished to get rid of John, as the stern and uncompromising reprover of her adultery and incest; and so at length she persuaded Herod to give way. ‘For,’ says Bede, ‘she feared lest Herod should at length repent, and yield to the exhortations of John, and dissolve this unreal marriage, and restore Herodias to her lawful husband.’”

V29 ends the section with solemnity. John’s disciples came to retrieve his body for burial. This ending leaves us in dismay, as evil seems to have triumphed, certainly over John and Herod, at least in this life. But remember, this was a flashback explaining Herod’s fear at the rise of Jesus’ ministry. We are merely in the middle of the chapter, and the next section displays another banquet that ends not in the death of a merely righteous and holy man, but in the revelation of Jesus, not as the resurrected John, but as the one true and living God!

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

30The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."
32So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. 33But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.
35By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. "This is a remote place," they said, "and it's already very late. 36Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat."
37But he answered, "You give them something to eat."
They said to him, "That would take eight months of a man's wages[5] ! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?"
38"How many loaves do you have?" he asked. "Go and see."
When they found out, they said, "Five--and two fish."
39Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42They all ate and were satisfied, 43and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

We return to the present from the flashback about John’s death. And we find the apostles returning to Jesus to tell Him of their mission trip (v30). But because of the crowd coming constantly to Jesus, He invited the disciples to retreat and find a solitary place to eat and rest (v31-32). The ambitious crowd watched them sail, predicted where they would reach shore, and beat them to the destination, coming from all the nearby villages (v33). And them Mark describes the response of Jesus with famous words, “He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd” (v34).

It's no surprise that Jesus had compassion; that has come to be expected from the God-Man who came to seek and save the lost. But you must appreciate that Mark discloses His motive. Let it sink in that the crowd of people were like sheep without a shepherd. Among the most vulnerable and frankly stupid mammals, sheep can do very little for themselves. Without the provision of a shepherd, sheep would surely fall victim to any number of bad circumstances. That is what we are. And God had commanded the religious leaders since long ago to be the shepherds of His flock, a responsibility they were proud of but also one of which they failed to see how poorly they performed. In fact, the religious leaders of just about all Biblical times cared only for themselves by taking from the “sheep” all that they could get. So in one sense, these people had shepherds, but because they were so poor, it’s as if they had no shepherd. Therefore, Jesus, in a move that would fulfill prophecy whereby God Himself would become the shepherd of His sheep (Psalm 23; 74:1; 78:52-53; 79:13; 80:1; 95:7; 100:3; Isaiah 40:11; 53:6; Jeremiah 3:15; 23:1; 50:6; Ezekiel 34; 37:24; Zechariah 11:16; Micah 5:4; Matthew 2:6; Acts 20:28-29), effectively takes on that role Himself. His actions are a declaration of His deity. But this is just the beginning.

What did Jesus provide to these sheep without a shepherd? Words! “He began teaching them many things” (v34). Jesus, as the very Word of God, which is the food we so desperately need (Jeremiah 3:15; 15:16; John 6:41-68; 1 Corinthians 10:4), gives Himself to the people! The Word of God is what we need. Jesus uses this truth to fight the temptation of Satan in the desert (Matthew 4:4). And He reminds the disciples of His food that they nothing about in John 4:32, speaking of doing the will of God, which in this case, is showing compassion to the sheep without a shepherd.

As Jesus is feeding the crowd with the Word of God (both His teaching and His presence), the disciples recognize the time of day and their location, and they suggest that Jesus send the crowd away, so they can find food and shelter for the night (v35-36). But Jesus tells them to give the crowd something to eat (v37), to which they immediately do the math and realize that to be impossible. They ask a rhetorical question, “Should we spend eight months wages to buy enough food for not even all of them to get a nibble?” Of course not! But Jesus gets them to gather what’s available, in this case, five loaves of bread and two fish. And as the crowd sits into groups of fifties and hundreds (as in Exodus 18:21-25), Jesus prays and multiplies the provision until “they all ate and were satisfied” (v42; cf. Exodus 16:16). Of course, after feeding some 15-20,000 people, there were 12 baskets full of food left over (v43).

There is so much rich imagery here in this passage. As mentioned, Jesus acts in such a way as to reveal His Deity; He is the God who provides food in the wilderness, just as God did for Moses and children of Israel during the Exodus. Jesus is the better Moses (Deuteronomy 34:10-12; John 6:14; Acts 3:18-26; Hebrews 3:1-5). Jesus also teaches the disciples a particular lesson about their role in missions. Remember He had sent them out in pairs without taking anything special along for the journey; He would provide. He asks them to feed the crowd, which they clearly cannot do on their own. But through Him, they host a banquet to contrast that of Herod’s, feeding everyone and ending up with 12 baskets full of food leftover. That’s the work of God in His disciples when they go to work for Him.

Jesus Walks on the Water

45Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.
47When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50because they all saw him and were terrified.
51Immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.
53When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. 54As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. 55They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56And wherever he went--into villages, towns or countryside--they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.

Once the miraculous feeding is finished, and the lesson taught to the disciples, Jesus sends them off in the boat toward Bethsaida without Him. Then He dismissed the crowd (v45) and went up to a mountaintop for prayer (v46). It’s quite likely that the crowd intended to make Him their King, so He effectively spared the disciples from enduring the temptation of that effort and then retreated to the comfortable presence of His father in heaven for some measure of restoration and reminder of His mission, not to be King here and now, but to serve and die for the greater Kingdom to come. V47 says that Jesus was alone on the land, and as nighttime settled in, presumably the second watch from 9 PM - midnight, the disciples were rowing the boat in the middle of the lake.

It's likely that the disciples spent some 6-8 hours rowing with little success – certainly less than four miles – in the lake, due to the wind being hard against them, and Jesus presumably watched them all the while as He prayed. The fourth watch (v48) was from 3-6 AM, and Jesus only then decided to go out to them – “walking on the lake…about to pass by them.” We need to pause for a moment and consider these actions and intentions of Jesus. First, Jesus “made” them take the boat out to sea; He put them in the challenging circumstance of rowing for hours with little success, and He watched them straining without stepping in to ease their struggle. That’s a glimpse of the sovereignty of God in our suffering. He has a purpose for everything we endure and experience. That purpose for the disciples here was for Jesus to reveal His glory to them, and it needed to be in a moment of desperation. Second, Jesus was “walking on the lake.” Job 9:8-11 mentions how the sovereign creator God strides, or walks, or treads, or tramples over the waves of the sea (cf. Psalm 77:19), even how He passes by without being truly perceived. So, this walking on water is yet another display of Jesus’ divinity. Third, Jesus meant to pass them by. Matthew and John don’t use the terminology, but Mark provides the glimpse into an important detail, and it’s so fitting with Job 9:8-11. In Exodus 33-34, when Moses asked to see God’s glory, God passed by Moses, revealing His backside, and the result was a glowing face for Moses for quite some time. A similar thing happened with Elijah in 1 Kings 19:11-12. Jesus intends – at least in some sense – to duplicate that revelation of the glory of God for the disciples, but here it’s even better. Jesus doesn’t pass them by! He gets into their boat (v51)! But we aren’t done yet…

V49 shows that the disciples saw Jesus and thought He was a ghost (a phantasm, conveying a superstitious imagination), so they were “terrified” (v50). And Jesus’ words to them are yet another display of His divinity. Literally, He says, “Take courage! I AM. Don’t be afraid” (v51). It’s the literal name of God revealed to Moses in Exodus 3 that Jesus uses to identify Himself, all while trampling over the waves of the sea and displaying His glory to them. And lastly, when Jesus enters the boat, notice that winds died down. Jesus starts by putting the disciples in a challenging predicament, which He could have ended at any time. But He chose to have them endure hours of hardship to see Him for who He is – God incarnate. The result was their utter astonishment, their complete amazement (v51).

Why were the disciples so amazed, as if still not grasping who Jesus is? V52 reveals that it was because they didn’t understand from the feeding of the 5000. “Their hearts were hardened.” In some sense, the disciples repeated failures to appreciate the identity of Jesus as God Himself is to our benefit, for if they had understood right away, there would not be nearly the diverse displays in real time historical events for us to learn the same lessons. Just as the disciples’ hearts were hard, so too our ours. We need to read these narratives again and again, and that in combination with the work of the Holy Spirit, will help us to appreciate who Jesus is and continue to trust in Him for our provision and salvation.

The final section of this passage (v53-56) is basically a summary of Jesus continuing to minister to people from all around the region. This section began with the disciples sailing off toward Bethsaida, but you’ll notice they ended up at Gennesaret, but not the intended destination. Some people consider this a contradiction, especially because neither Matthew nor John state the intended destination of Bethsaida (John seems to indicate Capernaum in John 6:21), but Matthew agrees with the end location of Gennesaret, while John records Capernaum as their termination (John 6:34). The reality is that all 3 locations – Bethsaida, Gennesaret, and Capernaum – are only about 3-6 miles from each other. We are talking about the same general location within the broader region. See the map below:

Footnotes

  1. 6:3 Greek Joses, a variant of Joseph
  2. 6:7 Greek unclean
  3. 6:14 Some early manuscripts He was saying
  4. 6:20 Some early manuscripts he did many things
  5. 6:37 Greek take two hundred denarii


Bible text from Gospelcom.net.  Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.

BACK TO MENU   PREVIOUS CHAPTER   NEXT CHAPTER