In chapter 3, Jesus healed a man with a deformed hand. Because of this healing and Jesus's teaching, He was attracting large crowds. The religious leaders felt threatened and began accusing Him saying,
"He is possessed by Beelzebul," and "He casts out the demons by the ruler of demons."Jesus addressed the crowd, explaining that their claim was not possible--it wasn't logical.
"How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand."Jesus then went on to teach using parables (earthly stories with a divine meaning). The disciples wondered why He taught that way. Why not just teach plainly and directly so that everyone will understand. Jesus answered,
"To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God but those who are outside get everything in parables, so that while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, otherwise they might return and be forgiven."Jesus was quoting Isaiah 6:9 to teach His disciples that they were part of God's greater plan. A plan that would lead to His sacrifice for us at the cross. Jesus taught directly and plainly to those who were given the mystery of the kingdom and would continue the work of that kingdom work after His death and resurrection. In the following chapters, we'll experience that direct and plain teaching.
Jesus taught the disciples that He was the Son of God… that He was, in fact, God. In Mark 4:35–41 He showed them that He has control over nature. The disciples asked themselves:
"Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?"The obvious answer is that He is the Son of God… He is God.
In Mark 5:1–13 Jesus cast out the man who was possessed by Legion, several thousand demons. This was a front-row seat for the practicum that proved Jesus's answer to the religious leaders "How can Satan cast out Satan?" Satan can't and he wouldn't cast out his demons, but Jesus can. The disciples at this point should have been asking themselves, "Is this the Son of God? Is this God?"
In Mark 5:21–43, Jesus healed the woman that had been bleeding for twelve years and raised Jairus's daughter (btw, he was a religious leader) from the dead. The woman who was healed of her hemorrhaging was healed as she intentionally reached out in a crowd and touched His robe. Jesus stopped in a crowded street and asked:
"Who touched My garments?"The disciples were puzzled, they asked in essence, "What do you mean who touched you? Hundreds of people have touched you." Once again they should have been thinking and talking about how Jesus must certainly be from God to know when someone touches Him for healing. And they should have been proclaiming it boldly when He brought someone back from the dead.
Imagine the wonder the disciples were experiencing when Jesus fed five thousand people (that's only counting the men) from five loaves of bread and two fish. They must have been saying "Surely He is from God. He is the Son of God. He is God."
But then just a few verses over, in verse 49, they thought He was a ghost when they saw Him walking on the water past their boat. If we don't read these accounts as one complete story, we will question the harshness of the commentary found in Mark 6:52.
"He got in the boat with them, and the wind stopped and they were utterly astonished, for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened."It's true, their hearts were hardened. Who wouldn't be jumping out of their shoes proclaiming Him as God after all these miraculous events take place? He had given the disciples a front-row seat to His plain and direct teaching and had them participate in the miracles that proved His teaching. And yet, they still didn't understand.
I can't wait until Wednesday when we're scheduled to read Mark chapter 8. It's there that Peter finally proclaims what we think they should have been saying all along.
"You are the Christ."
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