Mark 8:1-38
8:1 This opening verse of Chapter 8 is a metaphor in itself. There is a multitude of people in need of the Word of God but had no teacher, so Jesus called 12 disciples who He would instruct to become teachers in order to spread the Word around the world.
8:2 Jesus has compassion (God always has compassion, too). He wants to teach and feed these people who have so faithfully been following Him. We also receive nourishment when we follow our God.
8:3 Jesus does not want to send us out into the world on our own. It's a difficult journey without God's nourishment. Jesus wants these people (and us) to be strong for the journey that is our life. He does not want us to be weak or held back by inability.
8:4 The disciples were nervous, they felt incapable of such a grand task. They were standing before a great number of people and both literally and spiritually-figuratively, they could not fathom how they would be able to satisfy them all. We often have the same worry: we wonder how we can possibly make an impact on the Earth. The answer for both disciples and for us is: With, Through, By, and For God all things are possible.
8:5 Jesus asks them what they have to feed the multitude; metaphorically He asks them what they believe they are capable of. Their answer falls short of what they need.
8:6 Jesus tells the multitude to sit and rest. This is God's first order of business. God always wants us to rest in Him. It's also His time to organize our chaotic minds so that He can feed us. Jesus took the loaves of bread but I want you to think of it this way: Jesus took the proclamations of the disciples, gave thanks to God for being with them and for blessing them and then turned the 7 into many, many more.
Next is interesting: Jesus created so much bread (so much opportunity, so much ability to spread so much wisdom and knowledge for the children) but He shared the responsibility of spreading it with the disciples. God will give us so many gifts and abilities and with them, we are supposed to use them to bring gifts and abilities to others. Jesus allows us to be fellow-workers of God. 1 Corinthians 9. It's a special and important opportunity for us. God equips us with the ability to do His work. God honors us with such responsibility.
A compassionate heart understands the miracle that is loving another, helping another, supporting another, feeding another soul.
8:7 Jesus takes all that is offered and multiplies it. Think of it this way, the disciples told Jesus of their capabilities and feared that they were too small, too inefficient... so Jesus magnified them. God makes all things possible when we are devoted and dedicated to maintaining His word and our relationship with Him.
8:8 With these blessings through Jesus from God, the mass of people were taught, fed and nourished. They received the love and instruction of God from His fellow workers so that they could become fellow workers themselves. Do not skip over the fact that there were leftovers. God gives so much, He spares nothing... everything He is and Has is open and offered to us. God is endlessly generous and yet He always has more, and more, and more for as many people who ask for it. God is abundance.
8:9 You could think of this story as a story of food but I want you to understand that this multitude of people were not fed by bread but instead by Jesus' teaching. Jesus revealed a way to receive and retain eternal life and love. Jesus revealed a way to master patience and forgiveness, selflessness and compassion. Jesus revealed a way for us to persevere through this if in order to get to our next one. Jesus fed the stomachs of these people in order to teach a metaphorical message that God feeds our souls.
8:10 Immediately, Jesus and the disciples continue on their way. Jesus does not waste time. You are so important to God, He does not dillydally in reaching you. When you call Him, when you need and love Him, He is there. Immediately. You speak to Him and your voice is in His ear. Your soul is always in His heart, what you are feeling He is feeling with you in that very moment. You are never alone. Your struggles belong to both you and God and together you will conquer them. Your pain or sadness shrinks to nothing in the presence of His light.
When you accept God, when you speak to Him... you and He are tethered.
8:11 The Pharisees came out to dispute with Jesus again. They do not receive such blessings as we have been talking about because they have closed their hearts. They have rejected love and compassion. We choose or deny God's gifts. God does not punish us, we punish ourselves by ignoring Him or disputing against Him.
The Pharisees only concern is retaining their power in the community. They do not want to lose their fame and wealth. If people stop following their orders and all turn to God, they would be without all of the wealth and control they have procured.
They try to get Jesus to perform a sign, a miracle (as if He hasn't been doing so daily!).
8:12 Jesus signed deeply in His spirit. It is a weight on Jesus for souls to argue and try to taint the beautiful and perfect word of God. Jesus wants everyone to be kind and honest and when He encounters such a crooked, greedy soul, it affects Him profoundly.
Jesus is not a circus act. Jesus will not perform a sign 1) because they only want to see a sign to disprove Him, not because their hearts are faithful and 2) because when we choose to love God, we must choose to love Him for WHO He is and what He stands for... instead of what He can DO. In our own lives we want to be loved in the same way. We want people to love us for who we are not what we can do for them. That kind of love is cheap and selfish. God wants our true love.
8:13-14 Jesus and the disciples continue into the boat. The disciples realize they did not bring enough food (nourishment for their bodies). However the disciples again miss the metaphor.
8:15 Jesus cautions the disciples (and us) to never succumb or fall victim to the nourishment that is offered by deceptive, greedy people. When you are hungry, when you need help or guidance, ensure that you choose the right guide... ensure that you choose the right nourishment. Jesus wants the disciples to be aware and observant. Sometimes when we are in a difficult situation we become frantic and make desperate decisions when all along we could have chosen God. God always helps us to find a way out of a stressful situation... we need to develop the faith to believe that in order to see that path lit up.
8:16 The disciples are not understanding the message (metaphorically or spiritually). Our bodies need food yes, but more importantly, our souls need nourishment from God. We should not follow corrupt leaders or "friends" for they will always confuse and destroy our lives.
8:17 Jesus is baffled. He has proven to them time and time again that He will always lead them and will always feed them. I truly believe the disciples took to long to grasp the message because it is realistic of our own everyday lives. Faith is something that needs to be developed and strengthened over time. We learn that God is our nourishment and our guide but until we believe it and allow it to guide our lives, we continue to falter during moments of difficulty. God is patient and He works with us when we ask Him to help us develop our faith.
8:18 By these sayings Jesus is questioning their spiritual-perception. One way to think of this is to think of the color purple. Someone who is not perceptive will see purple. Someone who is perceptive will see the red and blue which creates the purple. The phrase "eyes to see and hears to hear" speaks of our perception. We must be observant and analytical in all things so as to see the deeper meaning.
8:19-21 Jesus reminds them of the very moments just before this conversation: He made the impossible possible. He provided for everyone when it appeared it could not be done. We must be perceptive to see that God is capable of more than the surface or superficial situation suggests.
8:22-23 Jesus heals a blind man. We can also think of this as Jesus giving the gift of perception. God will open your mind up to the deeper meanings of things when you are spiritually ready and willing.
8:24 For a moment, Jesus gifts this man the ability to see men as trees. Therefore: Jesus gifts this man the ability of perception. Suddenly this man is able to see a deeper, metaphorical world.
The metaphor of Men, or humans, as trees is this:
1) We each bear fruit. Our actions, our compassion and our giving are the quantification of our fruit. We either grow sweet or bitter fruit. We either work compassionately in our lives or selfishly.
2) We constantly grow and evolve due to our surroundings. We work to adapt to our environments and to help us grow with strength, God shines His ever warm light freely and abundantly. He sends the rain when we thirst and the winds (the opportunities) to spread the seeds we produce.
8:25 Jesus made the metaphor very apparent so that we could understand perception. He restores this man's sight to what we are familiar with but the perception remains. The ability to perceive remains.
8:26 Jesus does not want the man to go into the town and stir up a frenzy. He wants this man to continue in His life, now with the ability to both see and perceive truth, and help others with His new ability. God wants us to be productive. God wants our love and He wants our action. It's beautiful to tell Him you love Him and to exemplify that to others but always stay focused on His mission.
8:27 Jesus is going to question whether or not the disciples have been listening to gossip and letting it influence their lives.
8:28 Everyone in the town has a different opinion of who Jesus is. We can learn from this. Instead of wasting time gossiping and wondering... listen for and learn the truth for yourself.
8:29 Jesus wants to know if they have PERCEIVED the truth. They have. They know Who Jesus is and Who is sent from.
a) Christ comes from the Greek word Christos, which means Anointed: We know that God anointed Jesus by blessing Him and His mission on Earth.
b) Jesus comes from the Hebrew word Yeshua, which means Salvation: We also know that Jesus is our salvation because He teaches us how to find and foster safety for ourselves and for others both in this life and in the next.
Also, while we are on the topic of name origins:
c) God tells us His "name" in Exodus 3:14. The reason I put "name" in parenthesis is because God is indescribable. God is a force, an energy, a many universe... unfathomable in wonder and wisdom. His name is a description of what He is. God calls Himself: I AM. In Hebrew this is: ehyeh ašer ehyeh. By this we can understand that God IS. God IS alive. He IS wisdom. He IS abundance. He IS love. God says, I am and we learn by this statement that He always IS, always has been and always will be. He is in a constant state of BEING. As humans, we do not fully understand or grasp this concept. God is indescribable because He is beyond what we can fathom (in the best and most amazing ways).
God is referred to in many ways in the Bible but what is most important that you know is this: God knows, understands, loves and protects you in such an intimate way that names are even unnecessary. He knows your soul. When you open yourself up to Him, you will know Him by His soul and names lose their necessity. God recognizes you, heart, mind, and soul.
Continuing on:
8:30 Jesus does not want the disciples to run through the cities exclaiming Who Jesus is because He wants people to learn from Him and to learn HIM. He wants people to learn about God's message and what He stands for. He wants people to become faithful to the kind and compassionate message. Jesus does not seek fame. Jesus works for our benefit. God wants us to know who He is and He wants us to love Him because we agree that compassion, honesty and love are the foundation of everything.
8:31 Here Jesus explains to the disciples the rest of His journey. Jesus came to Earth knowing that He would be rejected, harmed and then killed. The message Jesus wanted to bring to you was so strong and so important to Him that He was so willing and ready to accept His earthly fate. Jesus experiences the struggles and situations we deal with first hand for Himself. He wanted to come to show us that although we may have enemies or challenges, we rise, always in God.
8:32-33 Peter rejected this truth that Jesus taught to them. It's really, especially important that we listen and trust God when He teaches us something because He is always helping us to become prepared and cautious and brave. Jesus spoke the word of God to Peter and Peter denied it (likely because he did not want to believe that Jesus would suffer such things). But Peter, and we also, have to learn that God's plan has indeed been planned in detail for specific purposes. Although we may not always understand, God has our best interests in the forefront of His mind. In the present moment, it seemed like a terrible end to lose Jesus but as we know now, His death brought about immeasurable happiness and strength.
The people who deny what God teaches: which is love, compassion and honesty, are choosing hate, selfishness and deceit instead. Jesus does not want us to deny the Word of God because He knows it will harm our own lives and others as well. He cares about us.
We learn and work through the Word of God so that we can accurately and perceptively learn and work in our lives. We learn it to see how to live and to see what is coming. Peter denied it becomes it seemed wrong and/or scary but we should not make this mistake. God is always right and always gives us strength over fear when we trust Him. Whatever is coming to us is coming to us WITH God and so we can handle it.
8:34 Amazing and important instruction in this verse. If you want to live as Jesus did, if you want to stand for and work for what God stands for: you must become selfless and humble and brave. God will help you to do this. Jesus received beautiful and abundant blessings from God not because Jesus asked for them but instead because Jesus got rid of His own desires for the benefit of others. Jesus' entire life was dedicated to others instead of to Himself. It's a hard thing to do, to learn to put others before yourself because in order to do that, you must have strength and love and belief in yourself with God and then use those things to bring gifts to others.
It's a mighty and lifelong task and sometimes we fail or fall short. We are so blessed because God is patient and understanding and forgiving. He knows when we try, try, try with everything we have. He knows our true heart.
8:35 When you neglect or even harm others to protect your own safety or fortune, you certainly will lose it. When you are willing to lose your own fortune for others God will make you rich with love and eternity. Arrange your priorities: God puts His love for you and the other children first. We must have our priorities arranged so well.
8:36 You can spend your entire life procuring wealth, control, material, land, fame... but when your life on Earth is over, you will have none of that. God does not value those things at all. God values love and compassion, honesty and humility. With your love, compassion, honesty and humility you reach heaven not with useless "stuff" but instead with God's blessings and all the children you helped save with God's help and those very traits.
Do not taint or corrupt your soul because you will lose it. When you are given the opportunity, always help others. Always be a home for someone who genuinely needs it if you have the financial, emotional, physical ability to do so. If you ask God, He will bring so many people into your life who are in need of your very own abilities
8:37 Will you trade your soul for a wealthy, powerful life on Earth? I assure you it's a trick. Your soul is worth so much more than the corruption on the Earth. What matters, what nourishes you is love not wealth. Be sincere with others and receive their sincere love and support in return -- this is a true wealth.
8:38 You get to determine your relationship with God. You get to define your relationship with God. He returns all of the love we give, all of the life we support, all of the protection we provide others. But if you do not value what He stands for -- which is compassion for all -- He will not value what you stand for.
We are so blessed to be the architects of our relationship with God. Our lives are in our hands... until we make the decision to put our lives in God's hands... and then we are so loved, protected and guided.
