Mark 6–8:21: Do You Still Not Understand?": Bread, Boundaries, and Hardened Hearts

Jesus went on from there and came to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. “Where did this man get these ideas?” they asked. “What is this wisdom he has been given? And how can he perform such miracles? Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us as well?” And they took offense at him.

Then Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own household is a prophet without honor.” So he could not perform any miracles there, except to lay his hands on a few of the sick and heal them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.

And he went around from village to village, teaching the people.

Then Jesus called the Twelve to him and began to send them out two by two, giving them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing but a staff for the journey—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— and to wear sandals, but not a second tunic.

And he told them, “When you enter a house, stay there until you leave that area. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that place, as a testimony against them.”

So they set out and preached that the people should repent. They also drove out many demons and healed many of the sick, anointing them with oil.

Now King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known, and people were saying, “John the Baptist has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” Others were saying, “He is Elijah,” and still others, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.”

But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has risen from the dead!” For Herod himself had ordered that John be arrested and bound and imprisoned, on account of his brother Philip’s wife Herodias, whom Herod had married. For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife!”

So Herodias held a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she had been unable, because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man. When he heard John’s words, he was greatly perplexed; yet he listened to him gladly.

On Herod’s birthday, her opportunity arose. Herod held a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. When the daughter of Herodias came and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests, and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask of me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom!”

Then she went out and asked her mother, “What should I request?”

And her mother answered, “The head of John the Baptist.”

At once the girl hurried back to the king with her request: “I want you to give me the head of John the Baptist on a platter immediately.”

The king was consumed with sorrow, but because of his oaths and his guests, he did not want to refuse her. So without delay, the king commanded that John’s head be brought in. He sent an executioner, who went and beheaded him in the prison. The man brought John’s head on a platter and presented it to the girl, who gave it to her mother.

When John’s disciples heard about this, they came and took his body and placed it in a tomb.

Meanwhile, the apostles gathered around Jesus and brought him news of all they had done and taught. And he said to them, “Come with me privately to a solitary place, and let us rest for a while.” For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.

So they went away in a boat by themselves to a solitary place. But many people saw them leaving and recognized them. They ran together on foot from all the towns and arrived before them. When Jesus stepped ashore and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.

By now the hour was already late. So the disciples came to Jesus and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is already late. Dismiss the crowd so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

But Jesus told them, “You give them something to eat.”

They asked him, “Should we go out and spend two hundred denarii to give all of them bread to eat?”

“Go and see how many loaves you have,” he told them.

And after checking, they said, “Five—and two fish.”

Then Jesus directed them to have the people sit in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties.

Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, Jesus spoke a blessing and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all.

They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. And there were five thousand men who had eaten the loaves.

Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After bidding them farewell, he went up on the mountain to pray.

When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and Jesus was alone on land. He could see that the disciples were straining to row, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out to them, walking on the sea. He intended to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea, they cried out, thinking he was a ghost— for they all saw him and were terrified.

But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.” Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. And the disciples were utterly astounded, for they had not understood about the loaves, but their hearts had been hardened.

When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and moored the boat. As soon as they got out of the boat, the people recognized Jesus and ran through that whole region, carrying the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went—villages and towns and countrysides—they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him just to let them touch the fringe of his cloak. And all who touched him were healed.

Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, and they saw some of his disciples eating with hands that were defiled—that is, unwashed.

Now in holding to the tradition of the elders, the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat until they wash their hands ceremonially. And on returning from the market, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions for them to observe, including the washing of cups, pitchers, kettles, and couches for dining.

So the Pharisees and scribes questioned Jesus: “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders? Instead, they eat with defiled hands.”

Jesus answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written:

You have disregarded the commandment of God to keep the tradition of men.”

He went on to say, “You neatly set aside the command of God to maintain your own tradition. For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is Corban’ (that is, a gift devoted to God), he is no longer permitted to do anything for his father or mother. Thus you nullify the word of God by the tradition you have handed down. And you do so in many such matters.”

Once again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “All of you, listen to me and understand: Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him; but the things that come out of a man, these are what defile him.”

After Jesus had left the crowd and gone into the house, his disciples inquired about the parable.

“Are you still so dull?” he asked. “Do you not understand? Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him, because it does not enter his heart, but it goes into the stomach and then is eliminated.” (Thus all foods are clean.)

He continued: “What comes out of a man, that is what defiles him. For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness. All these evils come from within, and these are what defile a man.”

Jesus left that place and went to the region of Tyre. Not wanting anyone to know he was there, he entered a house, but was unable to escape their notice. Instead, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit soon heard about Jesus, and she came and fell at his feet. Now she was a Greek woman of Syrophoenician origin, and she kept asking Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

“First let the children have their fill,” he said. “For it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

Then Jesus told her, “Because of this answer, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.” And she went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon was gone.

Then Jesus left the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. Some people brought to him a man who was deaf and hardly able to speak, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him.

So Jesus took him aside privately, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. And looking up to heaven, he sighed deeply and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!”). Immediately the man’s ears were opened and his tongue was released, and he began to speak plainly.

Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them, the more widely they proclaimed it. The people were utterly astonished and said, “He has done all things well! He makes even the deaf hear and the mute speak!”

In those days the crowd once again became very large, and they had nothing to eat. Jesus called the disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for this crowd, because they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will faint along the way. For some of them have come a great distance.”

His disciples replied, “Where in this desolate place could anyone find enough bread to feed all these people?”

“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.

“Seven,” they replied.

And he instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, gave thanks and broke them, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people. And they distributed them to the crowd. They also had a few small fish, and Jesus blessed them and ordered that these be set before them as well.

The people ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. And about four thousand men were present.

As soon as Jesus had dismissed the crowd, he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.

Then the Pharisees came and began to argue with Jesus, testing him by demanding from him a sign from heaven.

Jesus sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation demand a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.” And he left them, got back into the boat, and crossed to the other side.

Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. “Watch out!” he cautioned them. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod.”

So they began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread.

Aware of their conversation, Jesus asked them, “Why are you debating about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Do you have such hard hearts? ‘Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear?’ And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of broken pieces did you collect?”

“Twelve,” they answered.

“And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of broken pieces did you collect?”

“Seven,” they said.

Then he asked them, “Do you still not understand?”