Mark 8:13Do not imagine that Jesus is running away. The passage here makes it sound as if he spent very little time only to leave again. But, what we need to remember is that the trip over the Sea of Galilee was not terribly long. Imagine a long ferry ride, not an extended ocean voyage.…

Mark 8:12I think it is very difficult for us to understand Jesus’ feelings. And why is that? Well, it’s tricky for us to put the whole thing in context because we forget that Jesus is eternal. He was in wilderness after the Exodus. He was the Lord of David and Solomon. He was the One…

Mark 8:11Throughout Jewish history they had been very interested in sign miracles. And many had been provided. If Moses and Joshua were not enough, Elijah and Elisha should have been. So, since they had a tendency to quickly forget these significant signs, Jesus finds their requests for a sign quite distasteful and empty.It says here…

Mark 8:10Dalmanutha was likely on the west side of the Sea of Galilee. Matthew tells us they went to a region near Magdala. So, Dalmanutha was in that area. Why does Mark only refer to it in this way? Different people refer to regions in different ways. Depending upon the geography we are familiar with,…

Mark 8:9So how many people were there? Well, there were about four thousand. That’s stated plainly. So why ask? Matthew says it differently. Matthew chapter fifteen tells us it was four thousand men, not counting women and children. Does that mean Mark is wrong? No. It just reflects how things were counted.Now, many have said…

Mark 8:8The wording here can seem misleading due to the change of word meanings over time. The word ‘meat’ is just meant to mean food. It doesn’t mean that there was only fish left. In fact, what is really being said in the original was that there were seven basketfuls of ‘leftovers’. Ah, yes, those…

I’m having hernia surgery tomorrow. I’ll be taking a break from posting for a few days.

Mark 8:7Why multiply the fish too? Well for one thing, this really shows it is a miracle. Someone might try to suggest ways that bread could be produced by trickery. But to create new fish on the spot, that’s nothing short of miraculous.Aside from that, Jesus was not limited, so why not provide both bread…

Mark 8:6The sad thing is that we are often far less thankful for a great feast than we are for a small portion. When we have little, we tend to be very thankful for what we do have. When we have an abundance, we tend to take it for granted. Psalm 120:1-131:3 James 5:11 Behold,…

Mark 8:5Have you ever wondered what was going through the disciples minds when Jesus asked questions like this? What is he going to do? Why is he asking? What is he thinking? Are these not the same questions we ask ourselves all the time about Almighty God. And yet, we have never known him to…