SUFFERING KING: THE BOOK OF MARK:
The Divine Physician & The Mission Of The Church: Mark 6:53-56
Pastor John Nicholas
Sunday June 21, 2020
We are concluding Chapter 6
And last week John exposited the scripture on Jesus walking on the water
According to Hiebert the walking on water was to “bolster their faith.” (Hiebert, 188)
Coming to them be courageous, don’t be afraid. He strengthens them even though their hearts do not understand the miracle of the feeding
Had they understood the miracle of the loaves they would not have been frightened or astonished by the walking on the water
- John 6:14-15 says that Jesus had withdrawn from the crowd of the feeding as they were going to force Him into kingship – so he left
John 6:14-15 (NASB)
14 Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
Jesus Walks on the Water
15 So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.
- Jesus with the disciples (He is in the boat)
- After walking on water
- Their hearts are hardened
- They had experienced the miraculous feeding
- And they did not understand
- They did not link the miraculous feeding to the confirmation of Jesus as not only God’s messenger but God himself
- They saw the feeding and were not swayed
- Jesus does the things of God and they do not recognize Him, yet, as the son of God
Romans 1:18-20 (NASB)
Unbelief and Its Consequences
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
John 3:1-2 (NASB)
The New Birth
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;
2 this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
Jesus is the I AM
Exodus 3:13 – 14 (NASB)
13 Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?”
14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
We are closing on the end of Jesus miracles
Mark 6:53–56 (LGNTI:SBL)
53Καὶ διαπεράσαντες ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἦλθον εἰς Γεννησαρὲτ καὶ προσωρμίσθησαν.
And after they crossed over to the land they came to Genessaret and anchored
- Genessaret – between Bethsaida and Capernaum
- They had headed toward Bethsaida, the wind – noted from the previous passage pushed them south
- The plain of Gennesaret a 8 or so to the south of Bethsaida
- And here we will have the ongoing training of the disciples as the martyros – the witnesses to Jesus
- This area extended about three miles on the western shore of Galillee
- It was between Capernaum and Tiberias
- And it was densely populated, no doubt due to the fertile soil in the region
- And this is where they anchored, moored the boat
- Either in shallow water or to the shore
- This area was a Jewish region
54καὶ ἐξελθόντων αὐτῶν ἐκ τοῦ πλοίου εὐθὺς ἐπιγνόντες αὐτὸν
And as they were getting out of the boat immediately people recognized Him
- Think about the flow of the narrative
- They have gone from the crowds of the feeding to the aloneness of the sea and mountain and now back to crowds
- Euthus – immediately He was recognized
- There is no chance of passing through unseen
- Jesus is known throughout the region
- His ‘fame’ has gone before Him
- His ministry was known
- His healing was known
- Mark 1:28 – tells us He was known
Mark 1:28 (NASB)
28 Immediately the news about Him spread everywhere into all the surrounding district of Galilee.
- THEY KNEW HIM (but why – from the healing or the teaching – The healing as we will see)
55περιέδραμον ὅλην τὴν χώραν ἐκείνην καὶ ἤρξαντο ἐπὶ τοῖς κραβάττοις τοὺς κακῶς ἔχοντας περιφέρειν ὅπου ἤκουον ὅτι ἐστίν.
They ran about that whole region and began to carry around those who were badly on stretchers wherever they heard that He was
- The result – Jesus is hear and everyone seems to now know it
- It rings throughout the countryside
- He has arrived in the region!
- As soon as he lands the word goes out
- One can almost imagine runners scattering to spread the news
- They couldn’t believe their luck – the healer is here!
- Tell everyone!
- And it is obvious that Jesus is known as a healer
- A healer unlike any who have been seen
- The miracles do not to prove that there is a God but that Jesus, at the minimum, is a messenger of God
- They are running around from place to place to see Jesus carrying people on their pallets, stretchers, the krabottois.
- The idea is that they are pursuing with haste, zeal
- Trying to find out where Jesus is
- They need to find Him so the sick can be healed
56καὶ ὅπου ἂν εἰσεπορεύετο εἰς κώμας ἢ εἰς πόλεις ἢ εἰς ἀγροὺς ἐν ταῖς ἀγοραῖς ἐτίθεσαν τοὺς ἀσθενοῦντας, καὶ παρεκάλουν αὐτὸν ἵνα κἂν τοῦ κρασπέδου τοῦ ἱματίου αὐτοῦ ἅψωνται· καὶ ὅσοι ἂν ἥψαντο αὐτοῦ ἐσῴζοντο.
And whenever He would go into villages or into towns or to farms, in the market places they would put those who were sick and would implore Him that is they could touch the edge of His cloak and all those who touched it were healed
- It seems that the knowledge that the woman was healed of bleeding have reached this area
- Villages, towns, and farms – large, medium, and small represented here
- The sick and infirm are being brought on pallets
- They cannot get there on their own
- They are dependent on others to bring them to Jesus
- And at the touch of the tassel they are healed
Numbers 15:38–41 (NASB)
38 “Speak to the sons of Israel, and tell them that they shall make for themselves tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and that they shall put on the tassel of each corner a cord of blue.
39 It shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the Lord, so as to do them and not follow after your own heart and your own eyes, after which you played the harlot,
40 so that you may remember to do all My commandments and be holy to your God.
41 I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt to be your God; I am the Lord your God.”
- Without words
- Without interaction
- Similar to the woman who was bleeding
- Psalm 73:26 – God is my strength
Psalm 73:26 (NASB)
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
- Jeremiah 30:17 – God will heal
Jeremiah 30:17 (NASB)
17 ‘For I will restore you to health
And I will heal you of your wounds,’ declares the Lord,
‘Because they have called you an outcast, saying:
“It is Zion; no one cares for her.”’
- Isaiah 40:29-31 – God gives strength, on wings like eagles
Isaiah 40:29-31 (NASB)
29 He gives strength to the weary,
And to him who lacks might He increases power.
30 Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly,
31 Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.
- Think of that in relation to those who are brought on pallets and healed
- They could not ambulate
- And now healed
- Born up by God
Isaiah 42:3 (NASB)
3 “A bruised reed He will not break
And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish;
He will faithfully bring forth justice.
We are now near the close of the Galilean ministry with its many healing mercies and excitement is at the highest pitch (Bruce).
What do we find in this narrative?
We find Jesus and His disciples
We find the people that have seen and heard about Him
We find their desire for physical healing
Great physical healing – people that cannot walk, cannot not travel without the help of others
People on pallets/matts like in Mark 2
Remember how the man was lowered on his Matt, a paralytic and was healed
But more importantly He was healed of his sin
Do we see that in this narrative?
Do we hear it mentioned?
They were touching His cloak and they were healed of their illness
Do we hear of teaching?
This is not a lack on Christ’s part
This does demonstrate the heart of the people
A hardness of heart
They had heard about Jesus and what He could do
And all they sought was physical healing
Schlatter rightly notes, “In the zeal with which the people brought their sick to Jesus we recognize not only how deeply the untiring goodness of Jesus touched Israel, but also how distant Israel remained from Jesus, because it sought from him nothing but the healing of its sick.”
All they sought was to be free from their current affliction
Desiring to walk
And now they can walk straight to hell
The true healer is in their midst
And they only approach him like a magician
“heal me of my disease, I can handle the rest”
But you see they cannot handle the rest
The miracles are not to prove there is a God
They miracles are to show where Jesus is from
Where His authority is located
Turn to John 3:1-2
John 3:1-2 (NASB)
The New Birth
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;
2 this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
- Interestingly enough it is Nicodemus in John 3:2 who recognizes the purpose of the miracles
- They confirm to Nicodemus that He is from God
Daniel 3:16-18 trusting in God that He will save but even is He chooses not to our faith will not fail
Daniel 3:16-18 (NASB)
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter.
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.
18 But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
Jesus did not hold back the physical healing but it wasn’t the point of Him being incarnate
One can be healed of blindness and still not see that they will suffer eternal damnation
The problem here is that all they sought was physical healing
They didn’t seek the one who could forgive sin
They didn’t seek the one who taught repentance
Mark 1:15 (NASB)
15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
The message of the gospel repent and believe in the good news
The one who came to heal the nations Rev 22:2
Revelation 22:2 (NASB)
2 in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
For us then
It means we not only bring the people to the savior
But we bring them for true healing
Not the healing of physical problems (although we pray for that)
But healing that is eternal
The healing of the problem of sin
The problem that will damn us if it is not rectified
We need to be washed by the blood of Christ
The only salve that will cleanse us
And the office of the church is the same thing
To lead people to repentance and to trust in the good news of Christ the savior.
Not to lead people to healing of physical disease
But to heal them of the real problem, sin
Their sin, the thing which damns them
We, the church, are to point people to the EGO EMI – the I AM
To Jesus
God incarnate
We are to point them to the true healer
We as the church don’t say – you are pretty good you can make yourself better with this new self help plan
We are to say – you are dead in your sin, you are walking the path to eternal damnation, and not only do you deserve it but there is nothing you can do about it
But Jesus can
We should run about the land
Find those who are dead and dying in their sin
And point them to Jesus the Divine Physician
The one who saves
