Bigger Picture (Mark 6:30 8:30) Hard-heartedness Mark 7:31 8:21 6:30-44 6:45-52 7:1-23 feeding miracle water crossing conflict story 7:24-30 bread talk 8:14-21 7:31-36 7:37 healing miracle confession of faith 8:1-9 8:10 8:11-13 8:22-26 8:27-30 Let s read Mark 7:1-30 Hard-heartedness leads dangerously to a rejection of Jesus and his purposes. So, beware of the danger of hard-heartedness.
Gospel of Mark (D. D. Lowery 2015) 11. Hard-heartedness (Mark 7:31 8:21) Introduction Pastor buddy who, after 30 yrs of pastoring, still breaks down over interpersonal issues in his church. Remarkable how tender he still is, as becoming jaded and cynical is so much easier. Form, Structure, Setting This is all part of a larger chain of stories, as demonstrated by the image below. 1 [Image from sermon slides (9/6/16)] Sermon Notes Jesus Heals a Deaf Man (7:31-37) This story here is similar in both form and content to the healing of a blind man in 8:22-26, and together they form something of a frame. 2 Both, as we ll see next week, seem to be employed by Mark to treat the theme of spiritual blindness. Both Matthew and Luke omit this story from their Gospels, perhaps because of some of the difficulties discussed below (though cf. John 9:1-7 for a similar healing). Then Jesus went out again from the region of Tyre and came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee in the region of the Decapolis. (7:31) This is a strange route being described here that has occasioned much debate. 3 On one side is Tuckett, for example, who says this suggests Mark has no real sense about geography of the region. 4 To head southeast, Jesus heads north, then east, then south (i.e., well out of the way and not at all a direct route to destination). It may be that Jesus is now simply open to ministering to Gentiles, and takes some time in Gentile territory to do just that. 5 They brought to him a deaf man who had difficulty speaking (7:32) The word here to describe the man s speaking impediment (µογιλάλος) is a rare Gk. word (used only here in the NT and in Isa 35:6 in the LXX of the OT). As Tuckett explains: The allusion then seems to be clear: Jesus action in healing the man is the fulfilment of 1 From Lane, 1974, 269; Strauss, 2014, 326. 2 Boring, 2012, 215; cf. France, 2002, 301. 3 See Guelich, 1989, 391-393 for a nice summary of the discussion. 4 Tuckett, 2001, 901. Cranfield, 1979, 250 is gentler about it but essentially makes the same point. 5 Evans, 2003, 1081. 1
Mark 7:31 8:21 Jewish eschatological hopes as articulated in such passages as Isa 35. 6 he put his fingers in the man s ears, and after spitting, he touched his tongue (7:33) Why does Jesus do all this stuff in order to heal this guy? Real similarity here with Greco-Roman healing stories (be sure to check out Boring et al., 1995 and also Bock and Herrick, 2005 back in the office). E.g., a later Roman emperor, Vespasian, was said to have healed a man s sight impediment (Tacitus Hist. 4.81; Suetonius Vesp. 7). 7 Here, however, there are many more OT parallels and allusions that would been apparent to early audiences. 8 Jesus ordered them not to tell anything. But as much as he ordered them not to do this, they proclaimed it all the more. (7:36-37) Though Jesus sought no publicity with healings like this, his ministry was so powerful, so stunning in its results that people everywhere proclaimed it. 9 Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand (8:1-10) We ve just had a miraculous feeding story (6:33-44) so what s going on with this one here? Tuckett suggests this is simply a duplicate of the former story (i.e., they both represent the same event), but at least he continues on to ask the question of why this one is here. He concludes that this story is here to highlight the obtuseness of the disciples who should have not had to ask about how all these folks can be fed. 10 Note: it s not a duplicate account. That wouldn t make any sense out of Jesus remarks in 8:14-21, below (when he refers to both separate incidents). 11 As Keener points out, Jesus was not limited to doing a miracle only once; he could repeat them whenever necessary (8:19-21; cf. 2 Kings 2:19-22; 4:1-7, 38-41, 42-44; 7:16). 12 Here, as in the previous feeding miracle, Elisha is to be recalled. Further, Horsley points out that these two feedings echo the feedings of Israel in the wilderness by Moses (Exod 16; Num 11). 13 Potential symbolism of details: 7 loaves, 7 baskets of leftovers, 4000 people. No clear symbolism to 7 loaves. 14 Doesn t seem to be any symbolism in the 7 baskets of leftovers or the 4000 crowd, either. 15 Hurtado points out that the word Jesus uses to describe the people ( they ve come from a great distance ; ἀπὸ µακρόθεν ἥκασιν) is strongly reminiscent of Isa 60:4. 9; Jer 6 Tuckett, 2001, 901; so also Keener, 1993, 154; France, 2002, 302. Hurtado, 2011, 120 notes the allusions may be throughout the passage and not just with this word. That is, Mark wants his audience to recall all of Isa 35 (e.g., even the location of the prophecy is Lebanon, aka, Tyre and Sidon of Mark 7, etc.). 7 Evans, 2003, 1082. 8 See Boring, 2012, 216-217 for discussion. 9 Evans, 2003, 1082. 10 Tuckett, 2001, 901. So also Evans, 2003, 1082. 11 Williamson Jr., 2009, 142; Bock, 2015, 232-233. 12 Keener, 1993, 155. 13 In a study note in the NOAB. 14 Stein, 2008, 369-370 discusses all sorts of options and then concludes that no clear choice from the options emerges, though see Brooks, 1991, 124-126 for some tentative comments on what could be implied. 2 15 Garland, 1996, 306; Bock, 2015, 234 n. 334.
Gospel of Mark (D. D. Lowery 2015) 46:27; Gk. vss of Jer 26:27; 38:10. There we find promises of a great ingathering of peoples from all over the world, suggesting to Mark s readers this ingathering is now taking place. 16 The Seeking of a Sign (8:11-13) It seems like deliverance prophets (or revolutionaries) understood that they were to proffer signs to demonstrate God was in fact with them and their call was to be heeded by others. Josephus (Ant. 20.5.1 97-98) describes a Theudas from the time of Fadus (ca. 45-46 A.D.) who was convinced he was going to lead a revolution and got folks to follow him out to the Jordan. There he expected to be able to part the waters (like Joshua? Elijah and Elisha?). Didn t work, and Fadus had him beheaded! 17 Another incident Josephus describes (Wars 2.13.4-5 258-263) later under Felix (52-60 A.D.) where an Egyptian Jew gathered 30,000 revolutionaries and waited outside Jerusalem for the walls to miraculously fall down, at which point they d take over the city. Josephus says of these men: These were such men as deceived and deluded the people under pretense of divine inspiration, but were for procuring innovations and changes of the government, and these prevailed with the multitude to act like madmen, and went before them into the wilderness, as pretending that God would there show them the signals of liberty. Felix did away with these folks quickly too. 18 Both of these events are later than Jesus (just to be clear) but may help us appreciate what the leadership was looking for from Jesus by way of signs (i.e., signals of liberty ). asking for a sign from heaven to test him (8:11) perhaps related to discussion above about revolutionary prophets and their signs. Also perhaps Deut 18:18-22, to test whether or not from God. But if they haven t gotten it yet (indeed, they declared his exorcisms from Satan in ch. 3!) they probably won t accept anything else. Mark confirms their negative intentions by calling it a test. This word here may also allude to OT passages where Israel tempted or tested God by doubting his previously demonstrated works and demanded new ones (Pss 95:9-10; 78:17-20, 40-43, 56; 106:13-14; Num 14:1-10, 20-25). 19 Cf. Mark 1:13 where same word is used of Satan tempting Jesus is Mark making such an association? Seems likely. 20 Sighing deeply in his spirit he said, Why does this generation look for a sign? (8:12-13) This generation ; that is, the main stream of life and thought among his Jewish contemporaries. 21 Jesus refusal Note that in parallels (Matt 12:39; Luke 11:29) Jesus adds except the sign of Jonah. Here that s left out. Of this refusal, Evans explains: 16 Hurtado, 2011, 122, 129. He is careful to note that the OT passages refer to a Jewish ingathering, though Mark s Gentile audience would have appreciated this new reality of Gentiles being a part as well. 17 Evans, 2003, 1082. 18 Both events are discussed briefly in Coogan, 1998, 500-501. See further the fascinating discussion of a whole litany of troublemakers from the early Roman period in Judea in CHJ 3:501-568, as well as the far more immediately relevant discussion of sign expectations in the 1st cent. and how this passage and parallels fit in with that perfectly in Bryan, 2005, 28-45. 19 Hurtado, 2011, 124. 20 Brooks, 1991, 127. 21 Wright, 2004, 103. 3
Mark 7:31 8:21 Jesus refusal to petition God for a sign is remarkable and suggests a deliberate distancing from the various would-be deliverers who from time to time appeared on the scene. 22 Further (and once again for Mark) it becomes clear that miracles cannot engender a positive response to Jesus if no such response is already present. 23 Beyond this, Jesus wants commitment to him to be voluntary, not something induced with signs and wonders. 24 Jesus With His Disciples (8:14-21) This passage is one of the more difficult passages in Mark, and yet it is also an important one. 25 Helpful and brief is Edwards, 2002, 237-239. Now they had forgotten to take bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat (8:14) And Jesus ordered them, Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod! (8:15) Both parties have already conspired together to kill Jesus (3:6) and more immediately, Herod killed John the Baptist and shown an inability to understand who Jesus really is (6:14-29). Thus, the leaven of Herod and the Pharisees is probably the unbelief that refuses to recognize Jesus and hence rejects him. 26 Yeast or leaven was a Jewish and Christian symbol for evil (1 Cor 5:6-8), false teaching (Gal 5:9; Matt 16:12), and hypocrisy (Luke 12:1). 27 Though it could also be used positively as an image (Matt 13:33). Both parties (Pharisees and Herodians) had their own competing visions for Kingdom restoration, and Jesus was at odds with both. 28 Same with the disciples, really. So, Garland: Jesus has a vision of what the kingdom of God looks like. The disciples see nothing, no matter how hard they strain their eyes. 29 Here the fact that Mark is vague about precisely what the referent is suggests he wants his audience to revel in the ambiguity in a way that forces them to take account of their own hearts. Mark involves readers in a search of the the text and of their own souls. 30 So they began to discuss with one another about having no bread (8:16) What Jesus intends metaphorically, the disciples interpret literally. 31 When he learned of this, Jesus said to them, Why are you arguing about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Have your hearts been hardened? (8:17-21) 22 Evans, 2003, 1082. 23 Tuckett, 2001, 901. 24 Brooks, 1991, 127. 25 Hurtado, 2011, 125. 26 Tuckett, 2001, 902; cf. Strauss, 2014, 348. 27 Hurtado, 2011, 125-126. 28 Wright, 2004, 104. 29 Garland, 1996, 318. 30 Williamson Jr., 2009, 143. 31 Brooks, 1991, 129. 4
Gospel of Mark (D. D. Lowery 2015) This is precariously close to the descriptions of Jesus for outsiders provided in ch. 4. 32 Jesus quotes here from Jer 5:21, and the whole passage (5:20-31) is instructive, and likely what Mark and Jesus intended with these words. Because of hardened hearts and refusal to acknowledge the Lord, judgment is coming (and on leaders). This is a serious charge, then, and shows how seriously Jesus saw this rejection by the leaders of his day. 33 The disciples take Jesus warning about the leaven of the Pharisees literally but not seriously. Like the Pharisees, they fail to discern who Jesus is and what he is about. 34 That is, they miss the significance of what is really happening by being distractedly focused on the everyday and the physical. 35 Jesus point has to do with the baskets, at least according to the logic of the conversation. So though we might not want to read in too deeply to the symbolic elements present in the feeding story, above, here we might be encouraged to consider a bit further. So Marcus suggests a level of eschatological fulfillment intended with these numbers to be understood here. The whole conversation is necessarily somewhat speculative, yet interesting. 36 The Point (must be able to answer these 2 questions) 1. What is the one thing I want my audience to know? Hard-heartedness leads dangerously to a rejection of Jesus and his purposes. 2. What do I want them to do about it? So, beware of the danger of hard-heartedness. Applicational Thoughts Hardened hearts, hardness of heart, jadedness, cynicism, etc. Where are we insensitive or unresponsive in our own lives to Jesus presence and power? Where are we hard of hearing? Gundry details what he refers to repeatedly as the superadequacy of Jesus in these passages, which should further mitigate against deafness and blindness, yet sadly does not. 37 What things of this world (positions, power, money, status, things, etc.) blind us to the greater purposes of the Kingdom of God? 38 Additionally, Osborne notes how pervasive self-centeredness can be and how blinding it is: Our spiritual side is easily clouded with our own ambitions, and our primary concern is to get God to give us the life that we wish for ourselves. 39 What would make Jesus groan today (about us still not getting it)? 40 32 Marcus, 2002, 1:511. France calls the allusions to ch. 4 a striking (and rather shocking) echo. France, 2002, 314. 33 Hurtado, 2011, 126-127. 34 Williamson Jr., 2009, 144. 35 So, Marcus, 2002, 1:515. 36 Ibid., 1:513-514. 37 Gundry, 2004, 1:407-410. 38 Question posed by Strauss, 2014, 341. 39 Osborne, 2014, 138. 40 Question posed by Wright, 2004, 105. 5
Mark 7:31 8:21 Proximity to Jesus may even become a hindrance in some ways! We see this time and time again in Mark, that those closest simply assume alignment, when in fact the divide is great. Jesus warns us to watch out! 41 Remember, however, that our passage began with a story of Jesus healing the deaf and dumb man, and we re going to have another one next Sunday. I.e., our text today is framed by Jesus bringing about perception and healing. 42 Remember as well the bread we re about to break together! Works Cited: Abbreviated Works Ant. Josephus Antiquities of the Jews CHJ Davies, W. D., and Louis Finkelstein, eds. 1984 2006. The Cambridge History of Judaism. 4 vols. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Hist. Tacitus The Histories NOAB New Oxford Annotated Bible Vesp. Chapter Vespasian from Suetonius Lives of the Twelve Caesars Wars Josephus Jewish Wars Other Works Bock, Darrell L. 2015. Mark. Edited by Ben Witherington III. New Cambridge Bible Commentary. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Bock, Darrell L., and Gregory J. Herrick, eds. 2005. Jesus in Context: Background Readings for Gospel Study. Grand Rapids: Baker. Boring, M. Eugene. 2012. [original ed. 2006]. Mark: A Commentary. Paperback ed. Edited by C. Clifton Black et al. New Testament Library. Louisville: Westminster John Knox. Boring, M. Eugene et al., eds. 1995. Hellenistic Commentary to the New Testament. Nashville: Abingdon. Brooks, James A. 1991. Mark. Edited by David S. Dockery. New American Commentary 23. Nashville: Broadman. Bryan, Steven M. 2005. [original ed. 2002]. Jesus and Israel s Traditions of Judgment and Restoration. Paperback ed. Edited by Richard Bauckham. Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series 117. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Coogan, Michael D., ed. 1998. The Oxford History of the Biblical World. New York, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Cranfield, C. E. B. 1979. [original ed. 1959]. The Gospel According to St. Mark. Edited by C. F. D. Moule. Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Edwards, James R. 2002. The Gospel According to Mark. Edited by D. A. Carson. Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. Evans, Craig A. 2003. Mark. In Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible. eds. James D. G. Dunn, and John W. Rogerson, 1064-1103. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. France, R. T. 2002. The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary on the Greek Text. Edited by I. Howard Marshall, and Donald A. Hagner. The New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. Garland, David E. 1996. Mark. Edited by Terry Muck. The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. Guelich, Robert A. 1989. Mark 1 8:26. Edited by Bruce M. Metzger et al. Word Biblical Commentary 34A. Dallas: Word. 41 Edwards, 2002, 239-240. 42 Garland, 1996, 301. 6
Gospel of Mark (D. D. Lowery 2015) Gundry, Robert Horton. 2004. [original ed. 1993]. Mark: A Commentary on His Apology for the Cross. Reprint ed. 2 vols. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. Hurtado, Larry W. 2011. [original ed. 1995]. Mark. Edited by W. Ward Gasque et al. Understanding the Bible. Grand Rapids: Baker. Keener, Craig S. 1993. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove: InterVarsity. Lane, William L. 1974. The Gospel of Mark: The English Text with Introduction, Exposition and Notes. New London Commentary on the New Testament. London: Marshall Morgan & Scott. Marcus, Joel. 2002 2009. Mark: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. 2 vols. Anchor Yale Bible 27. New York: Yale University Press. Osborne, Grant R. 2014. Mark. Edited by Mark L. Strauss, and John H. Walton. Teach the Text. Grand Rapids: Baker. Stein, Robert H. 2008. Mark. Edited by Robert W. Yarbrough, and Robert H. Stein. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker. Strauss, Mark L. 2014. Mark. Edited by Clinton E. Arnold. Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament 2. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. Tuckett, C. M. 2001. Mark. In The Oxford Bible Commentary. eds. John Barton, and John Muddiman, 886-922. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Williamson Jr., Lamar. 2009. [original ed. 1983]. Mark. Edited by James L. Mays. Interpretation. Louisville: Westminster John Knox. Wright, N. T. 2004. [original ed. 2001]. Mark for Everyone. Louisville: Westminster John Knox. 7