Mark 6

CHAPTER 6THEME: Synagogue in Nazareth; healing the sick at Nazareth; the Twelve sent out; disciples heal; death of John the Baptist; the Twelve return; five thousand fed; walks on sea; sick in land of Gennesaret healedThis is the second longest chapter in the Gospel of Mark. Mark follows his usual style of presenting the action in the ministry of Jesus with machine-gun-like rapidity, but in the first twenty-nine verses there is a lull in the intense activity. Jesus returns to Nazareth. He sends out the Twelve to preach and they report back to Him. Then He feeds the five thousand, walks on the water, and heals in the land of Gennesaret. The chapter closes with the ministry of Jesus around the Sea of Galilee in the locality of the western shore.

Jesus is tremendously popular at this time. It is the peak of His ministry.

Mark 6:1

SYNAGOGUE IN NAZARETHWhen this incident has been compared with the fourth chapter of Luke, the critics say that it reveals a contradiction in the Bible. They say the two accounts conflict one with the other. The fact of the matter is that we have the record of two visits that our Lord made to His hometown of Nazareth. I think He probably made other visits to Nazareth, but these are the two that are recorded. Luke 4 relates the first visit and He went there alone. He performed no miracle and He left suddenly when they tried to kill Him.

On the second visit, which is recorded here in Mark 6, we find His disciples are with Him, that He healed “a few sick folk,” and that He remained in this area. This is based on information from Mat_13:53-58 as well as this chapter of Mark 6. On both occasions He entered the synagogue and taught, and on both occasions He was rejected by His fellow townspeople. So this is not a conflict, but rather two records of two visits that He made to His hometown. The first time He left, He went down to Capernaum and made that His headquarters. But He returned because He wanted to reach His hometown people. In the first verse when it says “his country,” it literally means His fatherland. It was the custom of our Lord to go to the synagogue on the Sabbath Day wherever He was. I think He felt the need to worship God in this way and, also, it was the place to reach the people of that day. His teaching amazed those who had known Him. His words, His works, and His wonders all occasioned a consternation on the part of His fellow citizens, which promoted their questions. They actually did not believe that Nazareth could produce anyone like Jesus. They were looking at themselves, of course, and judging Nazareth by themselves. Nazareth hadn’t done too well by themso they figured there couldn’t be One like the Lord Jesus. They had no faith in One of their own, and they had no faith in themselves. This passage also reveals that Mary had other children. These were half-brothers and sisters of Jesus. I think the Jude who is mentioned here is the author of the Epistle of Jude. And they were scandalized because of Him. They thought that they knew Him, which was, of course, their stumbling stone. I think there is a danger in getting familiar with Jesus. He is One with whom we don’t get familiar at all. That was their problem. They thought they knew Him, but they did not. They had seen Him as a boy grow up in the town.

Mark 6:4

I think the common colloquialism of the day is apropos here, “An expert is an ordinary fellow from another town.” We think that whoever comes from afar knows more than our crowd knows. I guess maybe that is the reason some of us go up and down and through the country ministering elsewhere. Sometimes many of us are more effective away from home than we are at home.

Mark 6:5

HEALING THE SICK AT NAZARETHYou see that He did not leave this area at this time but stayed in the vicinity. The first time He had been practically run out of town and had gone down to Capernaum to make His headquarters there. This is a remarkable passage because it tells us he couldn’t perform any mighty works there because of their unbelief. The only limitation to omnipotence is unbelief. Faith is the one requirement to release the power of God in salvation. In the great chapter of Isaiah 53 that reveals God’s great salvation, the prophet opens the chapter with: “Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?” (Isa_53:1). Who will believe it? My friend, unbelief shuts off omnipotence. Unbelief insulates and isolates the power of God. It still does that today! He marvelled at their unbelief (v. Mar_6:6). This is not the only time we notice that He marvels. In Mat_8:10"When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel"He was speaking of the faith of the centurion. Now we notice that He went round about the villages teaching. This is a wonderful lesson for Christian workers. There are certain men in God’s work who do not want to go to a small place to minister. I’ve actually been criticized by some ministers and Christian workers for going to certain small churches instead of going to the larger ones. My feeling is that our Lord set us a tremendous example here when it says that He went about their villages. Imagine, friends, the Lord of Glory, the Son of God here on this earth ministering in little villages. He could have sent a telegram over to Rome and hired the Colosseum for a big meeting! Today we have men who are suffering from megalomania. They feel they have to have a big crowd. All of us need to learn a lesson from Jesus. There is a story about Dr. C. I. Scofield, the man who was responsible for The Scofield Reference Bible. He had been invited to speak in a church in North Carolina. Because it was a rainy night, about twenty-five people came to the meeting. The young preacher leaned over and apologized to Dr. Scofield for the small number who had come to hear his preaching and teaching. Dr. Scofield replied, “Young man, my Lord had only twelve men in His school and in His congregation most of the time. If He had only twelve, who is C. I. Scofield to be concerned about a big crowd?”

Mark 6:7

THE TWELVE SENT OUTHe is now sending out His disciples, and He sends them with the message of repentance, which is the same message He has been preaching. He sends them two by two. It’s interesting that neither Matthew nor Luke told us that when they recorded this incident. He gave them power over unclean spirits, which seems to be the very highest power they could exercise.

Mark 6:8

Why such a command? Well, they were to travel light. This is to indicate the urgency and the lateness of the hour, the importance of their mission, and their total dependence upon God. Later on, we shall find that they were told to take these things because they were going on a longer journey. Matthew makes it clear that this time they were to go only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and they were to accept the hospitality that was offered to them.

Mark 6:10

This is a serious and a solemn trip they are to take. Light creates responsibility. To reject the grace of God invited His judgment. The same is still true today.

Mark 6:12

DISCIPLES HEALThey preached a message of repentance, and the miracles authenticated their message. This commission was limited to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. It is not the pattern for today. Repentance is part of the gospel message, however; it is contained in the command to believe. The record of this incident is longer in the Gospel of Matthew and we go into more detail in our study of it in that Gospel. The fame of Jesus had spread throughout that area. Not only the common people but even Herod on the throne had heard of Jesus. Now we find this strange reaction on the part of King Herod. The murder of John the Baptist had taken place sometime before. I think it is recorded here to explain Herod’s strange and superstitious reaction.

Mark 6:14

DEATH OF JOHN THE BAPTISTWe can see that this man Herod was very superstitious. But there was a great deal of mingled reaction among the people about the Lord Jesus as to who He was. There is that same reaction today, by the way. We find that different people have different viewpoints and different explanations of the person, the presence, and the power of the Lord Jesus. So there was this confusion, and Herod was definitely afraid.

Mark 6:16

Herod was afraid.

Mark 6:17

The murder of John had taken place previous to this point in the ministry of Jesus. Notice that John boldly denounced sin in high places. He had denounced Herod for taking Herodias, his brother’s wife. This enraged her and caused her to plot John’s death.

Mark 6:19

Did Herodias keep Herod from turning to God?

Mark 6:21

Herodias had asked her daughter to dance before him because she knew what a lecherous, lustful old man he was. He gave the daughter a blank check and she could ask anything she wanted.

Mark 6:23

The mother was prepared for this. The brutality of this woman boggles the mind.

Mark 6:25

Another weakness of Herod is revealed here. He was afraid of what his friends might think and say. He had a false sense of values about an oath.

Mark 6:27

This was cold-blooded murder!

Mark 6:29

The disciples of John took up the decapitated body of John and tenderly buried it.

Mark 6:30

THE TWELVE RETURNMark now returns the narrative to the ministry of Jesus. The apostles make their first report. Note the absence of details. It is impossible for us to understand how really busy the Lord Jesus was and how great the demands were upon Him. He had to withdraw to an uninhabited place in an attempt to rest and let His apostles rest.

Mark 6:32

FIVE THOUSAND FEDIt was futile to try to find a place to be alone. The crowd followed around the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and they were there to meet Jesus and the disciples when they landed. The reaction of Jesus was one of complete sympathy. All people are sheep to Him. He alone is the true Shepherd. This is the reason He fed them. He first met their spiritual needs by teaching them. Then He met their physical needs by feeding them.

Mark 6:35

He commands them to do an impossible task. They must learn, as we must learn, that He always commands the impossible. The reason is obvious. He intends to do the work.

Mark 6:38

This is a miracle. The Creator who made the fish at the beginning and caused the grain to multiply in the field, now by His fiat word creates food for the crowd. This may have been the first time many in this crowd were ever filled.

Mark 6:45

WALKS ON SEAThere is an urgency expressed in the two words straightway and constrained. The explanation is found in Joh_6:15. Jesus perceived that they would try by force to make Him a king.

Mark 6:46

Note that here we find no record of Simon Peter coming to Him walking on the water. After all, Mark got his information on the human plane from Simon Peter, and Peter just left out his part of the story. It is Matthew who gives us that detail. I do want to call your attention to verse Mar_6:48 where it says, “And he saw them toiling in rowing.” Those men were in the boat that night and they were mingling their sweat with the waves whose salt water was breaking over their little boat. They were straining at the oars and they actually thought they were going down. But He saw them toiling and rowing. I love that! I don’t know where you are today or what position you are in. You may be in a hard spot right now; you may be sitting alone in a corner of darkness. You may be facing temptations and problems that are too great to bear. You may find yourself out on a stormy sea and you feel as if your little boat is going down. I have some good news for you, Christian friend. “He saw them toiling in rowing.” He sees you. He knows your problems. You don’t have to send up a flare to let Him know. He already knows. Oh, that today you might commit your way to Him in a very definite way. That is something that so many of us need to do in times of darknessjust commit our way unto Him. “He saw them toiling in rowing.” Only Mark, by the way, records that. Then we find that He came to them and He entered into the ship with them. And Mark says that they were “amazed in themselves beyond measure.” In the conclusion of this chapter we find that He went over to the land of Gennesaret.

Mark 6:53

SICK IN LAND OF GENNESARET HEALEDYou and I today can’t even envisage the number of sick people that He healed. I understand there is one denomination that has offered one thousand dollars to anybody who will come forward and show that he has been healed by a “faith healer.” I understand the thousand dollars has never been taken. It’s amazing, isn’t it, when you hear all this propaganda today that is going around. In Jesus’ day one could have brought together thousands of people that He had healed. My friend, He was genuine. It was real. That is the reason the enemy never denied that He performed miracles.