Seeing Jesus As God's Son
–
Mark Eight –
Mark provided more proof that Jesus Christ is the Son of the
living God. In Mark chapter eight we have record of Jesus feeding four thousand
people with seven loaves and a few small fish. He also healed a blind man in
While the Pharisees rejected Jesus Peter confessed His true nature
as the Messiah. From this point in the personal ministry of Jesus and onward
everything led directly to His eventual suffering, death and resurrection.
Jesus was indeed the Messiah, but He also identified Himself as the "Son
of man." After Jesus' prediction of His suffering and death, He described
the sort of life that He expected His followers to lead in His absence. Jesus
said, "Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross, and follow me."
Jesus is our
powerful Lord -- Mark 8:1-21: The multitudes of people still followed
Jesus. Great leaders
always train others.
Therefore, Jesus did much of what He did through His apostles. He had
pity or compassion on these people because they have been with Him for three
days without food. The people had come from a great distance away and He was
concerned that they would faint on the way home. The disciples asked, "How
will it be possible to get enough food for these men here in this
wilderness?" How strange that they seemed to have forgotten the feeding of
the five thousand.
Jesus often asked
His disciples questions. It was not for the purpose of
gaining information, but He asked as a means of drawing the attention of the
disciples to the matter at hand. He asked how much bread they had. Their answer
was that they had seven loaves and a few small fish. Jesus had his disciples to
ask the people to sit down. He then looked to heaven and blessed the loaves and
fish or gave thanks for them. They were divided among the disciples who then
shared them out with the people. The four thousand people were given all that
they wanted. After they had eaten, seven baskets of fragments were collected
and then the people were sent away.
In Dalmanutha the Pharisees asked Jesus questions tempting
Him. They desired "a sign" after all that He had already done. Jesus
was sad because they kept acting in their usual hypocritical manner. In Matthew
16:4 we learn that Jesus did given them Jonah as a sign and then He left them.
As the disciples moved about with Jesus He warned them to "Take heed,
beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod." At
first they thought He said this because they had forgotten to take bread. They
came to understand that "He bade them not beware of the leaven of bread,
but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees." (Matthew
16:12)
Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God -- Mark 8:22-30: Faith in Jesus continued to grow among
many people as He went about doing good. They brought
a blind man to Him for healing. He took the man aside and with saliva touched
his eyes. At first the man could see but things were out of focus. He saw men
as trees walking. The Lord could have just as easily healed the man completely.
He wanted to show that He is sovereign concerning His blessings and gave them
on His terms, not on man's terms. We receive God's grace and salvation the same
way, not on our terms but on His terms.
Jesus' miracles prove
that He is the Messiah, the Son of God, and Savior of the world. He wanted to
make sure that His disciples understood His mission and purpose. He first asked
"Whom do men say that I am?" Many had high opinions of Jesus saying
that He was John the Baptist, Elias or one of the prophets. Then He asked
"Whom say ye that I am?" Their answer was
"Thou art the Christ." They believed that Jesus was the promised and
long expected Messiah. We must believe the same today. To be a Christian is to
believe that Jesus is the Christ and to live and act accordingly.
Jesus foretold His suffering & death -- Mark 8:31-33:
Now that the disciples are convinced by Jesus' miracles that He is the Messiah
they will be able to understand His imminent suffering and death. So "He
began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be
rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed,
and after three days rise again." (Mark
Jesus
looked at the other disciples to see if they agreed with Peter. He told Peter
"Get thee behind me, Satan." Peter spoke as one that did not
understand the purpose and power of Christ's suffering. He did not seem to
understand that the death of Jesus was necessary to the destruction of Satan
and the salvation of man. His death would be for the glory of God. By the death
of the Savior many sons will be brought to glory.
Jesus' instructions on discipleship -- Mark 8:34-38: If
we truly believe that Jesus is the Messiah we will follow Him at all cost.
He calls people to Him, to know Him and to lovingly obey Him. The
result of this loving obedience is that Jesus will heal sin sick souls. He
said, "Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross, and follow me." God's people must accommodate themselves to the
will of God in all thoughts and actions. We must resolve that we
will never forsake our Lord.
We must not dread the loss of our
life for the sake of Christ. The loss of your life to gain Christ is the
fountain of eternal hope. All that you lose for Christ in this life will be
more than made up for in a far better life to come. Let us remember "that
life is sweet, and death is bitter, but eternal death is more
bitter, and eternal life is more sweet." Those that are ashamed of
Christ in this world shall not share with Him in His glory in the world to
come.
Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son
of God? If so it is time to become a Christian now! To become a Christian you
must hear the gospel (Romans