The Gospel According To MarkSample

Jesus’ Ministry Beyond Galilee: Mark 7:24-8:26

Mark reported another set of miracles in Mark 7:24–8:26. This section begins and ends with statements about Jesus trying to avoid and even to prevent crowds. And between these statements, it reports that Jesus performed many miracles among both Jews and Gentiles. And it even records that some Gentiles had faith in him. 

In the midst of this list of miracles, Mark drew special attention to the shortcomings of Jesus’ disciples. Earlier in his ministry, the disciples had failed to understand the parable of the sower, as we see in Mark 4:13. And at this point, they still weren’t able to understand some of his teachings. So, Jesus confronted them directly. Consider Mark’s record in Mark 8:14-17:

Jesus was talking about spiritual corruption, but his disciples thought he was talking about bread for their stomachs. It’s easy to see why Jesus would have been frustrated with them.

Throughout Mark’s report of Jesus’ power as the Messiah, Jesus’ miracles and teaching confirmed that he really was the Christ. So, why did so many people oppose him? Why did they reject him? Why did even his disciples have such difficulty understanding and following him? It was largely because Jesus was not the kind of Messiah people anticipated. Instead of rising to political supremacy as they had expected, he was using his power to preach the gospel and minister to the needs of others. 

Mark’s original readers probably experienced the same tension the twelve disciples felt over the kind of Messiah Jesus was. The church in Rome had been planted at a time when Christianity was well received. And like much of the early church, they had probably expected Jesus to return relatively quickly to consummate his kingdom on earth. But instead, the passing years brought horrible suffering and persecution under Nero. So, Mark made it clear that Jesus would always be the powerful Messiah, even though he doesn’t always do the things his followers expect. And because he’s the powerful Messiah, believers can trust that when the time is right, he will victoriously consummate his kingdom just as he promised. But in the meantime, he is still the Lord, and he can sustain us through whatever troubles we face.