Mark 8

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:14-21

Leaven. After the great miracle of the feeding of the four thousand, Jesus "entered into a boat with his disciples, and came."—for rest, probably—"into the parts of Dalmanutha. And they forgot to take bread." Had not emphasis been laid on their forgetfulness, we might have supposed they had been led to think "one loaf" enough; for if the Master could feed four thousand with seven loaves, surely he could feed twelve men with one! These men were yet but children in understanding, and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:15

Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod. St. Matthew ( Matthew 15:6 ) says, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees;" thus St. Mark identifies the leaven of the Sadducees with that of Herod. "Leaven" here means "doctrine." They were not to beware of this, so far as the Pharisees rightly taught and explained the Law of Moses; but only so far as they corrupted that Law by their own vain traditions, contrary to the Law of God, St. Luke ( Luke 12:11 )... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:16

According to the most approved readings, this verse should be read thus: And they reasoned one with another, saying, We have no bread . There is something very artless and simple in this narrative. Our Lord speaks of" leaven;" and the mention of this word reminds the disciples that they had forgotten to bring bread with them in the boat; and fearing lest Christ should direct them, according to his wont, to land on some desert shore, they were in some anxiety how they might obtain what they... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:17

And when Jesus knew it ( καὶ γνοὺς ὁ ἰησοὺς ) —literally and far more correctly, and Jesus perceiving it— he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? Jesus perceived the direction in which their thoughts were moving, by the power of his divinity. It is as though he said, "Why reason ye because ye have no bread, as though I was referring to natural things, and speaking concerning bread for the body, and wishing you to be anxious about that; as though I... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:19-20

Here St. Mark is as careful as St. Matthew to mention the details of the two miracles, even to the reference to the two kinds of baskets in which the fragments were gathered up. They had a distinct recollection of the facts, but they had failed to catch their spiritual import. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:21

How is it that ye do not understand? A better reading here is οὔπω instead of πῶς ου) . Therefore the words should run, Do ye not yet understand ? It is as though our Lord said, "You ought to have perceived, both from my words and from my actions, that I was not speaking concerning earthly leaven or earthly bread, but concerning spiritual doctrine." St. Matthew here ( Matthew 16:12 ) is careful to tell us that this reproof of Christ quickened their intellects, and forced them to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:21

"Do ye not understand?" The last of a series of surprised, sorrowful, and indignant questions on the part of Christ. I. SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING WAS A RESULT TO BE LOOKED FOR FROM CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE . 1 . From the teaching of Scripture. It unfolds the will of God, and reveals his mind and character. It is the record of the spiritual history of man in the past. The lives of the Old Testament saints and the history of God's chosen people were intended to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:22

This miracle is recorded by St. Mark alone. And he cometh to Bethsaida . A better reading is ἔρχονται for ἔρχεται , they come unto Bethsaida. Which Beth-saida? It seems most probable that it was Bethsaida Julias. This Bethsaida was in the tetrarchy of Philip, who improved and adorned it, and named it Julias, in honor of the emperor's daughter Julia. A reference to Verse 27 seems to make it quite clear that it must have been this Bethsaida, and not the Galilean Bethsaida on the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:22-25

The blind man of Bethsaida. The variety of method adopted by our Lord in his acts of healing finds a striking illustration in the contrast presented between the cure of this blind man and that of Bartimaeus. The sight of the latter was instantaneously and perfectly restored, but it was otherwise with the former. If, as we believe, Christ's miracles were symbols of spiritual experiences, we must expect variety in these also; and we see them in the contrast existing between the sudden... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:22-26

Sight for the blind. Every form of human privation, suffering, and infirmity which came under the notice of Christ elicited his compassion and his healing mercy, and every such disorder was treated by him as a symptom of the moral malady which afflicts mankind. The diversity of his miracles of healing may serve to represent his power and willingness to restore our sinful humanity, afflicted with many and various ills, to spiritual soundness and health. In this miracle we observe— I. A ... read more

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