Mark 8

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:27-30

Peter's good confession. The scene of this is worth notice. It lay to the northward of Bethsaida, amongst the villages in the neighbourhood of Caesarea Philippi. This town, on the site of the ancient Paneas (now Bahias), was built by the tetrarch Philip in honor of Tiberius Caesar, and is to be distinguished from the Caesarea of the southern Mediterranean seaboard of Palestine. The country was magnificent; wild, wooded, and mountainous, and dominated by the royal castle of Subeibeh. Here,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:27-30

The confession of Peter. The brief record of St. Mark leads us to turn to the fuller statements of St. Matthew. Jesus tests the faith of his disciples "as they were able" to bear it. First, "in the way he asked, Who do men say that I am?" What is the general opinion? Then, more closely," But who say ye that I am?" It was a day of testing. There had been a general blindness. Immediately before he had occasion to say, "O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have no... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:27-30

Jesus the Messiah. I. SOME MISTAKEN IDENTIFICATIONS OF JESUS . John Baptist; Elijah; a prophet; Jeremiah, according to Matthew. There was some truth here. They recognized the prophetic inspiration and power of Jesus. Truth in feeling, error in thought; Jesus was the greatest of the prophets, not reproducing his predecessors, but going beyond them. God hath spoken by his Son ( Hebrews 1:1-14 .). II. A TRUE IDENTIFICATION . Peter's, "Thou art the Messiah," i.e. the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:27-34

Parallel passages: Matthew 16:13-24 ; Luke 9:18-23 .— Christ's prediction of his death and rebuke of Peter. This section will be considered in connection with a like prediction in the following (ninth) chapter of this Gospel.—J.J.G. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:29

By this second putting of the question, our Lord warned his disciples that they who had been better instructed ought to think greater things of him than these. It was necessary that he should show them that these current opinions and floating notions were far below his real claims. Therefore he says with emphasis, But who say ye that I am? —ye, my disciples, who, being always with me, have seen me do far greater things than they; ye, who have listened to my teaching, confirmed as it has been... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:29-33

Peter's self-contradiction. I. WHEREIN IT CONSISTED . 1 . In identifying Jesus with the Messiah and yet deprecating his sufferings. That Messiah should suffer was abundantly declared by the prophets. His death was the greatest testimony he could give to the righteousness of God. A comfortable, earthly, prosperous king could never occupy the spiritual position of the Christ; moral influence, the essential feature of the latter's reign, would be entirely wanting. To the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:30

And he charged them ( επετίμησεν )—a strong word, implying almost rebuke, he strictly charged them— that they should tell no man of him . Why was this? There were many reasons for this reticence. The state of parties in Palestine was most inexpedient for such a disclosure at that time. Those who were favorable to his cause would have wanted at once to take him by force and make him a king. In fact, some of them made no secret of their intentions ( John 6:15 ). Those, on the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:31

And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, etc. In St. Matthew's narrative he says ( Matthew 16:21 ), "From that time began Jesus to show unto his disciples," etc.—from the time, that is, of this great confession; from the time when he had openly acknowledged to his disciples the truth of his essential Divinity; from that time he began to instruct them as to his passion and his death. There are two great principles of faith, namely, And it was necessary that... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:31-33

The Christ foretelling his own career. I. HOW UNIQUE AND MARVELLOUS THE PREDICTION ! It is a clear, consistent, even symmetrical scheme; as exquisitely balanced and progressively developed as any tragedy of Aeschylus or Euripides. A person who could ideally mark out such a future for himself could not have been mere man. The gospel challenges investigation because of the originality and Divine moral elevation of its conception. And by such statements as this it proves how... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:31-38

Unwelcome prophecies. I. PLAIN TRUTHS SELDOM WELCOME . He now spoke of suffering, rejection, even murder, at the hands of a conspiracy. The veil was drawn aside; at last it was seen what the Messiahship of Jesus meant. The same thing had before been expressed parabolically ( John 2:19 ; John 3:14 ; John 6:51 ). II. THE FLATTERY OF FRIENDSHIP . The honest-hearted Peter is endeared to us. He is so human; his feelings always on the right side, his intelligence often... read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:27-30

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:27-30

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:27-30

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:27-34

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:29

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:29-33

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:30

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:31

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:31-33

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:31-38

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