Then again he laid his hands upon his eyes; and he looked stedfastly, and was restored, and saw all things clearly.Despite the fact of there being two stages in the man's healing, it was nevertheless accomplished almost immediately, the cure itself being dramatic and complete, and bearing eloquent testimony to the power and godhead of him who wrought it. read more
And he sent him away to his home, saying, Do not even enter into the village.The understanding of this commandment to the blind man lies in the identity of the village he was forbidden to enter, namely, Bethsaida. Jesus was reported in Matthew to have said:Woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day... read more
And Jesus went forth, and his disciples, into the villages of Caesarea Philippi: and on the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Who do men say that I am?Caesarea Philippi ... is mentioned only here and in Matthew 16:13, these being the only New Testament references to the place. It was built by Herod Philip and named after Caesar, with his own name added to distinguish it from another Caesarea on the seacoast. It was situated in a beautiful valley near the base of Mt. Hermon some... read more
And they told him, saying, John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but others, one of the prophets.Significantly, the popular appraisal of Jesus' identity had been eroded and compromised by the savage campaign of vilification and misrepresentation which the religious leaders were so vigorously prosecuting against Jesus. From implications in all the synoptics, and from the most powerful assertions in John, it is clear that in Jesus' early contacts with the people he was readily hailed as the... read more
And he asked them, But who say ye that I am? Peter answered and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.It is never enough to know what others believe regarding the identity of our Lord; and the answer to the question here pressed upon his apostles by the Saviour is exactly the pivot upon which the destiny of every soul on earth is turned. Peter, apparently speaking for all of the Twelve, confessed, "Thou art the Christ." The record in Mark is a summary which omits the following references to: the... read more
And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.Although Mark did not record Jesus' acceptance of Peter's confession as did Matthew, he nevertheless indicated it emphatically by this charge. Again from Cranfield, "(This) implies that Jesus did accept Peter's confession as true.""[10] read more
And he began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, and the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE PASSION; THE RESURRECTION; AND THE SECOND COMINGThis paragraph beginning with Mark 8:31 and continuing through Mark 9:1 is characteristic of Mark in that several unrelated things are gathered together in it, as in Mark 5:21-25.Scholars have a custom of formalizing three definite... read more
And he spake the saying openly. And Peter took him and began to rebuke him.Openly ... would indicate that Jesus' prophecy of his death and resurrection was made available to the public as well as to the apostles; and, from this, it would seem that Peter was concerned about the erosion of our Lord's popular image that would necessarily result from such a prophecy. It was part of the divine wisdom, however, that all men should know of Jesus' prophecies in this sector. The Pharisees and other... read more
But he turning about, and seeing his disciples, rebuked Peter, and saith, Get thee behind me, Satan; for thou mindest not the things of God, but the things of men.The words of Christ here do not mean that Peter was satanic and depraved, but that in opposing the cross he was unconsciously taking the part of Satan in opposing the divine will. He was looking at things in the light of mere human wisdom and not from the perspective of the will of God. As Erdman said:The offense of the cross has... read more
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Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Mark 8:24
And he looked up, and said, I see men; for I behold them as trees, walking.This is a rare case of Jesus' performance of such a wonder in stages, which can only be attributed to the lack of faith in the blind man, a fact that appears certain in the light of Jesus' forbidding him to re-enter the village noted for unbelief. read more