Mark 8:22-26

“Then they came to Bethsaida. They brought a blind man to Jesus and asked him to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and brought him outside of the village. Then he spit on his eyes, placed his hands on his eyes and asked, “Do you see anything?” Regaining his sight he said, “I see people, but they look like trees walking.” Then Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again. And he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Jesus sent him home, saying, “Do not even go into the village.””

— ‭‭Mark‬ ‭8‬:‭22‬-‭26‬‬

Can be a very difficult passage. This is the only miracle in any gospel that is not immediate (or at least not described as an immediate healing). Was Jesus’ power somehow limited? Did He need a do-over? What’s the point?

I don’t claim to have all or even some of the answers. But this MAY be one more example of how gospels work. I don’t have any firm conclusions on how the miracle actually took place. Was Jesus making a point with a two-step miracle? Was the man actually healed immediately? I don’t know (and this is one of the “Bible questions” where I don’t think it really matters. Strong inerrantists may fight for a two stage healing because that’s what it says. I haven’t even read enough of progressive interpretations to know what they would say—question Jesus’ power?—So I tend to think it could go either way as to what “actually happened,” and I don’t really care). 

This is one of those cases where the literary structure of Mark and the theology he presents in the following sections helps. When we take a step back and see Mark’s structure in the section of the book, we may have an idea of what’s going on.

Bartimaeus is another blind man that Jesus heals in 10:46-52. This goes more like we are accustomed to in the gospels. There’s a crowd. The blind man cries out for Jesus. Jesus heals him instantly. Bartimaeus “follows” Jesus. These two healings of blind men bracket or bookend the middle section of Mark. This middle section transitions from the first half which demonstrates the person and character of Jesus to the section half which shows the mission and purpose of Jesus’ life. (All of which describes the kingdom of God in some way).

Perhaps the most important hint of what Mark is up literarily is that the passage directly after the two-stage healing is Peter’s confession of Jesus as Messiah. This would be one of the highest points of Peter’s discipleship. All the other opinions of Jesus, and Peter got it right. Yet, it only takes a few verses later for Jesus to address him as the devil. How come? Because Peter rebuked Jesus for talking about death, crucifixion, and ruining Peter’s idea of what a Messiah is. Peter had the wrong idea of what Jesus’ Messiahship meant. 

He had the right identity but the wrong idea of the mission.

Within these two chapters, Jesus will predict His death and resurrection two more times, and the disciples never understand.  (9:30-32; 10:32-34).

How do I know they don’t understand? The disciples make poor decisions throughout the gospels, but Mark has made a point to gather a bunch of them within these three chapters. Back to back to back to back, we see the disciples reeking of immaturity.  (Peter wants to honor Moses/Elijah with Jesus; disciples can’t heal a boy; discussing who is the greatest; rebuke someone who tries to follow Jesus; turn little children away; brag about leaving everything for Jesus; James and John request highest honor in kingdom). 

Mark is repeating the same theme of Peter’s initial error. The journey of discipleship is marrying a proper view of Jesus’ identity with the impact of His mission. Jesus came to serve and give His life (10:45). He did not come to sit on the throne and receive gifts/fame/honor—yet.

The journey of discipleship accepts Jesus’ Messiahship on His terms. If we simply agree that He is Messiah but don’t “see” His mission clearly, then we may have a fuzzy vision for a while. The two stage healing is a picture for some difficult lessons we as disciples must learn.

Bartimaeus was healed, and then he followed Jesus. What a picture of true discipleship. And post-resurrection, the disciples gained a full perspective, and their lives changed forever. They did follow Jesus as Messiah and continued His mission of service and suffering. 

May we do the same.

The Servant in Isaiah

Isaiah 53 is the most well known passage about the “suffering servant,” and we often read it as if Jesus’ name is pretty much written in the original text. With a wider perspective of the book as a whole, we can gain appreciation for not only the context of Isaiah but also the overarching flow of thought for this “servant” theme.

There are actually four “Servant Songs” in Isaiah: 42:1–9; 49:1–13; 50:4–11; 52:13—53:12. Each one does seem to reference events and characteristics that describe the person and work of Jesus. We can at least see that singular pronouns are used. This would seem to suggest than an individual is in view. Yet, it may not be as clean cut as this.

What makes things fuzzy is that Isaiah initially identifies the nation of Israel as God’s servant (41:8; 44:1–2). God chose then to serve as His witness (43:10) and as a light to the Gentiles. Israel continuously failed as this mission due to idolatry and her own need for forgiveness (42:19; 44:21–22). 

But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham My friend, You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its remotest parts and said to you, ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you.’” —Isaiah 41:8-9

Isaiah 49:5-6, though, mention the “servant” as clearly being distinct from Israel, whose mission is to bring Israel back to fellowship with YHWH.

And now says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him…He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.’”

For a helpful list of all mentions of the servant in Isaiah, see http://www.wordexplain.com/IsaiahServant.html.

It appears we cannot make blanket statements about the referent of the servant being Isaiah, a prophet, an unnamed individual from the 8th century BC, Israel as a nation, or the future Messiah in every case. It appears each passage must be taken on its own, but at the same time understood in light of the book as a whole.

On my “Favorite Resources” page, there’s a book called The NT Use of the OT by Carson and Beale. This is a fantastic “commentary” not only on how a NT passage interprets and “uses” an OT passage, but the trajectory of an OT passage through its original context and Jewish understandings in their literature. For Isaiah 52-53 there are dozens of entries. On page 32, here’s one simple explanation. “The most balanced conclusion seems to be that although there is no unambiguous pre-Christian evidence for a messianic perspective on the Servant Songs, and especially for a suffering messiah, ‘there is good reason to think that some initial steps had been taken in that direction’ (Page 1985: 493).’” The point being that Jewish rabbis and the literature gives mixed reviews of the passage in question. Sometimes it is clearly a messianic interpretation; other times it focuses solely on Israel as the servant. It is difficult to pinpoint date, location, and influence on these writings.

My conclusion is similar to the author of that specific article. The purpose of these “Servant Songs” then could be an example of corporate solidarity. The future Messiah will represent the nation and complete the intended mission where the nation could not. He will faithfully complete the task where they failed. He will suffer so they can be free. And He will be exalted so that the entire nation can be vindicated. 

This only makes sense in light of the covenant, disobedience, exile, New Covenant, Jew/Gentile relationships, etc. Plucking Isaiah 53 out from its 66 surrounding chapters and the entire OT canon to find substitutionary atonement seems premature. We have to work harder to allow the narrative to play out. We get the same, or at least similar, theological conclusions. But there’s a much more solid foundation biblically and logically. 

(Per my conclusion above, I do not think it is solely Israel, at least not looking back. We have the benefit of being able to do that. The difficulty is seeing these passages in their original context. If interested, see this article for one [not particularly “the”] Jewish perspective on how Isaiah 53 refers to Israel as the nation and not the Messiah.

Matthew 16:13-20

“When Jesus came to the area of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They answered, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven! And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.” Then he instructed his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭13‬-‭20‬ ‭NET‬‬

I know I’m weird, but I enjoyed going to school and learning new things. I was grateful for most (haha) of my teachers/professors, and I always knew they had my best interest in mind. You hear these stories about these mean, impossible professors that make a living off of failing students, and their lectures are unbearable, and your entire grade depends on one final exam, which for me was never the case. My professors were for the most part rather friendly and bearable to listen to. 

Exams were a big part of my grade but weighted just like high school, and of course the requirements and information is harder, but you’re prepared for it. But I was worried, because I heard these horror stories of these philosophy teachers that would pass out these exams, which your whole grade depended on, and it would be one question. And you have to write, like a whole semester worth of stuff, logically and coherently, about whatever topic they chose from that semester, in a certain amount of time. Or the question would simply be the word, “Why?” And you have to philosophize about the existence of all things. There’s another one about a professor putting a chair in the front of the room, and your final exam after a whole semester of notes and lectures is simply to prove that the chair exists. 

My favorite is the story of the CEO of Charles Schwab. When he was in business school, he was taking his final exam. So after studying, and preparing, and going all semester, it comes down to one test. The professor passes out the exam, and there’s one question. He was kind of shocked, because they clearly covered a lot of material, and this is business school. You need to know a lot of stuff to be successful, right? The question was this: What’s the name of the lady who empties the trash in the hallway every day? That determined much of their grade for that class, and it taught Charles a valuable lesson, but that’s not the point of this post. 

My point is sometimes a lot of weight and pressure is placed on one question, and your answer can have drastic implications. All these stories in the gospels to this point have built up to this moment. And there’s a one question test. And this is the only question that matters for any person that’s ever lived.

Now this is about the halfway point of Jesus ministry (ish). And the city that Jesus takes them to is actually pretty significant. It’s farther north in Israel, and this city belonged to the tribe of Dan, which was one of the most pagan tribes historically. It continued to absorb the pagan ideas and beliefs and customs of its neighbors, and throughout the Greek and Roman empires into Jesus’ day this city which had now been renamed Caesarea Philippi was a very pagan city. It was known for worshipping the Greek god Pan, a fertility god, which any time there’s a fertility god involved you can imagine the behavior of people and their forms of worship.

I’ve never been there, but I’ve read that in Caesarea Philippi, there’s a hill with a water fall that’s stopped up that used to flow into a series of lakes. And around that place was a series of shrines to a number of gods, but most importantly to Pan. But behind the water fall was a deep, dark cave and the people believed that it led to the underworld. It was a mysterious place. A religious place, but not in a good way. And it’s there that Jesus asks His disciples, So what are people saying about me?

John the Baptist and Jeremiah go together because these would have to be resurrected figures. We know of Herod who thought Jesus was John the Baptist. So people are thinking Jesus was a strong prophet, proclaiming God’s kingdom. Elijah: it could be that they thought the real Elijah was coming back to life, but there’s a prophecy of someone like Elijah coming later, so an end times figure, a great awesome prophet to bring in the coming age. People are in the right ball park, but they don’t quite get it. 

Then Jesus offers the one question exam to the disciples. VV. 15-16 You guys have been with me for maybe a year by now. You’ve seen the exorcisms. You’ve heard me preach. You’ve seen me shut up the religious leaders. What do you think about me? 

And Peter aces the test to the best of his ability to this point. He takes all the evidence and puts it together. 

Of course, Jesus says God has revealed it to him and helped him articulate such a truth, but Peter says, I know that you are the Messiah. Remember, “Son of God” = Davidic King to the first century audience (cf Psalm 2 and 2 Sam 7). Jesus, you are the agent working on God’s behalf. You are the promised one Sent from God. This goes back to Matt 14:33, where Jesus walked on the water, Peter tried and sank, Jesus saved him, and when they got back into the boat, the disciples all said, “You are the Son of God.” This implies, You are bringing God’s kingdom. You are especially empowered and enabled as the promised one. And as we go along in the story, we’ll get more information, like in the next paragraph, but Jesus praises Peter for his answer. 

VV 17-20

These are some pretty debated verses, so I won’t be too dogmatic here. “This rock” could be referring to Peter. This is usually frowned upon because that’s how the Catholics conclude that Peter was the first pope. So a lot of people choose the other main option which is seeing Peter’s confession, “Jesus is the Messiah” as the “rock” on which the church is built. This is also legitimate, but I tend to think Jesus was talking about Peter, making a wordplay on his name. 

In either case, Jesus is going to make a new community, a gathering, an assembly of people with Peter and the other disciples as the first representatives. We know that. Ephesians 2:20 says the apostles were the foundation of the church. And in Acts 2, 3, and on, Peter is clearly the leader of the early church, but it’s also true that those who enter the kingdom are characterized as people who get it right when it comes to Jesus. They are the types of people who acknowledge what? Who He is. If they were asked, who do you say I am, they have the correct answer, just like Peter did.

And this universal body of believers will grow over time. They are the representatives of Jesus’ kingdom that grows like yeast in a lump of dough. He talks about that in Matthew 13. But Jesus, so what? Look where we are. Paganville. Greco-roman society that is filled with many many gods. How are we supposed to survive following just one god, let alone You who are going to end up claiming to be God become man? You’ve done some awesome things, but we’re going to take some heat for following you.

And then in the next paragraph you are going to tell us about how you’re going to die? And rise again? No, no, no. Jesus you have this wrong. See, that’s not how this Messiah thing is supposed to work. In fact, Peter is the one that pulls Jesus aside and says, “Jesus, you will not die!” And all of a sudden, Jesus’ praise of Peter turns to a curse. He even calls him Satan. This is one reason we know this event happened. This I think meets the criterion of embarrassment. When you call the founder of the early church the devil. 

v. 20. Jesus commanded them to be quiet about the confession. Don’t go telling people I’m the Messiah…yet. Why? Because you guys don’t really know what you’re talking about, yet. You don’t understand what type of Messiah I am, one that has to suffer and die and become a sacrifice and then be raised to conquer death and offer life and then be a king. If you go telling people I’m the Messiah now, people are going to get all sorts of wrong ideas about me.

Now we know the whole story. Jesus did suffer. He was beaten. He was crucified, and buried, and then He rose in victory, to conquer sin, death, the grave, and He is the reigning King. He is God’s anointed Messiah. We now know that He is God. He is exalted in heaven at God’s right hand waiting to return to earth to complete what He began and to make God’s kingdom visible and final. 

I get asked pretty frequently about spiritual stuff or Bible passages. I get asked about minor debates that don’t matter. A lot of times people wonder if they’re going to heaven; if they really made the decision to accept Jesus. If they said the right words, if they really meant it. I mean death is a scary thing, and knowing that once it happens, your chances are over, that’s a sobering thought. So no matter if you’re super confident in your salvation or a little uneasy, or know someone who is flat out pagan, the one question exam is the same: What do you believe about Jesus? Right now. In this moment. 

We’ve established that He existed. That’s good. He did miracles. That’s good. He taught some awesome things and was a very moral person. Perfect even. But do you believe in Easter? Do you believe that He rose from the grave? Do you believe that He’s God? All those are the same question to some extent. And that one question is the most important question of your life, and it has infinite implications. 

You say, Yes, Kevin, I know Jesus is God. I know He died for me. And rose! I know I’m forgiven and have entered the kingdom. Jesus is the Savior, and I love Him. Awesome! I’m happy for you. BUT… If Jesus is God, then He cannot simply be Savior. He must also be Lord. 

Jump down to vv. 24-25. It’s not easy following Jesus. The One who promised His own path to suffering in essence promised a difficult path for us, too. In addition to the regular frustrations of life, we have the burden of wearing the target of Christianity. But if Jesus is God, and He rose from the grave, then who else can I follow? He has rescued me from my own guilt and shame and failure and inability to live life with any joy and peace on my own. I must follow the one true King. He demands my allegiance. 

And it’s true. I am a foreigner in this world now. I don’t belong here, and yet I have a mission to spread the influence of the gospel as far as I can before I die. And you know, there’s a lot of things that oppose this new community that Jesus formed, called the church: disease, demons, persecution, even death. But what did Jesus say? V. 18: The gates of Hades/Sheol will not prevail against it. That’s the grave. The underworld, maybe even reference that same spot where the disciples were standing. This terrible world, the supernatural one, and even the one most feared… death itself… will not conquer us, because Jesus rose. This week gives us hope that we, too, will rise, and God’s kingdom will spread. Satan’s already conquered. 

Now how does this really affect me? Am I committed to Jesus the Lord and King, or is my view of Jesus pretty incomplete? His demands are heavy, but it flows from Who He is. If you believe it, you will follow. 

The church is mentioned here directly in step with the character of Jesus. If you go back and read vv. 19-20, Peter and by extension the church were given a high responsibility to represent the activity of God on earth. This again is found in Acts and beyond, but we also must be committed to the mission that God has given us, of following Jesus, of making disciples. And by focusing on the physical and spiritual needs of others and not our own, we will imitate the attitude and mindset of Jesus. We will be more willing to share our faith. We will serve. And God will be glorified. 

But none of this occurs unless you settle in your mind: Who is Jesus?

Isaiah 9:1-7

 “(8:23) The gloom will be dispelled for those who were anxious. In earlier times he humiliated the land of Zebulun, and the land of Naphtali; but now he brings honor to the way of the sea, the region beyond the Jordan, and Galilee of the nations. (9:1) The people walking in darkness see a bright light; light shines on those who live in a land of deep darkness. You have enlarged the nation; you give them great joy. They rejoice in your presence as harvesters rejoice; as warriors celebrate when they divide up the plunder. For their oppressive yoke and the club that strikes their shoulders, the cudgel the oppressor uses on them, you have shattered, as in the day of Midian’s defeat. Indeed every boot that marches and shakes the earth and every garment dragged through blood is used as fuel for the fire. For a child has been born to us, a son has been given to us. He shoulders responsibility and is called: Extraordinary Strategist, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His dominion will be vast and he will bring immeasurable prosperity. He will rule on David’s throne and over David’s kingdom, establishing it and strengthening it by promoting justice and fairness, from this time forward and forevermore. The Lord’s intense devotion to his people will accomplish this.”

— ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭9‬:‭1‬-‭7‬‬

“A remnant will come back, a remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.”

— ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭10‬:‭21‬‬

NET has a million notes for this passage, all of which are worth reading and have a balanced approach on how to interpret this (past fulfillment, Jesus only, or both). Good cross references to other Isaiah passages to help with interpretation, including Isa 10:21 as an example. 

8:23 has those who are anxious but it’s really talking about land. Land is personified as needing healing and restoration. Reminds me of Romans 8 where all creation is groaning for redemption. (Not same concept or application, just same picture).

People walking in darkness here is not pagans here. It’s Israel in exile. This is quoted in NT, and I think it’s still applied to Israel, as those who do not recognize Jesus as Messiah. Use of OT in NT is great resource to see how and why authors used certain passages. Guessing this would be some type of heightened fulfillment for Israel.

Vv 2-5 is one big celebration that those who oppressed Israel have been conquered. (Or will be conquered.) Always difficult to find time perspective of author. Verbs don’t help because of tense flexibility. Point is that Israel is rejoicing and free.

V. 6 looking for ultimate Messiah king. Interesting that NET notes some debate whether some of these titles are directly for God and not all for the king. I would think they are all for the Messiah. The issue is how much Isaiah and the audience knew at time of writing (or whenever book was completed).

All are similar titles for ultimate mind and power and wisdom and ability to provide/protect the people. Often don’t hear of the three children described in opening chapters of Isaiah (here, 7:14, and then Isaiah’s son.) Debate over referents and if they are all the same person. Probably not all same but one or two could be same.

Don’t think Israel understood these titles as Jesus being God in flesh. Lots of ANE texts of their king representing God or fulfilling the presence of God among them. But this would be obvious way for NT authors to look back and say this prophecy was fulfilled “literally.” 

Father cannot be Trinity heresy. Another kingly title for protector/provider for very long reign. 

YHWH’s intense devotion to His people will accomplish this. Again, we see God’s faithfulness to His people. It never fails.