Marcos 8
Warren Wiersbe · Citado em PreceptAustin
Marcos 8
Wiersbe - Mark 8:34 indicates that, though Jesus and His disciples had met in private, the crowds were not far away. Jesus summoned the people and taught them what He taught His own disciples: there is a price to pay for true discipleship. He knew that the crowds were following Him only because of the miracles, and that most of the people were unwilling to pay the price to become true disciples. Jesus laid down three conditions for true discipleship: (1) we must surrender ourselves completely to Him; (2) we must identify with Him in suffering and death; and (3) we must follow Him obediently, wherever He leads. If we live for ourselves, we will lose ourselves, but if we lose ourselves for His sake and the Gospel’s, we will find ourselves. And He summoned (proskaleo) the crowd with His disciples, and said to them - The context is Jesus had just explained to His 12 disciples that He must suffer and die. Jesus' striking statement is for anyone and everyone who would desire to follow in His steps, steps of suffering for His Name and for some even martyrdom. And remember from here on in the Gospel of Mark Jesus has fixed His face like flint toward the Cross. Do you still want to follow Him dear reader? The Cross speaks of death. The preposition "pros" (proskaleo) indicates Jesus called the to Himself.
Marcos 8
Wiersbe says that a sign is "Something that points beyond itself to something greater. It was not enough for people to believe in Jesus' works; they had to believe in Him and in the Father who sent Him (John 5:14-24). This explains why Jesus often added a sermon to the miracle and in that sermon interpreted the sign. In John 5, the healing of the paralytic on the Sabbath opened the way for a message on His deity, "the Lord of the Sabbath." The feeding of the 5,000 (John 6) led naturally into a sermon on the Bread of Life." (BEC) Trench on sign - "It is involved and declared in the very word that the prime object and end of the miracle is to lead us to something out of and beyond itself: that, so to speak, it is a kind of finger-post of God, pointing for us to this: valuable, not so much for what it is, as for what it indicates of the grace and power of the doer, or of his immediate connection with a higher spiritual world" The irony is that they would one day in the future see a "sign from heaven" when the Son returned and they would then know Jesus was God's Son, but tragically for them this "sign" would be too late and would signal their eternal punishment away from His glorious presence! “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. (Mt 24:30+) BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen. (Rev 1:7+) To test Him - Here is the purpose of their serpentine seeking of a sign! It was to test Jesus. Their heart was evil and their motives were corrupt for they were not seeking a sign so that they might believe in Him. Hiebert explains to test Him - they aimed to put His power to perform such a sign to an open test. It was an attempt to catch Jesus in a dilemma: if He tried to perform such a miracle, they were confident He would fail, stamping Him as an imposter; if He refused, it would be regarded as an admission that He was not the Messiah, causing Him to lose popular support, since there was an expectation that the Messiah would perform such celestial signs. (Gospel of Mark - An Expositional Commentary) Constable on test by asking for a sign from heaven - They did this to subject Jesus to a trial (Gr. peirazo) that would reveal His true character. They hoped to expose Him as a phony. Broadus on testing Him in Mt 16:1 - (cf. on Mt 4:1,7), with the hope that he will not stand the test, will not be able to show the sign; comp. Matthew 19:3, Mt 22:18,35. The Scribes and Pharisees had asked a sign from him in Matthew 12:38, and were refused. Now the Pharisees and Sadducees make a similar demand specifically for a 'sign from heaven' (so also Mark 8:11), and get (Matthew 16:4) exactly the same refusal as before. (Matthew 12:39) They might be thinking of such signs as when Moses gave bread from heaven, (Ps 78:23-25.; John 6:30-33) Joshua made the sun and moon stand still (Josh 10:12,13), Samuel brought thunder and rain in time of harvest (1 Sa 12:17, 18), Elijah repeatedly called down fire from heaven (2 Kings 1:10-12), and at Isaiah' s word the shadow went back on the dial (Isaiah 38:8); comp. Joel 2:30ff. Origen conjectures that they regarded signs on earth as wrought in Beelzebul. (Matthew 12:24) Probably some Jews really expected celestial signs of Messiah's approach; but the present request was made from bad motives. Jesus promised "great signs from heaven" in connection with his second coming, (Matthew 24:29,30.; Luke 21:11,25; cp. Rev. 15:1) and predicted that the false Christs would show great signs. (Matthew 24:24) (Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew) Jensen remarks that they wanted a sign as "proof that Jesus was the Messiah, the Pharisees were demanding signs from heaven, such as solar or lunar phenomena. They had evil motives, as the phrase “to test Him” (8:11) indicates. They really wanted to disprove Jesus’ claims to be the Messiah-God. Could it be that they were convinced that Jesus couldn’t bring on a celestial sign, and by failing such a test would be exposed as a false prophet? Actually, a great many signs were being given to these men—the many miracles Jesus was performing in public. But they did not want to recognize Him for who He truly was. (Compare Matthew 16:1–4 for the other things Jesus said at this time about signs. Also read Matthew 12:39–40, about Jonah.) Mark 12:13-15 Then they *sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Him in order to trap Him in a statement. 14 They came and said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay a poll-tax to Caesar, or not? 15 “Shall we pay or shall we not pay?” But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a denarius to look at.” Related Resource: What does it mean to test God? | GotQuestions.org Mark 8:12 Sighing deeply in His spirit, He said, "Why does this generation seek for a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation." Wuest And having groaned deeply in His spirit, He says, Why is this stock seeking an attesting miracle? Positively I am saying to you, There shall no attesting miracle be given to this stock. (Wuest) NET Mark 8:12 Sighing deeply in his spirit he said, "Why does this generation look for a sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to this generation." NLT Mark 8:12 When he heard this, he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, "Why do these people keep demanding a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, I will not give this generation any such sign." ESV Mark 8:12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation." NIV Mark 8:12 He sighed deeply and said, "Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it." GNT Mark 8:12 καὶ ἀναστενάξας τῷ πνεύματι αὐτοῦ λέγει, Τί ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη ζητεῖ σημεῖον; ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, εἰ δοθήσεται τῇ γενεᾷ ταύτῃ σημεῖον. KJV Mark 8:12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation. YLT Mark 8:12 and having sighed deeply in his spirit, he saith, 'Why doth this generation seek after a sign? Verily I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.' ASV Mark 8:12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation. CSB Mark 8:12 But sighing deeply in His spirit, He said, "Why does this generation demand a sign? I assure you: No sign will be given to this generation!" NKJ Mark 8:12 But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation." NRS Mark 8:12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, "Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation." he sighed: Mk 3:5 7:34 9:19 Isa 53:3 Lu 19:41 Joh 11:33-38 Why: Mk 6:6 Lu 16:29-31 22:67-70 Joh 12:37-43 There: Mt 12:39,40 16:4 Lu 11:29,30 Mark 8 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Matthew 16:2+ But He replied to them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3 “And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times? 4 “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and went away. Luke 16:31 “But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’” Sighing deeply in His spirit - This emotional response is not found in Matthew's account. Sighing deeply is the Greek word anastenazo (ana - again, intensifies meaning + stenazo - to groan used in Mk 7:34 where Jesus signed over suffering of the deaf man) and is used only here in the Bible and Thayer says means "to draw sighs up frown the bottom of the breast." The picture using this stronger verb for sighing indicates He gave a deep groan because of the "spiritual deafness" (and blindness) of the religious leaders. "The willful blindness of the religious leaders broke the Lord’s heart, later causing Him to weep over the people of Jerusalem (Luke 19:41+)." (MNTC-Mark 1-8) Swete - “The sigh seemed to come, as we say, from the bottom of His heart; the Lord’s human spirit was stirred to its depths.”
Marcos 8
Wiersbe puts it like this: 'One minute Peter was a rock, and the next he was a stumbling block'. G Campbell
Marcos 8
Wiersbe - Discipleship is a daily discipline: we follow Jesus a step at a time, a day at a time. A weary cleaning woman said to a friend of mine, “The trouble with life is that it’s so daily!” But she was wrong. One of the best things about life is that we can take it a day at a time (Deut. 33:25+ "may your strength match the length of your days!" NLT). COMMENT - Note the fact that one was to take up the cross daily underscores the fact that this is metaphorical and not literal. Numbers 14:24+ “But My servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it. 1 Kings 14:8 and tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you–yet you have not been like My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only that which was right in My sight; Acts 14:22+ strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” Peter had just set his mind on man's interest, not God's so Jesus now presents God's interest. John MacArthur gives us the context for this next pericope Mark 8:34-38 - The recognition that Jesus was the divine Messiah, as articulated by Peter’s confession (Mk 8:29), represented a euphoric moment of realization and clarity for the apostles. Their joy was quickly eclipsed by the news that Jesus must suffer and die (Mk 8:31). The Twelve had difficulty accepting the notion of a suffering Messiah, as evidenced by Peter’s impetuous reaction ( Mk 8:32). In reality, they were setting their minds on man’s interests (Mk 8:33), thinking only of glory and blessings for themselves in the messianic kingdom. What they failed to understand was that God’s plan of redemption required a sacrifice for sin (cf. Isa. 53:10-12; John 1:29)....For the unbelievers in the crowd, Jesus’ words come after Me comprised an open invitation to place their faith in Him and join His disciples. To do so would cost them everything. As the Lord made transparent, true saving faith is characterized by self-denial, cross bearing, and submissive obedience. (MNTC-Mark) Kent
Marcos 8
Wiersbe - note the motivation for true discipleship: “for My sake and the Gospel’s” (Mark 8:35). To lose yourself is not an act of desperation; it is an act of devotion. But we do not stop there: personal devotion should lead to practical duty, the sharing of the Gospel with a lost world. “For My sake” could lead to selfish religious isolationism, so it must be balanced with “and the Gospel’s.” Because we live for Him, we live for others. (BEC) NET Note - The point of the saying whoever wants to save his life will lose it is that if one comes to Jesus then rejection by many will certainly follow. If self-protection is a key motivation, then one will not respond to Jesus and will not be saved. One who is willing to risk rejection will respond and find true life. THOUGHT - Jesus is not saying works by us (self-effort) can save. In fact seeking to save yourself by good deeds will result in eternal loss of your soul! So what does Jesus mean? The only person who would willingly lose his life for Jesus is a person who has been born again by the Spirit of Jesus. He then has the indwelling Spirit of Jesus Who gives him supernatural desire to die to self and his innate selfishness (e.g., by serving others, giving to others, spending time with Jesus in His Word and prayer, etc). No man would die to self by himself! In other words the natural tendency of our flesh is to survive and to pamper self. But in our day to day life we encounter many opportunities to die to self interests (enabled by the Spirit) and to put the interests of God and others before our interests. This is absolute antithesis of the way the world works! The world's motto is "Look out for number one!" Jesus' motto is deny number one! And dying to self and living to God is the only way to a truly happy and fulfilling life in this world and the world to come. Selfless investment in time will yield priceless returns in eternity (cf Lk 19:11-27; Mt. 6:19-21; 19:27-30). Father, let it be so for all who read these words, that enabled by Thy Spirit, we would daily supernaturally seek to die to self (and selfishness) and live for Christ, for His Kingdom and His glory (and Thy Glory), in His Name. Amen Hiebert - The alternative statement assumed the matter of the will and stresses the higher objects for which the disciple sacrifices himself, “for my sake and the gospel’s.” The calm assertion “for my sake” reflects Christ’s consciousness of His unique supremacy, which justly claims the absolute allegiance of His disciples. And the gospel’s, added only in Mark (cf. 10:29), points to the message which the disciple accepts and propagates at the cost of himself. The two form two sides of one great reality. Christ is known to us only through the gospel, and our adherence to the gospel means our loyalty to Him. The paradoxical statement derives its force from the two meanings of the word life (psuchē), often translated “soul,” the self-conscious life. The term here has a lower and higher meaning. In both statements it first means the outward, earthly life with its pleasures and aims and then the inward, spiritual life which begins here and reaches into eternity. The one who refuses to become a disciple to preserve the lower thereby destroys the higher; the present self-sacrifice of the interests of the lower life will result in true and ultimate self-preservation. (Gospel of Mark - An Expositional Commentary) Cornerstone Biblical Commentary on losing temporarily paradoxically means gaining eternally – Perhaps this is what Hudson Taylor, the famous missionary to China, meant when, after a life of tremendous sacrifice, he solemnly declared, “I never made a sacrifice.” He had truly lost all for Christ but in return found his all in Christ. Like Paul, he could say, “I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him” (Phil 3:8-9).