MARK 3:7 TO MARK 7:37. A new stage in the work of Jesus. Up to this point Christ's ministry is purely Galilean in scene, actors and horizon alike. Now crowds come from long distances and from all parts of the country. The attention of the religious authorities at Jerusalem is drawn to Him (_cf._ Mar... [ Continue Reading ]
THE REJECTION OF JESUS AT NAZARETH. Mk.'s reason for inserting this incident at this particular point is obscure. It seems to belong to the early period. Jesus is once more in the synagogue as His custom was at the first, and the presence of the disciples is especially mentioned, as if they were not... [ Continue Reading ]
THE MISSIONARY ACTIVITY OF THE TWELVE. Wellhausen is sceptical as to the historic worth of this paragraph, as also of the section on the appointment of the Twelve. But Mk.'s view, that the disciples were not sent out to evangelize until they had been with Jesus some time (_cf. Mark 3:14_), is probab... [ Continue Reading ]
HEROD AND JESUS. THE END OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. Wellhausen, J. Weiss, and Klostermann would begin a new period with this section the period of constant wandering, in which Jesus is mostly outside Galilee, _e.g._ in the districts of Tyre and Sidon (Mark 7:24), Decapolis (Mark 7:31), Bethsaida (Mark 8:2... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FEEDING OF THE MULTITUDE. Mk. regards the disciples-' need of rest after their missionary labours as the occasion for retirement. The hostility of Herod may also have contributed to the decision to withdraw to a desert place. The pressure of the public on the time and energies of the disciple-ba... [ Continue Reading ]
JESUS DISMISSES THE CROWD AND WALKS ON THE SEA. The first verses of this section apparently touch on an unexplained crisis in the life of Jesus. Why does He compel the disciples to leave Him? Why does He spend the night alone in prayer? Is the dismissal of the crowd a farewell, like Paul's farewell... [ Continue Reading ]
THE MINISTRY OF HEALING RESUMED. The disciples having set out for Bethsaida (p. 29), in the NE. corner of the lake, arrive at Gennesaret (p. 29) on the NW. side. The change of destination is usually attributed to the adverse wind. But Mk. says nothing of a change of course. The wind dropped, and, ac... [ Continue Reading ]