Mark 6:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.

NIV: They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

NASB: And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.

CSB: They drove out many demons, anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

NLT: And they cast out many demons and healed many sick people, anointing them with olive oil.

KJV: And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.

NKJV: And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.

The Twelve have witnessed Jesus calm a stormy sea, expel a legion of demons, and raise a dead girl. They've also seen Him rejected by His family (Mark 6:1–6) and know that John the Baptist has been executed (Mark 6:14–29).

Now it's their turn to engage the world. Jesus chooses them for the purpose of being with Him, preaching, and freeing people from demons (Mark 3:14–15). He teaches them what to expect (Matthew 10) and gives them authority to heal and even raise the dead (Matthew 10:8). He equips them with the bare minimum so that they won't get distracted from their mission (Mark 6:8–9). This effort works. They are so successful in their mission that when they rejoin Jesus, the crowds will recognize them as much as they do Him (Mark 6:33).

This is the only time Mark mentions using oil to heal. In all four Gospels, Jesus never uses oil. In the entire New Testament, healing oil is only mentioned here, in the story of the Good Samaritan, where it is medicinal (Luke 10:34), and in James' instructions for the church (James 5:14).

The Old Testament mentions oil quite often as a symbol of blessing and consecration for God's use. Like the woman touching Jesus' robe (Mark 5:28) and Jairus wanting Jesus to lay His hands on his daughter (Mark 5:23), the oil may be a tactile, recognizable symbol that God's blessing is at work, even though the healing comes from faith, not touch (Mark 5:34, 36).

The Christian life is full of such symbolism. Baptism represents being raised from the dead in Christ. Communion reminds the church body that we are spiritually nourished by Jesus' broken body and cleansed by His blood. We are not saved by baptism or communion, just as healing does not come through robes, hands, or oil. But when the symbol is associated with faith, it can deepen our understanding of God's grace.

Mark 6:7–13 describes the Twelve's missions trip, sandwiched by two less-encouraging accounts. Jesus' rejection at Nazareth teaches the disciples and us that preaching the gospel is often most difficult at home (Mark 6:1–6). The execution of John the Baptist by Herod Antipas shows that sometimes doing the work of Christ brings dire consequences (Mark 6:14–29). Jesus had chosen the Twelve to be with Him, to preach, and to have authority to cast out demons (Mark 3:14). They had been with Jesus, not it was a time for them to be sent out to minister to others. Later, Jesus will send out seventy-two (Luke 10:1–12). Before He ascends to heaven, He will send out all who believe in Him (Matthew 28:18–20; Acts 1:8; John 17:20–26). Matthew 9:35—11:1 recounts this event with more detail, while the account in Luke 9:1–6 is nearly identical to Mark's.

Jesus returns to His hometown of Nazareth, but the people there are faithless and skeptical. As a result, Jesus performs no more than a few minor miracles. He then assigns His twelve apostles to travel in pairs, preaching repentance and healing various conditions. Mark then takes a brief detour to explain the death of John the Baptist, beheaded after Herod Antipas is tricked by his wife. The focus then returns to Jesus, explaining His miraculous feeding of thousands of people, walking on water, and healing people in Gennesaret.

Even as the Twelve are given opportunity to wield some of Jesus' power and authority, they still struggle to understand. They misinterpret who He is, what He has come to do, and how much He will ask of them. They fear Jesus' display of deity, but seem to dismiss the murderous rejection of His hometown and the death of John the Baptist. It's easy to have faith in a prophet who seems poised to rescue Israel from foreign rule. It is still beyond them to understand that He is actually God.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.