Mark 8:30 - Printer Friendly

When we are asked why God sent Jesus when He did, at least one valid reason is because they didn't have social media back then. Excessive publicity and a lack of context would have made Jesus' ministry that much harder. Jesus keeps—or tries to keep—short reins on the publicity of His ministry. He turns the water into wine out of respect for His mother, not because He is ready to be known as a miracle-worker (John 2:1–11). He silences demons because He does not want them to be the witness of who He is (Mark 3:11–12). When His brothers cynically push Him to reveal who He is, He tells them His time hasn't come (John 7:3–8).

But when Jesus is walking through the garden of Gethsemane, He warns Peter, James, and John that it is time for His sacrifice (Mark 14:41). Even to the last minute, moments before He ascends into heaven, the disciples ask if it is time to restore the kingdom to Israel; He tells them not yet, there is work to be done (Acts 1:6–8). In fact, even He does not know when He will return (Mark 13:32).

The issue of timing plays a role in why Jesus does not yet want the disciples to spread the news that He is the Christ. They need to know because it brings context to what He will teach them privately. But if the people find out, they will get ahead of themselves, and try to make Him king (John 6:15; Mark 11:9–10). Before the disciples proclaim that Jesus is the Christ, they must first understand that the Christ has not come to save Israel from the Roman Empire but to save the world from sin (John 3:16–17). Peter proves they are not ready when he rebukes Jesus after Jesus says He must be killed (Mark 8:31–32).

"Charge" is from the Greek root word epitimao. In other places, the word is translated "rebuke." When Jesus uses this word, it is with the authority of God (Mark 1:25; 3:12; 4:39; 8:32). When other people "rebuke" in Mark's Gospel, they are being presumptuous (Mark 8:33; 10:13; 10:48), getting in the way of Jesus doing His job. Rebuke has its place (1 Timothy 5:20; 2 Timothy 3:16; Titus 1:13), but the instances performed by people other than Jesus in this Gospel are inappropriate.

Mark 8:27–30 begins the second half of Mark's Gospel, focusing on Jesus as ''the Christ.'' The encounters beginning here must have been a whirlwind of emotions for the disciples. Peter declares Jesus is the Christ and immediately after denies what the Christ is there to do (Mark 8:31–33). Jesus teaches a crowd that they must give up their lives for their belief in Him (Mark 8:34—9:1), and six days later, Peter, James, and John witness Jesus' true glory (Mark 9:2–8). Within a week, the disciples experience the highs and lows of following the Christ. Peter's confession is also in Matthew 16:13–20 and Luke 9:18–20.

This chapter describes another miraculous feeding of thousands by Jesus. He also counters the hard-hearted and selfish hypocrisy of the Pharisees in seeking even more miraculous signs. Speaking to the disciples, Jesus rebukes their short memories and reminds them about God's intent to provide for His followers. After healing a blind man, Jesus accepts Peter's proclamation that Jesus is the Messiah. Almost immediately, though, Jesus rebukes Peter for resisting the idea that the Messiah must suffer and die.

Mark 8 continues Jesus' attempts to teach the disciples God's plan for the Messiah. Jesus has not come for the religious Pharisees but for the meek who willingly respond to Him. He has not yet come as the glorious and victorious champion of Israel, but to die for the whole world. And His followers must also be willing to sacrifice their lives. The chapter marks a turning point in Jesus' ministry as His miracles grow fewer and His teaching increases. Interestingly, Jesus also faces a repeat of the temptations He experienced in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–11).

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.