Mark 8:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.”

NIV: If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.'

NASB: And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way; and some of them have come from a great distance.'

CSB: If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a long distance."

NLT: If I send them home hungry, they will faint along the way. For some of them have come a long distance.'

KJV: And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far.

NKJV: And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar.”

Sometime before, Jesus and His disciples had practically fled the crowds of Capernaum (Mark 4:35–36) and retreated to the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee (Mark 5:1). Immediately, they were met by a man possessed by a legion of demons. Jesus agreed not to send the demons into the abyss, and the demons offered to leave the man and enter a herd of pigs, instead. The pigs promptly rushed down the hill into the sea and drowned.
The people of the region begged Jesus to leave: whether in fear of His power or in defense of their livestock we don't know. The freed man begged to stay with Jesus. Jesus told him, instead, to return to his friends and tell them how God had saved him (Mark 5:1–20). The man clearly did so: Upon Jesus' next visit, He is swarmed with a crowd from throughout Decapolis who have spent three days receiving healing and glorifying God (Matthew 15:29–31).

Now they are healed, but hungry. "Faint" comes from the Greek root word ekluo. It means to weaken or exhaust one's strength. The people who had once feared for their livelihood now willingly leave it behind to receive Jesus' blessings. This is the power of a Christian testimony. The four Gospels are stories of Jesus' time on earth, and we are also called to tell the story of Jesus' love for us. Our tale doesn't have to be as dramatic as release from demon possession. But Jesus has worked in every believer, and the people of the world needs those stories of hope before they exhaust their strength in this life.

Mark 8:1–10 is the third of a series of stories about bread and the proper place of ceremonial cleanness. In Mark 7:1–5, the Pharisees condemn Jesus' disciples for eating bread with unclean hands. In Mark 7:24–30, a Syrophoenician woman boldly requests the metaphoric ''crumbs'' of God's provision. Here, Jesus feeds bread to a great crowd of Gentiles and Jews. Later, He will equate the insidious false teachings of the Pharisees with leaven (Mark 8:14–21). This account is also found in Matthew 15:32–39.

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.