Three Marks of Mature Christian Faith – Mark 7:31-8:21
7 (31) Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. (32) There they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment; they begged Jesus to lay his hand on him. (33) Jesus took him aside privately, apart from the crowd. He put his fingers into the man’s ears, then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. (34) Looking up to heaven, he sighed, and then said to him, Ephphatha, which means, Be opened. (35) The man’s ears were opened and his tongue was loosened, and he spoke plainly. (36) Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone; but the more he commanded them, all the more did they speak of it. (37) People were overwhelmed with amazement, saying, He does all things well; he even makes the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.
8 During those days there was another large crowd, and they had nothing to eat. So he called his disciples to himself and said to them, (2) I have compassion for these people, because they have stayed with me now for three days, and they have nothing to eat. (3) If I send them away to their homes hungry, they will faint along the way; and some of them have come from a great distance. (4) His disciples answered him, How shall anyone be able to fill these men with bread here in this desolate area? (5( He asked them, How many loaves of bread do you have? They replied, Seven. (6) He commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, and after giving thanks, he broke them into pieces and gave them to his disciples to set before the people, and they did so. (7) They also had a few small fish. He gave thanks for them, too, and instructed his disciples to distribute them. (8) The people ate, and were filled. And they gathered up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. (9) Now they who ate were about four thousand. Then he sent them away.
(10) After this, he immediately got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha. (11) There the Pharisees approached and began to question him. As a way of testing him, they requested him to perform a sign from heaven. (12) He sighed deeply in his spirit and said, Why does this generation ask for a sign? I tell you the truth, No sign shall be given to this generation. (13) Then he left them; and once again getting into the boat, he went to the other side of the lake. (14) Now the disciples had forgotten to bring bread; they only had one loaf with them in the boat. (15) Jesus warned them, Be careful. Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod. (16) Then they argued among themselves, Why is it that we have no bread? (17) Aware of their arguing, Jesus asked them, Why are you arguing over the fact that you have no bread? Do you still fail to understand or comprehend? Is your heart hardened? (18) Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? (19) When I broke the five loaves into pieces for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you gather up? They replied, Twelve. (20) And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of broken pieces did you gather up? They replied, Seven. (21) Then he asked them, Do you still not comprehend?
Now proceed to the next section of this study, entitled, Exploring the Passage.
