Here are some thoughts from the talk on mark 8. I found the study of this chapter very interesting.

We actually picked up with verse 22 and read to the end of the chapter. The story of the healing of the blind man. This is the one where Jesus needed to touch the man 2 times before the man could see clearly. my campus directer Gary pointed out to me that this story paired with another story of the healing of a blind man at the end of chapter 10 sections off a series of events that reveal the blindness of the disciples in the midst of 3 separate occasions in which Jesus clearly explains to them the role of the Messiah. Also in this section we find the transfiguration. And immediately following the second story of the blind man we have Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

We began with an observation that the question of Jesus identity is one of the most significant questions in history, and one of the most important questions we can ask ourselves. But we didnt’ dwell there, because the text begs explanation that moves us in a different direction.

It’s incredible to think of Peter, having just made the right confession that Jesus is the Christ, tries to rebuke Him when He explains to them what the Christ must suffer. And Jesus puts him in his place telling him that his mind is “set on the things of man, not on the things of God.” I think the reason Jesus said this was because of the way Peter must have rebuked Him. We can imagine that Peter, being a well taught Jewish man, was familiar with the prophesies of the Messiah. He was to come in power, destroying the enemies of Israel, restoring the people of God to her rightful place, and establishing a kingdom that will never end. Obviously this didn’t line up with what Jesus was saying about suffering, dying, being raised after 3 days. Peter clearly assumed that Jesus was mistaken. His mind was on the things of man. In this case, the things of man were perceived as things of God. But Peter was so convinced that “man” had been correct, that his Jewish teachers and the Pharisees were correct in their interpretation of the way in which the Messiah would come, that when the Messiah Himself was speaking plainly to him, he assumed the Messiah was the one who was mistaken.

At this point we understand better the juxtaposition of the story of the healing of the blind man. Peter had confessed that Jesus was the Christ, but he still didn’t see clearly. Jesus touched the blind man once, but he didn’t see clearly until He had touched him a second time. Jesus didn’t make a mistake here. And Mark didn’t write his Gospel in this order by accident.

How many people live today having confessed that Jesus is the Christ, but don’t see clearly enough to live a life that honors God? And Jesus explains to us in verses 34-38 what such a life looks like. The problem is that we don’t see clearly enough. And I think there are two causes. One is that we received the first touch from Jesus and didn’t stick around for more. We named Him Savior of our souls and immediately ran off to live life. We heard a simple Gospel and immediately became experts, having figured out life, found peace and eternal security, but we didn’t sit long enough for it to become clear. But then the disciples had been around Jesus for a long time at this point. He’s just 2 chapters from Palm Sunday, which begins the last week of probably 3 years of ministry. The disciples had been around Him a long time, and even they didn’t get it. How then can we hope to really understand?

I think one big difference is that we have the rest of the story. We know why Jesus had to suffer and die, and be raised. And we couldn’t be more grateful. The disciples didn’t have the same information. They didn’t know the ending. We have it available to study and to learn and to gain understanding so that we can see clearly. The actual ending we still don’t know. But we will someday. For now we have the calling to deny ourselves, to take up our cross and follow Christ.

The last point I wanted to make on Tuesday was that we cling much too tightly to the things of man. Like Peter who held so tightly to his understanding of the Messiah, we often refuse to let go of our own understanding of certain things in life. Look at Mormonism and the Jehova’s Witnesses. They didn’t begin with truth, but they created or manipulated new truth to support what they wanted to believe. Look at people who want to say homosexuality is ok. They don’t want truth, they want to cling to their own desires and reject the real source of truth for the sake of pleasing man, or pleasing themselves.

We can see clearly. But it takes more than one touch. And it takes a mentality that accepts truth whether it is pleasant or not - even if it isn’t in agreement with man and what we have always been taught. If we want to answer the question about Who Jesus is, we have to go after truth. And we may have to let go of what we want to believe. But we can be confident that if Truth about Jesus is different from what we expected, it’s different in a good way. The Truth will always be better for us.