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Jesus said in Mark 8:18 (KJV):

Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?

What was the essence of his teaching?

Ray Butterworth
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RHPclass79
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    Deeper than what? What is the "shallow" meaning you want to go beyond? Please [edit] to clarify with more detail. – curiousdannii Nov 25 '23 at 01:04
  • Do you think Jesus was only talking about physical eyes and ears only? Jesus said 7 times in Revelation 2&3 "He that hath ear, let him hear what the Spirit sayeth to the churches. Obviously Jesus' words were spirit and truth. Much more than just the physical. He said to Nicademus. how can I teach you the spiritual when you don't yet understand the fleshy ( physical ). – RHPclass79 Nov 25 '23 at 19:21
  • I read the flow chart pattern for asking question last night as well as other recommendations. It suggest only asking questions you don't know the answer to. It seems to me most ask questions ( like my self ) that we want others opinions on and also questions to benefit others. Please clarify since you have the red diamond , what this site's primary desire is. – RHPclass79 Nov 25 '23 at 20:08
  • Related: Why does Mark provide two feeding accounts? and What is it that the disciples misunderstood in Mark 8:14-21? – agarza Dec 01 '23 at 17:46

3 Answers3

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Many commentators have noted that the failure of the disciples to understand Jesus is a major theme in the Gospel of Mark. K.M/ Solomon summarizes this view thus:

Mark's dominant theme is the disciples' lack of understanding in the face of the truth. They misunderstand that God's way of suffering and sacrifice for Jesus is identical with God's way for His disciples... Despite all what Jesus taught them, despite their intimate association with Him, despite everything they had seen Him do, the disciples could not understand Jesus as a suffering Son of Man... They do not only misunderstand the message of suffering, but also reject Jesus' suffering, Son of Man Christology and call for suffering discipleship.

The context here is a warning about "the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." (8:15) The disciples have forgotten to bring bread with them on their journey and they think Jesus is referring to that. The deep meaning of this verse is that his disciples completely misunderstand Jesus. In that regard, they are no better than the Pharisees and Herod. The Pharisees expect a political Messiah who will restore the throne of David, while Herod seeks only worldly power. Jesus then reminds the disciples of his feeding of the 5,000. This foreshadows his role to give the "bread of life" after becoming a sacrifice to atone for humanity's sin. But the disciples still do not understand.

Mark's teaching here reflects his view that Jewish attitudes about the Messiah were insufficient to comprehend Jesus' mission. Even the disciples still expected that the Jesus, their Messiah, would restore Israel in his lifetime. This was the "leaven of the Pharisees." They also hope that Jesus' coming kingdom would give them worldly power (Mk. 10:37) - the leaven of Herod. Mark joined Paul in rejecting this view and portrayed Jesus as predestined to go to the Cross, even if the original apostles remained mired in the "leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod."

Conclusion: The episode feeding of the 5,000 (and the disciples' failure to understand it) reveals Jesus frustration that even those closet to him did not understand him. It also marks the beginning of his revealing his true mission to his disciples. as a few lines later we read:

Mark 8:31

He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days.

Dan Fefferman
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  • @ Dan Fefferman I appreciate your input. My intent was directed toward the idea that Jesus words require the understanding the Holy Spirit alone brings through our spirit. I am only using a small phone to do all this. My fingers hit about 2 keys instead of one.I appreciate y'all doing some heavy lifting. – RHPclass79 Nov 25 '23 at 19:46
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Mark 8:18 NIV

Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember?

Luke 8:10 NIV

He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.

Jesus' disciples had been given the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God through seeing and hearing the works of Jesus. If they failed to see and hear, they would be no different from the unbelievers.

Vincent Wong
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  • @ Vincent Wong Yes but bear in mind that it takes a teacher to sometimes explain meaning to those on mother's milk. Nicademus did not understand the concept of being born again but proved later his devotion to Jesus. – RHPclass79 Nov 25 '23 at 19:31
  • @RHPclass79 - these twelve were staying with Jesus 7-24 for more than three years should not be compared with teachers or Nicodemus. In my chronology, Mark 8:18 happened before Jesus set course to Mount Hermon. It was the 3rd year of the ministry. A few verses later in Mark 8:29, Peter proclaimed Jesus is the Messiah. Therefore their spiritual status were no longer ordinary, but surely not yet mature until Christ raised from the dead, and they received the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. – Vincent Wong Nov 26 '23 at 03:02
  • @ Vincent Wong Jesus used a metaphor on leaven and Herod in vs. 15. Jesus was conveying a deeper meaning as am I on having eyes to see and ears to hear. – RHPclass79 Nov 28 '23 at 17:17
  • @RHPclass79 - Matthew 16:5-12 is a parallel to Mark's account. There is a subtle difference to Mark. – Vincent Wong Nov 28 '23 at 21:49
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Having eyes to see and hears to hear means understanding God's word and teaching. The common people understood Jesus' parables because they had a humble heart. Seven times with the seven letters to the seven churches in Rev. Ch.s 2& 3 Jesus uses this expression. He uses the expression of " let those that have ears hear what the Spirit says to the churches". When Jesus walked on earth, they could both SEE and HEAR him. With the Spirit speaking to the churches they could not actually see the Spirit, thus Jesus only referenced ears. Understanding of this unique metaphor is a result of having eyes to read the scriptures and hearing of the understanding the Holy Spirit gives.

RHPclass79
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