Discovery BoxMark 8:11-38
Context8:11 Then the Pharisees 1 came and began to argue with Jesus, asking for 2 a sign from heaven 3 to test him. 8:12 Sighing deeply in his spirit he said, “Why does this generation look for a sign? I tell you the truth, 4 no sign will be given to this generation.” 8:13 Then 5 he left them, got back into the boat, and went to the other side.
8:14 Now 6 they had forgotten to take bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. 8:15 And Jesus 7 ordered them, 8 “Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees 9 and the yeast of Herod!” 8:16 So they began to discuss with one another about having no bread. 10 8:17 When he learned of this, 11 Jesus said to them, “Why are you arguing 12 about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Have your hearts been hardened? 8:18 Though you have eyes, don’t you see? And though you have ears, can’t you hear? 13 Don’t you remember? 8:19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of pieces did you pick up?” They replied, “Twelve.” 8:20 “When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets full of pieces did you pick up?” They replied, 14 “Seven.” 8:21 Then 15 he said to them, “Do you still not understand?” 16
8:22 Then 17 they came to Bethsaida. They brought a blind man to Jesus 18 and asked him to touch him. 8:23 He took the blind man by the hand and brought him outside of the village. Then 19 he spit on his eyes, placed his hands on his eyes 20 and asked, “Do you see anything?” 8:24 Regaining his sight 21 he said, “I see people, but they look like trees walking.” 8:25 Then Jesus 22 placed his hands on the man’s 23 eyes again. And he opened his eyes, 24 his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 8:26 Jesus 25 sent him home, saying, “Do not even go into the village.” 26
8:27 Then Jesus and his disciples went to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. 27 On the way he asked his disciples, 28 “Who do people say that I am?” 8:28 They said, 29 “John the Baptist, others say Elijah, 30 and still others, one of the prophets.” 8:29 He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, 31 “You are the Christ.” 32 8:30 Then 33 he warned them not to tell anyone about him. 34
8:31 Then 35 Jesus 36 began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer 37 many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law, 38 and be killed, and after three days rise again. 8:32 He spoke openly about this. So 39 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 8:33 But after turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but on man’s.” 40
8:34 Then 41 Jesus 42 called the crowd, along with his disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to become my follower, 43 he must deny 44 himself, take up his cross, 45 and follow me. 8:35 For whoever wants to save his life 46 will lose it, 47 but whoever loses his life for my sake and for the gospel will save it. 8:36 For what benefit is it for a person 48 to gain the whole world, yet 49 forfeit his life? 8:37 What can a person give in exchange for his life? 8:38 For if anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him 50 when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
[8:11] 1 sn See the note on Pharisees in 2:16.
[8:11] 2 tn Grk “seeking from him.” The participle ζητοῦντες (zhtountes) shows the means by which the Pharisees argued with Jesus.
[8:11] 3 sn What exactly this sign would have been, given what Jesus was already doing, is not clear. But here is where the fence-sitters reside, refusing to commit to him.
[8:12] 4 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[8:13] 5 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[8:14] 6 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
[8:15] 7 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:15] 8 tn Grk “was giving them orders, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
[8:15] 9 sn See the note on Pharisees in 2:16.
[8:16] 10 tn Grk “And they were discussing with one another that they had no bread.”
[8:17] 11 tn Or “becoming aware of it.”
[8:18] 13 tn Grk “do you not hear?”
[8:20] 14 tc ‡ A difficult textual problem is found here, involving three different variants: καὶ λέγουσιν (kai legousin) is found in א pc; οἱ δὲ εἶπον (Joi de eipon) is the reading of Ì45 A D W Θ Ë1,13 33 Ï it; and καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ (kai legousin autw) is supported by B C L (Δ 579 892) 2427 pc. The first two variants would not be translated differently; the third reading, however, would add “to him” after “they replied.” What complicates the issue is that the external evidence is fairly evenly split between the second and third readings, though the first reading is in agreement with the second reading in lacking the dative pronoun. Indeed, another layout of the problem here could treat this as two distinct problems: καὶ λέγουσιν vs. οἱ δὲ εἶπον and αὐτῷ vs. omission of the word. In this second arrangement of the problem, the reading without the pronoun has slightly stronger support (Ì45 א A D W Θ Ë1,13 33 Ï it). Internally, Mark never elsewhere uses the form εἶπον for the third person plural indicative form of this verb (it is always εἶπαν [eipan]). And although only one other time in Mark is the object lacking after λέγουσιν (6:38), it is a similar context (viz., the disciples’ response before Jesus feeds the 5000). Very tentatively, the reading that is followed here is καὶ λέγουσιν. NA27 puts αὐτῷ in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.
[8:21] 15 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then” to indicate the implied sequence in the narrative.
[8:21] 16 sn Do you still not understand? The disciples in Mark’s Gospel often misunderstood the miracles of Jesus as well as his teaching. Between Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Mark paints the most revealing portrait of the shortcomings of the Twelve (cf. 6:51-52; 7:17-19; 8:1-10, 14-21, 27-30, 33; 9:5, 10, 33; 10:28, 35-45; 14:19, 29-31, 32-37, 50, 66-72).
[8:22] 17 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[8:22] 18 tn Grk “to him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:23] 19 tn Grk “village, and.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[8:23] 20 tn Grk “on him,” but the word πάλιν in v. 25 implies that Jesus touched the man’s eyes at this point.
[8:24] 21 tn The verb ἀναβλέπω, though normally meaning “look up,” when used in conjunction with blindness means “regain sight.”
[8:25] 22 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:25] 23 tn Grk “his”; the referent (the blind man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:25] 24 tn Or “he looked intently”; or “he stared with eyes wide open” (BDAG 226 s.v. διαβλέπω 1).
[8:26] 25 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:26] 26 tc Codex Bezae (D) replaces “Do not even go into the village” with “Go to your house, and do not tell anyone, not even in the village.” Other
[8:27] 27 map Fpr location see Map1 C1; Map2 F4.
[8:27] 28 tn Grk “he asked his disciples, saying to them.” The phrase λέγων αὐτοῖς (legwn autois) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[8:28] 29 tn Grk “And they said to him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[8:28] 30 sn The appearance of Elijah would mean that the end time had come. According to 2 Kgs 2:11, Elijah was still alive. In Mal 4:5 it is said that Elijah would be the precursor of Messiah.
[8:29] 31 tn Grk “Answering, Peter said to him.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “Peter answered him.”
[8:29] 32 tn Or “the Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
[8:30] 33 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then” to indicate the conclusion of the episode.
[8:30] 34 sn Mark 8:27-10:52. The entire section 8:27-10:52 is built around three passion predictions of Jesus (8:31; 9:31; 10:33). These predictions form the structure of the section, the content for the section (Jesus’ suffering, death, and the meaning of genuine discipleship) and the mood of the section (i.e., a somber mood). What is interesting is that after each passion prediction, Mark records both the misunderstanding of the disciples and then Jesus’ teaching on the nature of his death and what genuine discipleship is all about: (1) denying oneself (8:34-38); (2) humility and serving (9:33-37); (3) suffering, humble service, and not lording it over people (10:35-45). For further discussion of the structure of the passage, see W. L. Lane, Mark (NICNT), 292-94.
[8:31] 35 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[8:31] 36 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:31] 37 sn The necessity that the Son of Man suffer is the particular point that needed emphasis, since for many 1st century Jews the Messiah was a glorious and powerful figure, not a suffering one.
[8:31] 38 tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.
[8:32] 39 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “So” to indicate Peter’s rebuke is in response to Jesus’ teaching about the suffering of the Son of Man.
[8:34] 41 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[8:34] 42 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:34] 43 tn Grk “to follow after me.”
[8:34] 44 tn This translation better expresses the force of the Greek third person imperative than the traditional “let him deny,” which could be understood as merely permissive.
[8:34] 45 sn To bear the cross means to accept the rejection of the world for turning to Jesus and following him. Discipleship involves a death that is like a crucifixion; see Gal 6:14.
[8:35] 46 tn Or “soul” (throughout vv. 35-37).
[8:35] 47 sn The point of the saying whoever wants to save his life will lose it is that if one comes to Jesus then rejection by many will certainly follow. If self-protection is a key motivation, then one will not respond to Jesus and will not be saved. One who is willing to risk rejection will respond and find true life.
[8:36] 48 tn Grk “a man,” but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used in a generic sense here to refer to both men and women.
[8:36] 49 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[8:38] 50 sn How one responds now to Jesus and his teaching is a reflection of how Jesus, as the Son of Man who judges, will respond then in the final judgment.
