Mark 06: Focus on Jesus

We dive into Mark chapter 6, exploring multiple stories that all point to a singular truth: keeping our focus on Jesus brings success in both good times and difficult seasons.

• Jesus faces rejection in His hometown of Nazareth due to their unbelief
• The disciples are sent out two by two with minimal provisions, teaching them dependence on God
• John the Baptist's tragic beheading by King Herod shows the cost of standing for truth
• Jesus miraculously feeds 5,000+ people with just five loaves and two fish
• Jesus walks on water during a storm to rescue the disciples
• Peter's water-walking experience is notably absent from Mark's account, possibly demonstrating Peter's maturity in keeping focus on Jesus rather than himself
• The key lesson: focusing on Jesus doesn't mean denying life's storms but denying their power to determine our focus

The presence of a storm is not the absence of God. Sometimes, it's the presence of the storm that helps us find where God is. If you're going through a difficult season, remember to keep your focus on Jesus rather than on the challenges surrounding you.

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Chapters

• 0:48 Welcome to Bible Breakdown
• 2:00 Jesus Rejected in Nazareth
• 4:01 Disciples Sent Out Two by Two
• 5:12 The Beheading of John the Baptist
• 8:02 Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
• 9:25 Walking on Water
• 13:00 Focus on Jesus in Every Storm

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:24

Well, hello everybody. Welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host, pastor Brandon. Today, mark, chapter 6, and today's title is Focus on Jesus. Focus on Jesus. Now, if you haven't already noticed, one of the things that I've noticed and maybe you will as well, is because the Gospel of Mark moves from story to story to story. It's just constantly moving. There's a lot of stories per chapter, and so there are a lot of different ones that we can focus on, and so I want to know down in the comments which one of the stories in today's chapter is your favorite, and I want to present to you two different ways of looking at a story I've always heard, and I want to know your opinion below which one you think is more accurate. Both are subjective, both of them, it could go either way. I want to know what you think. So we're going to jump into that in just a moment Mark, chapter 6. While you're getting your Bibles and everything ready, if you haven't done so, please take just a moment. Like, share and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast. Make sure to leave us a five-star review on the podcast it really does help and make sure you go into the Bible Breakdown discussion on Facebook. It's an amazing group of people doing a wonderful job and you can get links to all of that at thebiblebreakdowncom.

Speaker 1: 1:39

Well, once again, if you remember, been with us the past couple of days we are going through this big idea of the gospel in motion. It's an amazing idea of thinking about that. The gospel of Mark just jumps right in and most scholars believe it's very possible that Mark was actually one of the first gospels actually written, because the goal of it was to spread the word of God to the Gentile people, especially the people of Rome. And you can just kind of imagine Peter up in front of these groups of Romans and these different orators and philosophers and all this stuff, and he is telling the gospel of Jesus and Mark is translating what he's saying and then later he goes back and he writes that story down and who knows right, completely subjective, we don't know this. But maybe then he's comparing notes and he's saying, peter, did I get that right? And he's like no, no, no, say it this way, say it that way. And it's just interesting to think how the Holy Spirit was making this happen along the way. And I'm curious about your opinion about one of the stories toward the end of the chapter, so we'll get to that in just a moment, but right now let's get started with Mark, chapter 6, verse 1.

Speaker 1: 2:53

Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue and many who heard him were amazed. They asked where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles? Then they scoffed. And then Jesus told them hometown and among his relatives and his own family, and because of their unbelief he couldn't do many miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then Jesus went from village to village teaching the people, and he called his 12 disciples together and began sending them out two by two, giving them authority to cast out evil spirits. And he told them to take nothing for their journey except a walking stick, no food, no traveler's back, no money, and he allowed them to wear sandals but to not take a change of clothes. Wherever you go, he said, stay in the same home until you leave, but if any place refuses to welcome you or listen to you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave, to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate. So the disciples went out telling everyone they met to repent of their sins and turn to God. And they cast many demons and they healed many sick people, anointing them with olive oil. Many demons and they healed many sick people, anointing them with olive oil.

Speaker 1: 4:30

Herod, antipas, the king, soon heard about Jesus because everyone was talking about him. Some were saying this must be John the Baptist raised from the dead. That is why he can do so many miracles. Others said he is the prophet Elijah, and still others said he is a prophet, like one of the great prophets of the past. When Herod heard about Jesus, he said John, the man I beheaded, has come back from the dead. For Herod had sent soldiers to arrest and imprison John as a favor to Herodas and she had been his brother Philip's wife, but Herod had married her. John had been telling Herod it is against God's law for you to marry your brother's wife. So Herod bore a grudge against John and wanted to kill him, but without Herod's approval she was powerless, for Herod respected John, knowing that he was a good and holy man, and he protected him. Herod was greatly disturbed whenever he talked with John, but even so he liked to listen to him.

Speaker 1: 5:28

Herod's chance finally came. Herodas finally. Her chance finally came on Herod's birthday. She gave a party for his high government officials, army officers and leading citizens of Galilee. Then his daughter, also named Herodas, came in and performed a dance that greatly displeased Herod and his guests.

Speaker 1: 5:49

Pause for a moment. Some people think this girl might have been between 8 and 12 years old. So that's disgusting. But then listen. It says ask me for anything you like. The king said to the girl and I will give it to you. He even vowed I will give you whatever you ask up to half my kingdom. And she went out and asked her mother what should I ask for? Her mother told her Ask for the head of John the Baptist. So the girl hurried back to the king and said I want the head of John the Baptist right now on a tray. Then the king deeply regretted what he had said, but because of his vows that he had made in front of his guest, he couldn't refuse her. So he immediately sent for an executioner to go to the prison and cut off John the Baptist's head and bring it to him. The soldier beheaded John in prison, brought his John the Baptist's head and bring it to him, and the soldier beheaded John in prison, brought his head on a tray and gave it to the girl, who took it to her mother.

Speaker 1: 6:42

Then John's disciples heard what had happened. They came, got his body and buried it in a tomb and the apostles returned to Jesus and their ministry to her and told him everything that had been done and taught. And Jesus said let's go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest a while. And he said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn't even have time to eat. So they left by boat to a quiet place where they could be alone. But many people recognized them and saw them leaving and the people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and got there ahead of them.

Speaker 1: 7:18

Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. Late in the afternoon his disciples came to him and said this is a remote place and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat. But Jesus said you feed them With what they asked. We'd have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people. Well, how much bread do you have? He asked Go and find out. So they came back and reported we have five loaves of bread and two fish. And then Jesus told them. Then Jesus, excuse me.

Speaker 1: 8:01

Then Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of 50 or 100. And then Jesus took the five loaves and two fish and looked up toward heaven and he blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread and disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share. They all ate as much as they wanted and afterward the disciples picked up the 12 baskets of leftover bread and fish. A total of 5,000 men and their families were fed.

Speaker 1: 8:34

A lot of people think it could have been anywhere between 10 and 15,000 people if you started doing the math on families and stuff like that. All right, all of these stories are amazing and they're wonderful and they're awesome, but we're about to finish the last story of the scripture and I want you to think about something. This story is told from Peter's point of view. Notice if you can tell something a little different about this story, telling about Jesus walking on water. You ready, here we go. Verse 45 says this.

Speaker 1: 9:04

Immediately after this, jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida. While he sent the people home, after telling everyone goodbye, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Late that night the disciples were in the boat in the middle of the lake and Jesus was alone on the land. He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the winds and the waves. About three o'clock in the morning, jesus came to them walking on the water and he intended to go past them. But when they saw him walking on the water and he intended to go past them, but when they saw him walking on the water they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost. And they were all terrified when they saw him. But Jesus spoke to them at once. Don't be afraid. He said, take courage, I am here. Then he climbed into the boat and the wind stopped, and they were amazed, for they still didn't understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves and their hearts were too hard to take it in. But after they crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret and they brought their boat ashore and they climbed out and the people recognized Jesus at once and they ran throughout the whole area carrying sick people on mats to wherever they heard he was and wherever he went villages and cities or the.

Speaker 1: 10:20

Now, I love those stories. There are so many, they're really hard to grab onto. That's why the focus of these stories is to keep your eyes on Jesus. Now, what I love about these stories is they're all inspired by the Holy Spirit, and so there's no doubt that the way they have been passed down to us is by divine revelation of the Lord. And we could have a whole conversation about that, about divine inerrancy and all that wonderful stuff. But at the same time, god used human beings to write these down. The Bible says itself that it wasn't just because of their own wisdom, but they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. So they wrote these things down, probably not realizing at the time they were writing Holy Scripture, but the Holy Spirit was in on it, right. So that's amazing. But at the same time, we can have fun and think about how they did it.

Speaker 1: 11:24

At the same time and what I think is so funny about this is in various Gospels it tells this story because of course you wouldn't right there's a moment when Jesus sends away the crowds, which is a whole nother amazing thing. Jesus wasn't interested in collecting crowds, he's interested in collecting followers, right. And then he goes away to pray away, sends the disciples to the other side of the, of the, the river, there at the lake rather, and then he sees them in trouble, which I love that. And he goes to them. I love that. But notice, in the other gospels it says that they were afraid. Jesus says take courage, it is I. And in the other gospels it says and then Peter cried out Jesus, if that's you, can I come to you on the water? Jesus says come. And so he gets out, he walks on the water, then he falls in the water. Jesus saves him. They go back again. Do you know what gospel doesn't mention that? The one the Holy Spirit inspired Peter to give to Mark.

Speaker 1: 12:30

So I will tell you, in my younger years I used to take this and get so tickled and be like you know why he didn't cover that, because nobody wants to mention the part where they fell in the water. You know, and be like hey, you know, that's funny, you say that. Say that, peter. I heard Matthew telling that story, and he added I don't worry about what Matthew had to say, let's just keep moving on, you know. Then there's the other side, though, of going. It's kind of awesome.

Speaker 1: 12:47

We don't really give him a lot of credit for it, but Peter walked on water. He was walking to Jesus. It was all the power of Jesus, but he got to do that. So it could have been a moment of humility where he wanted to make sure the focus wasn't on him, it was on Jesus. And as you read 1 Peter and 2 Peter I think it's the latter when I was younger and I didn't understand it I thought that Peter was just trying to not make himself look bad.

Speaker 1: 13:15

But as I read God's word more, and as I read 1 and 2 Peter, I think that by the time this came along, peter had learned the lesson, because in the other gospels, the reason why Peter sank below the water is he got his focus off of Jesus, and Jesus said why did you have a little faith? Why did you take your eyes off me. And so now he realizes I don't want the focus on me, I want the focus on Jesus. Can I tell you, I've learned that in life, if I want to succeed, I keep my eyes off of me. I keep the eyes off of my agenda. The way I want things to go. It's okay to have a plan, but that plan is always welcome to be interrupted by the plan of God and to focus on Jesus. And can I tell you, that means something when things are going well, but it is vital, isn't it, when things are going wrong.

Speaker 1: 14:06

When things are going wrong, you have to not focus on the storm, but focus on Jesus. It doesn't mean we're denying there's a storm. The reason why we are so focused on Jesus is because there is a storm. So focusing on Jesus is not denying a storm. It's not denying that we're in difficulty, it's just denying its ability to define our focus. We are going to focus on Jesus. And so here's my challenge to you today If you're going through a good season in life, I celebrate that with you.

Speaker 1: 14:37

I hope it lasts as long as possible. I want to ask you a question Are you focused on Jesus? Are you focused on the reason why the season is so good. But then I want to challenge maybe somebody else to say if you're going through a hard season, are you focusing on how hard it is? Are you focusing on the wind and the waves and all of that? Are you focusing on the King? Can I tell you? The King is with you right in the middle of the storm, and so maybe the number one challenge in your life is not to figure out the storm, but to figure out how to stay laser focused on the only one who can bring you through it.

Speaker 1: 15:12

Let's pray together right now, god, thank you so much for today. Thank you, god, that you're with us and you're for us, and thank you, god, that the presence of a storm is not the absence of God, but rather, sometimes, it's the presence of the storm that helps us to find where you are Now. Prayer today is for anyone who finds himself in the middle of a storm, that they'll find you in the middle of it and help them to realize, god, that you never left. You're always there. We celebrate you today In Jesus' name. We pray amen. And then what God's word says in Mark 8, verse 34,. It says if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. I love you, I'll see.