Sermon Tone Analysis
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Introduction
30 vv — plenty to keep us busy for weeks
But John Mark not writing series of disconnected stories—overall narrative, going somewhere
Rather than dwelling on details, zoom out a little to see the big picture
We’ve come to a turning point in Mark’s gospel
Act 1: Galilee (1–8)
Calling 12, public healing and teaching, at the end expanded from Jewish Galilee out to Gentile regions
We’re at the end of Act 1, and will cover beginning of Act 2.
Not a sharp break, but a gradual transition
Act 2: On the way to Jerusalem (8:22–10)
Act 3: Jerusalem (11-16)
Act 2 begins w/ curious healing of blind man.
Curious b/c, like healing of deaf mute man, includes strange actions, not just word or touch
But stands out for another reason.
Watch:
Read
Pray:
Oh, Lord, open our eyes, that we may see Jesus, and see him fully and clearly, through your word
Again spitting, already saw w/ healing deaf mute man, know not required
Something else new here: happens in stages
Spits on eyes and lays hands on him, then does something we’ve never seen: he asks if it’s working, if he sees anything.
Always before the miracles have been obvious to everyone, here it’s tentative.
The man replies that he sees what can only be people, but they are so fuzzy they might as well be trees walking
Then lays hands on eyes again, opens, sees everything clearly
Why?
Know by now, not an issue of power, or protocol.
So what’s going on here?
I think Jesus is making a point.
I think that point will become clear to you as you consider this miracle in its broader context
Temporary and Permanent Blindness
Titled this message “two kinds of blindness”
Do see spiritual and physical, but that’s not what I’m talking about.
Let’s look at the text:
Begins with another miraculous creation of food.
Mark makes clear this is a second miracle, not the same one like some scholars think
Different numbers of loaves, people; different words for baskets.
Different audience (Jews, Gentiles)
Remember the Syrophoenecian woman suggesting the dogs could share in the crumbs of the children’s bread?
You just saw the children’s bread being shared with Gentiles
Jewish people of Jesus’ day had same attitude as Jonah: they hated Gentiles, didn’t want to see them saved
Jesus doesn’t just heal them, he shares a meal with them.
He’s showing his disciples a crucial truth: God cares for Gentiles, as well as Jews
This one begins like last: with Jesus’ compassion.
He didn’t owe these people anything; he cared for them.
So he explains his concern to disciples
How might you expect them to respond?
“Well, master, you could create food for this crowd like you did before”
Instead respond w/ question: “How to fill them with food here in the wilderness?”
At least they dropped the sarcasm.
But I don’t think they understand
So Jesus asks them a question they’ve heard before: “How many loaves do you have?”
And then the scene proceeds like last time: Jesus has the people sit down, involves disciples in distributing food, pick up seven baskets of leftovers
And then, like last time, he sends the crowds away, and they’re off in the boat, back to Jewish territory
As soon as they arrive, he’s met by some Pharisees
And of course, they’ve come to repent of their hard-heartedness and tell him they’re ready to admit he’s really from God, right?
Nope, they’re here to argue with him, and to demand a sign from heaven, Mark says, to put him to the test.
They’re continuing their efforts to discredit
In response, we see that word again: Jesus sighed, groaned, deeply in his spirit.
And here’s what I want you to notice:
He says no sign will be given to this generation.
He gives them no sign; just leaves.
But what had he just done?
A sign (feeding the 4k)
And what’s he going to do next?
Down in v 22, heal a blind man.
Surely a sign from heaven
So why no sign?
Maybe it would help to ask, what does he mean by “this generation?”
Word can refer to a race or kind of people, those born at a common time, like contemporaries (like we use it), or to the time of a generation, an “age”
What sense is Jesus using here?
Can he mean those alive at the same time or age will be given no sign?
No, they have been, and will again.
For same reason, he must not be using it in the sense of time, or age
Mark records Jesus using that word 3x:
You can get a sense from those other uses: “this generation” in Jesus’ view is not a positive thing
Matthew records Jesus using the expression “this generation” much more.
I’ve done fair amt of study of this expression.
Instead of loading you down with how I got there, let me just summarize by quoting from a journal article (If you want me to back that up, see me later):
“In using the phrase [this generation], Jesus was referring to the wicked people of all time, those before the Messiah and those after.”
“These individuals are grouped together corporately in guilt and in judgment as an evil “family” whose spiritual origins are not from God.”
Exactly right
Think of the judgment here on the Pharisees.
You’re numbered among the wicked, you will get no signs, only eternal judgment
Now do you see why I referred to two kinds of blindness?
Are the disciples blind?
They couldn’t figure out the feeding miracle after seeing it the first time.
They didn’t even figure it out this time, as we’ll see in a minute
But their blindness is temporary.
Act 2 of Mark’s gospel is mostly about Jesus further training the 12, opening their eyes
The Pharisees’ blindness is permanent.
There’s no hope, no cure, no signs.
He’s done having conversations w/ religious leadership.
If they haven’t been convinced yet, they’re getting no more incentives to believe
Let’s continue as Jesus teaches us about the temporary kind of blindness
A Lack of Sight
Jesus has just pronounced judgment on the Pharisees.
Now He warns his disciples with a parable:
You know that leaven, yeast, is often a bad thing in scripture.
You get the idea it’s negative here, since Jesus tells them to beware, watch out, for it
Do they understand the parable?
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