Frameworks:
Mark's Gospel chapter 6
(The
objective of these ‘Frameworks' is to provide an easy-to-read
layout of the text in order then to use these individual verses
for verse-by-verse study or meditation. To focus each
verse we have also added in italic a description of what is happening)
CHAPTER
6
v.1-5
Unbelief in Response to Jesus
v.7-13
Jesus Sends the Twelve out on a Ministry Trip
v.14-29
John the Baptist Beheaded
v.30-44
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
v.45-52
Jesus Walks on the Water
v.53-56
Popular Acclaim
v.1-5
Unbelief in Response to Jesus
v.1
(Jesus returns home) Jesus
left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples.
v.
2,3 (Jesus teaching authority
raises questions) When the Sabbath
came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who
heard him were amazed. “Where
did this man get these things?” they asked. “What's this wisdom
that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he
is performing? Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this
Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't
his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.
v.
4 (Jesus lays down a principle)
Jesus said to them, “A
prophet is not without honour except in his own town, among his
relatives and in his own home.”
v.
5,6 (Jesus limited by unbelief)
He could not do any miracles there,
except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.
He was amazed at their
lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching from village to
village.
v.7-13
Jesus Sends the Twelve out on a Ministry Trip
v.
7 (Jesus sends the 12 out)
Calling the Twelve to him, he
began to send them out two by two and gave them authority
over impure spirits.
v.
8-11 (his instructions to
them) These were his instructions:
“Take nothing for the journey
except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts.
Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. Whenever you enter
a house, stay there until you leave that town. And
if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that
place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against
them.”
v.
12,13 (the ministry of the
twelve) They went out and preached
that people should repent. They drove out many demons and
anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.
v.14-29
John the Baptist Beheaded
v.
14,15
(Herod
hears the speculation about Jesus)
King Herod heard about this, for Jesus' name had become well known.
Some were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised
from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in
him.” Others said, “He is Elijah.” And
still others claimed, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets
of long ago.”
v.
16 (Herod has his own idea)
But when Herod heard this, he said,
“John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!”
v.
17 (Previously Herod had John
arrested ) For Herod himself
had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and
put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother
Philip's wife, whom he had married.
v.
18 (John had challenged him)
For John had been saying to Herod,
“It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife.”
v.
19,20 (Herod's wife held a
grudge against John) So Herodias
nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was
not able to, because
Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous
and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled;
yet he liked to listen to him.
v.
21 (She takes an opportunity)
Finally the opportune time came.
On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials
and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.
v.
22,23 (Herod makes a foolish
vow) When the daughter of Herodias
came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The
king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I'll
give it to you.” And
he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you,
up to half my kingdom.”
v.
24 (the mother instructs her
daughter) She went out and said
to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” “The
head of John the Baptist,” she answered.
v.
25 (the girl conveys the request)
At once the girl hurried in to the
king with the request: “I want you to give me right now the head
of John the Baptist on a platter.”
v.
26 (the king is under pressure)
The king was greatly distressed,
but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want
to refuse her.
v.
27,28 (he had John executed)
So he immediately sent an executioner
with orders to bring John's head. The man went, beheaded John
in the prison, and
brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl,
and she gave it to her mother.
v.
29 (John's body is claimed)
On hearing of this, John's disciples
came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
v.30-44
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
v.
30 (the disciples report to Jesus
on their return) The apostles gathered around Jesus
and reported to him all they had done and taught.
v.
31 (Jesus sees they need rest)
Then, because so many people were
coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he
said to them, “Come
with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”
v.
32 (they escape to solitude)
So they went away by themselves in
a boat to a solitary place.
v.
33
(yet
others follow them)
But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot
from all the towns and got there ahead of them.
v.
34 (Jesus' compassion results
in him teaching the crowd) When
Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them,
because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began
teaching them many things.
v.
35,36 (at the end of the day
the disciples express concern)
By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to
him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it's already very
late. Send the people
away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages
and buy themselves something to eat.”
v.
37 (his suggestion puzzles
the disciples) But he answered,
“You give them something to
eat.” They
said to him, “That would take more than half a year's wages! Are
we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”
v.
38 (Jesus asks what resources
they have) “ How many loaves
do you have?” he asked.
“Go and see.” When
they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.”
v.
39,40 (Jesus brings order to the
crowd) Then Jesus directed them
to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass.
So they sat down in
groups of hundreds and fifties.
v.
41 (Jesus feeds the crowd)
Taking the five loaves and the two
fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then
he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He
also divided the two fish among them all.
v.
42 (everyone is fed well)
They all ate and were satisfied,
v.
43 (there are plenty of leftovers) and
the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of
bread and fish.
v.
44 (the crowd numbers five
thousand men) The number of
the men who had eaten was five thousand.
v.45-52
Jesus Walks on the Water
v.
45 (Jesus sends the disciples
off in the boat) Immediately
Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead
of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.
v.
46 (meanwhile he prays ) After
leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.
v.
47 (they are in the boat,
he is on the land) Later that
night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone
on land.
v.
48 (seeing their distress
he walked out to them) He saw
the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against
them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the
lake.
v.48,
49 (they see Jesus apparently
passing them) He was about to
pass by them, but when
they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost.
v.49,50
(they are petrified ) They
cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified.
Immediately
he spoke to them and said, “Take
courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.”
v.
51 (he joins them and the
wind drops) Then he climbed
into the boat with them, and the wind died down.
v.51,52
(they are amazed) They
were completely amazed, for
they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.