Lincoln Mark 8 (Lincoln Mark VIII) is a luxury Gran Turismo car. First this model was introduced in 1993. The car is based on the Ford FN10 platform or in other words “Full-Sized North American Project #10”, designed specifically for this model.
This car was produced in two versions: the base Mark VIII and LSC (Luxury Sport Coupe). In 1995, the LSC version received an improved transmission.
In late 1995 and 1996, the Mark VIII LSC became one of the few models to receive xenon headlights new generation.
In 1997, Mark VIII undergoes modernization, after which the front and rear end cars become more rounded and streamlined. The size of the radiator grille is also increasing. And a year later everything Mark models VIII get a transmission with more reinforced mechanisms.
Shortly for taking it off series production two more modifications are released: Spring Feature and Collector's Edition. The number of produced cars of the Spring Feature version was only 117 units.
In 1998, the company's management decides to withdraw the Lincoln Mark VIII car from mass production. She is replaced by the luxury sedan Lincoln LS.
Specifications Lincoln Mark 8
| Lincoln Mark VIII | |
| Production | 2001-2004 |
| Body | 2 doors coupe |
| Fuel | petrol |
| Engine volume, cu. cm. | 4601 |
| Power, hp | 284 |
| Maximum speed, km/h | 235 |
| Supply system | injector |
| Gas distribution system | dohc |
| type of drive | rear |
| Transmission | automatic transmission |
| Number of steps | 4 |
| Front brakes | Disk |
| Rear brakes | Disk |
| Length, mm | 5260 |
| Width, mm | 1900 |
| Height, mm | 1360 |
| Wheel base, mm | 2870 |
| Tire size | 225/60R16 |
| Volume fuel tank, l: | 68 |
| Curb weight, kg | 1695 |
| Turning diameter, m | 13.4 m |
Commentaries (introduction) to the entire book "From Mark"
Comments on Chapter 8
INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL OF MARK
SYNOPTIC GOSPEL
The first three gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke - are known as the synoptic gospels. Word synoptic comes from two Greek words meaning see the common that is, to consider in parallel and see common places.
Undoubtedly the most important of the Gospels mentioned is the Gospel of Mark. It can even be said that it is the most important book in the world, because almost everyone agrees that this gospel was written before anyone else and, therefore, it is the first of the lives of Jesus that have come down to us. Probably, even before that they tried to record the history of the life of Jesus, but, without a doubt, the Gospel of Mark is the earliest of the surviving and extant biographies of Jesus.
THE Rise of the Gospels
When thinking about the question of the origin of the Gospels, one must keep in mind that in that era there were no printed books in the world. The gospels were written long before the invention of printing, in an era when every book, every copy had to be carefully and painstakingly written by hand. Obviously, as a result, only a very small number of copies of each book existed.
How can you know, or from what can you conclude that the Gospel of Mark was written before the others? Even when reading the synoptic gospels in translation, one can see a remarkable similarity between them. They contain the same events, often conveyed in the same words, and the information they contain about the teachings of Jesus Christ often almost completely coincides. If we compare the event of the saturation of five thousand (Mar. 6, 30 - 44; Mat. 14, 13-21; Onion. 9, 10 - 17) is striking that it is written in almost the same words and in the same manner. Another clear example is the story of the healing and forgiveness of the paralyzed (Mar. 2, 1-12; Mat. 9, 1-8; Onion. 5, 17 - 26). The stories are so similar that even the words "said to the paralytic" are given in all three Gospels in the same place. Correspondences and coincidences are so obvious that one of two conclusions suggests itself: either all three authors took information from one source, or two of the three relied on a third.
On closer examination, one can divide the Gospel of Mark into 105 episodes, of which 93 occur in the Gospel of Matthew and 81 in the Gospel of Luke, and only four episodes do not occur in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. But even more convincing is the following fact. The Gospel of Mark has 661 verses, the Gospel of Matthew has 1068, and the Gospel of Luke has 1149 verses. Of the 661 verses in the Gospel of Mark, 606 verses are given in the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew's expressions sometimes differ from those of Mark, but nevertheless Matthew uses 51% words used by Mark. Of the same 661 verses in the Gospel of Mark, 320 verses are used in the Gospel of Luke. In addition, Luke uses 53% of the words that Mark actually used. Only 55 verses of the Gospel of Mark are not found in the Gospel of Matthew, but 31 of these 55 verses are found in Luke. Thus, only 24 verses from the Gospel of Mark are not found in either Matthew or Luke. All this indicates that both Matthew and Luke seem to have used the Gospel of Mark as the basis for writing their gospels.
But the following fact convinces us even more. Both Matthew and Luke largely follow Mark's order of events.
Sometimes this order is broken by Matthew or Luke. But these changes in Matthew and Luke never do not match.
One of them always keeps the order of events accepted by Mark.
A close examination of these three gospels shows that the Gospel of Mark was written before the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, and they used the Gospel of Mark as a basis and added whatever additional information they wanted to include in it.
It takes your breath away when you think that when you read the Gospel of Mark, you read the first biography of Jesus, on which the authors of all his subsequent biographies relied.
MARK, AUTHOR OF THE GOSPEL
What do we know about Mark, who wrote the Gospel? Much is said about him in the New Testament. He was the son of a wealthy Jerusalem woman named Mary, whose house served as a meeting place and prayer place for the early Christian church. (Acts. 12, 12). Mark from childhood was brought up in the midst of the Christian brotherhood.
In addition, Mark was Barnabas' nephew, and when Paul and Barnabas went on their first missionary journey, they took Mark with them as a secretary and assistant. (Acts 12:25). This trip turned out to be extremely unsuccessful for Mark. Arriving with Barnabas and Mark in Perga, Paul offered to go deep into Asia Minor to the central plateau and here, for some reason, Mark left Barnabas and Paul and returned home to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13). Maybe he turned back because he wanted to avoid the dangers of the road, which was one of the most difficult and dangerous in the world, difficult to travel on and full of robbers. Maybe he returned, because the leadership of the expedition was increasingly transferred to Paul, and Mark did not like that his uncle, Barnabas, was pushed into the background. Maybe he returned because he didn't approve of what Paul was doing. John Chrysostom - maybe in a flash of insight - said that Mark went home because he wanted to live with his mother.
Having completed their first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas were about to embark on a second. Barnabas again wanted to take Mark with him. But Paul refused to have anything with the man "who had fallen behind them in Pamphylia" (Acts. 15, 37-40). The differences between Paul and Barnabas were so significant that they parted and, as far as we know, never worked together again.
For several years, Mark disappeared from our field of vision. According to legend, he went to Egypt and founded a church in Alexandria. We, however, do not know the truth, but we know that he has reappeared in the strangest way. To our surprise, we learn that Mark was with Paul in prison in Rome when Paul wrote his Epistle to the Colossians. (Col. 4, 10). In another letter to Philemon written in prison (v. 23), Paul names Mark as one of his co-workers. And in anticipation of his death and already very close to his end, Paul writes to Timothy, who was his right hand: “Take Mark and bring with you, for I need him for the ministry” (2 Tim. 4, 11). What has changed since Paul branded Mark a man without restraint. Whatever happened, Mark corrected his mistake. Paul needed him when his end was near.
INFORMATION SOURCES
The value of what is written depends on the sources from which the information is taken. Where did Mark get information about the life and deeds of Jesus? We have already seen that his house was from the beginning the center of the Christians in Jerusalem. He must have often listened to people who knew Jesus personally. It is also possible that he had other sources of information.
Around the end of the second century, there lived a man named Papias, a bishop of the church in the city of Hierapolis, who loved to collect information about the early days of the Church. He said that the Gospel of Mark is nothing more than a record of the sermons of the Apostle Peter. Without a doubt, Mark stood so close to Peter and was so close to his heart that he could call him "Mark, my son" (1 Pet. 5, 13). Here is what Papia says:
"Mark, who was the interpreter of Peter, wrote down with accuracy, but not in order, everything that he remembered from the words and deeds of Jesus Christ, because he did not hear the Lord himself and was not His disciple; he became later, as I said, Peter's disciple ; Peter connected his instruction with practical needs, not even trying to convey the word of the Lord in a sequential order. So Mark did the right thing, writing down from memory, because he cared only about how not to miss or distort anything from what he heard " .
Therefore, for two reasons, we consider the Gospel of Mark to be an extremely important book. First, it is the very first Gospel, and if it was written shortly after the death of the Apostle Peter, it refers to the year 65. Secondly, it contains the sermons of the apostle Peter: what he taught and what he preached about Jesus Christ. In other words, the Gospel of Mark is the closest eyewitness account we have of the life of Jesus to the truth.
LOST ENDING
Let us note an important point concerning the Gospel of Mark. In its original form, it ends in Mar. 16, 8. We know this for two reasons. First, the following verses (Mar. 16:9-20) are missing from all important early manuscripts; they are found only in later and less important manuscripts. Secondly, the style of the Greek language is so different from the rest of the manuscript that the last verses could not have been written by the same person.
But intentions stop at Mar. 16, 8 the author could not have. What then happened? Perhaps Mark died, and perhaps even the death of a martyr, before he could complete the Gospel. But it is quite probable that only one copy of the Gospel once remained, moreover, its ending could also be lost. Once upon a time, the Church made little use of the Gospel of Mark, preferring to it the Gospel of Matthew and Luke. Perhaps the Gospel of Mark was forgotten precisely because all copies were lost except for the one with the lost ending. If so, we were within a hair's breadth of losing the gospel, which in many ways is the most important of all.
FEATURES OF THE GOSPEL OF MARK
Let's pay attention to the features of the Gospel of Mark and analyze them.
1) It comes closest to the eyewitness account of the life of Jesus Christ. Mark's task was to depict Jesus as He was. Wescott called the Gospel of Mark "a copy from life." A. B. Bruce said that it was written "like a living love memory", that its most important feature in its realism.
2) Mark never forgot the divine attributes in Jesus. Mark begins his gospel with a statement of his creed of faith. "The Beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God". He leaves us in no doubt as to who he believed Jesus to be. Mark speaks again and again of the impression Jesus made on the minds and hearts of those who heard him. Mark always remembers the awe and wonder He inspired. "And they marveled at his teaching" (1, 22); "And everyone was horrified" (1, 27) - such phrases are found in Mark again and again. This wonder struck not only the minds of the people in the crowd listening to Him; still greater astonishment reigned in the minds of His closest disciples. "And they feared with great fear, and said to one another, Who is this, that both the wind and the sea obey Him?" (4, 41). "And they were exceedingly amazed at themselves and marveled" (6:51). "The disciples were horrified at His words" (10:24). "They were extremely amazed" (10, 26).
For Mark, Jesus was not just a man among men; He was a God among men, continually astonishing and terrifying men by His words and deeds.
3) And, at the same time, no other Gospel shows the humanity of Jesus so vividly. Sometimes His image is so close to the image of a man that other authors change it a little, because they are almost afraid to repeat what Mark says. In Mark Jesus is "just a carpenter" (6, 3). Matthew would later change this and say "son of the carpenter" (Mat 13:55), as if to call Jesus a village craftsman is a big audacity. Speaking of the temptations of Jesus, Mark writes: "Immediately thereafter the Spirit leads Him (original: drives) into the wilderness" (1, 12). Matthew and Luke do not want to use this word drive towards Jesus, so they soften him up and say, "Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness" (Mat. 4, 1). "Jesus... was led by the Spirit into the wilderness" (Onion. 4, 1). No one told us as much about Jesus' feelings as Mark did. Jesus took a deep breath (7, 34; 8, 12). Jesus had compassion (6, 34). He marveled at their unbelief (6, 6). He looked at them with anger (3, 5; 10, 14). Only Mark told us that Jesus, looking at a young man with a large estate, fell in love with him (10:21). Jesus could feel hungry (11,12). He could feel tired and need to rest (6, 31).
It was in the Gospel of Mark that the image of Jesus came down to us with the same feelings as we have. The pure humanity of Jesus in Mark's portrayal makes him closer to us.
4) One of important features Mark's writing style lies in the fact that he again and again weaves into the text vivid pictures and details characteristic of an eyewitness account. Both Matthew and Mark tell how Jesus called a child and placed him in the center. Matthew relates this event thus: "Jesus, having called a child, placed him in the midst of them." Mark adds something that throws a bright light on the whole picture (9:36): "And he took the child, put him in the midst of them, and embracing him, he said to them. . . ". And to the beautiful picture of Jesus and the children, when Jesus reproaches the disciples for not letting children come to Him, only Mark adds this touch: "and having embraced them, laid his hands on them and blessed them" (Mar. 10, 13 - 16; cf. Mat. 19, 13 - 15; Onion. 18, 15 - 17). These small living touches convey all the tenderness of Jesus. In the story of the feeding of the five thousand, only Mark indicates that they sat down in rows. one hundred and fifty like the beds in the garden (6, 40) and the whole picture vividly rises before our eyes. Describing the last journey of Jesus and His disciples to Jerusalem, only Mark tells us that "Jesus went ahead of them" (10, 32; cf. Mat. 20, 17 and Luke. 18:32), and with this short phrase emphasizes the loneliness of Jesus. And in the story of how Jesus calmed the storm, Mark has a short phrase that other gospel writers do not have. "He slept aft at the head"(4, 38). And this little touch enlivens the picture before our eyes. There is no doubt that these small details are due to the fact that Peter was a living witness to these events and now saw them again in his mind's eye.
5) The realism and simplicity of Mark's presentation are also manifested in the style of his Greek writing.
a) His style is not marked by careful workmanship and brilliance. Mark talks like a child. To one fact, he adds another fact, connecting them only with the union "and". In the Greek original of the third chapter of the Gospel of Mark, he cites 34 main and subordinate clauses one after the other, beginning with their union "and", with one semantic verb. That's what a diligent child says.
b) Mark is very fond of the words "immediately" and "immediately". They are found in the Gospel about 30 times. Sometimes the story is said to flow. The story of Mark does not rather flow, but rushes swiftly, without taking a breath; and the reader sees the events described so vividly, as if he were present at them.
c) Mark is very fond of using the historical present tense of the verb, talking about a past event, he talks about it in the present tense. "Hearing this, Jesus speaks them: it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick "(2, 17). "When they approached Jerusalem, to Bethphage and to Bethany, to the Mount of Olives, Jesus sends two of his students and speaks them: enter the village which is right in front of you..." (11, 1.2). "And immediately, while He was still speaking, comes Judas, one of the twelve "(14, 49). This real historical, characteristic of both Greek and Russian, but inappropriate, for example, in English, shows us how events are alive in Mark's mind, as if everything happened before his eyes .
d) Very often he quotes the same Aramaic words that Jesus spoke. To the daughters of Jairus, Jesus says: "talifa-ku Oii!" (5, 41). To the deaf tongue-tied He says: "effafa"(7, 34). God's gift is "korvan"(7, 11); In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus says: "Abba, Father" (14, 36); on the cross he cries: "Eloy, Aloy, lamma sava-hfani!"(15, 34). Sometimes the voice of Jesus sounded in Peter's ears again, and he could not help relaying to Mark in the same words that Jesus spoke.
THE MOST IMPORTANT GOSPEL
It won't be unfair if we call the Gospel of Mark the most important gospel. We will do well if we lovingly and diligently study the earliest Gospels at our disposal, in which we will again hear the apostle Peter.
COMPASSION AND CHALLENGE (Mark 8:1-10)
Two things are closely related in this incident.
1. Jesus' pity for people. Again and again we see in Jesus the manifestation of pity for people. The most striking thing about Jesus is His extreme delicacy. And delicacy draws Special attention to the little things in life. Jesus looked at the crowd: people were with Him for three days, in addition, He remembered that people still had to long road home. One would expect that Jesus, who was to bring to people the brilliance and majesty of the truth and love of God, could not think of what would become of the people gathered around him when they went home. But Jesus was not like that. As soon as He met a lost soul or a tired body, He was immediately ready to help. Unfortunately, helping is not the desire of many people. Once I met a man at a conference and discussed with him the section of the road leading to the city in which we lived. "Yes," my interlocutor said, "it's really a disgusting road. When I was driving along it today, I saw an accident there." "Well, did you stop and help?" I asked. "No," he replied, "I don't; I had no desire to linger." It is a purely human desire to avoid the trouble of helping a person. This heavenly feeling is passionate sympathy and compassion, causing a need to help.
2. But Jesus challenges His disciples. When Jesus took pity on the congregation and desired to give them something to eat, the disciples immediately pointed out the practical difficulties involved, since they were in an area where bread was not available. Jesus answered this by asking, “What you, How could you help people?" Compassion turned into a challenge. Jesus was actually saying, "Don't try to shift the responsibility of helping people to someone else. Don't say that you would help if you had something. Do not say that in such conditions it is impossible to help. Give what you have and see what the result is."
The most joyful of the Jewish holidays is Purim. It is celebrated on March 14 in honor of the deliverance, which is told in Book of Esther. First of all, gifts are given on this day, and one of the rules of this holiday says that every person, no matter how poor he may be, finds an even poorer one and gives him a gift. Jesus does not, like others, have time to wait in order to take action. He does not wait until the time comes and all the conditions for this are fulfilled. Jesus says, "If you see another in trouble, help him in any way you can. You never know what you're capable of." There are two interesting moments in this episode. First, it happened on the far eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, in a region whose name is Decapolis. Why did this huge crowd of four thousand people gather? Without a doubt, this interest was caused by the healing of a deaf, tongue-tied. But one Bible commentator made an extremely interesting suggestion. In Mar. 5:1-20 we have already read about Jesus healing a demon-possessed man. This also happened in Decapolis. As a result, the Gadarenes asked Jesus to leave their land. The healed man wanted to go with Jesus, but Jesus sent him to his people to tell them what the Lord had done to him. Is it possible that part of this huge crowd came as a result of the missionary activity of this healed possessed? Is it really before us good example what can a single witness do for Christ? Were there really people in that crowd who turned to Christ and gained their souls because one person told them what Christ had done for him? John Bunyan says that he owes his conversion to an overheard conversation of several old women basking in the sun "about the new birth, about the creation of God in their hearts." They talked about what God had given them, what He had done for them. Perhaps, in that crowd, in the Decapolis, many found themselves because they heard from one person about what Christ had done for him.
Second interesting point here's what. Oddly enough, but in this episode we are talking about seven baskets (sfiris), and in a similar episode about the feeding of five thousand in Mar. 6:43 speaks of twelve boxes (kofinos). A box is a basket in which the Jews carried their food, with a narrow neck, expanding towards the bottom, more like a watering can. Sfuris it was a basket-type body; in a basket of this type app. Paul was thrown down from the wall of Damascus (Acts 9, 25). Such baskets were used by the pagans. The event described in this passage took place in Decapolis, located on the opposite eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee and populated mainly by pagans. Perhaps in the feeding of the five thousand in Mar. 6 we must see the giving of heavenly food to the Jews, and in the feeding of the four thousand in this passage, the giving of heavenly food to the Gentiles? Can we make an assumption from these two episodes that Jesus came to earth in order to satisfy the hunger of both Jews and Gentiles. In Him, verily, was God, opening His arms.
BLINDING THAT REQUIRES A SIGN (Mark 8:11-13)
The age in which Jesus lived sought God in the extraordinary. People believed that when the Messiah came, the most amazing things would begin to happen. When we have read this chapter to the end, we will know more closely what kind of signs they were actually waiting for. Already now we can note that when false Messiahs appeared - which happened quite often - they lured people to themselves, promising them amazing things. They promised, for example, to cut the waters of the Jordan, making a road in the middle, or to destroy the walls of the city with a single word. And this is the sign the Pharisees demanded from Jesus. They wanted some amazing sign to shine in the sky, contrary to all the laws of nature and striking people. Jesus believed that such a requirement was the inability of people to see the hand of God in the affairs of everyday life. For Jesus, the whole world was full of signs - grain in the field, leaven in bread - everything spoke to Him about God. He did not think that God should intervene in the history of mankind from somewhere else; He knew that for everyone who has eyes, God is present in the world.
A truly religious person does not come to church to see God: he sees Him everywhere; he does not arrange many sacred places, but sanctifies ordinary ones. That is what the poets knew and felt, and that is why they are poets. Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote:
The earthly is saturated with the heavenly,
And every bush is scorched by God;
But only the one who sees takes off his shoes;
The others sit around and pick the brambles.
Thomas Edward Brown wrote:
A garden is a sweet thing, God knows that!
flowerbed with roses,
fringed pond,
Grotto overgrown with fern -
Genuine school
Rest, and yet a madman
Claims that there is no God -
There is no God! In the gardens! On a chilly morning?
But I have a sign;
I know for sure that God lives in me."
And another poet wrote:
Someone asked for a sign from God; and day by day
The sun rose in mother-of-pearl, and set in crimson;
The stars went out at night in bright attire;
Morning always nourished the thirsty grass with moisture;
Grain gave a harvest, and wine,
And yet he saw nothing.
For a person who has eyes to see and a heart to feel, the everyday miracle of day and night, and the everyday splendor of everything that surrounds us, is a bright enough sign from God.
INABILITY TO LEARN FROM EXPERIENCE (Mark 8:14-21)
This episode sheds a bright light on the images of the disciples. They sailed to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, but forgot to take bread with them. The meaning of this passage is easier to understand when viewed in the context of the previous one. Jesus reflected on the Pharisees' demand for a sign and the fear that His presence had caused in Herod Antipas. "Beware," He said, "Herod's leaven." For the Jews, leaven symbolized evil. The sourdough was a piece of dough left from the previous time and fermented. The Jews equated fermentation with putrefaction, and therefore leaven symbolized evil among them. Sometimes the Jews used the word leaven just as we use the expression original sin, or a natural vice of human nature. Rabbi Alexander said: “Our desire to do Your will is revealed to You. In other words, the vice of human nature, original sin, defiling leaven - this is what prevents a person from fulfilling the will of God. Thus, the words of Jesus had this meaning: "Beware of the pernicious influence of the Pharisees and Herod. Do not walk in the way that the Pharisees and Herod went."
Well, what is the meaning of this phrase? Where is the connection between the Pharisees and Herod? The Pharisees had just asked Him for a sign. For a Jew - we will soon see this - it could not be easier to imagine the Messiah performing miracles, organizing a national triumph and political dominance of the Jews. Herod tried to create happy life to achieve power, wealth, influence and prestige. In a sense, both for the Pharisees and for Herod, the kingdom of God was an earthly kingdom; it was based on earthly power and majesty, and on the victories that can be won by force. With this seemingly accidental remark, Jesus seemed to be preparing His disciples for the events that were soon to come. He seemed to be saying, "Perhaps you will soon realize that I am the Anointed of God, the Messiah. When such thoughts come into your mind, do not think in terms of power and glory, as the Pharisees and Herod think." But at that moment He did not explain anything. The sad revelation was yet to come. But the disciples, in fact, did not pay attention to this and did not understand this remark. They could only think of one thing: they forgot to bring bread with them. If nothing happens, they will have to starve. Jesus saw that they were completely occupied with thoughts of bread. It may be that He asked questions not irritably, but with a smile, as if he were leading a slow child to understand self-evident purity. He reminded His disciples that twice already He had not only fed huge crowds of people to their fill, but had given them even more than they needed. He seemed to be saying, "Why are you worried? Don't you remember how it used to be? Haven't experience taught you that when you are with Me, you don't need to worry about such things?" Strangely, we remember only half of our experiences. Too often experience fills us with pessimism, shows us that we cannot do this or that; teaches us to look at life with a certain hopelessness. But there are other experiences as well. Sorrows came, but we did not bend under their weight. Temptations came, and yet we did not succumb to them. The disease came, but we recovered again. The problem seemed unsolvable, but we nevertheless solved it. We reached a dead end, but a way out was still found. We've been through the most ordeal but they didn't break us. We are also blind. If we correctly assessed the lessons of life, we would come not to pessimism from the realization of the impossible, but to hope and amazement at the fact that God brought us here safe and sound, and to the certainty that God will lead us through everything that would we were not expected.
THE BLIND GET SIGHT (Mark 8:22-26)
Blindness has been, and remains to this day, the curse of the East. It was partly caused by an eye disease and partly by the merciless brilliance of the sun. All this was aggravated by the fact that people had no idea about hygiene and cleanliness. Often one could see a person with pus-covered eyes, on which flies sat. It is clear that the infection spread everywhere, and blindness was a scourge.
This episode is presented only by Mark, and there are undoubtedly very interesting moments in it.
1. Here you can see the extreme delicacy of Jesus. He led the blind man out of the crowd to be alone with him. Why? This man was blind and apparently from birth. After all, having gained sight, being among the crowd, hundreds of people would flash before him, and this would completely confuse him. Jesus knew it would be better to take him to a place where the shock of his epiphany would not be so great. Truly great doctors and teachers have one outstanding quality: a great doctor finds access to the mind and heart of the patient; he understands his fears and hopes; he, literally, sympathizes, sympathizes with him. And a great teacher finds access to the mind of his student. He sees his problems, his difficulties, his stumbling blocks. That is why Jesus gained such greatness. He could find access to the mind and heart of the people he tried to help. He had the gift of treating people delicately, because he thought with their thoughts and felt with their feelings. May God grant us such a gift as Christ had!
2. Jesus used methods that the blind could understand. The ancient world believed in the healing properties of saliva. This belief does not seem so strange if we remember that our first reaction is to put a bruised or burned finger in our mouth. The blind man, of course, held the same beliefs, and Jesus applied the method of treatment that he understood. Jesus acted wisely. He did not start with words and actions that would be incomprehensible to the common people. He spoke to them and acted in such a way that simple minds could understand Him. There were times when incomprehensibility was considered a sign of greatness. Jesus had an even greater majesty, a majesty that can be understood by a simple mind.
3. In one thing this miracle is unique - only this one miracle happened in several stages. Usually miracles were performed suddenly and completely at once. This time the vision returned gradually.
There is symbolic truth in this. No one can see all the truth of God at once. One of the dangers of some types of evangelism is that a person is taught to believe that once he decides to turn to Christ, he will immediately become a mature Christian. One of the dangers of belonging to the Church is that this belonging can be interpreted as if turning to the Church, a person immediately finds himself at the end of the road. But this is far from true; on the contrary, communion with Christ and communion with the Church is only the beginning of the path. This path is the discovery of the inexhaustible treasures of Christ, but if a person lived a hundred, thousands or a million years, he would still have to partake of mercy and learn more and more from the infinite miracle and beauty of Jesus Christ. Myers puts into his mouth an. Paul in the poem "Saint Paul" these words:
Let no one think that suddenly, in an instant
Everything is completed and the work is done, -
Even if you start very early at dawn,
You will complete only a particle by sunset.
It is a holy truth that sudden conversion is a gracious opportunity, but it is equally true that a person must be converted anew every day. Through the grace of God, a person can know throughout his life, and yet it will take him an eternity to know God as God knows him.
THE GREAT DISCOVERY (Mark 8:27-30)
Caesarea Philippi was located completely outside of Galilee. It was located not on the territory subject to Herod Antipas, but on the territory of Philip the Tetrarch. This city has an amazing history. In ancient times it was called Baal Hermon, because at one time it was an important center of Baal worship. Now it bears the name banias, which comes from ancient Greek Paneas. And it owes this name to the fact that there was a cave on the hillside, which was considered the birthplace of the Greek god of nature, Pan. From a cave on the side of a mountain, a stream burst out, which was considered the source of the Jordan River. Higher up on the hillside rose a radiant temple of white marble, built by Philip Tetrarch in honor of the divine Caesar, Roman emperor, ruler of the world, revered by a god.
It is amazing that it was here that Peter saw the Son of God in a homeless carpenter from Galilee. The ancient religion of Palestine wafted through the air. Monuments of Baal worship rose all around. The gods of classical Greece hovered over this place and people, no doubt, heard the sounds of the flute of the god of cattle breeding and nature Pan and stealthily saw forest nymphs. The Jordan River brought to mind more and more episodes from the history of Israel and the conquest of the country. And in the clear eastern sun, the marble of the sanctuary shone and sparkled, reminding all people that Caesar is a god. And it was there, as if against the backdrop of all religions and all history, that Peter made the great discovery that the wandering teacher from Nazareth, who was going to his death on the cross, is the Son of God. There is hardly anything else in the entire New Testament that so clearly shows the absolute power of the person of Jesus. This episode in the Gospel of Mark falls right in the middle of the book, and this is not accidental, but done on purpose, because this is the highest point in the Gospel, in the biography of Jesus. It was, in a sense, a critical moment in the life of Jesus. Whatever the disciples think of Him. He definitely knew that crucifixion was inevitably ahead of Him. All this could not last long. His opponents were about to strike. Jesus now worried about one question - whether He had any influence on people at all. Has he achieved anything? In other words, did anyone understand who He really is? If He lived, taught, and walked among people, and no one ever saw God in Him, then all His work has been done in vain. There was only one way at His disposal to leave the message He brought to the people - to write it in the hearts of the people. And so Jesus decided to check everything, and He asked the disciples what people thought about Him, and He heard from them general opinion and rumors, and then, after a complete silence, he asked a question that meant a lot to Him: "And who do you say I am?" And suddenly Peter realized what he had long known in the depths of his heart. It was the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One, the Son of God. This answer showed Jesus that He had not labored in vain.
And now we come to a question that others have repeatedly asked, trying to answer it, but which must be answered in detail, otherwise the entire Gospel will remain incomprehensible. No sooner had Peter said this than Jesus immediately told him not to tell anyone about it. Why? Because first, Jesus had to tell Peter and others about what true Messiahship is. In order to understand the task before Jesus and to understand why it was really so important and necessary, we must first dwell in more detail on what the Jews' ideas about the Messiah were in the era of Jesus.
THE JEWISH CONCEPTS OF THE MESSIAH
Throughout history, the Jews have never forgotten that they are God's chosen people, and therefore claim a special place in the world. In the beginning, they wanted to achieve this position, as we would say, by conventional means. Greatest days history, they considered the era of King David and dreamed of the day when a new king from the tribe of David would rise, who would make them great in righteousness and in strength (Is. 9, 1; Mer. 22, 4; 23, 5; 30, 9).
But over time it became quite obvious that by ordinary means they could never achieve the coveted greatness. Ten tribes were led into Assyria and were lost forever. Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians and the Jews were taken into slavery. Then the Jews fell under the rule of the Persians, then the Greeks, then the Romans. For centuries, the Jews did not even know what it meant to be truly free and independent, and of course, they no longer thought of a great king from the tribe of David.
And so the Jews began to cherish new thoughts. True, the idea of a great king from the tribe of David was also not lost forever and continued to be present in the thoughts of the Jews, but they dreamed more and more of the day when God would directly intervene in the course of history and by supernatural means ensure the achievement of what could not be achieved. by ordinary means. They were looking for heavenly powers that could accomplish what human powers were powerless to do.
In the era between the Old and New Testaments, a mass of books were written that conveyed these dreams and predictions about the coming of this new age and about the intervention of God. These books are known as apocalypse, which literally means revelations. These books were supposed to reveal the future. It is to them that we must turn in order to find out what were the ideas of the Jews in the time of Jesus about the Messiah, about His activities, and about the new age. The thoughts of Jesus must be seen against the background of these ideas.
Some of the main ideas run through these books. Their classification is given here according to Schurer, who wrote the book "History of the Jewish people in the era of Jesus Christ."
1. Before the coming of the Messiah, a terrible misfortune will befall people. It will be the birth pangs in which the Messiah will be born, in which the new age will be born. Incredible suffering and horrors will rage upon the earth; all norms of honor and decency will be destroyed; the world will turn into chaos, physically and morally.
"And honor will be turned into shame,
And strength will be humiliated to contempt,
And honesty will be exhausted
And beauty will turn into ugliness. . .
And envy flares up in those who did not even think about themselves
And passion will seize the peace-loving,
And anger will flare up in many to harm many,
And armies will rise to shed blood
And in the end, they will die with them" (2 baruch 27).
And then there will be “fluctuation of places, confusion of peoples, unrest of people, confusion of leaders, anxiety of princes” (3 Ezdr. 9, 3).
“Fiery words will rush down to earth from heaven. Lightnings will appear, bright and great, sparkling among people; and the earth, the mother of everyone and everything, will shake in those days from the hand of the Ancient One. And the fish of the sea, and the animals of the earth, and countless types of flying and all the souls of men, and all the seas will tremble at the presence of the Eternal, and everywhere there will be panic. blood will flow, and rivers will flood the plains... And God will judge all things with war and sword, and brimstone will fall from the sky, yea, stones and rain and hail, unceasing and terrible. drink the blood of the perishing, and the beasts will be filled with meat" (Divination of the Sibyl 3, 363 ff.).
In the Mishnah, the sign of the imminent arrival of the Messiah is described as follows:
"Haughtiness will increase, ambition will increase; although the vineyards give a good harvest, the wine is expensive; the government is turning into heresy. Education has ceased, the synagogues indulge in lust. Galilee is destroyed. Gablanc is devastated. The inhabitants of the region go from city to city and do not meet with any sympathy. Wisdom the literate are hated, piety is despised, there is no truth. Boys insult old people, old people stand in the presence of children. The son humiliates the father, the daughters rebel against the mother, the daughter-in-law against the mother-in-law. The enemies of a man have become the enemies of his house.
In the time preceding the coming of the Messiah, the world, according to the Jews, should be torn apart and the ties between them weakened, and physical and moral standards destroyed to the ground.
2. And in this chaos will come Elijah, the forerunner and herald of the Messiah. He must heal and mend the rifts, bring order out of chaos to prepare the way for the Messiah. And, above all, he had to settle disputes and quarrels. The Jewish unwritten law, in fact, even provided that disputes over money and property, as well as found things, should wait "until Elijah comes." When Elijah comes, the Messiah will not have to wait long.
3. And then it will come Messiah. Word Messiah has the same meaning as Christ. Messiah - is a Jewish, and Christos is a Greek word with the meaning Anointed. The king was anointed to the kingdom, and the Messiah was God's Anointed King. It is important to remember that Christ - it's not a name, but title. Sometimes the Messiah was presented as a king from the tribe of David, but more often - a great superhuman personality Who would break into history to remake the world and, ultimately, defend the rights of God's chosen people.
4. All nations will unite and rise up against the defender of the cause of God.
"The kings of the peoples will attack this country, bringing retribution with them. They will try to destroy the shrine of the almighty God and the most noble men. The hated kings will set their thrones around the city, surrounding themselves with pagans. And then God will turn with a powerful voice to the rebellious ignorant peoples, and the judgment of the almighty will be upon them, and they will all perish by the hand of the Eternal" (Prophecies of the Sibyl 3, 363-372).
"And when all nations hear His voice, each person will leave his land and they will stop the wars that are waged against each other. And countless multitudes will gather, as if wanting to go and defeat Him" (3 Ezdr. 13, 33.34).
5. And as a result, all enemy forces will be finally destroyed. Philo of Alexandria said that the Messiah "will go on a campaign, wage war and defeat great and numerous nations. (The Anointed One) will convict them and present their oppression before them. He will put them to the judgment of the living, and, having reproved them, will punish them" (3 Ezdr. 12, 32.33).
"In those days no one will be saved,
Neither gold nor silver
And no one can escape
And there will be no iron for the war,
And no one will have a breastplate
And bronze will be of no use,
And tin will not be valued And lead will not be desired.
And everything will be destroyed from the face of the earth" (Enoch 52, 7-9).
The Messiah was to be the most crushing conqueror in history, crushing and destroying His enemies.
6. This will be followed by the deliverance and restoration of Jerusalem. Sometimes under this they imagined the cleansing of the existing city, but more often - as the descent from heaven of the new Jerusalem. The old houses, according to the Jews, will be rolled up and removed, and in the new ones "all the pillars and columns will be new, and the ornaments will be larger than before" (Enoch 90, 28.29).
7. The Jews scattered throughout the world will be gathered into this city. And today, in his daily prayer, the Jew asks: "Raise the banner to gather us all scattered from the four corners of the world." In the ninth Psalm of Solomon, a beautiful picture is given:
"Blow the trumpet in Zion and call the saints together,
That a voice be heard in Jerusalem,
Who brings the good news
For God had compassion on Israel by His visitation.
Stand high, O Jerusalem, and guard your children,
From the east and from the west gathered together by the Lord;
From the north they come rejoicing in their God,
God gathered them from distant islands,
He turned the high mountains into plains for them,
The hills parted at their return,
The forests gave them shelter in their journey;
All fragrant trees God has grown for them,
That Israel might pass in the halo of the glory of their God.
Put on, O Jerusalem, your glorious garments,
Prepare your sacred robe
For God has spoken well of us forever and ever,
May the Lord do what He said about Israel and Jerusalem,
May He lift up Israel with His glorious name.
May the mercy of God be upon Israel forever and ever."
It is easy to see how this new world should have been Jewish. The nationalist element prevailed throughout.
8. Palestine will become the center of the world, and the rest of the world will be subject to it. All nations will be subdued. Sometimes it was even assumed that it would be a peaceful conquest. "And all the islands, and all the cities will say: After all, how the eternal God loves these people! Everyone sympathizes and helps them ... Let's go, let's all fall to the ground and pray to the King of the eternal, mighty, eternal God. Let's go in procession to the temple, because He is the only ruler" (Divination of the Sibyl 3,690 ff.). But more often than not, a different fate awaited the Gentiles - complete destruction - which Israel will rejoice and triumph.
"And He will come to subdue the Gentiles,
And He will destroy all their idols,
And then Israel, you will be happy
And you will sit on the neck and wings of an eagle,
(i.e. Rome, eagle, must be destroyed)
And they will be finished, and God will magnify you. . .
And you look from above
And you will see your enemies in hell,
And you will recognize them and rejoice"
(Dormition of Moses 10, 8-10).
It was a grim picture. Israel will rejoice to see their enemies in hell. Even dead Israelites must be raptured to join the new world.
9. And, finally, a new age of peace and goodness will come, which will last forever.
These were the Messianic ideas that dominated the minds of the Jews when Jesus appeared. The Jews were nationalistic, they were ready for violence, for destruction, they were thirsty for revenge. True, they aspired to the perfect Kingdom of God, but they went to it through rivers of blood and an endless chain of subjugation of other peoples. Think now of Jesus, the environment in which He needed to work and teach. And, therefore, it is not surprising that He had to teach His disciples anew, to explain to them the essence of Messiahship; and therefore it is not surprising that the Jews finally crucified Him as a heretic. In such an atmosphere there was no place for crucifixion and there was little room for compassionate love.
THE TEMPERER SPEAKS WITH THE VOICE OF A FRIEND (Mark 8:31-33)
This passage also needs to be read, keeping in mind what we have just learned about the Jewish concept of the Messiah. When Jesus associated messianism with suffering and death, the disciples found such statements implausible and incomprehensible. All their lives they have thought of the Messiah as an invincible conqueror, and now they have heard stunning things. That is why Peter protested so strongly. For him, all this was unthinkable. And why did Jesus begin to rebuke Peter so severely? Because Peter spoke aloud exactly the thoughts that the devil tempted Jesus with. Ahead was a cross. He knew that He had the strength and power to overcome. At that moment, He again overcame temptations, similar to those in the wilderness, now the devil again tempted Jesus so that He would fall and begin to worship him and go the way of the devil, and not the way of God. Sometimes the adversary speaks to us in the voice of a well-disposed friend. It happens that a person chooses a line of behavior that is essentially correct, but associated with troubles, losses, victims, and incurs the hostility of people; and now he is stopped by a good friend with the best of intentions. I knew a man who took a path that was almost bound to get him into trouble. A friend came to him and tried to dissuade him. "Don't forget," the friend said, "that you have a wife and a family. You shouldn't do that." It is possible that other people love us so much that they are trying to keep us out of trouble, to keep us safe.
In a poem Gareth and Lynette Tennyson tells of the youngest son of Lot and Belicent. He had a vision and wanted to be King Arthur's knight. His mother Belicent does not want to let him go. "Aren't you sorry to leave me alone," she asks. "Gareth's father is already old and lies like a log, almost decayed." Both Gareth brothers are already in King Arthur's court. "Stay, my beloved son," she says, "you are even more of a boy than a man." She promised to arrange a hunt if he stayed, to console him, and to find a princess for his bride. The young man had a vision, and a loving mother again and again finds reasons to keep him at home. A loving person speaks to him in the voice of a tempter, without even understanding what he is doing. But Gareth answers it all:
How can you keep me near you - shame.
I am a grown man, a man's job I have to do.
Follow the deer?
Follow Christ, follow the King,
Live righteously, speak the truth, correct evil,
Follow the King.
Otherwise, why was he born?
And so Gareth went where his vision called. The most dangerous thing is when the devil-tempter attacks us through the mouths of those who love us and take care of us. The same thing happened that day with Jesus. That's why He responded so harshly. Even the pleading voice of love should not drown out for us the commanding voice of God.
THE WAY OF THE FOLLOWERS OF JESUS (Mark 8:34)
This part of the Gospel of Mark contains the central and so important points the Christian faith that we have to parse almost every sentence. If a person would go out of the house with one of these sentences in his heart every day and would be guided by them in life, that would be more than enough.
Two things immediately come to mind here:
1. First, the amazing honesty of Jesus. No one can claim that he was deceived into following Jesus. Jesus never tried to bribe people by promising them easy way. He did not promise people peace. He promised them glory. To tell a man that he must be ready to bear his cross was to tell him that he must be ready to be looked upon as a criminal, that he must be ready to die. Great leaders have always been honest. Taking over the leadership of the country during
World War II Winston Churchill promised people only "blood, labor, tears and sweat." The great Italian patriot Giuseppe Garibaldi called for volunteers in his army with these words: “I can’t give you any salaries, no apartments, no allowances; I can only offer hunger, thirst, difficult transitions, battles and death. Let everyone who loves his homeland wholeheartedly, and not just in words, follows me." "Soldiers, all our efforts against overwhelming odds have been in vain. All I can offer you is hunger, thirst, deprivation and death; but I call on all who love their country to follow me." Jesus never tried to draw people to Himself by promising them an easy life; He tried to challenge them, to awaken the nobility dormant in their souls, offering them to follow a path higher and more difficult than which could be. He came not to make life easier, but to give it meaning.
2. It is clear that Jesus never called people to do anything that He Himself could not bear. This is characteristic of leaders whom people are ready to follow. In pursuit of the Persian king Darius, Alexander the Great performed one of the most amazing feats in history. In eleven days, his army traveled more than six hundred and sixty kilometers. They were already ready to give up the pursuit, primarily because of the lack of water. The Greek historian Plutarch tells about it this way: “When they were in distress, it happened that several Macedonians, carrying water in skins on their mules from the river they had discovered, reached about noon the place where Alexander the Great was, and, seeing him, choking with thirst, they immediately filled the helmet with water and gave it to him. He asked to whom they were bringing water. They replied that they were taking it to their children, and added that they also wanted to save his life. Then he (Alexander the Great) took the helmet in his hands and looking around him and seeing that all those around him stretched out their hands, greedily looking at the water, held it back with gratitude, without even taking a sip. "Because," he said, "if I drink alone, the rest will be depressed The soldiers, seeing his restraint and generosity towards them, shouted to him to boldly lead them forward, and began to whip the horses. For, they said, having such a king, they can overcome both fatigue and thirst, and considered themselves almost immortal." It was easy to follow a leader who never demanded from his men what he was not prepared to do himself. There was also such a famous Roman commander Quintus Fabius Cunctator. One day he was discussing with his staff the possibility of capturing a difficult enemy position. One officer proposed his plan. "But it will cost the lives of several people," he said. "Are you ready to be one of them?" asked the Kunktator. Jesus was not one of those leaders who sit in the distance and play with people's lives as if they were pawns. He Himself was ready to endure everything that He demanded from people. Jesus had the right to call us to carry the cross because He Himself carried His cross first.
3. "Whoever wants to follow me, deny yourself," says Jesus to people who want to follow him. The meaning of this requirement is better understood if it is read simply and literally. "Tell yourself no." A person who wants to follow Christ must always say "no" to himself and "yes" to Jesus. He must say "no" to his natural love of convenience and comfort. A person must abandon behavior based on self-will and self-interest; he must give up the whispering of instincts and the desire to taste the forbidden; he must not hesitate to answer "yes" to the voice and call of Jesus Christ. A person must once repeat after the an. Paul, that now it is not he who lives, but Jesus in him, that he now lives not to follow his desires, but to follow the will of Christ and find absolute freedom in this.
LOSE LIFE TO GAIN IT (Mark 8:35)
There are things that are lost when kept and saved when used. Such are the talents of man and his abilities. Using them, a person improves and enhances them. If he refuses to use them, he eventually loses them. In a broad sense, this applies to life in general. History is full of names of people who gave their lives, but gained eternal life. So, in the fourth century, the monk Telemachus lived in the east. He decided to leave people so that, living in complete isolation, in prayers, meditation and fasting, he could save his soul. In his loneliness, he sought only communion with God. But he sensed something was wrong here. One day, rising from his knees, he realized that his life was based not on selfless, but on selfish love for God. He realized that if he wants to serve God, he must serve people, that it is not appropriate for a Christian to live in the desert, that cities are full of sin, and help is needed there. He decided to leave the desert and went to Rome - The largest city that time. All the way he lived on alms. Christianity at that time was already the official religion of Rome. He arrived in Rome when the great commander Stilicho won a major victory over the Goths and a triumph was arranged for him. Rome was significantly different from the previous one - now people were pouring not into pagan, but into Christian churches. Processions and celebrations went through the streets, and Stilicho rode in triumph through the streets of the city, and next to him was the young emperor Honorius.
But in Rome there was still an arena in which gladiator fights were held. Now Christians were no longer thrown to be eaten by lions and wild beasts, but those taken prisoner in war had to fight and die on holidays for the amusement of the Roman people, to the bloodthirsty roar of the Roman plebs. Telemachus made his way to the arena. There were eighty thousand spectators in the coliseum. The chariot races were over. As the gladiators prepared for battle, excitement and tension grew among the spectators. Finally, they entered the arena shouting: "Hail, Caesar! Those who are about to die greet you!" The battle began, and Telemachus was horrified: the people for whom Christ died are killing each other for the amusement of the Christian people. Telemachus jumped onto the arena fence and found himself among the fighting gladiators; they stopped for a moment. "Let the games go on!" the crowd roared. The old man was pushed aside, he was still in the clothes of a hermit, but he again got mixed up in the environment of the gladiators. The crowd began to throw stones at him; she called on the gladiators to kill him and remove him from the arena. The head of the games gave the order, rose and flashed the sword of the gladiator, and Telemachus fell dead.
And suddenly the crowd fell silent. She was struck by what happened: the holy hermit was killed in this way. Suddenly, all at once realized the significance of this murder. That day, the games were immediately interrupted - and never resumed. By his death, Telemachus put an end to them. As the English historian Gibbon said about him: "His death brought mankind a lot more benefit than his life." By his death, he achieved more than he could ever achieve while living quietly in solitary devotion in the wilderness.
God gave us life to waste it, not save it. If we live, constantly carefully weighing our benefits, our conveniences, our comfort, our security, if we set ourselves one goal - to live as long and carefree as possible, if we take care only of ourselves, we will only lose our life. But if we spend it for others, forgetting about our health, time, possessions and comforts, in the desire to do something for Jesus and for the people for whom Jesus died, we gain life.
What would become of the world if doctors, scientists, and inventors were not willing to experiment, often even on themselves? What would happen to life if everyone wanted only one thing - to stay at home in peace, and there would be no explorers and pioneers? What would happen if every woman refused to risk having a baby? What would happen if all people spent everything they have exclusively on themselves? The point of life is to risk your life and waste it, not to keep and cherish it. True, on this path a person will experience fatigue and exhaustion, sometimes even overwork; but it is better to burn every day than to rust every day, for this is the way to happiness and to God.
THE HIGHEST MEANING OF LIFE (Mark 8:36-37)
A person, in a certain sense, can achieve great success in life, but on the other hand, live a life that is completely devoid of meaning. Jesus actually asks, "What do you see as the meaning of life?" It often happens that a person evaluates things in life incorrectly and puts emphasis incorrectly, and notices this too late.
1. A person can sacrifice his honor for the sake of profit. In his desire to possess material values, he may be unscrupulous in the means of obtaining them. The world is full of temptations that push a person to dishonorable acts for the sake of profit. One book tells of a fabric salesman who used his thumb to measure a little less. "He took from his soul," says the narrator, "and put it into the purse." Each person must sooner or later answer one question: "What does my life balance look like in the eyes of God?" After all, God is an auditor who will come to everyone.
2. Others give up principles for the sake of fame. After all, a good-natured, cheerful, sweet, compliant person has much less trouble, and a person devoted to his principles is often very disliked. Shakespeare has such a portrait of the great Cardinal Wolsey, who served Henry VIII faithfully.
"If I served my God even half
Since the king, He would not leave me
At my age, naked, to my enemies."
After all, in the end, a person will understand that it is important not what people think about him, but what God thinks about it. The fate of a person is decided not by the court of public opinion, but by the court of God.
3. Others sacrifice the imperishable for cheap things. It's always easier to achieve cheap success. A writer can trade the truly great for a cheap moment. The musician performs ephemeral trifles, although he could do something genuine and enduring. Others choose work that is profitable and comfortable, and turn away from work in which they could serve their brethren. Others spend their lives chasing the little things and missing out on the big things. Another woman prefers a life of pleasure and so-called freedom, serving her loved ones and raising children. But years pass, and life always reveals true values and stigmatizes false ones. Cheap things don't last.
4. We can sum it up in these words: people sacrifice the eternal for the momentary. We can avoid much trouble if we look at everything in the light of eternity. Much of what is pleasurable now may be disastrous later. The best test is the test of eternity, the desire to look at things through the eyes of God. Such a person never wastes his life on that which destroys his soul.
A KING IN A PLACE RIGHT FOR HIM (Mark 8:38-9:1)
Jesus' confidence is striking in this passage. He was just talking about His death; He has no doubt that the cross is ahead of him, but he is also sure that victory is ahead.
The first part of this passage is a statement of simple truth. When the King returns to His Kingdom, He will be faithful to those who have been faithful to Him. Anyone who wants to avoid the troubles associated with this phenomenon cannot hope to enjoy all the benefits associated with it. A person cannot refuse to participate in a military enterprise, and then receive rewards upon its successful completion. Jesus says, "Christianity is now facing difficulties in this complex and hostile world. A man who, under such circumstances, is ashamed to prove himself a Christian, afraid to show which side he is on, cannot hope to take a place in the coming Kingdom of God." The second part of this passage provoked much more serious thoughts. "Many," says Jesus, "before they die, they see the Kingdom of God come with power." Many people take this statement as a reference to the Second Coming, and this is very puzzling to these people: because in this case, Jesus was mistaken, because He Not returned in power and glory in that generation.
But this is not at all indicated for the Second Coming. Let's consider the matter in more detail. By that time, Jesus had only once been outside of Palestine, and even then He had only gone far from its border, reaching Tire and Sidon. Only very few people in a small country have heard of Him. Palestine occupied an area about two hundred kilometers from north to south and about sixty-five kilometers from west to east, with a population of about four million people. It would be strange to talk about the conquest of the world, when he had hardly yet been outside such a small country. Moreover, even in this small country, he aroused such hatred and enmity among orthodox leaders and those in power that, most likely, he could hardly count on anything more than the death of a heretic and a renegade. In the face of such a situation, many would probably feel despair, realizing that Christianity has no future, that most likely it will be completely destroyed and wiped off the face of the earth. From a purely human point of view, these pessimists were absolutely right.
Well, now let's see what happened. In less than thirty years, Christianity spread throughout Asia Minor, and a large Christian church arose in Antioch. Christianity penetrated into Egypt, many Christians were in Alexandria. It crossed the Mediterranean, reached Rome and covered all of Greece. Christianity, like an unstoppable tide, swept over the entire world of that time. It was a shocking truth that even during the lifetime of many of those present there, contrary to all expectations, Christianity appeared in power. Jesus wasn't wrong at all, He was absolutely right. It is amazing that Jesus never despaired. In the face of the dullness of human minds, in the face of strong resistance of minds, in the face of crucifixion and death, He never doubted His final victory, because He never doubted God. He was absolutely sure that everything that is impossible with people is completely possible with Him.
Feeding four thousand people
(Matt. 15:32-39)
1 On the same days, when a large crowd again gathered and people had no food, Isa called the disciples and said:
2 “I feel sorry for these people, they have been with Me for three days now, and they have no food left.3 If I send them home hungry, they will become weak on the way, because some have come from afar.
5 - How many cakes do you have? Isa asked.
“Seven,” the students replied.
6 Jesus told the people to lie down on the ground. Then He took seven cakes and, having thanked the Almighty for them, began to break them into pieces, passing them to the disciples, and they distributed the bread to the people.7 They also had a few fish; Isa blessed them and also ordered them to be distributed.8 The people ate and were satisfied, and there were still seven baskets of leftovers.9 There were about four thousand people there. Jesus let the people go10 and immediately, sitting down with the disciples in the boat, he went to the Dalmanuf lands.
Religious leaders demand a sign from heaven
(Matt. 16:1-4)
11 The guardians of the Law approached Jesus and began to argue with Him. They wanted to test Him and demanded from Him a sign from heaven.12 Isa took a deep breath and asked:
Why is this generation looking for a sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to him.
13 And leaving them, He again got into the boat and went to the other side of the lake.
Warning Against False Teachings
(Matt. 16:5-12)
14 The disciples forgot to take bread with them, and they had only one cake in the boat.15 And Jesus warned them:
16 The students started talking to each other:
He says this because we have no bread.
17 Knowing what they were talking about, Isa said:
- Why do you talk about the fact that you have no bread? Are you still unaware and do not understand? Are your hearts completely closed?18 Do you have eyes and can't you see? Have ears and you can't hear?# 8:18 See Jer. 5:21; Ezek. 12:2.Don't you remember?19 When I divided five loaves among five thousand people, how many full baskets of leftovers did you collect?
“Twelve,” the students replied.
20 - And when there were seven cakes for four thousand, how many full baskets of leftovers did you collect?
“Seven,” they replied.
21 "So you still don't understand?" Isa said.
Isa Masih restores sight to the blind
22 When they arrived at Bethsaida, a blind man was brought to Isa and asked to touch him.23 Jesus took the blind man by the hand, led him out of the village, spat in his eyes, and laying his hands on him, asked:
- Do you see anything?
24 He looked around and said:
- I see people: as if trees are moving.
25 Isa once again put his hands to his eyes, and he was healed, his sight returned to him, and he began to see everything clearly and clearly.26 Jesus sent him home saying:
“Look, don’t enter the village.
Petyr recognizes Isa Masih
(Matt. 16:13-16, 20; Luke 9:18-21)
27 Jesus and his disciples went to the villages adjacent to Caesarea Philippi. On the way, Isa asked them:
Who do people take me for?
28 The students answered:
- For the prophet Yahya, while others say that You are the prophet Ilyas, and still others - one of the other prophets.
29 – Who do you think I am? Isa asked them.
Petyr replied:
You are the promised Masih# 8:29 Masih (translated as "The Anointed One") - the righteous King and Liberator, the Savior, promised by the Almighty back in Taurat, Zabur and the Book of the Prophets..
30 But Isa told them not to tell anyone about Him.
Isa Masih speaks for the first time about His death and resurrection
(Matt. 16:21-23; Luke 9:22)
31 And He began to teach them that the One who was sent down as a Man would have to suffer a lot and be rejected by the elders, chief clergymen and teachers of Taurat, that He would be killed, but would rise again in three days.32 He spoke directly about it. Then Petyr took Him aside and objected.33 Isa, turning around and looking at the disciples, said sternly to Petyr:
Get away from me, Satan! You argue like a human, not understanding what the Almighty wants.
The price of following Isa Masih
(Matt. 16:24-28; Luke 9:23-27)
34 Calling the people and His disciples, Jesus said to them:
– If anyone wants to be My follower, let him renounce himself, become like a man who carries a cross to the place of his crucifixion, and let him follow Me.35 Because whoever wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for the sake of Me and the Good News will save it.36 For what good is it to a man to gain the whole world, if in doing so he harms his soul?37 And what can a person give in exchange for his soul?38 Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in front of this sinful and unfaithful Almighty generation, the Sent as a Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.
1 Feeding 4000. 11 The Pharisees are looking for a sign; 14 "beware of the leaven of the Pharisees." 22 Healing of the blind man in Bethsaida. 27 Peter confesses Jesus as the Christ. 31 Your cross, saved and lost life.
1 In those days when a very large crowd had gathered and had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples and said to them:
2 I am sorry for the people who have been with me for three days and have nothing to eat.
3 If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way, for some of them have come from afar..
5 And he asked them: how many loaves do you have? They said seven.
6 Then he commanded the people to lie down on the ground; and taking the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples to distribute; and they gave it to the people.
7 They also had a few fish: having blessed, He ordered them to be distributed also.
8 And they ate and were satisfied; and they took up seven baskets of the remaining pieces.
9 And those who ate were about four thousand. And let them go.
10 And immediately entering into the boat with his disciples, he came to the region of Dalmanuth.
11 The Pharisees went out and began to argue with Him and demanded from Him a sign from heaven, tempting Him.
12 And he took a deep breath and said: Why does this generation require a sign? I tell you truly, no sign will be given to this generation.
13 And leaving them, he got back into the boat and went to the other side.
14 At the same time, His disciples forgot to take the loaves, and apart from one loaf they did not have with them in the boat.
15 But he commanded them, saying: beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.
17 When Jesus understood, he said to them: why do you argue that you have no loaves? Do you still not understand and do not understand? Is your heart still stoned?
18 Having eyes, can't you see? having ears, do you not hear? and don't you remember?
19 When I broke five loaves for five thousand Human, how many boxes full of pieces did you get? They say to Him: twelve.
20 And when seven for four thousand, how many baskets did you get the remaining pieces. They said seven.
21 And he said to them: how can you not understand?
22 Comes to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man to Him, and ask him to touch him.
23 He took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the village, and spitting on his eyes, laid his hands on him, and asked him, "Does he see anything?"
24 He looked and said, I see people passing by like trees.
25 Then again he put his hands on his eyes and told him to look. And he was healed and began to see everything clearly.
26 And he sent him home, saying: do not enter the village and do not tell anyone in the village.
27 And Jesus went with his disciples into the villages of Caesarea Philippi. On the way, He asked His disciples: Who do people say I am?
28 They answered: for John the Baptist; others are for Elijah; and others for one of the prophets.
29 He says to them: and who do you think I am? Peter answered Him, You are the Christ.
31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise again on the third day.
32 And spoke about it openly. But Peter, having called him away, began to rebuke him.
33 But he, turning and looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter, saying: get away from me, satan, because you think not about what is divine, but what is human.
34 And calling the people together with his disciples, he said to them: whoever wants to follow me, deny yourself and take up your cross and follow me.
35 For whoever wants to save his soul will lose it, but whoever loses his soul for the sake of Me and the Gospel will save it.
36 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?
37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
38 For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
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Gospel of Mark, chapter 8
