In 2025, we're working our way through the gospels and invite you to join us as we seek to learn from Jesus. Find all our notes, from this year and past years, at the Faith Food tab. And if you'd like ideas for suggested pacing, download our May calendar. Welcome, friends, we're so glad you're journeying with us. Let's grow together!

Our notes on Mark 6 include:

An Overview: Topic, Themes, and Summary.
An Outline Of our thoughts and questions.
Research On the insight to be gained from feeding the 5,000.
A Reflection On opening my heart to Jesus.
An Invitation to Respond to God's work.

Mark 6

Beach by stux at Pixabay

Overview

General Topic

While Jesus' popularity spreads, He remains frustrated by humanity's lack of faith in Him.

Key Themes

Reputation. Teaching. Trust.

Summary

Though rejected in His hometown, Jesus is widely feared and popularly sought after. Herod hears of His popularity and fears His power. The masses, both Jewish and Gentile, seek Him for healing and teaching, and they receive more than they could ever imagine.

Thoughts, Questions, and Connections

? Denotes a question, * a personal thought, x a cross reference, and ! a connection. Researched answers are in italics. Behold requires our attention; it marks our partnership with God.

On Hometown Rejection (Mark 6:1-6)

Read Matthew 13:54-58 for another perspective. (See our Matthew 13 notes.)

Jesus and the disciples went back to Nazareth, Jesus' hometown, to preach.
As usual, the listeners were astonished by how well He understood scripture and His ability to perform miracles.
But, when they thought about who He was: the boy next door, they grew insulted.

*It does indeed identify Jesus as a carpenter in Mark 6:3. I've heard someone say the Bible doesn't actually name His profession, that it is just assumed that He was a carpenter because Joseph was.

Jesus remarked on how the people who know you best are the least likely to accept you.

*Oh, how I connect with this human tendency.

Because of their lack of faith, He only was able to perform a small amount of minor healing miracles.

*If we don't believe He can, it won't happen. It's like the Mr. keeps reminding those who are praying for unbelievers, "Your kids need to choose Him". We can pray until we're blue in the face, but if they don't think He can free them, He can't.
*It also reminds me of the lesson God's been teaching me recently: to give my heart to people who are willing to accept it and resist lamenting those who won't. Likewise, Jesus is going to teach people who are willing to listen, to heal people who want to be healed.
x And hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Mark 2:17 NASB

On the Disciples' Mission (Mark 6:7-13; 30-32)

Read Matthew 10:1, 9-14 for another perspective. (See our Matthew 10 notes.)

He paired the twelve and sent them to minister with specific instructions.

? Does "authority" still need to be given over unclean spirits, or does everyone in Christ have it?

They were to go out only with a staff, sandals, and one tunic - no food, money, or comfort (from a second tunic).

? What does a staff represent?

Necessary protection from attacking animals, like snakes, and useful for keeping your balance. - NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
*Moses' staff. (See Bible Hub encyclopedia entry on usage.)

? What do sandals represent?

x "Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses." Joshua 1:3 NASB
x So the closest relative said to Boaz, "Buy it for yourself." And he removed his sandal. Ruth 4:8 NASB

? What does the tunic represent?

*The robe of righteousness. The only robe necessary.
x I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, My soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Isaiah 61:10 NASB

They choose a house to stay in and remain there for the duration of their visit.

The Israelites were trained to be a people of hospitality. - "A Mission Realized", BEMA Podcast

If any place does not receive them, they were to shake the dust of the town off of their shoes.

*Conversely, they were to follow their rabbi so closely, His dust may always remain on their face. The deduction, then, was they were to leave behind any false teachings gathered from this village.
*When paired with the sandals, they were turning the area back to Satan, or not claiming it for Jesus.

Demons could preside over certain areas. NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
Paul turned people over to Satan simply by excluding them from the church. - "Yay! Church Discipline! I Timothy 2", Clearly Podcast

Their message was to be repentance: turning back to God's ways.
They were also to free bodies from spiritual and physical afflictions.

On John the Baptist's Death (Mark 6:14-32)

Read Matthew 14:1-12 for another perspective. (See our Matthew 14 notes.)

Word spread about Jesus' miracles and the work of His disciples.
The rumor was that John had risen. A resurrected John had more power than the original one.
Other people said Jesus was Elijah or another prophet of old.

*Really, people who called Jesus either John or Elijah were saying the same thing because Jesus himself called John Elijah (See Matthew 11:14 and our Matthew 11 notes).

King Herod was certain Jesus was a resurrected John who was seeking avenge for his death.
This terrified Herod because he's the one that killed John.
Herodias, Herod's wife, despised John because he called out the sinfulness of their marriage (Herod was Herodias' husband's brother).
She wanted John dead because he humiliated her.
But Herod liked John. He protected John because he was righteous and said things that challenged Herod to think differently.
But Herodias got her way on Herod's birthday when Herodias' daughter, Salome, danced beautifully for him.
As a thank you, Herod granted Salome anything she wanted, up to half his kingdom.

! This story echoes the story of Esther. (Esther 5:3; 6-7:2)

After consulting with her mother, Salome asked for John's head on a platter.

KJV says charger for platter (Mark 6:25).
! The Chosen connects this platter with a marriage feast, which bemuses John because he knows that he's headed for a different kind of marriage feast.

! The Chosen: Season 4 Episode 1: Promises
x "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride had made herself ready." It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, "Write, Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'" And he said to me, "These are true words of God." Revelation 19:7-9 NASB

Herod was stuck. He couldn't back down, so he ordered John's beheading.
John's disciples cared for his body.
Their ministry ended, the apostles debriefed with Jesus.
Jesus suggested they find a quiet place to rest and eat.
So, they did.

On Feeding the Five Thousand (Mark 6:33-44)

Read Matthew 14:13-21 for another perspective. (See our Matthew 14 notes.)

But the crowds saw Jesus and John's apostles retreating and beat them. The quiet place they intended to go, was now crowded.
Instead of being frustrated, Jesus had compassion for them and began to teach them.

x who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them out and ring them in, so that the congregation of the LORD will not be like sheep which have no shepherd. Numbers 27:17 NASB
x But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not yet a prophet of the LORD here that we may inquire of him?" 2 Chronicles 18:6 NASB
x So he said, "I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, Like sheep which have no shepherd. And the LORD said, 'These have no master. Let each of them return to his house in peace.'" I Kings 22:17 NASB
x For the teraphim speak iniquity, And the diviners see lying visions And tell false dreams; They comfort in vain. Therefore the people wander like sheep, They are afflicted because there is no shepherd. Zechariah 10:2-4 NASB
x And it will be that like a hunted gazelle, Or like sheep with none to gather them, They will each turn to his own people, And each one flee to his own land. Isaiah 13:14 NASB (See our Isaiah 13 notes.)
x "As I live," declares the Lord GOD, "surely because My flock has become a prey, My flock has even become food for all the beasts of the field for lack of a shepherd, and My shepherds did not search for My flock, but rather the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock;...For thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day... Ezekiel 34:8-16 NASB

When it got late, the disciples suggested that Jesus let them go so they can eat.
But Jesus instead told the disciples to provide food for them.

In this moment, Jesus was activating His disciples. The Voice Bible

Flabbergasted, they began protesting the assignment’s expense and impossibility.
Jesus instructed them to group the people together, He blessed the food they did have, and ordered the disciples to distribute it to everyone.

Jesus' banquet is recalled immediately following Herod's so the reader can compare and contrast the two. This technique is a common writing tool of the ancients. NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
This incident should rekindle in the Israelites the memories of other food related miracles like the manna in the wilderness (Exodus 16), the endless supply of flour and oil the widow used to feed herself, her son, and Elijah in the middle of a drought (I Kings 17:13-16), and Elisha who witnessed the saving of the widow’s sons with miraculously filled vats of oil and the 20 loaves and ears of grain that multiplied to be more than enough to feed a hundred men (II Kings 4:3-7; 42-44).

Everyone ate and was satisfied.
There were twelve baskets of food remaining after feeding the 5,000 men.

x So he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the Lord. II Kings 4:44 NASB
Five thousand people was a larger population by far than most cities. The turnout of this crowd speaks to just how very well-known Jesus was at this time. NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible

On Jesus' Walk on Water (Mark 6:45-52)

Read Matthew 14:22-32 for another perspective. (See our Matthew 14 notes.)

Jesus then instructed His disciples to go to Bethsaida, on the other side of the sea, while He dismissed the crowd.
He went to the mountain for the solitude He initially sought.
When He was ready to join them, they were in the middle of the sea, struggling with the oars.
He walked on water past them, but they saw Him and cried out in fear believing He was a ghost.

x and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Exodus 33:22 NASB
x Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; Exodus 34:6 NASB
x "Were He to pass by me, I would not see Him; Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him. Were He to snatch away, who could restrain Him? Who could say to Him, 'What are you doing?'" Job 9:11 NASB
x Who alone stretches out the heavens and tramples down the waves of the sea; Job 9:8 NASB
x Your way was in the sea and Your paths in the mighty waters, and Your footprints may not be known. Psalms 77:19 NASB
x You trampled on the sea with Your horses, on the surge of many waters. Habakkuk 3:15 NASB
A common ancient belief was that the souls of those who were unburied at sea would wander near the site of their death. Even Jews believed this, although they knew the teachings on heaven and a future resurrection. NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible

He identified Himself and joined them in the boat.
Their hard hearts still did not get who Jesus is.

? What insight were they to gain? That nothing is impossible with Jesus? *R

On the Healings at Gennesaret (Mark 6:53-56)

Read Matthew 14:34-36 for another perspective. (See our Matthew 14 notes.)

On the other side, back where the demon possessed man was healed, throngs of afflicted people were brought to Jesus for healing.
They knew that even touching the hem of His garment would heal them.

! How quickly good news travels. This is further support that the bleeding woman who was healed by faith was a Gentile because they adopted her methods. (See Mark 5:25-34 and our Mark 5 notes.)

Research

What insight were the disciples to gain from the feeding of the 5,000?

Verse of Reference

for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. Mark 6:52 NASB

Possible Insights to Gain

All natural forces are subject to Jesus' authority. Having witnessed Jesus multiplying bread and fish, the disciples should understand that Jesus can utilize every natural force, including water to walk on it, for His purposes.
All things are possible with God. As creator of the Universe, nothing is impossible to Him. Having witnessed so many of His miracles, it is a wonder they marvel that He can do whatever He must do.

Cross References

Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of [Peter], saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" Matthew 14:31 NASB
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, "They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.' Hebrews 3:7-10 NASB (See Psalm 95:8-11.)
They said to Moses, "Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: 'Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness." Exodus 14:11-12 NASB
Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: "Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them." John 12:37-40 NASB

*Thoughts: The disciples were to have faith. That's the insight they were supposed to gain. If Jesus could multiply one meal to feed 5,000, then there's nothing He can't do - including walking on water. Walking on water shows us that Jesus controls the chaos. To ancient people, the sea represented chaos, a lack of control, the unknown. When Jesus walked on that water, it was another reminder not to worry. A reminder they should have understood by now. They felt out of control and worried when they were unable to feed the crowd, yet Jesus provided. Jesus walking on water was a powerful visual reminder that He controls chaos; we have no reason to fear.

Songs I'm Singing:

"Anything is Possible" performed by Bethel Music. "Show me one thing that's too hard / Show me waters He can't part / He's the God of the breakthrough / And anything is possible."
"Walk on the Water" performed by Britt Nicole. "So get out and let your fear fall to the ground /.../ I know you're not sure / ... / If you take that first step / Into the unknown / He won't let you go /.../ Your faith is all it takes / And you can walk on the water too"

Sources:

Mark 6:52 commentaries at BibleHub.com
"The Pattern of Water as Death and Chaos" by Jonathan Pageau

Reflection

How well I identify with the idea that the people who know you the most listen to you the least. It's like they are so familiar with you, they already think they know everything about you and so don't take the time to get to know you now. To see who God is shaping you to be.

The same was true of Jesus. The people who watched Him grow up, who had a hand in raising Him, dismissed Him because they already knew Him. What could He possibly have to offer them? He's not even that interesting. He's just the boy from down the street who never did anything remarkable in His life.

And because they chose to not see Him, to not look at who God shaped Him to be, they missed out. He could have performed unthinkable miracles in Nazareth, but they refused to see what He had to offer.

I am hurt that way sometimes, too. I want to love and care for people deeply, but when I invite them, I have doors slammed in my face, removed altogether, or obstacles placed to make it harder to love and care for them. The conclusion I've reached, what God has taught me through this pain, is to love the ones who accept my love. If they won't accept it, why wallow in regret and rejection instead of living in the JOY that results from loving the people who want my love?

I think Jesus' actions here reflect a similar conclusion. He longs to show love and caring to the people in the town where He was raised. But, they don't accept Him. So, He offers help to the minimal amount of people who want it. Then, He leaves to help the masses of people who don't even really know Him, but who are willing to accept the love and care He's offering.

How His heart must ache! If it were me, tears would be shed. The people who know Him don't want Him. I wonder if He carried that with Him like I tend to?

What about my response to Jesus? Am I dismissing the love and care He wants to show me because I think I already know Him? Am I keeping Him in a box I've built with boundaries defined by what I think He will or will not, can or cannot do?

Lord, train me to put aside my construct of who I think you are and what I think you can do. Keep my mind open and my spirit longing to see and understand more of You. That's what I really want, God, to know You and to love You more. Open my heart to accept all You have to offer.

The Verse I'm Holding Close: "With my soul have I desired thee in the night; Yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early. For when thy judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness." Isaiah 26:9 KJV (See our Isaiah 26 notes.)

Respond

Connect

God is working.

Reflect

Even though His hometown rejected Him, Jesus still went there to minister to the ones who would accept Him. In your own life, who do you feel rejected by? In what ways do you or could you still interact with these people? Who among them are willing to accept you? What might help you remember to work with the few who do accept you while shaking the dust off of your feet regarding the rest?
Jesus taught His disciples to rely on the hospitality of others. Are you more the type that openly accepts or extends hospitality? Why is it hard for you to do the other? What step could you take tomorrow to flex your hospitality muscle?
Even though Jesus seeks rest, He pivots to ministering when He sees a crowd that needs Him. Describe the last time you needed a quiet place to rest, and you got interrupted by someone who needed you while you were in transit. What was your response? How can we balance the very real need for quiet and rest with our assignment to minister to others?

Act

Arise! Minister to the ones who accept it.
Arise! Accept the hospitality of others as you minister to them and be hospitable to the ones who minister to you.
Arise! Pivot into unexpected ministry opportunities, but do not forsake quiet rest.

In Closing

Father God, teach me to work like You! Train me to focus on the few who do receive me, instead of the many who don't. Teach me to be vulnerable as I both accept and extend hospitality. Strengthen me to be quick to stop my plans to pivot into Your will. I want to treat You the way You deserve to be treated. I want to openly show my love toward You. May I always receive You openly, even when others around me mock You. May I live my life in constant hospitality to You: inviting You in, getting to know You, and believing You will never reject me. May I remember You are always available to help in my time of need.

Ready for Mark 7?

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Mark 6 | The Wolfe Notes