LIFE OF CHRIST
A Harmony of the Gospels

LESSON  FIFTEEN

See Lesson 10.

A woman ... came

She kept asking Him to cast the demon out

She had three strikes against her already:

Little dogs

Greek:  kunarion   little dog, puppy
Gentiles were called dogs by the Jews.
Christ merely used the common speech of His people (1 Samuel 17:43; 2 Samuel 3:8; 2 Samuel 9:8; 1 Kings 8:13). The term was not offensive.  It merely expressed the fact that Gentiles were outside the covenant rights of Israel.
 

Great is your faith

Her faith was made great by:

Notice once again, the emerging pattern:

Decapolis

See Lesson 13  Life of Christ Book I

Maimed

Missing a limb - here was done the actual miracle of creation.

Touched

People Jesus touched:

People who touched Jesus:

Excerpts from Farrar

Where can we get enough bread in the wilderness?

Some have wondered that, in answer to the expression of  His pity,  the disciples did not at once anticipate or suggest what He should do.  But surely here there is a touch of delicacy and truth.  Many and many a time had they been with multitudes before, and yet on one occasion only had He fed them;  and moreover,  after He had done so, He had sternly rebuked those who came to Him in expectation of a repeated offer of such gifts, and had uttered a discourse so searching and strange that it alienated from Him many even of  His friends and disciples.

How many loaves do you have?

But no sooner had He given them the signal of His intention, then with perfect faith they became His ready ministers. They seated the multitude, and distributed to them the miraculous multiplication of the 7 loaves and the few small fishes.

This time, when they told Him what food they had, they did not ask  "But what are these among so many?"

Seven large baskets full

The word for baskets here is different than the one used for basket in the feeding of the 5,000:

The 5000	Mark 6:43	kophinos	smaller baskets that would contain about 2 gallons
The 4000	Mark 8:8	spuris	large hampers, one being big enough to hold a man

Whenever Jesus saw the needy multitudes,  He was moved with compassion and wanted to help them
(Matt 9:36; 14:14; Mark 6:34).
This miracle must not be confused with one recorded in 6:32-44,  for each has its own distinguishing features:

Contrasting Feasts - Mark 6:42-43:

In both the feeding of the 5,000 and the 4,000:

Dalmanutha

A village on the west coast of the Sea of Galilee, adjoining Magdala.
It is mentioned only in the New Testament.
Considerable ruins near modem Mejdel (Magdala) are considered the location.

Began to  dispute with him

Matthew included the Sadducees, and the verb here is "to seek or examine together, to discuss, dispute"
The Pharisees and Sadducees were putting Jesus under a cross-examination, and this led to open dispute with Him.

Testing him

Feigning a desire to have His doctrine fully proved to them,  that they might credit it,  and become His disciples;  but having no other design than to betray and ruin Him.

No sign ... except ... Jonah

The statement is literally,  "If a sign shall be given."
It is a Hebrew idiom - the idea being,  "If I do not thus and so, may I die, or may God punish me."

This is the third public announcement of His death and resurrection,  all in answer to the same question:

Beware of the leaven

Evil,  like leaven,  is small and hidden,  but it spreads and soon infects the whole

Gal 5:7-10
You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? ... A little leaven leavens the whole lump.   (NKJV)

1 Cor 5:6-8
Do you not know that [just] a little leaven will ferment the whole lump [of dough]?
Purge (clean out) the old leaven that you may be fresh (new) dough, still uncontaminated [as you are], for Christ, our Passover [Lamb], has been sacrificed.
Therefore, let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with leaven of vice and malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened [bread] of purity (nobility, honor) and sincerity and [unadulterated] truth.     (AMP)

They reasoned .. and Jesus, being aware of it

Jesus administers a sharp rebuke for their preoccupation with mere temporalities, as if there were nothing higher to be thought of than bread:

Led him out of the town

Jesus had already cursed Bethsaida (Matthew 11 :21 ), and now refused to do another miracle in it.
The cure was wrought in a manner very similar to that of the deaf and dumb man in Decapolis (Mark 7:31-37).
The ancients regarded spittle as a means of cure.
The application of the spittle was probably to encourage the faith of the blind man.

Comparison of the first two healings in this lesson:

This one is unique in that it is the only time during the earthly ministry of  Jesus that the healing was gradual.
One reason may be explained by Matthew 9:29 in the healing of the two blind men, when Jesus said: "According to your faith let it be to you."

Barnes observes:
Probably our Lord did not  "at once"  restore him fully to sight,  that he might strengthen his faith.  Seeing that Jesus had partially restored him,  it was evidence that he could  "wholly,"  and it led him to exercise faith anew in him.
(from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)

Jesus deals with each of  us individually, and according to our faith.

Caesarea Philippi

To the towns - region

Apparently they did not enter the city of Caesarea Philippi itself.
Jesus seems to have avoided the major towns in which the Herodian passion for ambitious architecture was displayed.  Besides at this time He desired solitude.
It is also suggested that here Jesus was safe from annoyance by Herod Antipas and the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Two Questions

Who do the crowds say that I am?

The variety of opinions which men held concerning Jesus showed that although many connected him with Messianic prophecy, none regarded him Messianic prophecy, none regarded him properly.

Isn't it amazing how close "the crowds" can come to the truth (the resurrected Messiah), while at the same time missing it entirely!

But who do you say that I am?

One thing is clear.

The important thing is not what others say,

The decisions of the crowd (wrong or right) can never substitute for personal decisions.

Here He is to prepare His disciples for His coming crucifixion just a little over six months ahead.

You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God

Christ		christos	Messiah  -  the anointed One The promised Savior
Son	And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  John 1:14    (NKJV)
Living God	"Living" is a characteristic applied to the Supreme Being,  not only to distinguish Him from the dead idols of paganism,  but also to point Him out as the SOURCE of life,  present,  spiritual, and eternal. There is also an allusion here to the great name Jehovah, which properly signifies  "Being" or "Existence." Jesus said:  "...before Abraham was, I AM."    John 8:58

7 Great Confessions of  Christ

Flesh and blood has not revealed this

Matthew Henry puts it:
"Thou hadst this neither by the invention of thy own wit and reason, nor by the instruction and information of others; this light sprang neither from nature nor from education, but from my Father who is in heaven."
(from Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1991 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)

Adam Clark says:
"It requires an express revelation of God in a man's soul,  to give him a saving acquaintance with Jesus Christ;  and that not even the miracles of our Lord,  performed before the eyes,  will effect this.  The darkness must be removed from the heart by the Holy Spirit,  before a man can become wise unto salvation."

This revelation comes not from Human Teaching
This revelation comes not from Human Logic
This revelation comes only from the Grace of  God.

You are Peter - On this Rock

Peter		pétros	Signifies a stone, or a fragment of a rock (It is the Greek counterpart to the Aramaic, "Cephas").
Rock		pétra	Signifies a ledge of rock, or a rocky peak, like Gibraltar

The rock is Jesus Christ

Jesus said,

Matt 16:18
And I tell you, you are Peter [Greek, Petros — a large piece of rock], and on this rock [Greek, petra — a huge rock like Gibraltar] I will build My church.   (AMP)

Matt 21:42
Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures:  'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.'"      (NKJV)

Isaiah 28:16
Therefore thus says the Lord GOD:  "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation."      (NKJV)

1 Peter 2:4
Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious.      (NKJV)

Acts 4:11-12
This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.'      (NKJV)

Psalm 118:22
The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.      (NKJV)

1 Corinthians 10:4-5
For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.      (NKJV)

Deuteronomy 32:4
He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He.      (NKJV)

Daniel 2:45
Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold -- the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.      (NKJV)

Psalm 18:2
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.      (NKJV)

The gates of  hell

In ancient times the gates of  fortified cities were used to hold councils in,  and were usually places of great
strength.
In this sense,  all the council,  wisdom,  and strength of Satan and those in his abode,  are not able to withstand the onslaughts of the Church and the Gospel.
Sometimes the gates are taken for the troops that issue out from them.
We may firmly believe that,  though hell should open her gates,  and vomit out her devil and all his angels,  to fight against Christ and His saints,  ruin and discomfiture must be the consequence on their part,  as the arm of the Omnipotent must prevail.

From this we find that:

The Keys

When the Jews made a man a doctor of the law,  they put into his hand the key of the closet in the temple where the sacred books were kept,  and also tablets to write upon;  signifying,  by this,  that they gave him authority to teach,  and to explain the Scriptures to the people.

To Peter was first given the "keys", but not to Peter alone, since in Matthew 18:18 and John 20:23  He gives the same power and authority to the other disciples as well.

But Peter was first - unlocking the door, you might say:

Rejected by the elders - chief priests - scribes

The religious leaders of Israel put Jesus to the test for the purpose of approving Him as Messiah,  for they were looking for their Messiah.
But He did not meet their specifications.  He was not the kind of a Messiah the Jews wanted.
They wanted a military leader who would liberate them from the yoke of Rome, not a Savior who would free them from their bondage to sin.
They were typically human - they wanted to satisfy the flesh, and starve the spirit.

He spoke this word openly

He spoke the word plainly,  unmistakably.
He used frank,  unreserved speech,  not hints or veiled allusions,  such as He had previously given.

Peter took him aside

Peter took him aside,  apart from the rest,  possibly presuming on the distinction just conferred on him.
Like many others, Peter assumed a greater position in the Kingdom of  God that what Jesus had actually meant.

The idea of the compound verb is that of someone taking hold of another so as to have him facing him.
Peter took Jesus aside from the other disciples in order to rebuke Him.

When He turned around

The word in Mark 8:33 is literally, "to turn one's self about."
Peter had taken Jesus off to himself. But when Jesus heard what Peter said,  He quickly wheeled around with His back to Peter.

Although His back was toward Peter, and He was facing the other disciples, He spoke to Peter.  Since Peter had "taken him aside," most likely the others did not hear this conversation.

Get behind me Satan

It was an agonizing cry,  for Jesus recognized a repetition of the temptation of Satan (Matthew 4:9).
Here was Satan again, using the foremost of the disciples, to tempt Jesus to go around the Cross.

You are not mindful of  the things of God

The word "mindful is  'phroneo'  which here has the meanings,  "to be of one's party,  to side with him,  to direct one's mind to a thing,  to seek or strive for."

This was actually a two-fold rebuke:

Whoever desires to come after Me

"Desire" is  'thelo',  to desire.  It is a matter of the 'will' - of  desires and motives.

Follow Me

The word  "follow"  is  "to take the same road as another does."
It is used with the associative instrumental case.
It is:  "Let him follow WITH ME."
The idea is not that of  following behind another,  but that of accompanying the other person,  taking the same road that he takes and fellowshipping with him along that road.

The principles of the Christian life are:

What profit is it?

In this world today, it seems all things are measured by Profit and Loss.
But God puts the reality of true wealth before us:

In Mark 4:19 Jesus classifies the "deceitfulness of riches" as one of the things that choke out the Word of God and causes unfruitfulness.

Hebrews 11:26 it shows that Moses understood True Riches

     Romans 9:22
... and that He might make known the riches of His glory.     (NKJV)

     Romans 11:33
Oh, the depth of  the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!     (NKJV)

     Ephesians 2:7
That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.     (NKJV)

     Ephesians 3:8
...that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.     (NKJV)

     Philippians 4:19
And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.     (NKJV)

Till they see the Son of  man coming in His kingdom

This is fulfilled 6 days later, in the next section when Peter, James, and John see Jesus transformed before their  eyes.

Peter, James, and  John

This is the second time they were called apart from the rest.
First, they were the sole witnesses of  the resurrection of Jairus' daughter (Mark 5:37)
And now of the Transfiguration of Jesus.

A Mountain

Mount Hermon is commonly supposed to have been the scene of the transfiguration.
"Hermon,  which is indeed the center of all the Promised Land,  from the entering in of  Hamath unto the river of Egypt;  the mount of fruitfulness,  from which the springs of Jordan descended to the valleys of Israel.  Along its mighty forest -- venues, until the grass grew fair with the mountain lilies,  His feet dashed in the dew of Hermon. He must have gone to pray His first recorded prayer about death. and from the steep of it, before He knelt. could see to the south all the dwelling-place of the people that had sat in darkness, and seen the great light-the land of Zebulon and of  Naphtali, Galilee of the nations;  could see,  even with His human sight, the gleam of that Lake by Capernaum and Chorazin,  and many a place loved by Him and vainly ministered to,  whose house was now left unto them desolate;  and chief of all,  far in the utmost blue,  the hills above Nazareth, sloping down to His old home:  hills on which the stones yet lay loose that had been taken up to cast at Him."  (Ruskin)

He was transfigured

The simple verb refers to the act of giving outward expression of one's inner character.
What a contrast to that "visage more marred than men, and His form than the sons of men!"

Moses and Elijah

Peter answered and said to Jesus

The record does not indicate that Peter was addressed during this conversation between Jesus, Moses and Elijah.
Here is impetuous,  unpredictable Peter,  intruding himself into the conversation.
The compound verb means  "to give off from one's self a judgment."

From the whole of this emblematic transaction, we can see:

Tell the vision to no man

On several occasions we see Jesus performing miracles followed by the command: Tell no one!

On other occasions Jesus said:  Go and tell!

From these examples, the difference is clear:

THE  DEMONIAC  BOY	Top Previous Section

My son is an epileptic

The King James translates it: lunatic.
One who was most affected with this disorder at the change of the moon,  and at the full moon.
But this lunacy was occasioned by a demon.  In this case,  the devil intended to hide himself under the appearance of a natural disorder,  that no supernatural means might be resorted to for his expulsion.

It convulses him

"To convulse completely."  The demon threw the boy into a complete convulsion.
The picture is that of the boy being rolled on the ground by the convulsion.

As a mustard seed

The mustard seed is pure - it cannot be crossed with anything else - it is pure bred.

Mark 11:22-24
So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain,  'Be removed and be cast into the sea,'  and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.      (NKJV)

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