TOM · The Owner's Manual · New Testament

Mark 6

Chapter 6 in 30 seconds

His hometown only sees the carpenter, so He does few miracles there. He sends out the Twelve two by two. Herod throws a birthday party that ends with John the Baptist's head on a platter. Then Jesus feeds five thousand and walks on water.

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In this chapterThe Big QuestionWhat Josephus Wrote · after verse 29

The Rejection at Nazareth// Matthew 13:53–58; Luke 4:16–30

¹Jesus went on from there and came to His hometown, accompanied by His disciples. ²When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard Him were astonished. “Where did this man get these ideas?” they asked. “What is this wisdom He has been given? And how can He perform such miracles? ³Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t His sisters here with us as well?” And they took offense at Him.

⁴Then Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own household is a prophet without honor.” ⁵So He could not perform any miracles there, except to lay His hands on a few of the sick and heal them. ⁶And He was amazed at their unbelief.

MK 6:4[NOTABLE]The people who know you best are often the last to listen. His own town knew Jesus as the carpenter, and even His brothers did not believe at first, John 7:5. If friends and family brush off your faith, you are in good company. Later His brother James led the church in Jerusalem.

And He went around from village to village, teaching the people.

The Ministry of the Twelve// Matthew 10:5–15; Luke 9:1–6

⁷Then Jesus called the Twelve to Him and began to send them out two by two, giving them authority over unclean spirits. ⁸He instructed them to take nothing but a staff for the journey—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— ⁹and to wear sandals, but not a second tunic.

MK 6:7[DEMONIC]Sent out two by two with authority over unclean spirits
MK 6:7[NOTABLE]Jesus's own commissioning practice — teams of two, anointing with oil, healing the sick; the pattern for church ministry
MK 6:8[NOTABLE]Travel light. No food, bag or money meant trusting God to provide through the people they served.
MK 6:9[NOTABLE]No backup outfit. Depend on God, not on what you packed. Luke 22:35 says they lacked nothing.

¹⁰And He told them, “When you enter a house, stay there until you leave that area. ¹¹If anyone will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that place, as a testimony against them.”

MK 6:10[NOTABLE]Stay in one house. Do not trade up when a nicer offer comes along.
MK 6:11[NOTABLE]Shaking off the dust meant, I did my part, and the choice is yours. A warning, not a tantrum. Paul did it too, Acts 13:51.

¹²So they set out and preached that the people should repent. ¹³They also drove out many demons and healed many of the sick, anointing them with oil.

MK 6:12[NOTABLE]Repent means turn around. Change your mind, change your direction, come back to God.
MK 6:13[DEMONIC]Sent out two by two with authority over unclean spirits

The Beheading of John// Matthew 14:1–12; Luke 9:7–9

¹⁴Now King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known, and people were saying, “John the Baptist has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” ¹⁵Others were saying, “He is Elijah,” and still others, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.”

¹⁶But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has risen from the dead!” ¹⁷For Herod himself had ordered that John be arrested and bound and imprisoned, on account of his brother Philip’s wife Herodias, whom Herod had married. ¹⁸For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife!”

MK 6:17[NOTE]TWO REASONS. The historian Josephus says Herod killed John because he feared a revolt. See What Josephus Wrote.

¹⁹So Herodias held a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she had been unable, ²⁰because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man. When he heard John’s words, he was greatly perplexed; yet he listened to him gladly.

²¹On Herod’s birthday, her opportunity arose. Herod held a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. ²²When the daughter of Herodias came and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests, and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” ²³And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask of me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom!”

²⁴Then she went out and asked her mother, “What should I request?”

And her mother answered, “The head of John the Baptist.”

²⁵At once the girl hurried back to the king with her request: “I want you to give me the head of John the Baptist on a platter immediately.”

²⁶The king was consumed with sorrow, but because of his oaths and his guests, he did not want to refuse her. ²⁷So without delay, the king commanded that John’s head be brought in. He sent an executioner, who went and beheaded him in the prison. ²⁸The man brought John’s head on a platter and presented it to the girl, who gave it to her mother.

²⁹When John’s disciples heard about this, they came and took his body and placed it in a tomb.

The Big Question

What Josephus Wrote

The Death of John the Baptist

Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 18.5.2 · Mark 6:14 to 29 · Matthew 14:1 to 12

WHY THIS IS HERE: Mark tells how Herod Antipas had John the Baptist beheaded, 6:17 to 29. A Jewish historian who was not a Christian tells it too, with a different reason.
WHO JOSEPHUS WAS: A Jewish priest and general, born about AD 37, who went over to the Romans in the war of AD 66 to 70. He wrote his Antiquities of the Jews in Rome about AD 93 to 94.
WHAT HE WROTE: All of book 18, chapter 5, section 2, in William Whiston's translation, 1737, as printed by George Routledge and Sons, London. Words in [square brackets] are Whiston's. Macherus is the fortress Machaerus, east of the Dead Sea.
ANTIQUITIES 18.5.2: ⁠2. Now, some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod’s army came from God, and that very justly, as a punishment of what he did against John, that was called the Baptist; for Herod slew him, who was a good man, and commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both as to righteousness towards one another, and piety towards God, and so to come to baptism; for that the washing [with water] would be acceptable to him, if they made use of it, not in order to the putting away [or the remission] of some sins [only,] but for the purification of the body: supposing still that the soul was thoroughly purified beforehand by righteousness. Now, when [many] others came to crowd about him, for they were greatly moved [or pleased] by hearing his words, Herod, who feared lest the great influence John had over the people might put it into his power and inclination to raise a rebellion (for they seemed ready to do anything he should advise), thought it best, by putting him to death, to prevent any mischief he might cause, and not bring himself into difficulties, by sparing a man who might make him repent of it when it should be too late. Accordingly he was sent a prisoner, out of Herod’s suspicious temper, to Macherus, the castle I before mentioned, and was there put to death. Now the Jews had an opinion that the destruction of this army was sent as a punishment upon Herod, and a mark of God’s displeasure against him.

Two Reasons, One Death · Mark and Josephus Side by Side

Mark 6:17 to 29 · Matthew 14:3 to 12 · Josephus, Antiquities 18.5.1 to 4

WHAT MARK SAYS: John told Herod it was not lawful to have his brother's wife, Herodias, 6:18. She held a grudge. At Herod's birthday party her daughter danced, and Herod promised her anything. Her mother told her to ask for John's head, 6:24.
WHAT JOSEPHUS SAYS: Herod was afraid that John's huge influence over the people could lead to a rebellion, so he struck first, and John was killed at Machaerus. Just before this, Josephus tells how Herod divorced the daughter of King Aretas of Arabia to marry Herodias. Aretas later wiped out Herod's army, about AD 36, and many Jews said it was God punishing Herod for killing John.
WHO WAS WHO: Herodias was Herod's niece and the wife of his half brother. She was not his daughter in law. The girl who danced was her daughter; Josephus names her Salome (18.5.4). Mark calls the first husband Philip and Josephus calls him Herod. Many think he was Herod Philip, with two names; others count it as a difference between the two.
DO THEY CLASH?: Not necessarily. Josephus gives the public, political reason. Mark gives the private story of how it happened. Matthew 14:5 has both: Herod wanted to kill John but was afraid of the people. A ruler can fear a revolt and still be pushed over the edge by his wife.
ONE REAL DIFFERENCE: Josephus says John's baptism was not for forgiving sins but for cleansing the body, after the soul was already made right. Mark says it was a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 1:4. Josephus wrote for Roman readers and may have toned it down.
WHAT IT CONFIRMS: John was a real, popular preacher of baptism and righteousness, killed by Herod Antipas. Nearly all scholars accept this passage as genuine, unlike the debated passage about Jesus in 18.3.3.

The Feeding of the Five Thousand// Matthew 14:13–21; Luke 9:10–17; John 6:1–15

³⁰Meanwhile, the apostles gathered around Jesus and brought Him news of all they had done and taught. ³¹And He said to them, “Come with Me privately to a solitary place, and let us rest for a while.” For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.

³²So they went away in a boat by themselves to a solitary place. ³³But many people saw them leaving and recognized them. They ran together on foot from all the towns and arrived before them. ³⁴When Jesus stepped ashore and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And He began to teach them many things.

³⁵By now the hour was already late. So the disciples came to Jesus and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is already late. ³⁶Dismiss the crowd so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

³⁷But Jesus told them, “You give them something to eat.”

They asked Him, “Should we go out and spend more than half a year's wages to give all of them bread to eat?”

³⁸“Go and see how many loaves you have,” He told them.

And after checking, they said, “Five—and two fish.”

MK 6:38[MIRACLE]Five thousand fed with five loaves and two fish

³⁹Then Jesus directed them to have the people sit in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties.

⁴¹Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, Jesus spoke a blessing and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to His disciples to set before the people. And He divided the two fish among them all.

⁴²They all ate and were satisfied, ⁴³and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. ⁴⁴And there were five thousand men who had eaten the loaves.

Jesus Walks on Water// Matthew 14:22–33; John 6:16–21

⁴⁵Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the crowd. ⁴⁶After bidding them farewell, He went up on the mountain to pray.

⁴⁷When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and Jesus was alone on land. ⁴⁸He could see that the disciples were straining to row, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out to them, walking on the sea. He intended to pass by them, ⁴⁹but when they saw Him walking on the sea, they cried out, thinking He was a ghost— ⁵⁰for they all saw Him and were terrified.

MK 6:48[MIRACLE]Jesus walks on the sea

But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.” ⁵¹Then He climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. And the disciples were utterly astounded, ⁵²for they had not understood about the loaves, but their hearts had been hardened.

MK 6:52[HEART]The disciples missed the lesson of the loaves because their hearts were hardened.

Jesus Heals at Gennesaret// Matthew 14:34–36

⁵³When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and moored the boat. ⁵⁴As soon as they got out of the boat, the people recognized Jesus ⁵⁵and ran through that whole region, carrying the sick on mats to wherever they heard He was. ⁵⁶And wherever He went—villages and towns and countrysides—they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged Him just to let them touch the fringe of His cloak. And all who touched Him were healed.

MK 6:56[MIRACLE]All who touch the fringe of His cloak are healed

Mark 6

The Rejection at Nazareth// Matthew 13:53–58; Luke 4:16–30

The Ministry of the Twelve// Matthew 10:5–15; Luke 9:1–6

The Beheading of John// Matthew 14:1–12; Luke 9:7–9

The Feeding of the Five Thousand// Matthew 14:13–21; Luke 9:10–17; John 6:1–15

Jesus Walks on Water// Matthew 14:22–33; John 6:16–21

Jesus Heals at Gennesaret// Matthew 14:34–36

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