Mark Chapter 6
Mark Chapter 6, from the Gospel of Mark, is a superb chapter for teaching phonics to a child or an adult. This chapter is longer than the prior chapters of Mark.
Mark Chapter 6
Jesus then traveled home, followed by his students. On the next Sabbath, Jesus began teaching in the synagogue. Many were amazed, and declared, "How does this Man know so much? What kind of wisdom has been given to Him, enabling Him to perform such wonderful deeds? Isn't this the carpenter we know, the son of Mary, the brother of James, Joseph, Judah and Simon? Don't we also know his sisters here?" So the public rejected Him. Jesus replied to their complaints, "A prophet lacks honor only in his own hometown, among his neighbors and in his own home." Jesus was unable to perform any marvelous works in that area, except for healing a few sick people by laying His hands on them. He was in fact shocked at their lack of faith. He traveled around the villages in that area, teaching the people who lived there.
He gathered the Twelve, and began to send them out in pairs, giving them the power to cast out evil spirits. He instructed them to take only a walking stick, and to bring nothing else: no bag, no bread, and no money in their belts, and to wear only sandals, and not to wear two coats. He told them, "Whichever house you stay in while in a town, stay there until you leave that town. "And if anyone will not take you in or listen to you, when leaving them, shake the dust from under your feet as an indictment against their conduct. I tell you truly, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah will fare better on the day of judgment than that city." Thus they went among the towns, preaching repentance.
There they cast out many demons, anointed the ill with oil, and healed them of their afflictions. The tetrarch, Herod Antipas, heard news of this, as word of Jesus had spread fast and far. It was said that he was John the Baptist had risen from the dead, and miraculous powers were shown in his works. Others rumored that he was Elijah, while others still called him a prophet like those of the Old Testament. Herod believed one of the rumors and opined, "He is John, who I had murdered, back from the dead." For it had been Herod who had sent his men to capture and imprison John on account of his brother Philip's wife, Herodias, who he had married. John used to tell Herod, "It is against the law for you to marry your brother's wife." And so Herodias was hostile to John, and she would have killed him had she been able. Herod actually was afraid of John, realizing that he was a just and holy man, and followed John's preaching closely. Herod couldn't always understand what John said, but he was glad to listen.
So Herodias waited for her opportunity, which came on Herod's birthday when he had a feast for his noblemen, ranking army officers, and high-ranking officials in Galilee.
|The Greek word χιλιαρχος (chiliarchos) means literally "leader of a thousand," therefore a Roman tribune or officer of similar rank in another army.
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|22
|And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee.
|Herodias's daughter entered the room and danced, so pleasing Herod and his guests that the king exclaimed to the little girl, "Ask me whatever you like, and I will grant it!"
|The Greek κορασιον is typically translated simply as "girl" or "damsel",[1] and in fact means a girl who is not even a teen-ager.[2] The spectacle of a pre-adolescent girl dancing lewdly in front of a bunch of leering adult men ought to convince anyone of the immoral overtones of this scene.
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|23
|And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.
|And he swore to her, "I will give you whatever you want from me, up to half of my kingdom."
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|24
|And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist.
|She went to ask her mother, "What should I ask for?" Her mother replied, "The head of John the Baptist."
|The use of quotes makes the phrase easier to understand.
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|25
|And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist.
|So she returned quickly to the tetrarch and responded, "I want John the Baptist's head on a platter."
|Herod Antipas' title was, of course, Tetrarch of Galilee. The Greek word rendered "charger" is actually a large platter.
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|26
|And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her.
|Herod was very sorry. But because he had taken an oath and faced embarrassment in front of his guests if he declined, he complied.
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|27
|And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison,
|The king immediately sent an executioner, ordering him to bring John the Baptist's head. The executioner went to the prison and beheaded him.
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|28
|And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother.
|The executioner brought the head on a platter and gave it to the little girl, who gave it to her mother.
|See notes to verse 22 above.
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|29
|And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.
|When John's students heard what had happened, they came and claimed his body and placed it in a tomb.
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|30
|And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.
|The Apostles gathered around Jesus and told him about all the things they had done and what they had taught.
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|31
|And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.
|Jesus told them, "Come with me privately to a desert place and rest". Because there were so many people coming and going, the apostles had not even had time to eat.
|The land was "desert" all around, but the use of "desert place" becomes appropriate in view of what happens next.
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|32
|And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.
|They sailed in a boat to a desert place to meet in private.
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|33
|And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him.
|When people saw them leaving, many of them recognized Jesus, so they hurried from their cities and got there before Jesus and the apostles did. The people crowded around Jesus when he arrived.
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|34
|And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.
|When Jesus got out of the boat He saw the large crowd of people, and felt sorry for them, because they reminded Him of a flock of sheep without a shepherd. So He started to teach them many things.
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|35
|And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed:
|But when the day was nearly over, His students approached Jesus and said, "We're in the middle of nowhere and it is going to get dark.
|quotation continues to next verse; it must have been "getting dark" yet so the phrasing is this way
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|36
|Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat.
|"Send this crowd into the surrounding villages in order to buy themselves bread to eat."
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|37
|He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?
|Jesus replied "You should give them something to eat," and the students asked Him, "Should we go and spend two hundred shillings and buy some bread for them to eat?"
|The "shilling" is the Roman denarius, which in fact was a day's wages for most men in the period.
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|38
|He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes.
|Jesus answered, "How many loaves do you have? Go check." After the students found out, they told him that they had five loaves of bread and two fish.
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|39
|And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass.
|Jesus told them to have everyone sit in groups on the grass.
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|40
|And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties.
|After they did, everyone sat down in long rows, of fifty or a hundred people.
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|41
|And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.
|When Jesus had the five loaves and two fish, he looked to heaven, blessed the food, and broke the loaves. He gave them to His students to feed the people, and split the two fish among everyone.
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|42
|And they did all eat, and were filled.
|After everyone was finished eating, they were all full.
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|43
|And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes.
|The students picked up twelve small baskets full of crumbs and the leftovers of fish.
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|44
|And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men.
|Five thousand men had filled their stomachs on those two loaves of bread and five fish.
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|45
|And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people.
|Then Jesus had his students board their boat, to go to Bethsaida ahead of him, while he bid the people farewell.
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|46
|And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.
|After he sent the people away, he went to a mountain to pray.
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|47
|And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land.
|In the evening, the students' boat was in the middle of the lake, and he remained on the land alone.
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|48
|And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.
|He saw them rowing hard, since they were traveling into the wind: about the fourth watch of the night, he walked on the surface of the lake and came to the boat, nearly passing it.
|"Fourth watch of the night" means between 3 AM and 6 AM.[3]
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|49
|But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out:
|But when they saw him walking on water, they thought it must have been a ghost, and cried out.
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|50
|For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.
|They all saw Him, and were terrified. He spoke to them right away, and said, "Fear not, for I am. Do not be afraid."
|The "I am" is what the Greek says, and it mirrors Exodus 3:14 (God speaking from the burning bush) and John 8:58 (affirming Jesus's divinity).
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|51
|And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.
|He boarded the ship and the wind died down: they were very much amazed.
|The best manuscripts do not have the additional Greek word θαυμαζω.
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|52
|For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.
|They had not understood the miracle of the loaves, because they had not opened their minds.
|The literal Greek phrase reads, "their heart was stubborn." The implication is simply that they were not yet ready to believe what they had seen.
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|53
|And when they had passed over, they came into the land of Gennesaret, and drew to the shore.
|After they crossed the lake, they came to the land of Gennesaret and pulled up to the shore.
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|54
|And when they were come out of the ship, straightway they knew him,
|When they had come off the boat, everyone immediately recognized Jesus.
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|55
|And ran through that whole region round about, and began to carry about in beds those that were sick, where they heard he was.
|They ran throughout the nearby area and carried all the sick people, in beds, to the place where Jesus was said to be.
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|56
|And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole.
|Wherever he went - villages, cities, or the countryside - people laid the sick in the streets, and begged Jesus to let them touch him, even just the edge of his coat. Everyone who touched him was healed.
See also
- ↑ See talk page.
- ↑ Definition of κορασιον in the Oxford Pocket Greek-English Dictionary
- ↑ http://chestofbooks.com/reference/Facts-For-Everybody/Roman-Division-Of-Time.html