Jesus the Messiah was a mystical spiritual King. Mundane concerns hardly mattered to Him. Whatever His spiritual priorities required in this world was simply provided. Indeed, He would eventually have to shed human existence itself to take His throne. Until then, He needed to make His disciples understand, to shift the focus of their minds to the Realm of the Spirit.
We aren't told exactly where Jesus is teaching at the start of the chapter. The only thing we know for sure is the location is far from any human settlement, and many in the crowd were quite far from home. Having stayed in this area for three days, it was clear the people had consumed whatever provisions they might have brought. Their apparent devotion to Jesus' teaching filled Him with compassion at their plight. He shared this with His disciples, testing their reaction. As before, they were at a loss to provide any answer. When asked, they produced seven of the flat disks of bread common in that time and place. They also had a few small fish, probably pickled or smoked.
Yet again, Jesus directed His disciples to organize the task of feeding, gave thanks and blessed God in plain view of all. Then He began handing out the bread and fish, breaking off chunks from a stack that never ran out. This time the word for "basket" indicates something quite large, and they filled seven of these with the left over pieces. Four thousand had eaten. Once again, Jesus showed human limits meant nothing to Him, as whatever was needed simply appeared for the sake of the Kingdom. Dismissing the crowd to their homes, Jesus directed His disciples to cross the Sea of Galilee.
Best we can tell, Dalmanutha is the name for the western-most shore area of the Sea of Galilee. While there, a group of Pharisees approached Jesus demanding a sign they would recognize. It was not enough Jesus taught and healed, but they required something according to their own teachings, though we aren't told what it was. Most likely it would have been some spectacle, but this was unsuitable for a spiritual King. Miracles came not on demand, nor in answer to mere human need, but always to meet the need of the Kingdom. Whatever they asked for made Jesus groan over their hardened hearts, and He rebuked them sharply, refusing their request. His choice of words showed He recognized the Pharisees as the primary influence on the Jewish people of that day.
In His disgust, He simply walked to the shore and got into their boat. The disciples steered a course to the opposite side of the sea, toward the area called Bethsaida. There is some dispute over the name, but it surely means something close to the mouth of the Upper Jordan River, where it emptied into Galilee. It was the original home of several disciples, and a place which seems to have rejected much of Jesus' message. As soon as they were under way, Jesus commented about the leaven of the Pharisees and Herodians.
Leaven was widely recognized as a symbol of impurity. It made bread taste much better, but was used to illustrate the idea of something which grew and insinuated itself into everything if you weren't careful. In the case of the Pharisees, it would be their rejection of the spiritual mysteries in favor of concrete and visible reality. For the Herodians, it was simply a case of pure greed. There was little difference between the two flavors, for both would destroy the soul by denying the Realm of the Spirit.
Sadly, the Twelve were afflicted by the tutelage of Pharisees and Herodians, for the men were pretty sure Jesus was fussing about their failure to pack provisions for the trip. It must have been quite annoying His closest companions were still so deeply infected with the leaven of worldliness, but Jesus patiently explained by walking them through the two miracle feedings. Since when did mere food matter to Jesus?
Upon reaching their destination, a blind man was led to Jesus. Apparently Jesus pulled the man out of town because this city didn't deserve to have miracles done in it. It seems the man was not born blind, but it was the result of something which came upon him later. Whatever the condition, it included the eyes weeping something which gummed the lids together. Using saliva, Jesus first removed this material and asked the man to describe what he could see. The man expressed being unable to distinguish humans and trees, except humans moved. Then Jesus touched his eyes to heal this problem. When the man realized he could see clearly, Jesus ordered him not to return back to the city, but go to his home, which was obviously in another direction.
Then Jesus and His disciples also left the area, hiking north along the main road toward the far northern reaches of Philip's Tetrarchy, the city of Caesarea Philippi. It was time to nail some things down. In Dalmanutha, the Pharisees brought to the fore their teachings regarding what Messiah must do to proclaim Himself to the satisfaction of the Jewish political class. Such a Messiah would never come, for their teachings were mere human legends. Rather, Jesus began addressing the real meaning of Messiah, the necessity of a spiritual focus, not of this world. He began by asking who other men thought Jesus was. Did they agree with those assessments? No. Peter bluntly stated His rabbi was the Messiah. Since the rest of the world was so sure the Messiah must be something other than what Jesus had been so far, it was obvious they couldn't announce His title to them. They would misunderstand, and act rashly upon that false understanding.
Apparently the disciples didn't understand either. As soon as He began expanding on the matter by describing in literal terms what would happen to Him soon, this same Peter rebuked Him for straying from the commonly held Messianic script. Jesus offered His own rebuke in return, for Peter clearly did not get it. Expecting the Messiah to establish a political rule was hardly what God had promised. Peter was still spouting legends of human imagination, not the spiritual concerns of Almighty God. If Peter meant to distinguish himself as leader of the Twelve, he had a long way to go.
To help clarify the matter, Jesus addressed the whole group, apparently more than just the Twelve. He began teaching the spiritual meaning of living. Clinging to this sorrowful existence was a fundamental error. This life was already forfeit, not worth much concern. Serving with Jesus meant choosing the Cross, the most gruesome torture and execution known in the Roman Empire. Eternal life after this one was more than worth the price of such an end. Why would Jesus cling to His human existence when the only throne which mattered lay beyond the grave? Eternity and clouds of angels was not some fairy tale. It was real, more real than this sorry life. Anyone not willing to carry their cross in the wake of Christ's death march were not worthy to share the ultimate victory.
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By Ed Hurst
29 March 2008
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