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Mark chapter 6

English Standard Version

1He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 2And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? 3Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. 4And Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household." 5And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went about among the villages teaching.
7And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff — no bread, no bag, no money in their belts — 9but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. 10And he said to them, "Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. 11And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them." 12So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. 13And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.
14King Herod heard of it, for Jesus ' name had become known. Some said, "John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him." 15But others said, "He is Elijah." And others said, "He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old." 16But when Herod heard of it, he said, "John, whom I beheaded, has been raised." 17For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip 's wife, because he had married her. 18For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother 's wife." 19And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, 20for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.
21But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22For when Herodias 's daughter came in 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 vowed to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom." 24And she went out and said to her mother, "For what should I ask?" And she said, "The head of John the Baptist." 25And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter." 26And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. 27And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John 's head. He went and beheaded him in the prison 28and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. 29When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
30The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31And he said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. 33Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. 35And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, "This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. 36Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat." 37But he answered them, "You give them something to eat." And they said to him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?" 38And he said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." And when they had found out, they said, "Five, and two fish." 39Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. 41And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. 42And they all ate and were satisfied. 43And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.
45Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. 47And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, 49but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid." 51And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
53When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. 54And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him 55and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. 56And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

What does Mark chapter 6 mean?

After ramping up the scope of His miracles by calming a storm, exorcising a legion of demons, healing a woman without intent, and raising a dead girl (Mark 4:35—5:43), Jesus takes the Twelve to His hometown of Nazareth. Jesus sees several different reactions to His ministry. The Gentile people of the Decapolis are afraid and beg Him to leave (Mark 5:17). His family are ashamed and beg Him to come home (Mark 3:21, 31–32). The Pharisees from Jerusalem and the Herodians are jealous and arrogant, and plot to destroy Him (Mark 3:6). But many people beg for His healing touch, crowding Him to the point that He has to worry about His own safety (Mark 4:1).

Nazareth greets Jesus with dismissive cynicism. Neighbors and family members He has known His whole life recognize the wisdom of His teaching, but reject the home-grown boy who teaches. These reactions embody the adage of "familiarity breeds contempt." Ironically, the attitude of those closest to Jesus seems to agree with the assumption of Nathanael (John 1:46) that "nothing good comes from Nazareth." Jesus has just left a woman so filled with faith that she was healed simply by touching His cloak. Now, the people who should know Him best have so little faith He can do little to help them. Christ's intent for using miracles is to perform them as a response to faith: when there is no faith, miracles would contradict His purpose (Mark 6:1–6).

On the heels of this rejection, Jesus commissions the Twelve to begin their own ministries in His name. He sends them off with the command to rely on those they teach for support, and gives them authority to heal, exorcise demons, and even raise the dead (Matthew 10:8). These efforts will prove successful, but not without consequences (Mark 6:7–13).

Mark underscores that times of victory will make the Twelve vulnerable to great danger. He recounts the death of John the Baptist who had condemned Herod Antipas' marriage, thereby earning the wrath of Antipas' wife, Herodias. While Antipas moves to protect John, Herodias waits for an opportunity to strike. Her daughter earns the favor of Antipas, and in a foolish moment, Antipas promises her a favor. Herodias coaches her daughter to ask for John's head, and Antipas must deliver (Mark 6:14–29).

Back in the present time, the Twelve return exhausted and hungry but filled with stories of success. Jesus plans a retreat, and they board the boat, intending to find a secluded place to rest. Here, the Twelve fall victim to their own success. The people recognize them as well as Jesus and follow so quickly that some reach their destination before the boat lands. Feeling compassion for the "sheep without a shepherd," Jesus spends the day teaching and healing. At night, when the Twelve wish to dismiss the crowd to find food, Jesus challenges them to provide the food themselves. Despite their recent experiences performing miracles, the Twelve are stymied, and it is Jesus who must use a boy's lunch to feed thousands (Mark 6:30–44).

After dinner, the people are even more convinced that Jesus is the promised Messiah, come to rescue them from the clutches of Rome (John 6:14–15). Although the Twelve concur, they are still too confused by Jesus' behavior to act. Jesus hurries them back to Capernaum while He quiets the nationalistic fervor. With the crowd dispersed, He retreats to a mountain to pray. Whether by moonlight or the breaking dawn, Jesus notices that despite rowing all night, the wind has allowed the Twelve to travel only three or four miles. He walks across the water to them, intending to reassure them by revealing His glorious presence, but their ignorance drives them to fear. Perhaps resolving they need comfort more than epiphanies, He joins them in the boat, and they arrive in Gennesaret, south of Capernaum (Mark 6:45–52).

In Gennesaret, things are back to normal—or, at least, to the familiar pattern of Jesus' earthly ministry. The sick and injured mob Jesus as He and the Twelve travel the countryside. Faith in Jesus' ability to heal has grown, however, and many are healed merely by touching the fringe on His cloak (Mark 6:53–56).
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Book Summary
The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.
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Chapter Context
Even as the Twelve are given opportunity to wield some of Jesus' power and authority, they still struggle to understand. They misinterpret who He is, what He has come to do, and how much He will ask of them. They fear Jesus' display of deity, but seem to dismiss the murderous rejection of His hometown and the death of John the Baptist. It's easy to have faith in a prophet who seems poised to rescue Israel from foreign rule. It is still beyond them to understand that He is actually God.
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What is the Gospel?
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