Chapter # 8 Paragraph # 5 Study # 1
September 27, 2022
Moss Bluff, Louisiana

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1901 ASV

27 And Jesus went forth, and his disciples, into the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Who do men say that I am?
28 And they told him, saying, John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but others, One of the prophets.
29 And he asked them, But who say ye that I am? Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.
30 And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.

• I. The "Thing" They Were To Understand.
  • A. On the surface, their "understanding" was directly connected to the miraculous "feedings" of the thousands.
    • 1. This "superficial" lesson was, essentially, that Jesus is the Source of Life as the Capable One Who provided "loaves and fish" for two massive crowds and, thus, fulfilled the reality of Jesus' words in Matthew 6:24-34: "...your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things".
    • 2. The reason for this "superficial" lesson was rooted in 6:8 where the issue is "faith" (in contrast to 6:6) to the degree that the disciples were to allow nothing of an "anticipated need" to get in the way of their actual performance of His instructions.
    • 3. And the implication of this "superficial" lesson in 8:21 is that the fixation upon the lack of "loaves" in the boat was "blinding their eyes" to the danger of the "leaven" that threatens every disciple.
      • a. In order to "see clearly", there must be two intertwined issues.
        • 1) Direct, and specific, action by Jesus (addressing the eyes of blindness).
        • 2) Deliberate concentration by the "blind" upon both Jesus and the "problem" ("he looked intently").
      • b. Because this dangerous element of "living in this world" is cast as "leaven", we know that there is a profound link between a man's appetite for "the food of life" and God's provision of "the true Bread of Heaven".
        • 1) "Bread" is the constant: it is the root of "life" in terms of the outer man; and it is the root of "Life" in terms of the inner man.
        • 2) Because Jesus forced the issue in 6:8, it is easy to see that Jesus' words in John 6:29-36 are the "at issue" reality.
      • c. The danger in the "bread" is that men will be so fixed upon "the outer man" that they will refrain in unbelief from pursuing the "Life" of the inner man.
  • B. Below the surface is the more significant "lesson": just as a "lack of bread" is a threat to the "life" of the outer man, so also is "a lack of Bread" a threat to the "life" of the inner man.
    • 1. This "core lesson" is focused upon the "Spirit/soul" reality of "the inner man" where the issue has to do with man's wedding of the desire to be recognized by his associates to his "life".
      • a. There is no real union here: "recognition" does not provide "life" for the body.
      • b. The real union is between "God's recognition" and man's spirit/soul inner man.
        • 1) If God recognizes a man as an entity of "value", what happens to his body is of no consequence.
        • 2) God's recognition only has one real competitor: man's recognition.
        • 3) How God's recognition affects the "outer man" is, normally, care given to meet the need of that outer man, but, occasionally, doing nothing to address the need that will lead to death if nothing is provided.
    • 2. This "core lesson", understood, leads to a whole-hearted abandonment of all lesser issues if the circumstances warrant it ("My food is to do the will of Him Who sent me and to accomplish His work" -- John 4:34).
• II. The "Connection" Between The "Thing" To Be Understood And The Identity Of Jesus.
  • A. The question of Jesus centers upon "how" He is being perceived by "the men".
    • 1. This is a throw-back to 6:14-24 where Herod, consumed by his "leaven", was plagued by his conscience so that he missed the identity of Jesus in favor of that of John.
    • 2. The inclusion of the "Caesarea of the Philip", combined with the "identity" issue of "John", is nothing short of forcing us back into the "beware of the leaven" thesis.
    • 3. Thus, that He was on the road to Caesarea Philippi is significant.
      • a. This area was under the control of Herod's brother Philip whose wife Herod had married. This particular "Herod" died in A.D. 39.
      • b. The only "obvious" link to Mark's record is the connection it has to Mark 6 and the leaven of Herod.

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This is article #343.
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