Who Do You Say That I Am

Jesus warns his disciples to “beware the leaven of the Pharisees” and we know this was their teachings, the traditions of men that entangle people in works to be saved. But Marks gospel also mentions “the leaven of Herod” and there isn’t much explanation, yet we know that the Herodians accepted political influence for Romes domination. Jesus leaves the Pharisees behind at Dalmanutha and heals a blind man at Bethsaida the heads to Ceasarea Philippi, the place of the temple of Pan, the place known as the gates of Hades. It is at this place that Jesus says “on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it! I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven”. It is from this place that Jesus begins to talk about his death, burial, and resurrection. He will take the keys of death and hell.

Beware the Yeast of the Pharisees

Mark 8:14-21
Matthew 16:5-12

Beware of … the Leaven of Herod!

Mark 8:14–21
The Pharisees had been seeking a sign in Mark 8:12 but Jesus had been healing people and delivering them from demonic possession in every town and wherever the crowds gathered. And as he got in the boat he said in Mark 8:15, “Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod!”. But the disciples completely missed his point because, in Mark 8:14, “they had forgotten to take bread”. The whole conversation turned to bread and God’s ability to provide for their needs. They never got to an explanation of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod. How often do we get caught up on a detail and miss the whole point? Can we learn to recognize these conversations, when we forgot this or didn’t get that done and the drama starts. Can we learn to pause, and break that cycle, and ask, “What is the bigger message that might need out attention here?”

I suppose we should also note that the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians were not natural allies, but aligned themselves to destroy Jesus and his work “The teaching or “doctrine” (Mt 16:12) of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees was quite different, but both were equally pernicious; and the Herodians, though rather a political party, were equally envenomed against our Lord’s spiritual teaching. See on Mt 12:14”.¹

Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees

Matthew 16:5–12
Matthew only mentions the Pharisees and the Sadduccees in Matthew 16:6 but it is understood to be, in Matthew 16:12 a warning against their teachings. Jesus had earlier said that their traditions made the word of God of no effect in

Mark 7:13 (LEB) “thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down, and you do many similar things such as this.”

So, while some commentators portray these traditions as clarifications and complementary instructions because the majority of the population did not read and therefore could not understand, Jesus gave his disciples an outright warning against them. And it should also be a warning to us against those that would add requirements to solidify their positions.

He Led Him Outside the Village

Mark 8:22–26
They asked Jesus to touch him. This is the only account and it simply says, Jesus took him by the hand and took him outside the village.

Some have wondered why Jesus would do this, and it seems that Bethsaida was a nice enough place. It was the town of three of the disciples seen in John 1:44 (LEB) (Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter.). And, Jesus and the disciples met there, Luke 9:10 (LEB) And when they* returned, the apostles described to him all that they had done. And he took them along and* withdrew privately to a town called Bethsaida.

But, here is the answer. Bethsaida was hardened, unbelieving as a community as we see in Luke 10:13 (LEB) Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes!

The woman with the issue of blood was healed immediately on a touch, so why not immediately with this blind man? Jesus put out the unbelieving before he prayed for Jairus daughter, and then took her hand and said arise.

And, the hardness, the unbelief in Bethsaida, was why Jesus admonished the healed, seeing man in Mark 9:26 “Do not even go into the village”.

As a side note, Edwards comments, “in Mark, where there are more references to laying on of hands than in any other Gospel, all but one instance occur in the context of healings”.² Later, it says in

Mark 16:18 (LEB) “they will pick up snakes. And if they drink any deadly poison it will never hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick and ⌊they will get⌋ well.”

It also says in

James 5:14 (LEB) Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the elders of the church and they should pray over him, anointing him with olive oil in the name of the Lord.

Who Do You Say I Am

Mark 8:27-30
Matthew 16:13-20
Luke 9:18-21
John 6:60-71

Who Do People Say that I Am

Mark 8:27–30
People had many different ideas about who Jesus was in Mark 8:28 “John the Baptist, and others Elijah, and others that you are one of the prophets.” Here in Mark 8:29 Peter answered and said to him, “You are the Christ!”.

I Will Give You the Keys of the Kingdom

Matthew 16:13–20
Much of the history of this region is lost on us today. But Caesarea Philippi in Matthew 16:13 was also “Paneas because it housed a cave and spring dedicated to the Greek god Pan … (believed to be) one of the few gods who could cross into Hades and return to earth. As result, this site was recognized as the gate of Hades in the disciples’ day. Christ’s declaration about the Church was given powerful significance because it was uttered here. Given this, Peter confessed Jesus to be “the Christ, the Son of the living God” at the temple of a false god (Matt 16:16). Jesus followed by declaring that “on this rock” He would build His Church (Matt 16:18). He continued by professing that the gates of Hades (on which He may have literally stood) will not prevail against the Church (Matt 16:18)”³