You Are the Messiah (Mark 8:27-38)

 

You Are the Messiah (Mark 8:27-38)

Who is the Christ? As the Son of God, Christ came to this earth as a suffering servant. Long ago, the Law and the Prophets in the Old Testament prophesied that the suffering Christ would come. Old Testament saints like Moses, Abraham, and David knew and believed in the suffering Christ. However, many Jews—especially the religious leaders—rejected the suffering Christ and crucified Him.

In Mark 8:27-38, Jesus taught His disciples the gospel of the cross and the resurrection, and He taught them about the suffering Christ. Peter and the disciples were greatly shocked by the word that Jesus would die. However, because this was God’s good work, Jesus taught them without hiding a single thing.

"Who Do People Say I Am?"

27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” 28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” (Mark 8:27-28)

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to this earth in the incarnation. Jesus testified to the gospel of the kingdom of heaven and drove out diseases and demons. So, what did people think about Jesus? This is a very important question because it is directly linked to salvation. They thought He was a prophet of God.

It was a close answer, but not accurate. Jesus is the Christ who came as more than a prophet. A prophet is sent by God to speak His word. In this respect, Jesus is a prophet. Jesus proclaimed, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 3:2). This message is God’s invitation for people fallen in sin to enter the gate of heavenly salvation. Furthermore, He is the atoning sacrifice for the redemption of the world.

God sent the prophet Elijah when King Ahab ruled Northern Israel. Northern Israel had fallen deep into idolatry. False prophets deceived and tripped up the king and the people. God sent the prophet to turn back the people who were drifting further from Him. The prophet warned that a famine would come to the land for several years, and on Mount Carmel, he challenged the prophets of Baal to reveal the power of the living, Almighty God (1 Kings 18:20-40).

Through the prophet Elijah, God brought a famine to the land of Israel for several years (1 Kings 17). This was discipline and refinement intended to turn the hearts of the king and the people back to the Lord. To escape the severe famine, the prophet went to a brook, and when the water there dried up, he went to a widow living in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. God fed the prophet and the widow every day during the famine.

At the end of the age of the Judges, during the time of Eli the high priest, his two sons were corrupt and the word of God was rare (1 Samuel 3:1). At that time, God let the sound of heaven be heard through Samuel (1 Samuel 3:7). For four hundred years after the prophet Malachi, there was no word from God. God broke the long silence and sent John the Baptist as the forerunner of Christ, who worked in the spirit of Elijah.

In this way, God pitied His people and constantly sent many prophets to awaken them so they would turn back and walk in the way of truth. And when the set time of God had fully come, He sent His Son Jesus Christ according to the Scriptures and spoke the gospel of the kingdom of heaven through Him (Hebrews 1:2).

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Peter’s Confession – "You are the Messiah"

29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” 30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. 31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. (Mark 8:29-31)

It is very important for the disciples to know exactly who Jesus Christ is. Peter said, “You are the Christ.” This means Jesus is the Messiah, the Lord of Israel’s salvation. Peter’s answer is the correct one. However, Jesus warned them not to tell this to anyone. This was because, although Peter had confessed the Lord as Christ, he did not yet understand the complete perspective of the Messiah.

For the first time, Jesus taught Peter and the disciples that He must suffer many things, be rejected by their leaders, die, and rise again after three days. This is the complete knowledge of Christ. The suffering Christ is the Lord who saves this world, including Israel, from the power of sin and death.

This is what the Law and the Prophets testify. The Law stipulates the sacrificial system—burnt offerings, grain offerings, fellowship offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings—and there is no sacrifice offered without the blood of an animal (Hebrews 9:22). Seeing the blood of the animal sacrifice, God forgives the sins of His people. The animal is a sacrificial offering that substitutes for the one offering it (Leviticus 1:4). Therefore, the blood of the animal sacrifice symbolizes the blood of the Christ who was to come.

The prophets prophesied that the Lord of salvation would come. However, the Lord of salvation was not the Christ the Jews hoped for—one who would defeat enemies with mighty military power and establish an earthly kingdom—but was said to come as a child. And above all, it was prophesied that God’s Christ would die, bearing the sins of this world (Isaiah 6:13, 7:14, 9:6, 53:1-9).

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)

Peter Rebukes Jesus

32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns” (Mark 8:32-33).

Peter could not agree with Jesus' words. He could not accept the fact that Jesus would die. Therefore, he did not understand the word of the resurrection—that he would rise again after three days. This is evidence that Peter did not yet fully understand the correct view of the Messiah. Like other Jews, he expected Jesus to establish a powerful earthly kingdom like King David.

In fact, there was no reason at all for Jesus to die. Therefore, it was a great shock for the disciples, including Peter, to hear that Jesus would die. Furthermore, they thought that if Jesus died, the Messianic kingdom would be out of reach. Their hearts wanted a liberated Israel that would refreshingly defeat the Gentile Roman army as soon as possible.

Accordingly, Jesus looked at his disciples and rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind me, Satan! You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns." It was the will of God the Father for Jesus to die in place of the sins of this world (Isaiah 53:10). By Jesus receiving the sacrifice that atones for the sins of this world, all people reach salvation (Hebrews 12:2).

The work of God is to bring the dead back to life. It is to find the lost, save them, and lead them to eternal life. It is to enable them to obtain love, joy, and peace, which are the eternal treasures of the kingdom of heaven. It is to create a new person through the blood of Christ. It is to give hope for His eternal kingdom. It is to no longer fear or be terrified by the power of sin and death, but to worship God forever in holiness and righteousness.

The things that humans plan are all things done without God. The work that Satan does is to exclude God and sit in God's place to rule as king. Anyone who denies the suffering Christ is an antichrist. He who denies Christ is a liar (1 John 2:22). Therefore, following the example of Christ, loving one's enemies is the work of God. Not doing so is the work of man.

Deny Yourself, Take Up Your Cross, and Follow Me

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels” (Mark 8:34–38).

Jesus taught his disciples what it means to save one’s life. In order to give life to those who were under sin, Jesus himself became God’s sacrifice (Philippians 2:8). To follow Jesus is to walk the way of the cross together with the Lord. This is self-denial. It is to be selfless. Jesus, being in very nature God, humbled himself, took on human likeness, and became flesh (Philippians 2:6–7).

And Jesus was condemned by the Jews, suffered under Pilate, and was lifted up on the cross. To follow Christ is to carry the cross together with the Lord. At that time, the power and glory of God are revealed. God raised Jesus Christ, who died and was buried, by the power of the resurrection. When we follow the Lord’s example, deny ourselves, take up our cross, and die, God also raises us up by the power of the resurrection.

This is the way to gain life. But if a person does not follow the way of the Lord, that is, if they follow human thoughts, they lose their life. They do not receive salvation. They cannot enter eternal life. They cannot reach the glory of the resurrection with Christ. If anyone is ashamed to carry the cross with the Lord, the result is shameful eternal punishment.

To die to oneself and carry the cross with the Lord is a narrow and difficult road. Therefore, only a few find it (Matthew 7:13–14). Who would like a cross of shame and humiliation? Instead, people long for glory, recognition, and praise. But if they do not take the way of the true reward of glory given by God, that is, the way of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, the result is destruction and eternal punishment.

This world is adulterous and full of sin. Instead of God, it worships money, pleasure, career, and success. It does not know God, nor does it know his holy love, that he did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us. It has no interest in it. Though people do not know God, they do not stop speaking recklessly and rebelling against him (Jude 1:10). The cross of Christ is a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles (1 Corinthians 1:23).

But those who fear God, are moved by the love with which he gave his Son, and follow the way of the cross with the Lord, obtain and enjoy eternal life. Even though in this world they suffer persecution, hardship, and are treated as fools, in the kingdom of heaven they will not be put to shame, but will stand boldly before the eternal God the Father (Romans 5:2).

Therefore, let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

Amen!

May 10, 2026

Buffalo Livingstone Church ©2026, David Lee Ministries ©2026 – All Rights Reserved.

Scripture quotes are from the NIV.

 

Healing a Blind Man (Mark 8:22-26)

 

Healing a Blind Man (Mark 8:22-26)

What does it mean to see? It is a language that includes knowing, understanding, and acting. A newborn baby also begins to see. As we look, we learn and realize. However, just because we see with our eyes does not mean we know. "Be ever hearing, but never understanding" (Isaiah 6:9). There is physical blindness, and there is also spiritual blindness.

In the Gospel of Mark 8:22-26, Jesus healed a blind man. This event had never occurred before in the Old Testament (John 9:32). However, Jesus restored his sight in two stages. It takes a long time for a person to open their spiritual eyes and wholly know the truth of God.

They Brought a Blind Man

When they reached Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to him and begged Jesus to touch him (Mark 8:22).

The people brought a blind man to Jesus. They came believing that Jesus would heal the blind man. Although such an event had not yet happened in the land of Israel, they knew that Jesus was able to do it.

The blind man is in the darkness, unable to see anything. He cannot see the beautiful nature, the faces of his loved ones, or anything else. He cannot watch movies or see beautiful nature. Although it is said that life is possible to some extent with the help of Braille or other tools, he cannot see clearly.

From a spiritual perspective, people are not physically blind but cannot see the truth. They are spiritually blind. Every person is trapped in spiritual darkness in Adam. They are placed under the influence of Satan and the devil, the ruler of the kingdom of the air. This is because Adam sinned and fell under sin.

The spiritually blind do not know Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This was the case with the Pharisees and the priests. Although Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came receiving the testimony of John the Baptist, the Law, and the prophets, their eyes were veiled so they could not see (Isaiah 6:9). As a result, they rejected and persecuted Jesus, eventually handed Him over to the hands of the Gentiles, and crucified Him (Acts 4:10).

A spiritually blind person is one who has not yet been born again in Christ. Being born again is well represented in the baptismal ritual. It means dying on the cross with Him, following the example of Jesus Christ, and being raised with Him when He rose again. Because we have received forgiveness of sins through the blood of Christ, we are no longer subjected to eternal punishment, but obtain eternal life (John 5:24).

Knowing God is Truly Seeing

Therefore, seeing means entering into God in Christ. Knowing and believing in God is truly seeing. So, unless one is born again in Christ, they cannot know God. As every human being is a creature made by God, not knowing the Creator is worse than an animal recognizing its master (Isaiah 1:3).

The Father in heaven wants to open the blind eyes of man. He wants to forgive them. Anyone who hears the loving voice of the Father and comes to Him will be made as clean as white snow, even though their sins are as red as crimson, and cleansed from all unrighteousness (Isaiah 1:18; 1 John 1:9). Anyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, receives forgiveness of sins and salvation.

However, a person whose spiritual eyes are darkened becomes a slave to resentment and complaint. Resentment and complaints arise because they do not know God. Because God is just and fair, He judges everything with justice and righteousness. Even if it does not seem so yet, God will judge all things in righteousness. Believing in God's justice and righteousness is proof that one's spiritual eyes have been opened.

Those who abide in God's grace enjoy gratitude and rest. Although pressure, pain, and difficulties continue in daily life, it is because we know the God of justice, comfort, power, and glory. It is because while we were still sinners, God loved us so much that He did not spare His only Son, but gave Him up for us (Romans 5:8).

Jesus Put His Hands on the Man's Eyes Again, and He Saw Clearly

23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, "Do you see anything?" 24 He looked up and said, "I see people; they look like trees walking around." 25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly (Mark 8:23-25).

Jesus did not heal this man at once, but gave him sight in two stages. It is not because He could not heal him at once. It takes time for a person trapped in darkness to open their spiritual eyes and see completely. The man opened his eyes, but he saw people as trees walking around. He could not see clearly yet. When Jesus put his hands on his eyes again, he was healed and saw everything clearly.

Exhibit A - The Call of Abraham

Abraham was called at the age of seventy-five by the word of God’s promise (Gen. 12:1-3). It took many years for him, having received God’s grace, to fully know God’s heart.

When a famine struck the land of Canaan, he went down to Egypt to survive, lied about his wife, and was about to lose Sarah. However, God struck the Egyptian king, and Abraham got his wife back and became very wealthy, possessing many livestock. At this time, he gave up the good land that looked like the Garden of Eden to his nephew Lot (Gen. 13:9-10). He realized and believed deeply in God’s presence and protection.

There was a war at the time, and his nephew Lot was taken captive. Hearing this news, Abraham fought against the surrounding allied nations, won, and rescued Lot (Gen. 14:16). Returning from the victory in the battle, Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High, appeared and praised God Most High, who delivered his enemies into his hand (Gen. 14:20). Abraham gave the king of Salem a tenth of everything, and he refused to accept even a penny from the king of Sodom (Gen. 14:23). He relied only on the LORD God.

Nevertheless, his heart was anxious and empty (Gen. 15:1). This was because he did not have an heir promised by God (Gen. 15:2). At this time, God appeared to him and promised, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them. ... So shall your offspring be" (Gen. 15:5). Then, Abraham believed the word of God's promise with his heart, and he was credited to him as righteousness (Gen. 15:6).

Time passed again, and even after ten years, there was no heir. At this time, as his wife Sarah suggested, he took Hagar and had a son, Ishmael. However, when the servant Hagar became pregnant, she despised her mistress Sarah (Gen. 16:4). Because of this, Sarah mistreated Hagar and sent her away, and Abraham took his wife Sarah's side (Gen. 16:6). The issue of the heir was still not resolved.

Walk Before Me and Be Blameless

When he was ninety-nine years old, the LORD God appeared to him and said, "Walk before me and be blameless" (Gen. 17:1). God reaffirmed His covenant, and because His covenant was with him, He said that he would be the father of many nations (Gen. 17:4). As the sign of the covenant, He commanded circumcision for him and all the males in his household (Gen. 17:11). Abraham believed God's covenant and obeyed it by performing circumcision (Gen. 17:27). He wholly obeyed God.

And God said that his wife Sarah would bear a son (Gen. 17:16). Abraham could not possibly believe it (Gen. 17:17). Sarah, being inside the tent, could not believe it and laughed. However, God said that Sarah would bear Isaac and establish an eternal covenant with him (Gen. 17:19).

God appeared in human form to confirm His covenant (Gen. 18:2). Abraham treated the three men with generous hospitality. The LORD God said that Sarah would surely have a son about this time next year. Just as God had said, when Abraham was a hundred years old, Sarah bore a son, Isaac (Gen. 21:2-3). Just as the name Isaac means, God made Abraham and Sarah laugh (Gen. 21:6).

Sacrifice Your Only Son, Whom You Love

When Isaac, whom he had at a hundred years old, had grown to a certain extent, God tested Abraham and commanded him to sacrifice his beloved only son, Isaac, as a burnt offering on Mount Moriah (Gen. 22:1-2). Abraham got up early the next morning, took his two servants and his son Isaac, and went to the place God had told him about. Leaving the two servants at the foot of the mountain, he went up the mountain with his son, carrying the wood for the burnt offering and the fire and the knife (Gen. 22:3-6).

Abraham built an altar there, bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood, and reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son (Gen. 22:9-10). At this moment, the angel of the LORD called out, "Do not lay a hand on the boy. Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son" (Gen. 22:12). The angel of the LORD spoke to him again:

16 and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me." (Gen. 22:16-18)

In this scene, Abraham takes the role of God the Father, and his son Isaac points to God's Son, Jesus Christ. God did not spare His own Son but gave Him up to save this world from sin and give eternal life. Through long discipline and endurance, Abraham came to know in his heart the boundless love of God the Father and the power of resurrection, who did not spare His one and only Son. Abraham grew into a person who resembled God's heart.

Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death (Heb. 11:19).

Don’t Go Into the Village

Jesus sent him home, saying, "Don't go into the village." (Mark 8:26)

This means that instead of focusing on the miracle itself, people should deeply consider the spiritual meaning contained within it. Otherwise, one might limit Jesus only to someone who heals physical ailments. This is a misunderstanding. Jesus did not make all the blind see. Jesus wants people to open their spiritual eyes and enter into God’s love, grace, and mercy.

Understanding and obeying the truth of the cross of Jesus Christ is a process that takes many years. The cross symbolizes shame, disgrace, and suffering. It is something we instinctively dislike and reject. It is a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles (1 Cor. 1:23). However, to those whom God has called, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:24).

This is the purpose for which we were called: to follow the way of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ and reach the measure of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:13). Those who have been redeemed by His blood bear the marks of Christ.

From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus (Gal. 6:17).

Amen!

May 3, 2026

Buffalo Livingstone Church ©2026, David Lee Ministries ©2026 – All Rights Reserved.

Scripture quotes are from the NIV.

 

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod (Mark 8:11-21)

 

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod (Mark 8:11-21)

Every person holds a different image of who the Messiah should be. The Jews wanted a Messiah with mighty military power like King David. Many people bow to Mammon, thinking that wealth can solve everything. However, the Christ of God, who became incarnate on this earth, came to suffer and be killed. The Lord Jesus Christ became the Lord of salvation, washing away sins and granting freedom through his death and the shedding of his blood.

In Mark 8:11-21, Jesus sighed deeply because of the religious leaders who did not believe due to their hardened hearts. He rebuked the disciples, who still did not properly understand the suffering Christ, asking, "Do you still not understand?" The suffering Christ is the true Messiah who delivers this world from sin and death and leads us to the kingdom of heaven.

This Generation Asks for a Sign

11 The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. 12 He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it.” 13 Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side. (Mark 8:11-13)

The Pharisees demanded a sign to confirm that Jesus was the Messiah. In fact, this is the same work the devil does. The devil persistently attacked and tested Jesus while he fasted forty days and forty nights in the wilderness. The devil's temptation was a demand for Jesus to easily reveal himself as the Messiah to the world (Matt 4:1-11). It was a temptation to manifest himself immediately without carrying the cross.

The Law and the Prophets prophesied that the suffering Christ would come. Therefore, the devil persistently tests Jesus to reject suffering in any way possible. He tempts by packaging suffering as if it were becoming a loser. The mark of a Christian is not success or wealth, but participating in the remaining sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ (Galatians 6:17).

So, Jesus looked at this generation asking for a sign and sighed deeply in his spirit. This was because they had no faith and their hearts were hardened, making them like those who are deaf and mute (Mark 7:32). Jesus rejected all the devil's temptations. And he gave no sign to those who sought one. In his hometown, Jesus did not perform any miracles because they did not believe and hardened their hearts (Mark 6:5).

However, did Jesus show no signs at all? No. Jesus showed numerous signs of the Christ, the Son of God, right before their eyes. He healed the sick and drove out demons. He performed the miracle of feeding five thousand with five loaves and two fish and opened the eyes of the blind. He rebuked the wind and the sea to make them calm and walked on the water.

Jesus restored sight to a man blind from birth. However, that man was persecuted by the Pharisees and priests (John 9:15-16). The reason was that the day he opened his eyes was the Sabbath. The religious leaders stubbornly refused to believe in and rejected Jesus as the Christ sent by God; they treated him as a sinner and sought to kill him. At that time, the man who had been blind rebuked them, saying:

"Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." (John 9:32-33)

Above all, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and various parables were words of authority teaching the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. Before Jesus came, the word of God was rare throughout the land of Judea. After the prophet Malachi, there was no word of God for four hundred years. But to their thirsty and weary hearts, Jesus Christ, the Son of God who spoke in the beginning, spoke directly with his own voice.

"But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe." (Heb 1:2)

Watch out for the Yeast of Men

14 The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. 15 “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.” (Mark 8:14-15)

Yeast refers to evil influence. The yeast of the Pharisees is the hypocrisy of having the name of religion but not believing, and the yeast of Herod is greed and corruption. The Pharisees were the group of Jewish religious leaders, and Herod was a Gentile king appointed by Rome to rule the Judean region. Herod killed John the Baptist for no reason (Mark 6:27).

Their evil influence lies in not upholding justice and righteousness in the name of religion and leadership, but using them to fill their own interests and greed. Even today, hypocrisy, injustice, and greed carried out in the name of the church or the people remain the same. Regardless of time or place, the practice of plundering the weak and taking unfair profits in the name of religion, power, and wealth is widespread.

There Is Only One Teacher, the Lord Jesus Christ

Jesus taught his disciples that there is only one Master, God in heaven, and they are all brothers. No human is above another. There is only one Teacher, the Lord Jesus Christ. The object of our worship is not any other person, but only the Lord Jesus Christ who died for our sins.

8 "But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah." (Matt 23:8-10)

No person can lord it over another. Jesus told his disciples not to exercise authority and lord it over people like the rulers of the Gentiles (Matt 20:25). Rather, he commanded that if they want to be great, they must humble themselves and be servants (Matt 20:26).

Jesus showed the example first. As Creator God, Jesus is worthy to receive glory, honor, praise, and blessing, but instead, he emptied himself, humbled himself, and was obedient to God the Father even to the point of death on a cross (Phil 2:6-8). This was not because the Lord committed a crime, but because he took upon himself the sins of this world. The wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23). The cross of Jesus manifests this fact.

22 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” 23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:22-24)

"Are Your Hearts Hardened? Do You Still Not Understand?"

16 They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.” 17 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” “Twelve,” they replied. 20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” They answered, “Seven.” 21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?” (Mark 8:16-21)

The disciples did not correctly understand Jesus’ words of warning and misunderstood, thinking it was because they had not brought bread. Their hearts had become hard and difficult. When Jesus came to the disciples walking on the water, they mistook him for a ghost and were terrified. When he climbed into the boat with them, they were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened (Mark 6:52).

It takes a considerable amount of time to realize that Jesus came to this earth to be the Christ of suffering. The appearance of the disciples is our own reflection in the mirror. For a long time, the Jews longed for the Messiah. To them, the Messiah was a figure with the power of a strong army, like King David, who would establish a kingdom on earth, defeating all enemies.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the disciples and the people welcomed him enthusiastically, believing that that very day the Lord would establish his kingdom on this earth (Matthew 21:8-9). However, Jesus came to be sacrificed as the Passover Lamb of God (John 1:29; Luke 22:7; 1 Corinthians 5:7). It took time for the disciples to understand the Messiah of suffering, from the time Jesus suffered and rose again until his ascension.

As Jews, the disciples followed Jesus with dreams of an earthly Messianic kingdom. Breaking that dream and accepting the Christ of suffering was a task more difficult and painful than death. Jesus told them that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life (Matthew 16:21). At this, Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” (Matthew 16:22).

After Jesus suffered and rose again on the third day, he appeared to the disciples, gave them peace, and breathed the Holy Spirit on them (John 20:21-22). To the doubting Thomas, he showed the nail marks in his hands and the wound in his side, saying, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29). At the Sea of Galilee, he personally prepared breakfast and fed the disciples with fish and bread (John 21:12-13).

Jesus helped his disciples believe that he was the Son of God who bore the cross, died, was buried, and rose again. However, at the very moment Jesus was ascending to the Father in heaven, the disciples asked, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6).

But after the Holy Spirit descended from heaven like tongues of fire on Pentecost, the disciples' hearts were opened and they believed in the Christ of suffering (Acts 2:36). When they heard this, they were cut to the heart and asked what they should do. Peter told them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and the number of those who accepted the Lord Jesus Christ that day was about three thousand (Acts 2:37-41).

Ultimately, the disciples accepted the Christ of suffering and testified to the gospel in the 1st century throughout Judea, Samaria, and the whole earth. Following the truth of Christ's cross, they endured much suffering and led many people to Christ, the Son of God.

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

Amen!

April 26, 2026

Buffalo Livingstone Church ©2026, David Lee Ministries ©2026 – All Rights Reserved.

Scripture quotes are from the NIV.