Do You See Jesus Clearly? | Mark 8

INTRODUCTION

Those of you who wear glasses know there is a difference between seeing and seeing clearly. Without your glasses, you can see shapes and movement—but everything is blurred. Mark 8 asks a much more important question: Do we see Jesus clearly? It is possible to know something about Jesus and still misunderstand who He really is.”

Different people have different visions of who Jesus is. What our text today is going to tell us is that Jesus is God and he has a plan, but that plan may not be the plan we think it is.

Main Idea: Seeing Jesus clearly means receiving Jesus as He truly is—the crucified and risen Messiah and following Him on His terms, not ours.

We need the Jesus who is, not the Jesus we want Him to be.

Outline

1. See His Provision – Don’t Forget the Provider; Mark 8:1-21

2. See His Mission – He is the Messiah; Mark 8:22-33

3. See His Path – The Cross Comes Before the Crown; Mark 8:33-38

1. See His Provision – Don’t Forget the Provider

Mark 8:1–10

¹During those days another large crowd gathered (Gentile region). Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ²“I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. ³If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.”

⁴His disciples answered, “But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?” (How can the disciples answer this way? They were there for the 5,000, right?)

⁵“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.

“Seven,” they replied.

⁶He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people, and they did so. ⁷They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. ⁸The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. ⁹About four thousand were present. After he had sent them away, ¹⁰he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.

Jesus has provided again. But later He will confront the disciples because although they have seen His provision, they still have not understood what His provision reveals about who He is.

They have seen what Jesus can do, but they still do not clearly see who Jesus is.

The Pharisees Looking for a Sign; 11-13

Mark 8:11

The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven.

They don’t recognize Jesus as the Messiah. They have religion. They have all of these rules that they keep. Now they come and are seeking a sign from heaven.

They are essentially saying, ‘Jesus, prove who You are.’ But Jesus has already given abundant evidence through His teaching and miracles. Their request is not simply a sincere search for truth; Mark tells us they are testing Him.

Now, questions are not wrong. Some people have sincere questions, and we should answer them patiently and honestly. Christianity is not afraid of questions. But sometimes the problem is deeper than lack of information. One question is answered, and another immediately takes its place because the real issue is not evidence but resistance. So when we share Christ, we reason faithfully, love patiently, and pray dependently—because ultimately the Holy Spirit must open hearts to see Jesus.

Answer questions with humility, but never imagine that argument alone can regenerate a heart.

So how does Jesus respond to the Pharisees?

Mark 8:12

He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it.” ¹³Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.

And this warning is not only for Pharisees.

I can attend church and miss Jesus.

I can know Christian vocabulary and miss Jesus.

I can know the scripture and miss Jesus.

I can even serve in ministry and slowly lose sight of Jesus Himself.

Religious activity is not the same as recognizing Christ.

Transition: The crowd has seen His provision. The Pharisees demand more proof. Now the camera turns to the disciples—and remarkably, they still do not see clearly either.

Discipleship Without Discernment; 8:14-26

Mark 8:14

The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat.

They have one loaf in the boat, and immediately their attention goes to what they lack. But think about the irony: these are the same disciples who have just watched Jesus feed thousands.

Mark 8:15–21

“Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”

Jesus warns them about the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod—the corrupting influence of unbelief. It can appear in religious clothing, like the Pharisees, or through worldly power and self-interest, like Herod. Different expressions, but the same blindness to Jesus.”

We can be blinded by religion, and we can be blinded by power.

Mark 8:16

They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”

They’re worried about bread; Jesus is concerned that after everything they have seen, they still do not understand who is in the boat with them.

Mark 8:17

¹⁷Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: (There are 8 questions) “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? ¹⁸Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? ¹⁹When 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.”

²¹He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

All these 8 questions could be summarized into one question: Are you blind?

Their problem is that they have forgotten who is in the boat with them.

And don’t we do the same? Today’s problem can make us forget yesterday’s provision.

Transition: The next story is the blind man being healed but in stages. It is almost a picture of the disciples themselves.

2. See His Mission – He is the Messiah; Mark 8:22-33

Mark 8:22-26

Jesus heals a blind man at Bethsaida

²²They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. ²³He 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?”

²⁴He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”

²⁵Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. ²⁶Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.’

Mark places this unusual two-stage healing at exactly the right place in the story. The man sees—but not clearly. Then Jesus enables him to see clearly. And immediately Peter does something similar. He sees that Jesus is the Messiah—but he does not yet see clearly what kind of Messiah Jesus is.

The blind man has partial sight. Peter has partial understanding.

Mark 8

²⁷Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

²⁸They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”

²⁹“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”

³⁰Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

Jesus actually saying, don’t talk about the Messiah until you understand the Messiah properly. Now they can see the identity of the Messiah. Peter gets the title right: ‘You are the Messiah.’ They get that right; however, the next passage (8:3-33), the moment Jesus talks about his death, the first response of Peter is to take him aside and rebuke the Messiah. Jesus said, “Get behind me Satan.” This shows that Peter and disciples are still blind regarding the nature of the Messiah. He sees—but not clearly.

Note: If you don’t understand Jesus, we don’t understand the gospel. There are many gospels, Jesus, spirits in the world today (2 Corinthians 11:4) there are different Jesus’ we can preach, we can choose to preach whichever Jesus we want.

³¹He then began to teach them….

How is Jesus going to heal the blindness? Mark 8:34-9:1. Teaching: He began to teach them. What is the teaching? Just like the Messiah who is going to suffer, the disciples are to walk in the way of the suffering Messiah, Mark 8:34-38

Mark 8:31-32

³¹He 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. ³²He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

Notice one word: Must. The Son of Man must suffer.

The cross is not Plan B.

Jesus is not trapped by circumstances.

He is not surprised by rejection.

The cross belongs to God’s saving purpose.

Notice the whole movement: Suffering – Rejection – Death – Resurrection

The cross comes before the crown—but the cross is not the end of the story.

³²Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

Within a few verses Peter goes from confessing Jesus to correcting Jesus. And we do it too:

‘Jesus, You are Lord—but let me tell You how my marriage should go, how my career should go, what my children should choose, and what my future should look like.’

We confess His lordship—and then hand Him our plan for approval.

Mark 8:33

But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, (Jesus knows they were all thinking something very similar.) he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

Jesus’ words are severe because Peter is voicing a satanic alternative to God’s plan—a Messiah without the cross.

Peter wants:

Crown without Cross.

Glory without Suffering.

Victory without Sacrifice.

But Jesus says there is no crown without the cross.

Jesus cares about our jobs, families, finances, and responsibilities, but the real question is whether Christ shapes our priorities or our priorities shape the Christ we want. We must bring every area of life under His lordship instead of asking Him merely to bless the plans we have already made.

Transition: Once Jesus tells us what kind of Messiah He is, He tells us what kind of disciples we must become. A cross-shaped Messiah creates cross-shaped disciples.

3. See His Path – The Cross Comes Before the Crown; Mark 8:33-38

Mark 8:34

³⁴Then 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.

a. Deny yourself. I surrender the right to be lord of my own life. Jesus moves from the edge of my life to the centre. Deny yourself means put yourself below so that you can serve the need of others, that is self-denial. So discipleship is self-denial, taking up the cross, and be a servant.

b. Take Up Your Cross. The cross is not life’s ordinary inconvenience. In Jesus’ world it represented shame, surrender and death. My allegiance to Christ comes before comfort, reputation, ambition—even life itself.

c. Follow Me. Present tense. Not occasionally. Continually. The Christian life is a daily following of Jesus.

Mark 8:35

For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.

Jesus is describing a life in which self-preservation is no longer our highest allegiance. Christ and His gospel are.

Here is the great equation:

Mark 8:36-38

³⁶What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? ³⁷Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? ³⁸If 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.”

You want to be in charge of a kingdom. You want a crown. And Jesus tells you, “No, take up your cross.” Is the cross what you want?

Do you see Jesus clearly? Following Christ does not mean a trouble-free life. There may be costly obedience, disappointment, grief, rejection or loss. Jesus never promised that following Him would remove all suffering.

He said, ‘In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.’

But suffering is not the final word. The Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory.

But remember the order: Jesus does not say, ‘Carry your cross so that I will save you.’ Jesus first tells them that He Himself is going to the cross for them.

Our cross does not atone for our sin. His cross does.

We don’t suffer our way into salvation.

We are saved by grace through faith in the crucified and risen Christ—and then, because we belong to Him, we follow Him.

Life Application:

1. Remember His Provision.

Remember God’s Past Provision When Today Feels Uncertain.

What present worry is making me forget yesterday’s provision?

2. Reject Competing Loyalties.

Do Not Let Success, Religion or Power Blind You to Jesus.

What has quietly become more important to me than Christ himself?

3. Surrender Your Plans & Self-Rule.

Stop Asking Jesus to Approve the Life I have already planned.

Instead of asking Jesus to bless my plans, I need to surrender my plans to His Lordship.

What areas of my life am I still trying to control instead of surrendering got Jesus?

4. Choose Costly Obedience.

Where am I avoiding obedience because following Jesus may cost me something?

5. Follow Jesus Daily.

I need to follow Jesus daily. What would following Jesus daily look in my life?

CONCLUSION

Mark takes us on a journey to tell us that Jesus is the Messiah. Now, he’s going to continue to take us on a journey to show us what kind of Messiah he is.

Mark 8 asks one question from beginning to end: Do you see Jesus clearly?

The disciples saw miracles—but forgot the Provider.

Peter saw the Messiah—but resisted the cross.

And we can do the same.

We can want Jesus as Provider without Jesus as Lord.

Jesus as Helper without Jesus as King.

Jesus as Saviour without Jesus defining the path we walk.

But Jesus will not be redesigned according to our expectations.

He is the Messiah who suffers, dies and rises again.

And before He asks us to carry our cross, He carries His cross for us.

His cross saves us. His resurrection gives us hope. His Spirit empowers us to follow.

And six days later, Peter stands on a mountain. Moses is there. Elijah is there. Jesus is transfigured before them. And the Father speaks: ‘This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!’

Provider → Messiah → Cross → Transfiguration → “Listen to Him.”

See Him clearly. Listen to Him. Follow Him.

Dear Lord, would you help us to see you clearly to serve you faithfully and to keep on the journey failing forward, serving You with all we are for your glory and not our own until you take us home. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen