Condemned Herod Antipas for divorcing - Mark 6:18
John the Baptist had condemned Herod Antipas for divorcing his own wife and convincing Herodias to leave her husband (Herod Philip, the half-brother Herod Antipas) and marry him (Lev. 18:16; 20:21). See
WCF 24.4;
WLC 139.
Foolish oath - Mark 6:21
Herod took his foolish oath in front of his own
officials, his military
commanders and the most prominent
leaders of Galilee. He gave in to this public pressure and had John killed against his own better judgment.
The girl's name - Mark 6:22
Mark's account did not mention the girl's name, nor did Matthew in his parallel account (Matt. 14:1-12). The Jewish historian Josephus identified her as Salome.
A strong warning - Mark 6:27
The beheading of John must have been a strong warning to the disciples and to the Christians in Rome who first read this Gospel. Following Jesus brought them into great danger. The role of John the Baptist receives further explanation in 9:9-13.
Feeding the 5000 - Mark 6:30-44
Return of the Disciples and the Feeding of the 5,000.Apostles returned from their mission - Mark 6:30-31
After the
apostles returned from their mission
Jesus called them to
come away. Here and in 3:14 are the only places in his gospel that Mark called them apostles. The stress is on their mission as the ones Jesus has sent out in his authority. Now that they had returned Jesus intended to focus on ministering to them. Being alone with Jesus was a part of the training of the twelve. Throughout this part of the Gospel the crowds and the Jewish leaders were constantly seeking Jesus. The whole time Jesus was trying to get away with his apostles to further prepare them for their future mission.
Deserted place - Mark 6:32
The description of their destination as a
deserted place sets the following events in a wilderness context. This word is used three times (6:31, 32, 35) in this short text.
Sheep without a shepherd - Mark 6:34
Jesus' plan to focus on the disciples changed when his heart was touched by the needs of the crowds.
He had compassion on them as they were swarming around them. Mark reported that Jesus saw them as
sheep without a shepherd. Jesus was fulfilling God's promises from Ezek. 34, especially verses 10-16. Note also Ps. 23 where God himself is the shepherd and Num. 27:17 where God provides a shepherd in the wilderness named Joshua.
Joshua is the Hebrew form of the name
Jesus.
Shepherd the lost sheep - Mark 6:36-37
The disciples saw no way to care for such a large crowd in a deserted, wilderness–like place. Their only solution was to urge Jesus to
Send them away. Jesus emphatically put the responsibility on the disciples. They had to learn to shepherd those lost sheep. Jesus told them to feed the crowd. The disciples, who were still probably worn out from their own missionary journey, replied with a hint of sarcasm.
Two hundred denarii would have been over half of a year's wages according to Matt. 20:2. Their words were a defensive admission that they couldn't do what Jesus had told them to do.
Blessing before a meal - Mark 6:41
The prayer for God's blessing before a meal was a typical Jewish act. The acknowledgement of God's blessing sets this bountiful provision in strong contrast with the immediately preceding account of Herod's drunken feast. Jesus' compassionate care and sustaining of life is the opposite of Herod's self-centered murderous party.
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