Jesus Dismissed by His Own (6:1–6)
Jesus left there and went to his hometown (6:1). Nazareth was located in the hills of Galilee and had a population of approximately 150–200 people. It was within an hour’s walking distance of the large city of Sepphoris. It receives notice only in the New Testament and is not mentioned in the Old Testament, Apocrypha, or rabbinic literature.
GALILEE
Jesus alludes to his kinsmen and his house in 6:4. The clan members were descendants of King David, who possibly settled here after returning from the Babylonian exile. They may have given the place an intentionally messianic name, Little-Netzer (offshoot [of David]), under the influence of Isaiah 11:1–2.132
Isn’t this the carpenter? (6:3). When Jesus teaches in the synagogue, the astonishment of the “many,” a Semitism for “all” (10:45), quickly turns into suspicion. Where did he come by all this? A lowborn village artisan had no business becoming a public figure. Jesus has stepped outside the bounds of his honor rating. “Isn’t this the carpenter?” is therefore a sneer. In a later tale, Asenath angrily scorns Joseph as a potential husband by saying, “Is he not the shepherd’s son from the land of Canaan?”133
The noun translated “carpenter” (tektōn) refers to someone who works with hard materials: wood, metal, stone. If Jesus were a carpenter, as tradition assumes, he would have been engaged in making farm tools such as plows, yokes, carts, wheels, winnowing forks, and threshing boards, as well as house parts, doors, frames, locks, window lattices, beds, tables, lampstands, boxes, cabinets, and chests. He also may have built and repaired boats. The excavated Galilean boat had been repaired often. Meier asserts: “The airy weakling often presented to us in pious paintings and Hollywood movies would hardly have survived the rigors of being Nazareth’s tektōn from his youth to his early thirties.”134
In the Greco-Roman world, most would have regarded a person in such a craft as uneducated and uncouth. Secundus (an Athenian orator) was mocked as a “wooden nail” because he was the son of a carpenter. Celsus derides Jesus for having been simply a carpenter, connecting his work to his crucifixion; Origen weakly counters that the Gospels never describe Jesus as working with his hands.135 In Sirach 38:24–32, the skillful artisan who works with his hands is commended, but it is assumed that his business keeps him from ever becoming wise like the scribe. The scribe has greater leisure and can devote himself to the study of the law to gain greater wisdom (Sir. 39:1–11).
Isn’t this Mary’s son? (6:3). A man was normally identified as the son of his father. To be identified only as the son of the mother could be an insult (see Judg. 11:1–2), but there is no grounds to claim that it intimates some confusion about Jesus’ father’s identity. Possibly, the brothers and sisters listed were the children of Joseph’s hypothetical first wife. Note that Mark uses the word “brother” in Mark 6:17 to identify the half brothers Herod Antipas and Herod Philip. Outside of Nazareth, where the family was unknown, Jesus would have been identified simply as the son of Joseph.136 It seems more likely, however, that Jesus’ father is no longer living. The townsfolk simply identify him as a “local boy” whose mother (and brothers and sisters) is well known.
The brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon (6:3). James (Jacob) and Joseph are the names of two of the patriarchs, and Judah and Simon are names of two of the famous Maccabee brothers. These names suggest a family that hoped for the redemption of Israel.
The argument that these are Jesus’ cousins has been concocted to support the idea of Mary’s perpetual virginity and has no basis in the Greek. Paul refers to James, whom he met, as “the Lord’s brother” (Gal. 1:19), and to “the Lord’s brothers” (1 Cor. 9:5); he does not use the Greek word for “cousins” (anepsioi), which he knows and uses elsewhere (Col. 4:10).137
Aren’t his sisters here with us? (6:3). His sisters are unnamed and unnumbered, reflecting the ancient bias that females’ identities are embedded in males and do not merit special attention.
The Sending Out of the Disciples (6:7–13, 30)
He sent them out two by two (6:7). Sending the disciples two by two satisfies the requirement of two or three witnesses and provides them a measure of protection. Jesus’ authority over unclean spirits is invested in the disciples (see 3:15).138 In Numbers 27:20, some of Moses’ dignity is invested in Joshua so that the Israelite community might obey him.
Take nothing (6:8). Jesus directs his disciples to take nothing normally required for trips: no bread, no satchel for provisions, no money (copper) in the belt, and no change of clothing. The disciples go unencumbered, entirely dependent on the hospitality of hosts, a virtue particularly cherished by Jews. They may take a staff, which may refer to the traveler’s stick that Parrot describes as “a supple and flexible cane. When slipped behind the back under the arms, it works as a brace and makes one’s gait more rapid and supple.”139 But the staff also has a rich imagery in the history of God’s dealings with Israel, beginning with Moses’ staff (Ex. 4:2–5, 20). The reference here may be connected to the staff of the twelve tribes (Num. 17), a symbol of a tribal leader’s authority. It therefore may have some symbolic connection to the covenant renewal of Israel.140
Shake the dust off your feet when you leave (6:11). Jews shook the dust from their feet when they returned to Israel from Gentile territory.141 The gesture may serve as a prophetic warning that the defiant will be cut off from Israel for failing to respond to the reign of God or as a sign that they were washing their hands of them (Acts 18:6), as if to say, “We do not even want your dust.”
TYPICAL VILLAGE
The village of Yata, near Hebron, that preserves the appearance of a typical ancient village in Judea.
Anointed many sick people with oil and healed them (6:13). The Testament of Solomon is a collection of legends and beliefs that offers magical wisdom on how to exorcise demons. In 18:34, a demon that purportedly brings on long-term illnesses says, “If anyone puts salt into (olive) oil and massages his sickly (body with it) saying, ‘Cherubim, seraphim, help (me),’ I retreat immediately.” The oil used by the disciples is probably olive oil, but they do not resort to magical healing arts. Jesus does not instruct them in any hocus-pocus. The oil may have been warmed and rubbed into the skin, and the human touch, not to mention prayer accompanying it, may have been part of the healing. Philo claims that olive oil was an excellent ointment that “produces smoothness, and counteracts physical exhaustion, and brings about good condition. If a muscle be relaxed it braces it and renders it firm, nor is there anything surpassing it for infusing tone and vigour.”142
The Death of John the Baptizer (6:14–29)
King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known (6:14). The growing reputation of Jesus from his miracles causes jitters in Herod’s court. A flashback relating the slaying of John the Baptizer explains the dread that Jesus may be the sequel: John the Baptist II.
He had him bound and put in prison (6:17). John’s bold censure of the powerful Antipas earned him imprisonment. Josephus identifies the prison as Machaerus.143 This fortress-palace (like Masada and Herodium) was situated atop a mountain in southeastern Perea, five miles east of the Dead Sea and thirteen miles southeast of Herodium. Josephus described the citadel as luxurious.144 Archaeologists have uncovered two large triclinia (dining rooms) that would have been suitable for a banquet and a small one where the women would have eaten during the banquet.
COINS OF HEROD PHILIP
He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married (6:17). Herodias, the daughter of Aristobulus (son of Herod the Great) and Bernice (daughter of Herod the Great’s sister, Salome), was married to Herod Philip, another son of Herod the Great. She was therefore the half niece of both Herods and the sister-in-law of Antipas. This Philip is not the better known son of Herod and Cleopatra, who was the tetrarch. He is the son of Mariamne II and lived privately in Rome. When Herod Antipas was staying with them on a visit to Rome, he fell in love with Herodias and brazenly proposed marriage. She agreed upon the condition that he divorce his current wife, the daughter of Aretas IV, king of Nabatea. The outraged Aretas began a border war that led to serious military losses for Herod Antipas.145 The divorce also touched off religious protests at home because marrying the wife of his half brother was forbidden and regarded as incest (Lev. 18:16; 20:21). Antipas would have deemed John’s attack on his remarriage as a political threat.
HEROD’S FORTRESS AT MACHAERUS
Josephus and Mark recount John’s death from different perspectives. Josephus claims that John was imprisoned and executed because Herod Antipas feared the political unrest he aroused.146 Mark reports that Herod executed John because of a public oath that leads him to bow to the will of Herodias.147 Josephus has a marked interest in the suppression of potential uprisings, a critical Roman concern. Mark is primarily interested in the moral issues and the conniving of Herodias, which has biblical overtones. The Herodian family was infamous for its intrigues and grudges, and it is no surprise that Herodias conspired to destroy one who called for her removal from the halls of power. Josephus and Mark do not contradict each other; “political ends and the anger of an insulted woman cannot be regarded as mutually exclusive.”148
On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee (6:21). The account reeks of gross impiety. Birthdays were pagan celebrations.149 Drunken revelry, a princess dancing at a stag party (she must leave to consult her mother), and execution without a trial all smack of rank paganism.150 The grisly detail of John’s head brought to them on a platter caps off a banquet already polluted by excess.
Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom (6:23). As a puppet of Rome, Herod did not have the right to give half of his kingdom away. To preserve his honor by keeping his oath, Herod brings greater dishonor to his name.
Feeding the Five Thousand (6:32–44)
But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them (6:33). The crowd races around the lake in its relentless pursuit of Jesus and beats the boat to its destination, further proof of Jesus’ immense popularity. A tradition that the pilgrim Egeria (ca. 383–95) supports claims that the feeding took place at the Seven Springs, present-day Tabgha. Grass grows abundantly in this area. The crowd could hardly outrun the boat to the other side of the lake, a distance of fifteen to twenty miles. In springtime, the Jordan is high, and the crowds could not have easily crossed it.
You give them something to eat (6:37). The disciples want the crowds to go off to buy their own food and ask Jesus to send them away. Earlier they lived off the hospitality of others (6:8); now Jesus insists that they are to return the favor.
Eight months of a man’s wages (6:37). Two hundred denarii is what this translates, which, according to Matthew 20:2, was a day’s pay for a day laborer and would buy approximately 2400 loaves of bread, one-half inch thick and seven to eight inches in diameter.151
They were like sheep without a shepherd (6:34). The image of sheep without a shepherd echoes Moses’ request for his successor when he is informed that he cannot lead them into the promised land (Num. 27:15–17). The shepherdless throng is soon organized by Jesus (see Ps. 23; Ezek. 34:23).
So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties (6:40). The assembly into orderly rows suggests the grouping of an army and recalls Israel’s encampment.152 Five thousand was also the typical number in a Roman legion and the number of Galilean troops Josephus said that he assembled for battle against the Romans in A.D. 67.153 Rebel movements were known for gathering in the desert during this era, but Jesus is feeding a spiritual army, not a military company.
The feeding of bread and fish recalls several Old Testament themes. During Israel’s sojourn in the desert God miraculously provided manna and quail. The disciple’s astonished question when asked to feed the crowd parallels Moses’ dismay at being asked to feed the people (Num. 11:22). The few small fish may connect to the complaints of Israel in the desert (11:4–6), and the collection of an abundance of leftovers shows that Jesus provides what Moses could not, bread that did not decay overnight. Unlike the disgruntled gathering around Moses, everyone is satisfied.
The feeding also challenges Roman propaganda. The Julia coins depict Livia, the wife of Augustus, as the goddess Demeter providing abundance. This miracle shows Jesus to be the true giver of bread.
Walking on Water and Summary of Healings (6:45–56)
Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida (6:45). Bethsaida means “house of the fisher.” It was located just east of the Jordan, so it qualified as being on “the other side” of the lake (see comments on 4:35). This is the first mention of Bethsaida (see 8:22), though the Gospel of John tells us that Jesus’ disciples Philip, Andrew, and Peter hailed from there (John 1:44; 12:21). Jesus pronounces woes on the city and on Korazin (Matt. 11:20–22; Luke 10:13–14), condemning their failure to repent after the mighty works he had done there (see Mark 8:22–26).
GALILEE
Bethsaida was located on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. Gennesaret was a plain on the northwest side of the Sea between Tiberias and Capernaum.
Josephus credits Philip, the son of Herod the Great who was appointed Tetrarch of Batanea, Trachonitus, Auranitus, Gaulonitus (from 4 B.C. to A.D. 33/34) by the emperor Augustus, for raising the village of Bethsaida to the status of a city and renaming it Julias to honor the emperor’s daughter.154 From the coin evidence, the dedication of the city does not appear to have occurred until A.D. 30. Presumably, the refounding of the city with extensive building projects and an influx of new settlers took place during Jesus’ ministry.
Three sites have been connected with Bethsaida: et-Tell, now almost two miles from the lake, and el-Araj and el-Mess’adiyye on the lake’s current shoreline. Geological evidence, however, indicates that in the past the sea or its estuaries extended closer to the base of the hill at et-Tell and that the shoreline, after two thousand years, has been altered by the passing of continental plates, earthquakes, floods, and silting.155
After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray (6:46). Jesus disperses the crowds after they have eaten. Mark gives no explanation as to why he forces them into the boat (contrast John 6:15). If the tradition that places the feeding at Tabgha is correct, Jesus could go up the Eremos ridge and see the disciples struggling on the lake.
About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake (6:48). Mark depicts Jesus as walking on the sea (not on the shore!). This account is not simply about rescuing the disciples in distress but describes the unveiling of Jesus as a heavenly figure. The scene is intended to hark back to Old Testament images of God as one who tramples the waves.156 Jesus is more than a successor to Moses who fills up bread baskets in the desert; he is God with us.
He was about to pass by them (6:48). “He wanted to pass by them” accords with an Old Testament theophany scene where God parades by someone.157 In Genesis 32:31–33 (LXX), the face of God “passed by” Jacob wrestling with the angel. By passing by, Jesus intends to reveal to them his transcendent majesty.
When they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost (6:49). The sight of Jesus throws the disciples into a panic. According to Wisdom 17:3, 15, fearsome apparitions smite the wicked.
“It is I” (6:50). Jesus responds to their fear with the divine formula of self-revelation, “I am.”158 This self-revelation answers the disciples’ question in 4:41, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” A rabbinic tradition has it that when waves that would sink a ship are struck with clubs on which is engraven “ ‘I am that I am,’ Yah, the Lord of Hosts, Amen, Amen, Selah,” they subside.159
When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there (6:53). Jesus dispatched the disciples to Bethsaida (6:45), but they land in Gennesaret. Bethsaida was a town on the northeast side of the Sea of Galilee; Gennesaret probably refers to a district between Tiberias and Capernaum three and a half miles long and a mile wide on the northwest side of the sea. The district was a densely populated, fertile plain and included the city of Taricheae or Magdala. The region also lent its name to the Sea of Galilee (see Luke 5:1, “Lake of Gennesaret”). Josephus describes it as being remarkably beautiful, producing abundant varieties of fruits and trees.160
Perhaps the disciples were blown off course by the wind, making landing in Bethsaida difficult or undesirable. Perhaps Mark wants the reader to see some significance in this detour. The disciples are unable to go to Bethsaida since they are unable to understand about the loaves (6:52) and do not reach this destination until later (8:22).
They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak (6:56). The edge of Jesus’ cloak refers to the tassels with a blue cord that the law obliged Jewish males to wear and that was to remind them of the commandments of the Lord (Num. 15:37–41; Deut. 22:12). A bundle of dyed unspun wool to make these fringes was found in the caves of Bar Cochba. Some unfinished fringes revealed how they were made.161