Mark Chapters 6 and 7 show both the mercy of Christ and the resistance of the human heart.

In Mark Ch5, Jesus showed authority over demons, disease, and death. Now in Mark 6 and 7, that authority continues. Jesus is rejected in His hometown, sends out the Twelve, feeds the hungry, walks on the sea, confronts religious tradition, and brings mercy even to Gentile territory.

These chapters show that Jesus is not merely a miracle-worker.

He is the Shepherd, the Lord, and the One who exposes the heart.

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

Mark 6 begins with Jesus returning to His hometown.

The people are astonished by His teaching, but their astonishment does not become faith. They know His earthly family. They know His local background. So they take offense at Him.

Jesus says that a prophet is not without honor except in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own household.

The problem is not that Jesus lacks authority.

The problem is unbelief.

They are familiar with Him in an earthly way, but they do not receive Him rightly. They see “the carpenter” and “Mary’s son,” but they do not see the Son of God standing before them.

This connects with John Ch6, where some people were near Jesus and saw His works, but still did not truly receive Him by faith.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles

Jesus then sends out the Twelve two by two.

They preach repentance, cast out demons, and heal many who are sick.

They do not go in their own power. They go because Christ sends them.

Jesus tells them to travel simply and depend on the provision given along the way. This was a particular instruction for that mission, but it also shows urgency and dependence on God.

If a place rejects them, they are to shake the dust off their feet as a testimony against it.

That is serious.

The message of repentance is mercy, but rejecting mercy is not a small thing.

The Death of John the Baptist

Herod hears about Jesus and thinks John the Baptist has been raised from the dead.

Then Mark tells us how John died.

John had rebuked Herod because Herod had taken Herodias, his brother’s wife. John told the truth, and it cost him.

Herod is a tragic picture of a divided man. He fears John. He knows John is righteous and holy. He even likes listening to him. But he loves his reputation, his oath, his banquet, and his sinful relationship more than righteousness.

So John is executed.

This connects with Luke Ch3, where John rebukes Herod’s sin. Mark 6 shows the cost of that faithfulness.

From a Christian Reformed lens, this reminds us that truth does not always bring immediate earthly reward. John is faithful, but he suffers. Herod is powerful, but morally weak.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

The apostles return and tell Jesus what they had done and taught.

Jesus tells them to come away and rest. But the crowds follow.

When Jesus sees the crowd, He has compassion on them because they are like sheep without a shepherd.

That phrase matters.

Jesus does not see the crowd as an interruption. He sees their need.

He teaches them.

Then He feeds them.

The disciples see only the lack. They have five loaves and two fish. But Jesus takes the bread, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it to the disciples to set before the people.

Everyone eats and is satisfied.

This connects with John Ch6, where Jesus uses the feeding miracle to teach that He Himself is the bread of life.

Mark emphasizes Jesus’ compassion and provision.

The people are sheep without a shepherd.

Jesus feeds them like the true Shepherd-King.

Jesus Walks on the Water

After the feeding, Jesus sends the disciples across the sea while He goes up on the mountain to pray.

During the night, He sees them struggling against the wind.

Then He comes to them, walking on the sea.

This is more than a miracle of movement. In the Old Testament, the sea often represents danger, chaos, and forces beyond human control. Jesus walks over what terrifies them.

This connects with Mark Ch4, where Jesus calms the storm and the disciples ask who He is, that even the wind and sea obey Him.

Mark says the disciples were astounded because they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.

That is important.

They saw the miracle of the bread, but they had not fully understood what it revealed about Jesus. The One who feeds the multitude also rules over the sea.

He is not merely a prophet.

He is Lord.

Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret

When they arrive at Gennesaret, people recognize Jesus and bring the sick to Him.

Wherever He goes, people lay the sick in the marketplaces and beg that they might touch even the fringe of His garment.

As many as touch Him are made well.

This reminds us of the woman in Mark Ch5, who touched Jesus’ garment in faith and was healed.

The power is not magic in the cloth.

The power is in Christ.

Faith receives Him.

The Tradition of the Elders

Mark 7 begins with a controversy about handwashing.

The Pharisees and scribes notice that some of Jesus’ disciples eat with hands that are ceremonially unwashed.

This is not mainly about hygiene. It is about religious tradition.

Jesus responds by quoting Isaiah. He says the people honor God with their lips, but their hearts are far from Him. They worship in vain, teaching human precepts as doctrines.

“Human precepts” means human rules, human commands, or man-made religious teachings.

The problem is not that every tradition is bad. Some traditions can be helpful. The problem is when human rules are treated as if they have the same authority as God’s Word.

They were taking man-made traditions and acting like those traditions were God’s commands.

That is dangerous.

Then Jesus gives a plain example: Corban.

God commanded people to honor their father and mother. That included caring for parents, not just speaking respectfully to them.

But some people had a tradition where they could say their money or possessions were “Corban.”

Corban means something like “given to God” or “dedicated to God.”

In plain English, imagine a man has money that could help his aging parents. His parents are in need. But instead of helping them, he says, “I cannot use this money for you. I have dedicated it to God.”

That sounds religious.

But Jesus says it is wrong if the man is using religious language to avoid obeying God’s command to honor his parents.

The problem is not giving to God.

The problem is using a religious excuse to avoid love, duty, and obedience.

It would be like someone today saying, “I am very devoted to God,” while refusing to care for the real people God has placed in front of him.

Jesus says this kind of tradition makes void the Word of God.

That means the human tradition is being used to cancel or avoid God’s actual command.

So the issue is simple:

God said, “Honor your father and mother.”

Their tradition created a loophole.

Jesus rejects the loophole.

This connects with Matthew Ch5, where Jesus teaches that true righteousness goes deeper than outward appearance.

Religious words do not impress God when the heart is far from Him.

What Defiles a Person

Jesus then teaches that defilement does not come from food entering the body.

The deeper problem is what comes out of the heart.

Evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness come from within.

That is humbling.

The human problem is not merely external.

It is internal.

From a Christian Reformed lens, this fits with the doctrine of sin. We do not merely need cleaner hands, better manners, or improved habits. We need new hearts.

This connects with Luke Ch6, where Jesus says that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

The heart eventually comes out.

The Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith

Jesus then goes to the region of Tyre and Sidon.

A Gentile woman comes to Him because her daughter has an unclean spirit.

Jesus says that the children should be fed first, and that it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.

That sounds hard.

Jesus is speaking about the order of His mission. The “children” refer to Israel, the covenant people. The “dogs” refer to Gentiles.

But the woman does not walk away offended.

She answers that even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.

Her answer is remarkable.

She does not deny that Israel has priority in God’s redemptive plan. She does not demand that Jesus owes her anything. She humbly accepts that she has no claim by birthright.

But she also sees the abundance of Christ’s mercy.

Even crumbs from His table are enough.

That is faith.

She believes that Jesus has mercy sufficient even for her and her daughter.

Jesus grants her request, and her daughter is delivered.

This connects with John Ch4, where Jesus brings living water to a Samaritan woman. Christ’s mercy is not finally limited to one ethnic group. Salvation comes through Israel, but it goes out to the nations.

Jesus Heals a Deaf Man

At the end of Mark 7, people bring Jesus a man who is deaf and has a speech impediment.

Jesus takes him aside privately, touches his ears and tongue, looks up to heaven, sighs, and says, “Ephphatha,” which means, “Be opened.”

The man’s ears are opened, and his tongue is released.

The people are astonished and say that Jesus has done all things well.

That phrase is beautiful.

Jesus opens ears.

Jesus loosens tongues.

Jesus restores what is broken.

The healing is physical, but it also points to something deeper. We need Christ to open our ears to hear and loosen our tongues to praise.

The Message of Mark Chapters 6–7

Mark Chapters 6 and 7 show both the mercy of Christ and the resistance of the human heart.

Nazareth rejects Jesus because they think they already know Him.

Herod hears truth but chooses sin and reputation.

The disciples see miracles but still struggle to understand.

The Pharisees honor God with lips while elevating human tradition over God’s Word.

The heart is exposed as the source of defilement.

But Christ continues to show mercy.

He sends His apostles.

He feeds the hungry.

He walks on the sea.

He heals the sick.

He delivers a Gentile woman’s daughter.

He opens the ears of the deaf.

From a Christian Reformed lens, these chapters remind us that our deepest need is not merely external help.

We need grace.

We need opened ears.

We need cleansed hearts.

We need the Shepherd who has compassion on sheep without a shepherd.

Jesus is that Shepherd.

He feeds.

He rules.

He cleanses.

He opens.

And even the crumbs of His mercy are enough.