Mark 6
BSASBJesus is rejected in His own hometown, then sends out the Twelve with His authority. Herod’s killing of John the Baptist is told as a dark contrast. The apostles return, Jesus feeds five thousand, walks on the sea, and heals many at Gennesaret. Throughout, the question is who Jesus really is and whether people will trust Him.
Mark 6:1
Jesus returns to Nazareth, where He grew up, and His disciples come with Him. This is no private visit. He comes as a teacher with followers, so the town must now decide what to make of the boy they knew.
BSA: hometown (“fatherland, Nazareth”): The word means His native place, and Nazareth is meant; this is where He was best known and least expected to be great.
Mark 6:2
On the Sabbath Jesus teaches in the synagogue, and the hearers are amazed. They ask where His wisdom and miracles come from. They sense real power but will not draw the obvious conclusion that God is at work.
BSA: astonished (“struck with wonder”): Their wonder was real and strong, yet it did not become faith.
Mark 6:3
They name His trade, His mother and His brothers, as if ordinary origins rule out greatness. Christians understand the exact family relationships a little differently. The point is that they knew Him too well to believe, and so they stumbled over Him.
BSA: carpenter (“a skilled craftsman”): Jesus worked with His hands at a respected trade, which shows how fully He shared ordinary human life.
Greek: ἐσκανδαλίζοντο (eskandalizonto, G4624) — “they were tripped up, caught in a snare.” The word comes from a trap-stick or stumbling block. Jesus Himself became the obstacle they fell over, because He did not fit what they expected.
See also: John 6:42.
Mark 6:4
Jesus answers with a well-known saying: a prophet is honored everywhere except among those who watched him grow up. Familiarity can harden into contempt. Even family did not yet believe in Him.
BSA: honor (“dishonored, lacking respect”): The prophet is not merely overlooked but actively disrespected by the people closest to him.
See also: John 7:5.
Mark 6:5-6
Their unbelief closed the door to blessing. Jesus still healed a few, but few came expecting anything. Mark says plainly that Jesus marveled at their unbelief, and then He moved on to teach in other villages.
BSA: could not (“be unable to”): Mark does not mean His power ran out; where there was no trust, little was received. unbelief (“lack of faith”): Faith is the open hand that receives what Jesus gives.
Mark 6:7
Jesus sends out the Twelve in pairs, giving them His own authority over unclean spirits. Going two by two gave them company, support, and a second witness. They do not go in their own strength but with His.
BSA: two by two (“in pairs, as companions”): No one went alone; mission is a shared work. authority (“the right to act”): They acted on Jesus’ delegated right, not on their own power.
See also: Luke 10:1.
Mark 6:8-9
They are to travel light: a staff, sandals, one tunic, no food bag and no extra money. This taught them to depend on God and on the hospitality of those who welcomed them. The message mattered more than their equipment.
BSA: staff (“walking stick”): Only the simplest traveler’s tool was allowed.
See also: Matthew 10:9-10.
Mark 6:10-11
They should stay in the first house that welcomes them and not keep shopping for better lodging. Where a town refuses them, they shake off its dust as a solemn sign. It leaves the refusers with the responsibility for what they heard.
BSA: dust (“loose dirt, or worthless material”): Shaking it off showed they would carry nothing of that place away, and it served as a warning. testimony (“evidence or proof”): The gesture stood as evidence that the message had been offered and refused.
See also: Acts 13:51.
Mark 6:12-13
The Twelve preach repentance, cast out demons, and heal many, anointing them with oil. Their work matches Jesus’ own: a call to turn back to God, backed by deeds of mercy and power.
BSA: repent (“change their mind”): Repentance begins with a changed mind that then turns a whole life around. anointing (“applying oil to”): Oil was a common sign of healing and care, pointing to God as the true healer.
See also: James 5:14.
Mark 6:14-16
News of Jesus reaches Herod Antipas. Some say He is John risen, others Elijah or another prophet. Herod, troubled by conscience, is certain it is John, the man he beheaded. Guilt makes him afraid, yet he does not ask what Jesus truly means.
BSA: powers (“abilities, strengths”): The crowd sensed that real power was active, but they misread its source.
See also: Malachi 4:5.
Mark 6:17-18
Mark now explains how John died. Herod had taken Herodias, his brother’s wife, and John boldly told him this was against God’s law. For that truthful word, John was arrested and bound in prison.
BSA: lawful (“permitted, allowed”): John appealed to God’s law, not his own opinion, and no throne was above it.
See also: Leviticus 18:16.
Mark 6:19-20
Herodias wanted John dead, but Herod kept him safe. He feared John, knew he was righteous, and liked listening to him even while troubled by what he said. Herod shows how a person can be drawn to the truth yet refuse to obey it.
BSA: feared (“feared with reverence”): Herod felt a respectful awe for John’s holiness, though it never led to repentance. perplexed (“perplexed and troubled”): John’s words unsettled him but did not change him.
Greek: ἠπόρει (ēporei, G639) — “he was at a loss, uncertain.” It pictures a man who cannot find the way out. Herod heard the truth, and it left him stuck rather than set free.
Mark 6:21-23
At Herod’s birthday banquet, with the great men of Galilee present, Herodias’s daughter dances and pleases him. Showing off before his guests, he makes a rash oath to give her anything she asks, even up to half his kingdom.
BSA: opportunity (“a convenient and well-timed moment”): Herodias had waited for just such a moment to carry out her plan. swore (“took an oath”): His solemn oath trapped him before witnesses.
See also: Esther 5:3.
Mark 6:24-25
The girl asks her mother what to request, and Herodias names John’s head. The girl then adds her own urgency: now, on a platter. Hatred has found its moment, and a young girl is used as its tool.
BSA: immediately (“at once, without hesitation”): She wants it before Herod has time to reconsider.
Mark 6:26-28
Herod is sorry, yet he does not want to lose face before his guests, so he orders John killed. An executioner beheads him in the prison and brings his head to the girl, who gives it to her mother. Fear of men won over a quiet conscience.
BSA: sorrow (“intensely sad, feeling profound grief”): His grief was real, but it was not strong enough to do right.
Greek: σπεκουλάτορα (spekoulatora, G4688) — “a soldier of the guard, an executioner.” This is a Latin loanword for a member of the royal guard. It shows how quickly the king’s word was turned into a death sentence.
Mark 6:29
John’s disciples hear the news, collect his body and lay it in a tomb. It is a faithful act of love, and it closes the story of the forerunner who was killed before the One he announced.
See also: Matthew 14:12.
Mark 6:30-32
The apostles return and tell Jesus everything they had done and taught. He knows they need rest and invites them to a quiet place, for the crowds left no time even to eat. Even in busy ministry, Jesus cares for tired servants.
BSA: rest (“refresh, rejuvenate”): Jesus offers real renewal, not mere idleness.
Greek: ἀναπαύσασθε (anapausasthe, G373) — “rest up, be refreshed.” The word means to cease from labor and be restored. Jesus treats rest as part of serving well.
Mark 6:33-34
The crowds run ahead on foot and meet the boat. Jesus is not irritated but moved with compassion, seeing them as sheep with no shepherd. He first feeds them with teaching, because their deepest need is direction and care.
BSA: compassion (“pity, sympathy”): He felt their need deeply and was moved to act. shepherd (“leader, caretaker”): Without a caring leader the people were lost and exposed.
Greek: ἐσπλαγχνίσθη (esplanchnisthē, G4697) — “he was moved in his gut.” The Greek speaks of the inward organs, the seat of deep feeling. Jesus’ mercy was not distant sympathy but a gut-level ache for them.
See also: Numbers 27:17; Psalm 23:1.
Mark 6:35-37
The disciples see a late hour and a remote place and suggest sending the crowd away. Jesus tells them to feed the people themselves. They can only count the cost, two hundred denarii, which is about two-thirds of a year’s wages for a laborer, so the need is clearly beyond them.
BSA: denarii (“equivalent to a laborer’s wages for 200 days”): The sum was huge for the disciples, which shows how far beyond them the need was.
Mark 6:38
Jesus asks them to count what they have: five loaves and two fish. It is small and plainly not enough. Yet He asks them to bring it, because He loves to work through what is offered, however little.
BSA: checking (“examining, investigating”): They had to look honestly at how little they had before Jesus acted.
Mark 6:39-40
Jesus has the crowd sit in orderly groups of hundreds and fifties on the green grass. The scene is calm and organized, almost like a great banquet in the open air. The shepherd is making His flock lie down in green pastures.
BSA: groups (“by companies, in social gatherings”): People were arranged as companies sharing a meal together.
Greek: πρασιαὶ (prasiai, G4237) — “garden plots, neat beds.” Mark says they sat down like garden beds. From the hillside, the crowd in bright clothes would have looked like rows of flowers.
See also: Psalm 23:2.
Mark 6:41-44
Jesus gives thanks, breaks the bread, and gives it to the disciples to hand out. All eat until satisfied, and twelve baskets of leftovers remain. About five thousand men were fed. God’s provision is not just enough but abundant.
BSA: blessing (“prayer of thanksgiving”): Jesus received the food as a gift from the Father before it was shared. basketfuls (“full, complete containers”): The leftover baskets were full, a sign of abundance.
See also: 2 Kings 4:42-44.
Mark 6:45-46
Jesus sends the disciples ahead by boat while He dismisses the crowd. Then He goes up the mountain alone to pray. After the busyness and the miracle, He returns to quiet time with the Father.
BSA: Bethsaida (“the house of fishing”): The name means a fishing town, fitting for a lakeside destination.
See also: Luke 5:16.
Mark 6:47-48
Night falls. The boat is in the middle of the lake, struggling against the wind, while Jesus is alone on land. Yet He sees them. Around the fourth watch, in the early morning hours, He comes to them, walking on the sea.
BSA: straining (“toiling, laboring”): The disciples were exhausted and making little headway. pass by (“go beyond, bypass”): He seemed about to go past them, drawing out their cry for help.
Greek: βασανιζομένους (basanizomenous, G928) — “tormented, painfully harassed.” The word for their rowing is the same word used for torment. The long night’s labor was real suffering, and Jesus saw it from the shore.
See also: Job 9:8.
Mark 6:49-50
The disciples think they see a ghost and cry out in terror. Jesus immediately calms them: take courage, it is I, do not be afraid. His presence is the answer to their fear.
BSA: Take courage (“be of good cheer”): He gives them comfort and not merely an order. It is I (“I am”): The phrase echoes God’s own name, hinting at who is really speaking.
Greek: ἐγώ εἰμι (egō eimi, G1473) — “I am.” In everyday speech it simply means ‘It is I.’ It is also the phrase God uses of Himself in the Old Testament, which gives the words deeper weight here.
See also: Exodus 3:14.
Mark 6:51-52
Jesus enters the boat and the wind ceases. The disciples are astounded because they had not grasped the meaning of the loaves. Their hearts were hardened, meaning they were slow to take in who He is. The miracle of the bread was meant to prepare them for this.
BSA: hardened (“made stubborn, unfeeling, calloused”): Their hearts had become dull to what they had just seen.
Greek: πεπωρωμένη (pepōrōmenē, G4456) — “hardened, made dull or callous.” The word was used of a hardened, thickened skin. They had seen so much, yet their understanding had not softened enough to take it in.
See also: Mark 8:17-18.
Mark 6:53-56
At Gennesaret the people recognize Jesus at once and carry the sick to Him wherever He goes. They beg only to touch the fringe of His cloak, and all who touch Him are healed. Simple, hopeful trust in Him is met with mercy.
BSA: fringe (“edge, border”): They reached for the very edge of His garment, asking for the least contact with Him. touched (“attached themselves to”): Their touch was an act of clinging to Him in hope.
Greek: κράσπεδον (kraspedon, G2899) — “fringe, tassel, edge of a garment.” This is the tassel Jewish men wore on their cloaks as a reminder of God’s commands. It was Jesus’ own fringe they sought.
See also: Mark 5:27-28; Numbers 15:38-39.