Mark 6:31-56
Pray
Read
Ask for God‘s help to hear him speak as you read the passage.
Read through the passage a couple of times slowly.
Quotation /
Allusion Tool
Translations
Tool
When Mark quotes or alludes to another part
of the Bible, we should look up the original
context of his quotation. What connection is
Mark making?
Check passages across different translations.
If there are important differences, try to find
out more!
If someone said to you that yesterday all their troubles seemed so far away, you
would immediately recognise an allusion to a famous song by the Beatles. Similarly in
6:31-52, Mark wants us to recognise an allusion to some very significant events that
happened in the Old Testament. The trouble is that often we don‘t know the Old
Testament well enough to spot an allusion (sadly we can be more familiar with Beatles
songs than we are with the Bible).
But Mark is trying his best here to help us – he makes at least six separate allusions to
the book of Exodus! Use the Quotation/Allusion Tool:
- Time for some Exodus revision. Read the following highlights from one of the most
dramatic episodes in Israel‘s history.
o Exodus 3:1; 19:2, 24:13 (What high up place is mentioned?)
o Exodus 3:13-14 (What is God‘s name?)
o Exodus 14:22 (What do they cross that is ordinarily impossible on foot?)
o Exodus 13:20, 15:22 (What‘s the terrain like?)
o Exodus 16:13-15 (What do they eat?)
o Exodus 33:22 (What verb is used to describe what God‘s glory does?)
o Numbers 27:17 – ok we know this isn‘t in Exodus, but it‘s about Moses, the hero of
Exodus (what would God‘s people be like without a leader?)
- What allusions to Exodus can you find in Mark 6:31-52? To spot one of them you‘ll
need the Translations Tool – ―It is I‖ in 6:50 could also be translated ―I AM‖ (e.g.
in the Amplified Bible, or Young‘s Literal Translation – both on www.biblegateway.com)
- What is the big story of Exodus? What is Mark saying about Jesus by alluding to the
Exodus so many times?