Mark 8

Christ in the Bible: Mark’s Gospel

Keith Simons

This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

Chapter 8

Food for 4000 people

Verses 1-10

Jesus gave food to a large crowd that did not have any food. And there was enough food for everyone.

Jesus had done this before (Mark 5:35-44). This time, the crowd was smaller. They had food when they left their homes. But Jesus continued to teach them for three days. In the end, they had eaten almost all the food. They only had 7 small loaves and a few fishes. But God used that small quantity. Everyone ate. Nobody was still hungry.

Jesus told the *disciples that they must not waste any food. God had given this food, so they must be careful with it. They put all the food that people did not eat into baskets. It filled 7 baskets. So they then had even more food than they had before the meal.

Powerful things

Verses 11-13

These *Pharisees wanted Jesus to show that he had power from God. So they asked Jesus to do something that people cannot do. They said that they wanted to believe Jesus. But he must do something powerful before they would believe.

It is clear that Jesus was doing powerful things often. He made ill people well. He caused bad *spirits to leave people. He gave food to crowds. These were all powerful things. A person cannot usually do these things. So these things show that Jesus had power from God.

These *Pharisees knew about these events. That is why they came to Jesus. But still they did not believe. That is why they argued with Jesus. They did not want to believe him.

People often ask God to do something powerful. Then they say that they will believe. But they should not do this. People should believe God because he is God. They should always love him and they should always obey him.

God will help a person who really wants to believe. But he will not cause anyone to believe if that person does not want this. And there are many people who do not want to believe.

Ideas that are like *yeast

Verses 14-21

The *Jews have a holiday called Passover. During that holiday, they eat flat bread. The bread is flat because it has no *yeast in it. They are very careful that no *yeast gets into their flour.

Jesus told the *disciples that the *Pharisees’ ideas were like *yeast. The *Pharisees’ rules seemed good. But they did not help people to believe God.

Also, Jesus spoke about the ideas of Herod’s friends. Their ideas came from the foreign countries called Greece and Rome. There, people had many false gods. But there is only one God. And these ideas did not help people to know him.

So all these ideas were like *yeast. They confused people. And then people did not believe God.

The *disciples did not understand, so Jesus spoke about the bread. God had given this bread to the people. He gave them everything that they needed. There was even more food than they needed.

So, the *disciples did not need the *Pharisees’ ideas. And they did not need Herod’s ideas. God would teach them everything that they needed to know.

A man born *blind

Verses 22-26

We think that this man was born *blind. In other words, he could never see.

Jesus took the man away from the village. He did not do these things so that other people would know. He did these things because he wanted to help ill people.

When Jesus put his hands on the man, God made the man able to see. But the man could not understand the things that he saw. So he thought that people seemed like trees. His eyes were well. But he had not yet learned how to recognise things.

So Jesus put his hands on the man again. And God helped the man again. Then everything was clear. The man was able to recognise everything. His mind understood whatever things his eyes saw.

Jesus still did not want the people to know what he had done. So he told the man that he must go to his home. Jesus did not want the man to return to Bethsaida.

Jesus is the Christ

Verses 27-30

The people had many ideas about Jesus. Mark has already told us about these ideas (Mark 6:14-15). People were talking about these things because of something that God had promised.

God’s promise was that he would soon begin to rule his people (Mark 1:15). He would do this by a king. That king would be like King David (Mark 10:47; Mark 11:10). But he would be more important than David was (Mark 12:35-37). People called that king: ‘the Christ’ or ‘the Messiah’. The word Messiah means the same as Christ.

So when Jesus did all these powerful things, people talked about God’s promise. And they wanted to know whether Jesus was the Christ.

The *disciples had seen the things that Jesus did. They had heard the things that he taught. They had done this for almost three years. They knew the things that the Bible said about the Christ.

Jesus asked them: ‘Who do you say that I am?’ It was Peter who answered. He believed that Jesus was the Christ.

Jesus did not want his *disciples to tell anyone about this. People had many wrong ideas about the things that the Christ would do. Many people thought that the Christ would be the leader of a powerful army. Those people wanted to fight against the government.

Even Jesus’ *disciples did not know about the things that the Christ would do. Jesus had to teach them about these things.

Troubles for the Christ

Verses 31-33

Isaiah chapter 53 explains the things that the Christ would do. There would be many troubles for him. The leaders would be against him. They would cause his death.

These things would happen because the Christ was God’s servant. He did nothing that was wrong. But everybody else has done wrong things against God. God sent the Christ so that he could *forgive people.

Peter was angry when Jesus told him about these things. Peter wanted Jesus to be a great king. Peter certainly did not want Jesus to have all those troubles. Jesus’ troubles would be Peter’s troubles too; and Peter knew it.

So Peter tried to stop Jesus. But it was *Satan who did not want Jesus to do these things. It was *Satan who wanted Jesus not to obey God.

The idea that the Christ would do these things was a problem for many people (1 Corinthians 1:18-25). Some people said that it was a fool’s idea. Instead, they wanted God to do powerful things. Or they wanted God to show how clever he is. But this was not a fool’s idea; it was God’s idea. God himself had decided how the Christ would die. It was the only way that God could save his people.

Jesus also said that the Christ would become alive again. In the end, the Christ would rule as God’s king. The *disciples did not understand this yet (Mark 9:9-10).

Troubles for God’s people

Verses 34-38

The *disciples were thinking too much about their own lives. Instead, they should think about God. And they should try to obey him.

There will be many troubles for people who obey God. Many people will be against them. Sometimes people die because they believe God. But they are not wasting their lives. Nobody who gives something to God is wasting that gift. But a person who loves money is wasting his life. A person who loves the things in this world is wasting his life. Even a person who rules the world gets nothing. That is clear because that person must die. And when that person dies, he loses everything.

So people must not be ashamed that they believe God. They must not be ashamed when people are against them. They should remember that Jesus will return. On that day, he will be beautiful and powerful, like God the Father. And the *angels will be with him.

But even before that will happen, God has begun to rule his people. He rules the lives of the people who believe him. He has saved them, and he has made them his people.

This book is in EasyEnglish Level A (1200 words).

Gospel ~ a book that tells about the things that Jesus did. And it includes some things that he taught. There are 4 Gospels in the Bible. They are the books by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
disciple ~ a student of a great teacher. Usually, the disciple travelled with his teacher and he worked for his teacher.
Pharisees ~ a group of Jews. Pharisees went to a special school to learn God’s laws. They tried to obey all God’s laws. But many Pharisees did not like the things that Jesus taught.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
law ~ a country’s rules; the rules that God gave to Moses; one of these rules. The Jews had to obey the laws that God gave to Moses.
spirit ~ the part of a person that is alive, but which we cannot see. There are also bad spirits and good spirits. The Holy Spirit is God’s Spirit.
holy ~ special for God.
yeast ~ people put yeast into flour and water to make bread. It grows in the bread. It makes the bread rise.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
blind ~ a blind person cannot see.'forgive, forgave ~ not to remember wrong things that a person has done. God forgives us for the wrong things that we have done. He chooses to do this, but we must change our minds. We must ask him to come into our lives.
Satan ~ the bad angel whom God sent away from heaven a long time ago.
angel ~ one of God’s special servants in heaven. Angels bring messages from God.
heaven ~ God’s home.
angel ~ one of God’s special servants in heaven. Angels bring messages from God.
heaven ~ God’s home.

Mark’s Good News

Mark’s Gospel

Hilda Bright

Chapter 8

Jesus feeds four thousand people 8:1-10

v1 During that time, another large crowd had gathered. They did not have anything to eat. So Jesus called his *disciples to come to him. He said to them, v2 ‘I feel sorry for the people. They have been with me for three days. And now they do not have anything that they can eat. v3 If I send them away to their homes hungry, they will grow weak. Some of them have come a long way.’ v4 The *disciples asked Jesus, ‘Where can anyone find enough food to feed them in a desert place like this?’ v5 Jesus asked them, ‘How much food have you got?’ They answered, ‘Seven loaves’. v6 Jesus ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and he gave thanks to God. He broke them. Then he gave them to the *disciples to distribute among the people. v7 They also had a few small fish. Jesus gave thanks for these, too. He told the *disciples to share these among the people, too. v8 They all ate and they all had plenty. The *disciples picked up seven baskets full of the pieces that were left over. v9 There were about four thousand people there. Jesus sent them away. v10 Immediately, Jesus got into a boat with his *disciples. And he went to the district of Dalmanutha.

Verse 1 Jesus was in the region of the Ten Towns. He had told the man from Gerasa to go back. He told him to tell his own people how God had cured him (5:18-20). A crowd had gathered. Some people in that crowd may have been there because of what the man had told them. Other people may have been there because they had heard about the healing of the deaf man.

Verses 2-3 Jesus looked after the body as well as the *soul. He thought about the difficulty for hungry people if they had to go a long way.

Verse 4 The *disciples thought about the practical difficulty. They did not know how they could provide food in such a place. There was no food there. They had forgotten about the five thousand people whom Jesus fed. They still did not trust Jesus.

Although this is a similar story to the one in Mark 6, there are several differences. The crowd had been with Jesus for ‘three’ days. There were ‘seven’ loaves and ‘seven’ baskets. The word for basket (verse 8) is different. In Mark 6:43, ‘kophinos’ described a basket in which a *Jew carried his food. In this account, the word ‘sphuris’ means a much larger basket, which *Gentiles used. In Mark 6, Jesus was in Galilee, among *Jews. Here, Jesus was in the *Gentile territory of the Ten Towns.

Mark’s *Gentile readers in Rome would have liked this story. Jesus looked after the *physical health of *Gentiles as well. He did not only look after the health of the *Jews.

The *Pharisees demand a sign 8:11-13

v11 The *Pharisees came and they began to ask Jesus questions. They wanted to test him. So they asked him for a sign from heaven. v12 Jesus gave a deep sigh and he said, ‘You people should not keep demanding a sign. I tell you the truth. I will not give the people of this time any sign.’ v13 He left them. He got back into the boat and he crossed to the other side of the lake.

Verse 11 Jesus had already given signs that his authority came from God. The *Pharisees refused to believe who Jesus was. They said that his power came from *Beelzebub (Mark 3:22). They wanted him to perform something astonishing.

Verse 12 Whatever Jesus did would not convince them. He knew that. They could not see the truth, because they had decided not to believe him. They were the same as the *Jewish people who left Egypt. They tested God and they refused to obey him. They, too, had seen many *miracles before they escaped (Psalms 95:9-10).

Jesus gave a ‘deep sigh’. It shows how sad he was. He wanted people to have *faith in him.

*Spiritually and *physically blind people 8:14-26

Mark has recorded two incidents about blind people:

1 The *disciples are blind *spiritually, verses 14-21.

2 Jesus cures a man who is *physically blind, verses 22-26.

The *disciples 8:14-21

v14 The *disciples had forgotten to bring any bread. They had only one loaf with them in the boat. v15 Jesus warned them, ‘Be careful. Watch out for the *yeast of the *Pharisees and the *yeast of Herod.’ v16 The *disciples talked about this with each other. They said, ‘He is probably saying this because we do not have any bread.’ v17 Jesus knew what they were saying. So he said to them, ‘You should not still be talking about not having any bread. You still do not seem to see or understand. Your minds seem to be so unwilling to change. v18 You have eyes but you seem not to see. You have ears but you seem not to hear. Perhaps you have forgotten. v19 When I broke the five loaves for five thousand people, how many baskets full of pieces did you pick up?’ They said, ‘12’. v20 ‘And when I broke the seven loaves for four thousand people, how many baskets of pieces did you pick up?’ They said, ‘Seven’. v21 Jesus said to them, ‘Then you should understand now.’

Verse 15 ‘*Yeast’ is a substance that people use to make bread rise. The *Jews used ‘*yeast’ as a sign of something evil. A small amount of *yeast makes bread rise. It spreads through all the bread. And the bad things that the *Pharisees taught could affect the whole of society. The reference to Herod probably means Herod’s friends, the *Herodians. They would do anything to keep Herod Antipas as king. They did not care whether it was right or wrong.

Verse 16 The *disciples were like blind people who cannot see something dangerous. The *disciples might imitate the bad behaviour of the *Pharisees and the *Herodians. That was the danger that the *disciples were in.

They were also worried because they had no bread. They could not see that Jesus had the power to help them.

Verses 17-21 Jesus reminded them about the *miracles when he fed two great crowds of people. They were still ‘blind’ to the power and love of Jesus, even when they had seen these *miracles.

The blind man 8:22-26

v22 Jesus and his *disciples came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to Jesus. They asked Jesus to touch him. v23 Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. He used liquid from his mouth on the man’s eyes and he laid his hands on him. Jesus asked him, ‘Do you see anything?’ v24 The man looked up and he said, ‘I see men. They look like trees that are walking about.’ v25 Then Jesus laid his hands on the man’s eyes again. The man looked as hard as he could. His sight returned and he saw everything clearly. v26 Jesus sent him home. He told him, ‘Do not even go into the village.’

Verse 22 Bethsaida was on the east side of the River Jordan. It was outside Herod’s territory.

Verse 23 Jesus showed the blind man that he would cure him. He took him away from the village so that crowds would not confuse the man. He used liquid from his mouth, as *Jewish doctors did. He laid hands on him. That was to show that God’s power was going to cure him.

Verses 24-25 This *miracle, which only Mark records, happened in two parts. Usually Jesus cured people immediately. Perhaps this incident was a sign that the *spiritual eyes of the *disciples only opened slowly. Perhaps that is why Mark recorded it. Christians do not understand Christ’s love completely at first. They learn his love and power slowly. Christians should not give up easily when they have difficulties. Perhaps that is what Mark wanted to show us.

The question at Caesarea Philippi 8:27-30

v27 Jesus and his *disciples left and they went to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. On the way, he asked his *disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’ v28 They answered him, ‘John the *Baptist. And other people say that you are Elijah. Other people say that you are one of the *prophets.’ v29 And Jesus asked them, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ.’ v30 Jesus gave them strict instructions not to say anything about him to other people.

Verse 27 Caesarea Philippi was in the north, near the source of the River Jordan. Philip, who was the ruler of that area, had built the city. It had the name Caesarea ‘Philippi’. That showed that it was not the same place as Caesarea on the coast. That was in the area that his brother, Herod Antipas, ruled. Caesarea Philippi was a city that was full of *temples to the *Greek gods, and to the nature god, Pan. The *disciples were ‘on the way’ to Jerusalem with Jesus. Jesus described himself as the Way to God (John 14:6). People described early Christians as those who belonged to the Way (Acts 9:2; Acts 19:23).

Verse 28 The opinions that Jesus was John the *Baptist or Elijah are the same as those in 6:14. The opinion that he was ‘one of the *prophets’ rather than ‘like’ one of the *prophets (6:14) is different. It referred to a *prophet who had come back to life.

Verse 29 Jesus emphasised the word ‘you’. It was not enough for the *disciples to know what other people thought. They must decide for themselves. The *disciples had asked, ‘Who is this?’ (4:41). Jesus had spoken about the fact that they did not understand (8:17-21). But now Peter spoke for all the *disciples. He made the bold statement, ‘You are the Christ.’

This incident comes in the middle of Mark’s *Gospel. The first Chapter s record the works and words of Jesus as he invited people into God’s *kingdom. From the time at Caesarea Philippi, Jesus taught that he must suffer. He explained what it means to be a *disciple. And he began his journey to Jerusalem.

Verse 30 ‘Christ’ is the *Greek word for the *Hebrew word ‘*Messiah’. (See the note on 1:1.) The *Jews were expecting a *Messiah who would defeat their enemies. This person would lead an army against the *Romans and he would gain political freedom for them. Jesus did not want the *disciples to encourage that belief. So he did not want them to say that he was the *Messiah. The crowds might then stop Jesus from training his *disciples. The *disciples had to learn the true nature of the *Messiah’s work.

Jesus speaks about his death 8:31-33

Jesus told his *disciples on three different occasions that he would suffer and die (8:31-33; 9:31-32; 10:32-34). This was the first occasion, immediately after Peter’s declaration that Jesus was the *Messiah.

v31 Then Jesus began to teach the *disciples that the Son of Man must suffer greatly. The chief priests and the *scribes and the other leaders would refuse to accept him. They would kill him. He would rise up three days later. v32 He said the word clearly. Peter took him aside and began to protest against such an idea. v33 But Jesus turned round. He saw his *disciples, and he spoke very firmly to Peter. He said, ‘Get behind me, *Satan. You are thinking in men’s ways, not God’s ways.’

Verse 31 Jesus would suffer on behalf of other people. He would be like the servant of God whom Isaiah described (Isaiah chapter 53). ‘Son of man’ can refer to a picture that Daniel saw in his mind. (See Daniel 7:13-14.) There, someone called a ‘son of man’ would receive authority and power from God. He would receive an *eternal *kingdom. The name that Jesus used for himself may therefore mean the same as ‘*Messiah’.

Jesus said that he ‘must’ suffer. He knew that his pain and death were part of God’s plan. God’s plan was to rescue man from *sin.

The chief priests, the *scribes and the other leaders were members of the chief *Jewish ruling authority. They called it the *Sanhedrin.

Matthew (16:21) and Luke (9:22) say ‘on the third day’. Mark says ‘three days later’ because he included the first and the last day in the count.

Verse 32 Mark calls what Jesus said ‘the word’ (*Greek ‘logos’). It was a clear message that was part of the *gospel. And the *gospel was ‘good’ news.

Peter and the other *disciples understood what Jesus said. But they did not want to believe that these things would happen to him. For them, talk about suffering was difficult to accept. It was only after Jesus’ death and *resurrection that they were able to ‘see’ clearly. Then they understood why Jesus had to suffer.

Verse 33 *Satan was *tempting Jesus by means of Peter. It was the same *temptation to avoid pain and trouble as in Luke 4:5-7. Then *Satan was *tempting Jesus. ‘Get behind me’ was a command to *Satan. He must stop *tempting Jesus. It was also a command to Peter and the other *disciples. Jesus meant, ‘I do not follow you. You should follow me and my ideas.’ Peter may have spoken because of love for Jesus. But it was not his job to teach Jesus. He must allow Jesus to teach him.

The *disciples of Jesus must suffer 8:34-38

v34 Then Jesus called the crowd and the *disciples to him. He said to them, ‘If anyone wants to come with me, let him say no to his own wishes and comfort. Let him carry his *cross and follow me. v35 Because anyone who wants to save his life will lose it. And anyone who loses his life for me and for the *gospel will save it. v36 A person might gain the whole world but lose his *soul. Even then he would really have gained nothing. v37 There is nothing that he can exchange for his own *soul. v38 You might be ashamed of me and my words among these wicked people who have no *faith. Then the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes. He will come then in the very bright light from his Father with his holy *angels.’

Verse 34 Jesus spoke not only to the 12 *disciples, but also to anyone in the crowd who might follow him. Jesus was honest. Jesus did not offer people an easy life. He did not try to persuade people to follow him like that. A *disciple must forget his own wishes if he wants to follow Jesus. The *Romans fixed criminals to a *cross. That is how they punished them. The criminal had to carry part of his own *cross to the place where the soldiers would kill him. Jesus said that those who followed him must be willing for the same shame and suffering as himself.

Verse 35 ‘anyone who wants to save his life will lose it’ has two possible meanings:

1 A selfish way to live will not give anyone a life on earth of true worth.

2 Life on earth is of no value if a person loses the life with God after death. Some Christians suffer and die for their *faith. Those Christians know that they will gain life with God for all time.

Verses 36-37 ‘The whole world’ may refer to possessions, power, pleasures and popularity. But all these are only temporary. What the world offers is nothing compared with the value of the *soul. The *soul is for all time. It is foolish if a man forgets his *eternal *soul for pleasures in this world. It is foolish because those pleasures do not last.

Verse 38 Proverbs 29:25 says, ‘The fear of man will be a trap.’ Fear of the opinion or laughter of other people may make a Christian ashamed to declare his *faith. Jesus said that he would then be ashamed of them. He referred to the time when he will come again. Then, he will return in the very bright light from his Father.

disciples ~ people who follow someone in order to learn from him.
soul ~ the part of a person that we cannot see. It lives on after we die.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
Gentiles ~ people who are not Jews.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
physical ~ about the body.
Pharisees ~ a group of Jews who thought that they obeyed all God’s commands. Many Pharisees did not like the things that Jesus taught. These men thought that they were not doing any wrong things. So, they became very proud.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
Beelzebub ~ a name for God’s enemy, the devil.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything about Jews.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
miracle ~ a wonderful work that someone does by God’s power.
faith ~ belief in someone or something, or things that Christians believe about Jesus.'spiritual, spiritually ~ about the part of us that never dies.'spiritual, spiritually ~ about the part of us that never dies.
yeast ~ people put yeast into flour and water to make bread; it makes the bread bigger while they are baking it. It spreads through all the bread, so Jesus compared it with other things that spread.
yeast ~ people put yeast into flour and water to make bread; it makes the bread bigger while they are baking it. It spreads through all the bread, so Jesus compared it with other things that spread.
Herodians ~ a political group, who were friends of Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee.'spiritual, spiritually ~ about the part of us that never dies.
Baptist ~ a person who baptises people (like John the Baptist).

baptise/baptism ~ to put a person in water, or to put water on a person. It is to show that they want to follow Christ.
prophet ~ a person who told people what God wanted.
Temple ~ the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
Greek ~ the language in which the authors wrote the New Testament.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus. It is about Jesus’ works and the things that he taught and about the first Christians.
gospel ~ good news that God saves people from sin by Jesus Christ.
Gospel ~ one of the first four books in the New Testament.
save ~ rescue from the results of sin.
sin ~ when people do not obey God’s commands.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus. It is about Jesus’ works and the things that he taught and about the first Christians.
kingdom ~ people or place that a king rules; or people that God rules.
Hebrew ~ the language of Jewish people.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything about Jews.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
Messiah ~ the Jews' word for the king who would come and rescue them.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
Roman ~ Rome was the capital city of the rulers at that time. That which belonged to Rome was Roman.
scribes ~ writers, especially the Jewish lawyers.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything about Jews.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
Satan ~ the chief evil spirit.
spirit ~ the part of a person who is alive that we cannot see. There are good spirits, like God’s Spirit and his angels. And there are bad spirits, like Satan and his angels.
angel ~ God’s special messenger.
messenger ~ a person who gives a message.
eternal ~ with no beginning or end.
sin ~ when people do not obey God’s commands.
Sanhedrin ~ the group of Jewish priests and other leaders.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything about Jews.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
gospel ~ good news that God saves people from sin by Jesus Christ.
Gospel ~ one of the first four books in the New Testament.
save ~ rescue from the results of sin.
sin ~ when people do not obey God’s commands.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus. It is about Jesus’ works and the things that he taught and about the first Christians.
resurrection ~ when a dead person becomes alive again.
tempt ~ to try to make someone do wrong things.
temptation ~ something that tries to make us do wrong things.
cross ~ two pieces of wood that someone has fixed together in the shape of a cross. People put Jesus on a cross in order to kill him.
angel ~ God’s special messenger.
messenger ~ a person who gives a message.