Mark 5:24b-29

Last Sunday in Bible class the subject of our physical posture in prayer was brought up. Everyone agreed that we can talk to G-D at any time, but many were slightly uncomfortable with the idea of kneeling.

Which is cause for concern.

Notice the posture of the three people Jesus encounters in Mark 5 - the demoniac, the synagogue ruler, and the bleeding woman. Every one of them falls at Jesus' feet. Now, this was not some proper, take a knee kind of thing; this was desperation. Demons needed exercising, a dad needed resurrection, and a woman needed healing.

Darkness reigned in their lives - hope almost depleted. And they fall at the feet of Jesus.

As we pray, let's practice this kind of posture. This kind of desperation. This kind of hope!

Mark 5:21-24a

I love the picture we're presented here. Desperate times call for desperate measures. A dad is about to loose his daughter and is looking for someone - ANYONE - who can help.

So he falls at the feet of Jesus.

Are we ever that desperate? Those of us who have grown up with Jesus as our best friend, do we have that kind of humility and do we recognize our need for Jesus to go with us. Because Jesus' response to desperation is walking with the person. He went with Jairus.

Jesus is someone who enters into the fray, dives into the mess and walks with people. We are called to do the same.

And it doesn't matter who the person is. We have a demon-possessed man doing it right before Jairus - a chazan. (Jairus functioned as the worship leader in one of the synagogues. He was probably an important person and well thought of in his community.)

At Jesus' feet is a great place to be. It hurts, but it is good.

Mark 5:14-20, Take Two

One thing that initially bothered me about this passage is how Jesus says, "No."

Look at it in verse 18-19. The formerly demon-possessed guy wants to follow Jesus. Who wouldn't want that guy around as a walking testament to Jesus' power?! Yet Jesus sends him home and tells him to let his family and friends know how much the L-RD has done for him and how He has had mercy on him.

And the guy does it.

The next time we see Jesus on that side of the lake, the crowds are not pleading with Him to leave, but begging Him to heal!

I wonder if I have that same kind of passion that this demon-possessed guy had. He left Jesus not disappointed that he couldn't follow the L-RD around, but infused with life for what Jesus had done for him. He couldn't contain himself!

How about you? Do you have that same drive? When G-D says, "No" to your idea, do you say, "YES!" to His? This demon-possessed guy changed his whole area by saying "Yes" to Jesus and telling everyone he could about how the L-RD had mercy on him.

I want to be like that.

Mark 5:4-13

Let's talk about this encounter.

The first thing that should be noted is that this is a spiritual encounter as much as physical. We in the Western world have resigned ourselves to the here and now physical part of our universe, and even as Christians we fail to recognize the spiritual forces that continue to wage war in and around us.

We have a man here imbued with supernatural strength, who cries out at night among tombs, and is probably naked (Luke 8:27). From the disciples' perspective, the whole scene sums up for them the terrible idea of going over to an evil part of the country. It's what happens when you enter inner-city LA or New Orleans during Mardi Gras; you go to a place that you perceive as evil and low-and-behold evil presents itself in its worst forms.

Notice that this demon knows who Jesus is. Notice that Jesus told the spirit(s) to come of the guy (which the spirits consider torture). Notice that Jesus told them to come out, and they didn't. Then they ask for permission to go elsewhere (pigs), Jesus gives them permission, and they leave. Notice how the pronouns switch from singular to plural (me, them). This guy is a walking bomb; nobody knows when he'll blow up!

And they go into the herd of PIGS - the sacrificial animal in that society which also happens to be the mascot for the Roman Legion! And I love the fact that the pigs end up in the lake/abyss.

But why does Jesus do this? What motivates Him to go to the OTHER (dark) side of the lake? Why does He challenge the evil forces present in Sin City, when He has plenty of demon possessed people in His synagogue and hometown?

Thoughts?

Mark 5:1-3

Right after the storm on the abyss/sea, what would a person expect except to be confronted by a demon, or in this case, a slew of demons. As soon as Jesus steps out of the boat along comes a crazy man who could not be bound even with chains. (I think the disciples' fear only compounded at this sight.) We will talk more about this spiritual encounter next time.

If you hold an NIV in your hands, you can see a footnote in verse 1 regarding the location of this event. Gerasenes, Gadarenes, and Gergesenes are all options. The city of Gadara lies over 5 miles away from the Sea of Galilee, though excavations have located a harbor for the area. It is on the southeastern side. Gerasa (present-day Jerash lies many miles away from the Sea of Galilee, but was a major city in the Decapolis. The geography points to Gergesa as the city in which this encounter took place. Located along the northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, Gergesa is really the only place in which a herd of pigs can rush down a steep bank into the water. I should note, however, that all of these cities represented the Gentile world to Jesus and His disciples. Though close geographically, the two cultures of Jews and Gentiles did not mix at all. The very fact that Jesus wanted to go over there was remarkable because that was where evil dwells in the minds of the disciples. Once again, no wonder they were so terrified!

I love how Jesus already begins to live out His words, "...And the gates of Hades will not prevail against it!" Jesus is on the move; He wants the world to know of His message!

How are we when it comes to going out into dark places? Do we live like Jesus - going to people that are far beyond our comfort zones?

Mark 4:35-41

Storms can be scary things. We have several examples of people who have been caught in a storm while at sea, and here is no exception. Several Old Testament parallels immediately present themselves: Jonah 1 and Psalm 107.

In these passages we see terror turned to praise, or fear of the elements turned into a fear of G-D. Notice that the sailors cry out for help, and when G-D calms the storm, all begin to worship.

In Mark, we immediately notice the fear of the storm within the disciples; and what do we see Jesus doing? Like Jonah, He is asleep.

Jesus gets up, calms the storm and then asks His disciples why they were so scared. OK, I must interject at this point. How many of you have been in a serious storm when out at sea? How comfortable were you with that? But for the disciples, not only do they fear the elements, they believe that the sea is the Abyss. This only compounds their fear. (We will explore this idea further in the very next story.)

So, be honest, would you not have been terrified?

And I find this almost amusing if it was not so sad: the disciples remained terrified AFTER the miracle of calming the wind and the waves. (Their response should have been praise.) Jesus has just acted like G-D in the story. I believe they are beginning to see who Jesus really is, and that is what terrifies them even more than the storm. Perhaps they begin to wonder if they are in the very Presence of G-D, and we all know how scary that was for anyone who encountered an angel or G-D Himself in the Bible. Somewhat like a storm.

Mark 4:33-34

So why does Jesus speak to people in parables? It's to help them understand His teaching. He spoke in agrarian terms to an agrarian society in order that they may hear and obey.

And He gave as much as people could understand.

That phrase bothers me a little, not because I question Jesus' teaching or judgment, but because I wonder how similar I am to the crowds. How much do I not receive from G-D because I do not understand or take the time to listen and obey. Do I "limit" G-D by my lack of faith, knowledge, or passion?

"Whoever has will be given more. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him" 4:25.

I want to be the former - one who has and wants MORE!!!

That does not mean life will be smooth sailing, however. We see what happens to the disciples right after this while they are on the sea....

Mark 4:30-32

The mustard seed - certainly not the smallest seed on earth, but one that resonates with the agrarian crowd. Powerful words, right? The Kingdom is like a grain of sand. Is that what you expect Jesus to say? It seems more appropriate to use much larger imagery: the Kingdom of G-D is like the kingdom of Solomon, the Roman Empire, or the United States of America. G-D's Kingdom is liken to that of world empires. Soldiers of Christ arise and put your armor on. Vote for the right people in office, speak out against political opponents, conquer the world through terror and warfare.

But G-D's Kingdom is much more organic in nature. It starts off as a tiny seed, and then grows into a plant than can provide much needed shade for birds. (It's interesting that in several of the prophets (Ezekiel and Daniel in particular) we see birds symbolize other nations.) And notice who gets the glory and who does the work; it's G-D. Just as we learned in the previous parable, G-D spreads His rule on His own terms, not ours. We can line up for battle at the ballot box, but it is G-D who grows His Kingdom.

So, are you growing your own kingdom or G-D's?

For an interesting parallel to this parable, look at Ezekiel 17:22-24.

Mark 4:26-29

Jesus moves from admonition to the Kingdom. The people who hear/do now receive from Jesus parables concerning the Kingdom. What is the Kingdom like? It is like wheat that grows and no one knows how. It's a mystery. The farmer waters it, but somehow G-D makes it grow.

The irony/twist in the parable is that Jesus has just expressed the need for His disciples to hear/do, and the parable He then tells relates to the fact that G-D alone makes the seed grow. G-D provides the action/growth, not the person.

So as you continue to prepare your soil (hear/obey), remember that G-D ultimately produces the crop and spreads His Kingdom. It's HIS Kingdom, and the forces of evil will not prevail against it.

Mark 4:21-25

Jesus continues to speak to His disciples in these verses, pushing the theme already elaborated upon - that of hearing/seeing is liken to one who takes Jesus' words and puts them into practice. He speaks of concealment and disclosure - what He has said by way of theology is expounded and better explained through parables. Verses 21-23 help explain why Jesus was so upset with His disciples; they heard His theology, but they couldn't make the connection with the parables, and furthermore had difficulty putting some flesh and blood to those parables (living them out).

In verse 24, we have an interesting sentence structure in the Greek. In English, "Consider carefully what you hear." A more literal translation, "See what you hear." Maybe a good English rendering would be, "Are you getting the picture?" And He continues that the person who gets what He is speaking of will continue to get more and more. The person who does not "get it" (or put it into practice), even what he/she gets will be taken away (or forgotten). Hence, hearing is doing. The person who hears but does not do does not truly hear. It's a call to action, similar to the Sh'ma in Deuteronomy 6:4: "Hear [Do!], O Israel...."

But Jesus is soon to give a twist to this action in the next parable.

Mark 4:13-20

I have asked you what you think about Jesus' parables; now I will give my opinion (based on Brad Young and others).

Jesus intention with His parables was NEVER to confuse His audience. His intention with parables was to make His teaching easier to understand. Again, parables were meant to aid in understanding for His audience, not hide something from them.

"Then Geoff," you may ask, "why does Jesus say those who see don't see and those that hear don't hear?"

Jesus' statement is a matter of action on those who are in the audience. Will they be like people who hear His words and then do nothing with them, or will they hear His words and practice them in real life. Actually, Jesus is simply expounding on the parable of the soils He just told. What will people do when they hear the His words? Will they put them into practice (and produce a crop yielding 30, 60, or even a 100 times), or will they hear His words and do nothing with them (like seed on the path, or on rocky places, or among thorns)?

In the case of the disciples, they know Jesus' theology, and so when He speaks to the people in parables, they are expected to understand (because they have the "secret"). However, when they hear the parables (especially in Mark, by the way), they can't put the two together - His theology and His teaching.

And Jesus doesn't appreciate that. One can feel the tension when He explains the parable to His disciples.

The reason I brought up Mark 4:33-34 is that the audience shifts from His disciples to the crowd. Notice that Jesus used parables to help the people understand His theology. Unfortunately with the disciples, Jesus has to draw the connecting lines for them.

So the question still remains: what kind of soil are you? Or put another way, what are you DOING with what you KNOW? Are you connecting your theology with your actions?

Mark 4:9-12

I find it interesting that this "secret" of the kingdom was given to the disciples, yet Mark makes it very clear that Jesus was quite frustrated with them. And why does Jesus teach in parables? So that those on the outside will be ever seeing but never perceiving, ever hearing but never understanding, or they would turn and be forgiven.

Jesus quotes Isaiah 6 here - when Isaiah is asked who will go for Him. Isaiah responds, "Here I am. Send me!" And then the words get difficult because G-D informs Isaiah that he will be preaching to a dense crowd who will be ever hearing but never understanding, and ever seeing, but never perceiving (Jesus reverses them in Mark 4).

Just the kind of message and welcome you want to have, right? And Isaiah asks for how long, and G-D says - until everything is completely destroyed except for stumps.

Great. So Isaiah gets to preach a message that people don't want/can't hear until they are completely destroyed. Every young preacher's dream job.

So what does this have to do with Jesus? Perhaps Jesus is sarcastically speaking of His less-than-brilliant disciples at the moment? Is He comparing Himself and His message to that of Isaiah, drawing on that prophetic image? Or is He speaking against "the outsiders" - the very people He was sent to call? Or perhaps to the hypocrites in the audience?

What do you think? (Also pay attention to 4:33-34.)

Mark 4:3-8

In Jerusalem exists a school of thought that believes in Lukan priority instead of Markan (they believe Luke was written first and not Mark), and they base this on several reasons. One reason they believe this is that Luke appears to be so Hebraic, and thus, closer to the original sources. I remember sitting in a class one Shabbat and the teacher used this parable as an example of Lukan priority. Luke uses different words. (For example, notice that the seed fell on a rock in Luke, not on rocky soil.)

The example I want to emphasize regards the amount the farmer reaps when the seed falls on good soil. We see in Mark that it yields 30, 60, or even a 100 times. Luke only mentions a hundred times. That's a lot of produce! In Genesis 26 we see that G-D blesses Isaac with a great crop that yields a 100-fold...in a time of drought! So when all other's are dying, Isaac's not only survives but thrives.

What is difficult about this parable is that we are provided 3 bad kinds of soil and only 1 good kind. (Dividing things in four [in regards to how people behaved] was very common in Jesus' day.) The obvious question at the end of the parable is, "What kind of soil are you?"

Mark 4:1-2

Jesus goes from having a meal in a house to having to teach from a boat because the crowds were so large. Not bad. I imagine the acoustics worked well also. (And notice that the Teacher is sitting, while the crowds are probably standing.)

And because of this massive crowd, He decides to speak to the people clearly to allow them to understand the basic message of G-D's grace...right? Why does He NOT do that? Why instead does He speak to the mass of people in parables? What is it about Isaiah 6 (verse 12) that He wants to get across?

I will provide, L-RD willing, some thoughts on why Jesus speaks this way to the crowds when I get down to that verse in my memorization.

In the meantime, what implications do these verses have on our lives and churches? Should our vocabulary be particular? Should our actions and liturgy (church service) be one that is comprehended by all, or should there be a tinge of mystery within it?

Mark 3:31-35

So we've already looked at Jesus' strained relationship with His family at this point. (Notice that they sent someone into the house; they did not go in.) And since they would not give Him the time of day, He ignored them.

And in so doing, he expounded on the relationship of a rabbi/teacher with his disciple/student. The relationship is familial, and everyone who does G-D's will is part of that family.

(An interesting note: the people around Jesus are sitting. What was Jesus doing? Jesus invites so many to the table, yet not everyone has to accept. He does not force His blood family to eat with Him; He simply turns the tables on them by calling His disciples His true family. Reminds me of a parable in Matthew 22.)

Mark 3:22-30

Several things caught my eye while memorizing this section.

First, notice that the people who accuse Jesus of demon-possession are from Jerusalem. (I love how people always "go up" to Jerusalem or "go down" from Jerusalem in the Bible. I hope to expound on that some other time.) These teachers of the law are not from Galilee but from Judea - very different places religiously - and these are the ones who accuse Jesus.

Second, the name Beelzebub in Hebrew means lord/master (baal) of a fly(zebub). It is the name of the deity in Ekron (II Kings 1:2).

Third, Jesus "calls" them. He does not berate them, chastise them, or ignore them. In the story just before, Jesus "calls" His disciples to Him. It's the same word.

Fourth, Jesus uses three parables to plead His case: divided kingdom, divided house, robbing a super-hero. Yes, He could have answered the question directly, but He rarely EVER does; why change that now? And notice that He uses "common sense" in His reply. Who would divide the house to accomplish something? How can a kingdom divided function? And why would you rob someone without first making sure he was taken care of? In the same way, Jesus says that He cannot be possessed because that would completely destroy the Enemy (and they are smarter than that).

Last, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. What is it?

Mark 3:20-21

Can you imagine people considering you crazy? "Well, there goes the nut-job!" And if you've gone crazy for something you absolutely believe in, it gets more upsetting. You've given your life whole-heartedly to something, and people call you possessed.

What makes it really difficult in Jesus' case is that His family thinks He's lost His mind. Now on one hand, that's almost humorous; the created call their Creator crazy. But on the other hand, we may have a picture here of what Jesus' family really thinks of Him. We can only speculate what Jesus' early life looked like. Was He appreciated? Was He loved?

In Judaism, Jesus comes from an affair between Mary and a Roman soldier (I forgot his name). Though we as Christians believe otherwise, what was the thought in Jesus' day? We don't know for sure, but I suppose that most people considered Him a second-class class citizen and possibly illegitimate. He came from an unwed mother and father. The mother says she got pregnant through the Holy Spirit. That whole story sounds ludicrous and bizarre.

And now, your crazy mother calls YOU crazy! Apparently, Jesus did not have the greatest relationship with His family.

Which then makes me wonder....

Am I sold out for Jesus; obsessed with Him to the point that people call me weird? Are you?

Mark 3:13-19

Jesus designates twelve apostles (missionaries/emissaries) to hang out with Him, preach, and have authority to drive out demons. We know these twelve are not the only ones to drive out demons (Mark 9:38-41), and we also know that not everyone who drives out demons is known by G-D (Matthew 7:21-23). (Even some of these twelve [and/or other disciples] could not drive out a demon [Mark 9:14-18].)

We do know from church tradition that nearly all of the twelve went out all over the world driving out demons and preaching the Gospel, and because of them, those of us who follow the Christ are here today.

Several interesting things about this list:

1) Jesus changes Simon's (hearing) name to Peter (rock)
2) James and John are called boanerges (which Mark says, "means Sons of Thunder") - they were probably rather prone to emotional outbursts
3) Matthew (a.k.a. Levi) - a tax collector
3) Simon the Zealot - a Zealot being one who wanted Rome out of Israel and was willing to use physical force to achieve that end. He and Matthew probably had some issues.
4) Judas Iscariot (Judas, the man from Kariot - a city 20 miles south of Jerusalem) - the only Judean (not Galilean) we know of in this list

Quite a spread demographically, yet Jesus calls these twelve to change the world.

Mark 3:7-12

So Jesus goes to a more solitary place (to keep from being killed?), yet even in remote areas, people come to Him from all over the area - Jerusalem (center of Judaism), the rest of Judea (South), Idumea (Southeast), Regions across the Jordan (East), and Tyre and Sidon (North). That just about covers it.

What is it though that draws people to Jesus? It could be His teaching. But he also ostracized a lot of people with that. It could be His personality. He's compared to Elijah, John the Baptist, Zechariah, or one of the prophets. But we all know what happened to almost all of them in the end.

Mark answers simply: "For He had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch Him."

In my experience, many of us in the Western world want to be like Jesus, but when it comes to the spiritual gift of healing (specifically physical healing), we quickly label that as "the past" (died with the closing of the Bible) or impossible - G-D doesn't work like that anymore.

To which I respond: "There are too many examples of healing all over this globe today, especially in the Southern Hemisphere." I preach to myself when I say, "Maybe it's time to be like the crowds who followed Jesus and GO there!" We don't have to do it physically. Perhaps you have missionaries you can contact. Go online and find out some things. Check in your neighborhood (you might find a revival or service just around the corner).

If miraculous physical healing is too drastic, then recognize G-D's work (and GIVE HIM THE GLORY) when He uses medicine to heal a simple headache. Recognize Him when the cancer is suddenly gone. Praise G-D when the surgeon takes off his/her gloves and gives a good report.

But there is another side to this healing. Unclean/Evil spirits surround the diseases that Jesus healed. Exorcism was a part of the picture. As part of the healing process, Jesus drove out many demons.

Now I am not saying that the next time you go to the hospital a demon exists in every patient, but know that is how they viewed it in Jesus' day. One of Jesus' goals was to cleanse people - not only of their sin, but of their physical illnesses. Unclean/evil spirits do not promote healing, but suffering, and thus, Jesus got rid of them. And all of this leads me to this resounding question:

What would happen if we actually BELIEVED Jesus healed those people?

This would change the way we pray!

Jesus did not heal everyone. Not everyone for which we pray He heals, and the ones He does choose to heal, He does so sometimes in a way that may seem contradictory to us. So what? Should that change our plea? Would that not move us closer to the heart of G-D? If only we BELIEVED.

"L-RD, help us with our unbelief."

Mark 3:1-6, Part II

Verse 6: "Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus."

What do the Pharisees and Herodians have in common? Nothing - except a strong desire to get rid of Jesus. Modern Orthodox Jews are shocked to see these two circles running in the same league. Why does healing a man on the Sabbath bring such animosity?

But then I ponder how Jesus does not always work within my framework or timing. Do I get mad at G-D for that? Granted, I do not ever want to kill Jesus, but with every sin that I commit yesterday, today, and tomorrow, I in a way have killed Him. Think about times in your own life that G-D has moved you out of your comfort zone or out of your "structures"/boxes that you have created for Him. G-D despises your box and mine. As we learn in this story, Jesus gets angry and distressed at stubborn hearts.

What does your heart look like?