Gospel Meditation # 187 Jesus Heals a Woman and Jairus’s Daughter

GOSPEL MEDITATION # 187

Jesus Heals a Woman and Jairus’s Daughter

Mark 5:1-20

  1. Find a quiet place without distractions.
  2. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace.
  3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer.
  4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
  5. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
  6. Jesus was unable to get away from crowds of people.
  7. Jairus, the president or ruler of a synagogue (Capernaum?), had a 12 year old daughter, an only child, who was dying. He came to Jesus believing He could do something about it.
  8. While walking to Jairus’s home, a woman who for 12 years suffered terribly from an unknown malady, thought that if she merely touched Jesus’ garment, she would be healed.
  9. The woman was healed instantly, and Jesus, in a way that is unexplained other than “power had gone out from him” then searched for the woman and spoke with her.
  10. Jesus said her faith had healed her, and then said, “be healed of your disease.” One must ask, what was the nature of her healing? She sought Jesus–perhaps this is the key. She had faith Jesus could heal her but that alone did not result in her healing. It was the work of Jesus alone.
  11. In the midst of the healing of the woman, word comes that the little girl is dead. What use then of Jesus? But He continues. As per custom, the mourners had already arrived and the scene was chaotic. Taking only the inner three with Him, and the parents, Jesus enters the room. Those gathered laughed at Him when Jesus said she was only sleeping.
  12. One must again ask, why did Jesus say this? He knew she was dead. He took her hand, and speaking Aramaic, told the corpse to rise up. She did and there was no trace of disease. Jesus did not want news of this first of three resurrections to be broadcast about. Curious for sure.

 

Gospel Meditation # 186 Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Man

GOSPEL MEDITATION # 186

Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Man Mark 5:1-20

  1. Find a quiet place without distractions.
  2. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace.
  3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer.
  4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
  5. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
  6. Now Jesus and the disciples, having crossed the Sea of Galilee from west to east are in an area known as Gerasenes. Luke and Mark have Gerasenes, Matthew has Gadarenes. The two districts are separated by about 75 miles, Gadarene being to the south.
  7. It was a desolate place where outcasts like lepers and dangerous people lived, many in caves used as burial places.
  8. A demon possessed man, wild and powerful, confronts Jesus. He acts like one deranged, out of his mind; and there was no hope for him. He falls on his face before Jesus.
  9. His demons speak; they know who Jesus is and their utterance is not one of reverence or respect, but a taunt, a challenge, and a cry of fear also. The demons know Jesus has authority over them. The demons plead with Jesus to leave them be.
  10. Jesus begins ordering the demons out but they do not obey at once. Jesus pauses, and asks for the name of the lead demon.
  11. “Legion” is the answer and means there are many demons in the man. More pleading from the demon; they desire to remain. What is meant by “out of this country” is a mystery.
  12. Begging Jesus again, the demons wish to be cast into a herd of pigs that were nearby. For a reason we do not understand, Jesus permits this. The invading demons panic the pigs who run headlong over a cliff and are drowned in the Sea of Galilee.
  13. The inhabitants of the area, fearing Jesus, ask Him to leave.
  14. The man now freed of unclean spirits begs to follow Jesus, but He prefers the man proclaim the mercy of God to those who live nearby–an area of Greco/Roman cities known as the Decapolis, or 10 cities, in which were both Gerasene and Gadarene.

 

Parable of the Mustard Seed and Jesus Calms a Storm

GOSPEL MEDITATION # 185

Mark 4:30-41

The Parable of the Mustard Seed and Jesus Calms a Storm

  1. Find a quiet place without distractions.
  2. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace.
  3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer.
  4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
  5. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
  6. Mustard seed, very tiny, not the smallest of all seeds, so we see a proverbial phrase that simply means – little.
  7. Of greatest significance here is that this first parable Jesus tells has to do with the kingdom of God.
  8. The tiny seed grows into a large plant, almost a tree. In that part of the world the mustard plant would grown 10 to 15 feet high and when the branches stiffen, birds would nest in them.
  9. Jesus loved parables and Matthew and Luke have many more, but this is the last one in Mark’s Gospel.
  10. The crowds, including the Twelve, did not always understand the parables but Jesus would explain them. Only a few of Jesus’ interpreted parables found their way into the New Testament.
  11. Jesus wanted to sail east across the northern tip of the Sea of Galilee, perhaps to get away from the crowds.
  12. We see He was extremely exhausted so that when it was time to depart, Jesus appeared not to be ready. No explanation is given for such, but most assume it was because He appeared so tired out.
  13. We reflect on the humanness of Jesus then; could He have summoned strength from the Father? If so, He did not.
  14. Sea of Galilee, about 7 miles long, 3.5 miles wide, was 600 feet below sea level and when the sun went down, there could be a drastic temperature change. Sudden squalls would occur.
  15. Jesus was so tired out that He slept through part of the storm.
  16. The disciples were afraid and woke Jesus who was resting on a ‘headrest’ probably made of wood at the stern of the boat.
  17. The disciples were upset with Jesus and accused Him of not caring whether they lived or died. Yes, storms happen even when Jesus is present, both then and now.
  18. Jesus told the wind to stop and the waves to hush and be muzzled.
  19. The disciples saw something about Jesus they had never known.

 

Gospel Meditation Mark 4:21-29, A Lamp Under a Basket & The Parable of the Growing Seed

 

GOSPEL MEDITATION # 184

Mark 4:21-29

A Lamp Under a Basket & The Parable of the Growing Seed

  1. Find a quiet place without distractions.
  2. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace.
  3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer.
  4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
  5. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
  6. From memory, determine the central points.
  7. The first parable, “a lamp under a basket” continues the theme of the sower of seed. Now instead of sowing, the metaphor is letting the light shine for all to see.
  8. The metaphor of fire is used by Jesus. Fire was light and heat, vital to the people in that day and this.
  9. Clearly, a lamp was put on a stand not under a basket or a bed.
  10. The Light is Jesus and His Word, His Gospel. The Gospel was not held by the disciples as a mystery or a secret – the opposite of much religion of that day. Not for the elite, but for all.
  11. Those who broadcast, those doing the work, will be given more and more opportunity to do so; and sadly there is the opposite.
  12. This principle is evident in most every endeavor people undertake.
  13. Our second parable, the parable of the growing seed, again it plays off the parable of the sower.
  14. It is assumed that the sower, the farmer, the evangelist is busy scattering the seed on the ground. We already know that there are any number of places, four really, the seed could fall upon.
  15. Patiently the farmer waits for the seed to do its work, which it always does when the seed is good and healthy.
  16. The sower does not understand how it all works, indeed, he does not have to. Time and again the sower spreads the seed and time and again he watches the miracle take place. With an actual farmer the miracle is built into the process. With the witness the harvest is purely miraculous.
  17. The Holy Spirit does the work from beginning to end. First a person sees their own sinful nature as well as their hopeless efforts to relieve themselves of their sin. Only then will they see their need of the Savior’s sacrifice on the cross.
  18. The farmer knows the harvest will come and that there will be rejoicing.