Month: June 2017

Previous Lessons: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Mark 5:

They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. ² And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. ³ He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, ⁴ for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. ⁵ Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. ⁶ And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. ⁷ And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” ⁸ For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” ⁹ And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” ¹⁰ And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. ¹¹ Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, ¹² and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” ¹³ So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.

¹⁴ The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. ¹⁵ And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. ¹⁶ And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. ¹⁷ And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region. ¹⁸ As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. ¹⁹ And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” ²⁰ And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.

²¹ And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea. ²² Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet ²³ and implored him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.” ²⁴ And he went with him.

And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. ²⁵ And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, ²⁶ and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. ²⁷ She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. ²⁸ For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” ²⁹ And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. ³⁰ And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” ³¹ And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” ³² And he looked around to see who had done it. ³³ But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. ³⁴ And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

³⁵ While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” ³⁶ But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” ³⁷ And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. ³⁸ They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. ³⁹ And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” ⁴⁰ And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. ⁴¹ Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” ⁴² And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. ⁴³ And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Questions to Consider

1. Briefly review lesson 6 (link above). Whereas Mark 4 was largely made up of parables, which aspect of Jesus’ ministry does Mark 5 showcase? If you were to outline this chapter, what the are three major natural divisions you could make?

2. Describe, as much as possible, the “lead characters” in each of the healing miracles in Mark 5: the demon possessed man, Jairus, and the woman with the issue of blood. Compare and contrast their stations in life and how Jewish society might have viewed each person: ceremonially clean or unclean, man or woman, high society or dregs of society, wealthy or poor, much faith or no faith, deserving of a miracle or undeserving? Did Jesus make these same distinctions among people?

3. What was the one thing all three of these people had in common (notice the words “begged”, “implored”, etc. throughout the chapter)? What is the one thing all people have in common today? How does Jesus not showing partiality in this chapter reflect that God does not show partiality with regard to sin and salvation? Why would this have been an important principle of the gospel for both Jews and Mark’s Gentile audience to grasp and embrace?

4. Examine the story of the demoniac (1-20). List the things the demons did to the man and the effects they had on his body and his behavior. (3-5,7,15) What does this tell us about the power of Satan? What do verses 6,7,10,12,13, and the words “adjure” (beg or implore), “begged” and “permission” tell us about Jesus’ authority over demons? Are the demons aware of Jesus’ authority over them? Why were the people “afraid” (15) and begged Jesus to leave (17)? They had seen the power Satan had over the man. What did it tell them about the power, authority, and deity of Jesus when He was able to cast the demons out in such a remarkable (13) way? What would Christ’s love and compassion for someone the Jews would have considered cursed and irreparably unclean have said to the Gentiles (whom the Jews viewed similarly) about His love and compassion for them? Compare the impact for Christ the man was able to have on his community (19-20) versus the impact he would have had on them had Jesus allowed him to accompany Him.

5. Review your descriptions (from #2) of Jairus and the woman with the issue of blood. What impact might it have made on those following Jesus to see that He would stop and care for a mere woman – an unclean one at that – when the daughter of an important man – a synagogue official – was on the verge of death?

6. Why did Jesus ask who had touched Him? (30) Was it because He didn’t know or was it to give the woman an opportunity to confess her faith in Him? (30-34)

7. Did the news of the death of Jairus’ daughter come before or after Jesus healed the woman? (35) Which was more urgent, the woman’s illness or the daughter’s impending death? Why didn’t Jesus make the woman wait and deal with her after healing Jairus’ daughter? Compare the raising of Jairus’ daughter to the raising of Lazarus. What similarities or differences do you see in the circumstances, sequence of events, the impact on witnesses, and the consequences?

8. Both the demoniac (20) and the woman with the issue of blood (33) publicly proclaimed what Christ had done for them. Why did Jesus tell Jairus (43) not to tell about Jesus healing his daughter? (21,24,31) (Hint: Consider where {1,20} the healings took place and whether they were public {14,16,17/21,24,30,31} or private {37,40} events.) Are there times when we should keep private something God has done in our lives?

9. The story of the demoniac demonstrates Jesus’ power over _____. The story of the woman with the issue of blood demonstrates Jesus’ power over _____. The story of Jairus’ daughter demonstrates Jesus’ power over_____. How does Jesus’ demonstration of power in these three areas help make the case for His deity and Messiahship? How do these displays of His power and authority bolster or give credibility to His teaching?

Homework

In verse 19, Jesus told the former demoniac, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 

We often make small talk or discuss trivial things with our friends. This week, look for an opportunity to share what Christ has done for you with your friends. Maybe there’s a lost friend you need to share the gospel and “how He has had mercy on you” with. When you meet with Christian friends, be sure to encourage one another by sharing “how much the Lord has done for you” – what you’re learning as you study His word, things you’re thankful to Him for, how He has provided or worked in a situation, and so on.

Suggested Memory Verse

And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”
Mark 5:19