Gospel of Mark
I am loving my class this year on the Gospel of Mark. As always, Dr. Geddert's insights are amazing. What I have always passed off as the most shallow and boring of the Gospels is coming alive and opening my mind to new understandings of Jesus.Last night we spent most of our time looking at the miracles in Chapter 5. Jesus cast out demons, healed a bleeding woman, and raised a little girl back to life. In each case, two healings occurred. The demoniac was released from evil spirits...then was restored back to his community. The woman's bleeding was stopped...then Jesus publicly recognized that power had gone out from him. In announcing the woman's cleanness to everyone, he also announced that she could now be accepted back into society. Jairus' daughter was resurrected...and then she was given food to share with her family, an important aspect of Jewish community. Jesus never simply healed a physical condition without also healing the spirit.
When I read about a woman who has been afflicted for twelve years, healed on the way to the home of a dying twelve year old, I can't help but wonder if God didn't set these events in motion with intent. Did the woman actually begin bleeding at the moment Jairus' daughter was born? I don't know, but I do think that it's not too big a stretch to suppose that God may sometimes put us through the fire in order to reveal Himself. With every miracle, Jesus' identity became further established. Why would he not still make his presence known today?
posted by Thurman8er @ 9:46 AM
3 Comments:
Several years ago at Long Beach, I preached through Luke approaching the stories as if we'd never heard them and had no idea how they ended. I wanted us to be surprised and in awe. It took 2-1/2 years to go through the book, but we saw hearts and attitudes dramatically changed. A friend of mine wrote a commentary on Luke and his insights and applications are excellent. If I ever taught Luke again, I'd approach it the same way ... as if I'd never heard the stories.
He does indeed make His presence known today!
For a woman to be "bleeding" for 12 years impies someone who was very ill...this was a major disease, and she found the strength to find, and to get close enough to Jesus, based on her faith tht she would be healed. All it took was touching the hem of his robe...and enormous faith.
I think I would go to the ends of the earth to find him, and to touch the hem of his robe...and I would bring a LOT of my family with me to do the same...
But meanwhile, I pray a lot.
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