ONLINE BIBLE STUDY: "Too Late to Help?"--MARK, CHAPTER 5, VERSES 35-43.

While Jesus was still talking with a woman who had just been cured of a chronic bleeding disorder, people came from the house of the leader of the synagogue, to tell him that his sick daughter had already died.  The leader had earlier implored Jesus to come to heal his daughter, but their trip to the house had been interrupted, and now it seemed to late for Jesus to help.  "Why trouble the teacher any further?" the messengers asked.  Undeterred, Jesus reassured the father, "Do not fear, but only believe."  He then pressed on, taking only Peter, James and John with him.  Arriving at the house, he saw a commotion of people wailing and weeping, in the traditional ancient Middle-Eastern manner of mourning.  As he entered the house, Jesus asked the mourners, "Why are you making a commotion?  The child is not dead, but sleeping."  Upon hearing these words, they laughed at him.

Ignoring the laughter, Jesus put the mourners outside, and took the mother and father inside to where the twelve-year-old child was, along with his three accompanying disciples.  Taking the child by the hand, he said to her in Aramaic, "Talitha cum;" that is, "Little girl, get up."  Immediately, she got up and walked around, amazing everyone.  Jesus ordered everyone to keep the incident a secret, and he told them to give the girl something to eat.

At the beginning of the chapter, the child's father had shown great confidence in Jesus' ability to heal his daughter.  How would he have felt, upon hearing the news from the messengers?  Would his confidence in Jesus have been shaken?  Would he have assumed that it was too late for Jesus to help?  Can you recall any times when it has just seemed too late for Jesus to be of any help to you?  Did you then continue to pray for help, or choose not to trouble Jesus further?  If your own problem or illness has not eventually been taken away, in response to your prayers, has that affected your feelings about this story?  Would it seem implausible, or merely mysterious? 

Why did Jesus tell the mourners that the child was "not dead, but only sleeping"?  Was he really suggesting that the onlookers had been mistaken in pronouncing the death of the girl, or was he really suggesting that death was not as serious as it appeared, but only like "sleeping"?   Why did the author make a point of indicating that the girl was twelve years old?  That was the same number of years that the woman described earlier in the chapter had been suffering from her bleeding disorder; could the coincidence suggest a connection between the cases?  Twelve years old was the age when a girl typically left her father's protection for marriage.  Was it significant that her father still sought to protect her?  If she was considered an adult, why did Jesus address her as "little girl"?  Was that the same sort of family-like familiarity he was suggesting by addressing the woman he healed earlier in the chapter as "daughter"?  Why would Jesus suggest that the parents give their daughter "something to eat"?  Was it because she must have been hungry after her ordeal?  Did it indicate that she was "really on the mend," because she was able to begin eating normally again?  Did it prove that she was really alive, and not a ghost? 

Why does Mark's Gospel place so much emphasis on Jesus' healing ministry?  Why do you think Jesus only allowed three of his disciples to see this particular healing/resuscitation?  Why would Jesus insist that "no one should know" about such an amazing event?  How would it have been possible to keep it a secret, in any event? 

How would the girl's parents have felt, upon seeing her alive again?  Would she have felt the same way, upon being revived?  Why is it so hard for us to follow the command Jesus addressed to the father: "Fear not, only believe"?

ONLINE BIBLE STUDY: "Interrupted on the Way." MARK, CHAPTER 5, verses 11-34.

After Jesus had healed the daemon-possessed man in the land of the Gerasenes, he returned by boat to the more familiar Galilean side of the Sea of Galilee, where he was soon surrounded by a great crowd.  There a man named Jairus "repeatedly" begged Jesus to come to his house and "lay hands" on his desperately sick daughter, so that she might be made well and live.  Jairus was a "leader in the synagogue," and although the exact nature of Jairus' office is difficult to determine, it was evidently a position of some status.  As Jesus followed Jairus toward his house, large crowds followed Jesus and pressed upon him.  Mark's narrative indicates that Jesus' journey to Jairus' house was interrupted by a woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years, despite the efforts of many physicians.

According to Mark, the woman had "endured much," at the hands of the physicians, and had spent "all she had" on their unsuccessful efforts to cure her.  Have you known people who have spent almost everything they had on medical care?  It is easy to imagine the frustration and desperation that such efforts could have generated, especially where the treatments had failed to produce any benefit.

In the woman's case, the problems would have been compounded by the fact that chronic bleeding may have left her in a continuous condition of ritual impurity.  See Leviticus 12:1-8 and Leviticus 15:19-30.  Not only was the woman apparently "unclean," but everyone who touched her might also be considered unclean.  According to Leviticus 15:19, anyone who touches a woman during her "regular discharge" is also unclean "until evening."  Leviticus 15:25 indicates that "If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, not at the time of her impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her impurity, all the days of the discharge she shall continue in uncleanness; as in the days of her impurity, she shall be unclean." 

This ritual uncleanness also presented a special problem for the woman who now hoped to be healed by Jesus.  She presumably knew that Jesus was on his way to "lay hands" on the daughter of Jairus, in order to heal the girl of her sickness.  Jesus might be able to heal the woman's bleeding condition on the way, but if he "laid hands" on the bleeding woman, he would make himself "unclean" until evening.  In that case, Jesus might not be able to attend to Jairus' daughter in time to save her.  On the other hand, if the woman did not reach out for Jesus' help now, she might never see him again.  Have you ever been in a situation in which the apparent solution of your own problem would apparently cause a problem for someone else?  In which an affirmative answer to your prayers meant a denial of someone else's prayer request?   How would you decide what to do or pray for?

 The unnamed woman in Mark's account evidently decided upon a plan that would attempt to obtain a cure without making Jesus "unclean."  She seems to have rationalized that if she touched only the fringe or hem of Jesus' garment, Jesus would not have consciously "touched her," and he would still remain ritually pure.  Perhaps that minimal, indirect contact would still be enough to provide her some relief from the bleeding condition.  Managing to touch the hem of his garment in the midst of a large and pressing crowd, though, would be difficult and perhaps even dangerous.  She would have hurry her way through the crowd (without angering people by touching them), and she would have to kneel down, reaching out toward his feet, probably from behind.  It would have been humiliating, and she could have been accidentally trampled in the process.  Have you ever known anyone who was willing to do something totally humiliating or dangerous, to gain some great reward? 

In the midst of the raucous crowd, Jesus surprised his followers by asking who had touched him.  Was he kidding?  There were whole masses of people touching him--why would he ask that?  He said he felt his power being used.  The woman came forward "in fear and trembling" and confessed her whole plan.  Had she been secretly trying to "take advantage" of Jesus' power?  Have you ever been caught out, in the midst of a secret plan, worried about how your efforts would be received?  Why did Jesus then address the woman as "daughter"? 

If Jesus knew she was there, why did he not simply turn and heal the woman?  Amazingly, the woman was already healed, apparently without Jesus' having to do anything.  According to Jesus, her faith had resulted in her healing.  Yet he had earlier indicated feeling "power" going forth from him.  Is faith alone ever enough to result in healing?  It is interesting to note that the word translated "healed" also means "saved" or "rescued" or "restored."  Is the story really more about a physical cure, or restoration to social and spiritual wholeness?  Or both? 

According to Mark, Chapter 5, verse 6, before Jesus could continue his journey to Jairus' house, messengers arrived to declare that Jairus' daughter had died.  How would the woman have felt, upon hearing this news?  How should we respond, when it appears that we have been recipients of some great blessing, while others still suffer loss and sorrow?

ONLINE BIBLE STUDY: "Crazy Man in a Creepy Place." MARK, CHAPTER 5, verses 1-20.

Chapter 5 of the Gospel According to Mark contains accounts of three separate healings by Jesus, and it makes sense to examine each of these individually, before considering them in their relationship to each other.  Verses 1-20 describes a mysterious episode in which Jesus acts as an exorcist.  "Daemons" in the ancient world were considered to be whatever mysterious forces caused diseases, ailments and troubles, and especially, whatever caused mental and behavioral abnormalities.  Then as now, psychotic behavior was frightening to people whose behavior seemed more "normal," and disruptive people who seemed captive to such "daemons" were forced to live apart from regular society.

The episode described in this lesson began in a way guaranteed to make the disciples feel ill at ease.  Jesus and the disciples emerged from the storm at sea, only to arrive on the "other side of the sea" at the land of the "Gerasenes," a foreign people who have not otherwise been clearly identified.  They were clearly not Israelites, though, because much of their economy seemed to involve the herding of pigs, animals with which the Israelites were forbidden to have any contact.  The disciples, then, must have felt not only uneasy in the unfamiliar environment, but also "grossed out" by the presence of thousands of "unclean" animals.  (Can you recall times when unfamiliar circumstances made you feel not only uncomfortable, but even revolted?)  I suppose it must have felt like arriving in a country where people kept huge quantities of rats for food.  Worse yet, the group came upon a man who lived in a graveyard (more "uncleanness"), whose "howling" behavior was so frightening that people had tried (unsuccessfully!) to restrain him with chains.  He had broken out of his chains, and no one had had the strength to restrain him.  He shouted out to Jesus at the top of his voice, and the disciples must have been terrified.  Jesus, though, seemed unafraid, as he demanded that the "daemons" come out of the man.  He then asked the man's name.  The man replied, "Legion, for we are many."  (Can you recall a time when you felt beset by too many troubles to name?)  Then, very interestingly, the man
begged him (Jesus) "not to send them out of the country."  This sounds to me like Shakespeare's Hamlet declaring that sometimes people "would rather bear those ills we have than fly to others we know not of."  There was once a country song that proclaimed, "If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all."  Can you recall any time when you were reluctant to abandon old habits and embark upon a new way of doing things, even though you knew that the new way would offer better health or better self-esteem?

The unclean spirits (tacitly admitting Jesus' authority over them) begged Jesus to let them go into the nearby herd of swine.  Jesus granted the request, and the daemons, rather than killing the man, entered into the swine, who promptly ran down a steep bank into the sea, where they drowned.  At this point in the story, I always find myself feeling sorry for the poor pigs--what had they done wrong?  But in feeling that way, I think I am forgetting that the pigs were destined for the market and dinner table, not happy, long lives in the country.  The drowning of the pigs is really intended to show the visible destruction of the daemons.  Like the witches in stories like Snow White, The Sleeping Beauty, and Hansel and Gretel, these daemons would not be returning to torture anyone after Jesus left.  Jesus' dominion over evil was complete and permanent.

Moreover, Jesus was placing the health and social restoration of the man above the economic interests of the wealthier people of the city.  When the swineherds ran into the city to tell everyone what had happened, they came out to investigate for themselves.  They saw the demoniac (still unnamed) "sitting there, clothed and in his right mind."  Instead of rejoicing, they were "afraid," and they ran and reported what they had seen.  The people then came out and begged Jesus to leave the area.  The man whom Jesus had healed begged to be able to go with Jesus, but Jesus ordered him to "go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you."  He then began to tell what Jesus had done for him "in the Decapolis," that is, in all of the ten large, Greek-speaking cities east of the Jordan river.

Why would the people of the city be afraid of Jesus?  After they had seen the "demoniac" restored to his health and right mind, why would they ask Jesus to leave?  Do you know of anyone who has become frightened or angry when his or her personal financial security has been disadvantaged, so that someone worse off could be helped?  Have you ever felt that way?

Why didn't Jesus invite the demoniac to join his group of disciples?  How would you have felt, if you had been told to remain where you are and tell your friends about what God had done for you?  

How many "friends" could a naked, chained, howling, crazy man have had?  However many "friends," he started out with, what is the significance of Mark's claim that the man began to talk about Jesus all over the whole region?

MARK, Chapter 4: "Even the wind and the sea obey him!"

For the next Online Bible Study lesson, I suggest reading Chapter 4 of the Gospel According to Mark.  At the beginning of Chapter 4, Mark indicates that Jesus has moved his teaching from the synagogue to the seaside, where he is followed by large crowds that press upon him so much that he boards a boat and teaches from out in the water.  The rest of Chapter 4 contains a sampling of Jesus' practice of teaching in parables.   The first of the parables in Mark is the extended allegory about a sower scattering seeds on all sorts of ground.  The other parables in Chapter 4 are brief similes or comparisons (a lamp under a bushel in verses 21-25; a growing seed in verses 26-29; and a mustard seed in verses 30-32).  At the end of the chapter (verses 35-41), Mark indicates that "at the end of the day" Jesus said to "them," (presumably his closest twelve disciples), "let us go across to the other side."  During the trip, while Jesus is asleep in the back of the boat, a large storm arises, threatening to swamp the boat.  When the disciples awaken Jesus, asking "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"  Jesus commands the sea to be still.  "Why are you afraid" he asks the amazed disciples.

Why do you think Jesus chooses  to teach in parables? Doesn't it seem puzzling that he explains the parables to his disciples, but he does not explain them to the crowd?  Why does he use parables about seeds while teaching at the seaside?  Which of these parables seems the most relevant to your own circumstances? Do you have a favorite?  Why does Jesus describe the sower as scattering seed in all sorts of terrible locations?  What are the implications for us?  Why are the disciples so amazed when Jesus calms the sea, after they have witnessed several of Jesus' healings?  Do you ever find yourself asking God, "Do you not care that we are perishing?" 

Mark, Chapter 3: "Is Jesus Crazy?"

Chapter 3 of the Gospel According to Mark is very interesting, because of the way Mark connects Jesus' early actions as a healer and widespread concerns about his sanity.  Jesus uses the controversy to describe a new kind of family bond among those who truly care about "doing" the word of God.

In verses 1-3, Jesus again heals a man in the synagogue on the Sabbath, and this time he is challenged about the lawfulness of healing on the day of rest.  Jesus angrily responds in verse 4 that it is lawful to "save a life" on the Sabbath; this response is not new to Jewish doctrine.  It is not only permissible, but mandatory to rescue someone in need on the Sabbath.  But the answer is embarrassing to the people who think they are especially holy, and they described as beginning to plot against Jesus (even joining in league with the Herodians, who presumably care less about religion than about maintaining power).  Can you think of situations in which you have felt particularly angry or resentful at someone who has embarrassed you, even when you have known they were right?

In verses 13-19, the text describes Jesus' selection of twelve "apostles" to be sent out to proclaim his message, and to "have authority to cast out demons."  What do you think these "demons" could be?  Was it important that he chose twelve apostles?  Were these chosen apostles intended to be uniquely authorized, or were their successors also to be given the same authority?  Whom did Jesus intend to be the successors of the apostles--individuals chosen for their "offices," the individual believers who came after the apostles, or the collective body of believers?

Verses 19-21 indicate that Jesus then goes home, where he is so constantly surrounded by crowds "that they could not even eat."  His family then goes out "to restrain him, for people were saying 'he has gone out of his mind.""  What about his actions would make people think that Jesus was crazy? Were those the same "people" who had been in the "crowds"?  Why would the religious scholars from Jerusalem agree with the diagnosis of insanity?  Why would his family be inclined to "restrain" him, rather than inclined to defend him?  When Jesus' mother and brothers come and stand outside asking for him (verses 31-35), Jesus looks at those around him and announces that those who are with him, that whoever "does the will of God" is his brother and sister and mother.  Is he irritated or sad that his own family members seem to be siding with the crowd, or is he merely using the opportunity to claim special affinity with those who do God's will?  Have you ever known anyone who felt closer to church or to friends than to his or her own family?  How would that feel? What are the implications for those who would want to be Jesus' "family"?

Mark, Chapter 2: The Healer in Galilee

For the next suggested Bible Study passage, I suggest reading in the Gospel According to Mark, through the end of Chapter 2.  Why do you suppose that the author gives no explanation regarding why Simon, Andrew, James and John decided to follow Jesus?  This section of the Gospel centers on stories of Jesus' early proclamation of "the kingdom of God," on his teaching "with authority," and on various healings.  As he was casting out demons, he commanded them to remain silent about his identity--why do you think he did so? Why would Jesus choose to live in Capernaum, rather than in Nazareth?  Chapter 2 features the healing of a paralytic man who was lowered through the roof of Jesus' house by the man's friends.  Can you remember times when others have "carried" you in times of need, or when you have helped others who seemed helpless?  Do you think Jesus disapproved of fasting or avoiding work during the Sabbath?  If not, what was his attitude toward such things?  

A New Online Bible Study! Starting with Mark, Chapter 1: "And immediately..."

This is the start of our new Bible Study Reading Club and Discussion Group! I'll suggest a Bible passage to read, and ask some questions, just to get the thought process going. I hope you will all read the passage and make comments. Offer ideas, questions, or memories that are triggered by the reading. Let's have a real conversation! To start, why don't we read Chapter 1 of the Gospel According to Mark? Mark is almost certainly the first of the gospel accounts to have been written, and it's the shortest. In Chapter 1, Mark just launches into a description of the ministry of John the baptizer. Why is there no account of the birth of Jesus? He just arrives as an adult from Nazareth, to be baptized by John. What does it mean for John to describe himself as "not worthy to untie the sandals" of the one who will follow him? Why should Jesus present himself for baptism? Why does Mark start so many sentences with the word "And" or the phrase "And immediately..."? What did Jesus mean in proclaiming that "The kingdom of God is at hand"?