The gospel of Mark

16 – Jesus’ mother and brothers

3:31-35

31 Then His mother and His brothers arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called Him. 32 A crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.”33 Answering them, He said, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” 34 Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

(NASB)

In our last section concerning the ‘unpardonable sin’ (Mark 3:29-34), we saw that Jesus’ family came to see him. They were concerned about him, worried about what was happening in his life, all the people, all the crowds, all the hysteria because of the healings and so forth. It came to a point that this is what his family said about him:

21 When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.” 

(NASB)

In our section for today we will see what Jesus had to say concerning his family. And believe me his statement should shock many religious establishments. It should also jolt our minds when we come to understand what his view of his family is!

1. The arrival (3:31)

31 Then His mother and His brothers arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called Him. 

Jesus’ family which presently turns out to be his mother and his brothers finally arrive where Jesus was. Since he is in Capernaum we can imagine that it is at Peter and Andrew’s house. Notice that His brothers as well as his mother (Mary) arrive and it is written that they stay ‘standing outside’.I wonder why they don’t show up at Peter’s door and ask to see Jesus? Why don’t they simply make their way right to Jesus and speak to him?

Now I know that there are a lot of people around but for some reason they just don’t feel at ease to get near him. We need to remember what they were thinking - that he was ‘out of his mind’ (Mark 3:21).

• They may have been somewhat afraid of him (He’s crazy).

• They may have been somewhat ashamed of him.

• They may have been afraid of the crowd seeing them wanting to take away Jesus.

We don’t know exactly why they stayed outside but they did. I wonder if we are sometimes like them also. We stay just outside of Jesus’ door. Instead of getting close to him, do we stay on the porch with the door closed? Yet we are personally invited to go directly to Jesus and not be afraid, or ashamed or to feel unworthy of coming to his side.

Matthew 11:28-30

(28)"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

(29)"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

(30)"For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

(NKJV)

For whatever reason, his family actually preferred to send a messenger to him.

(v.31)…they sent word to Him and called Him. 

So someone was sent and this person ‘called out’ for Jesus. It could have been something like:

• Jesus your family is outside and wants to see you.

• Jesus your mother and brothers want to talk with you.

• Jesus could you step outside, some important people are there for you.

We don’t know what was said but it was to get Jesus’ attention. When you think of it the family may have stayed outside simply because their plan was to take hold of him. Since they couldn’t do that inside the house because it was packed full of people they wanted him outside where this could be done.

2. The news (3:32)

32 A crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.”

This verse shows us that the messenger sent by his family did a good job. He yelled out so much and so loud that everybody in the house could hear that Jesus was wanted outside by his family. I don’t know why (unless Jesus wanted to make a point) but Jesus seems to shut his ears to the messenger and his message.

(v.32)…and they said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.”

This may have taken a few moments but at one point the crowd seeing the lack of reaction from Jesus – they themselves began to carry the message ‘and they said’. At this point it was no longer only the messenger but the crowd inside the house that was telling Jesus about his family being outside for him.

(v.32)…Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.”

They might have been thinking:

• Why don’t you respond?

• Why don’t you go and see them?

• Don’t you care that they are there?

In other words “What’s wrong with you? Go and see your mother and brothers”.A bit like when parents or grand-parents speak to a child and the child does not listen to them at all – they wonder why and they get frustrated.

3. The question (3:33)

33 Answering them, He said, “Who are My mother and My brothers?”

Now instead of doing the normal thing or having the normal reaction and going to see his family - Jesus will ask a question to his audience. Have you noticed that often Jesus does not do what is expected of him by society? This is a great lesson for all of us. Too often we comply to what others do or think instead of standing up and walking on the ‘narrow road’.

Jesus asks a very important theological question: “Who are My mother and My brothers?”There’s a difference between being an “outsider’ and an ‘insider’.

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A difference between a family member and a ‘close neighbor’.Even a difference between a cousin and being a child of someone. Your aunt is not as close as your mother and your uncle is not as close as your father. Notice that Jesus is talking about relationships – deep and profound relationships – family relationships. For his audience the obvious answer to his question was well known.

Matthew 13:55,56

(55)"Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?

(56)"And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?"

(NKJV)

Maybe some were asking themselves ‘what’s wrong with him, doesn’t he know who his mother and brothers are?’Maybe he is out of his mind or maybe he does have a demon as the religious leaders were telling us! The people that were present had absolutely no clue to the impact of his question upon the entire human race. Jesus was actually asking:‘How is it possible for people to be part of my family?’ For the living God there are only two families in this entire world and there are only two fathers of all the people on earth. One of them is the devil – he has a family and he is the head of it.

John 8:42-44

(42)Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.

(43)"Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.

(44)"You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

(NKJV)

The devil was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of lies. The devil has his own family and we see that his children:

• Do not love Jesus (42)

• Do not understand Jesus when he speaks (43)

• Are not even capable of understanding (43)

• Are of the devil (44)

• Have the desires of their father the devil (44)

We see that their father:

• Is a murderer from the very beginning (44)

• Does not stand in the truth (44)

• Has no truth in himself (44)

• Speaks lies (44)

• That these lies are from his heart (44)

• Is the father of all lies (44)

The devil is the spiritual father of all who do not belong to Christ by redemption. Here is one example of a man that does his father the devil’s will:

Acts 13:8-11

(8)But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.

(9)Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him

(10)and said, "O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?

(11)"And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time." And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.

(NKJV)

Here we see the characteristics of Elymas - who was a son of the devil (v.10)

• Was full of deceit

• Was filled with fraud

• Was the enemy of righteousness

• He perverted the straight ways of the Lord

If God is not your Father than automatically the devil is and billions upon billions of people have no clue concerning this simply because their spiritual father keeps them in a state of spiritual blindness!

2 Corinthians 3:14

But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ.

(NKJV)

2 Corinthians 4:4

whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

(NKJV)

1 John 2:11

But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

(NKJV)

Then there is the family of the heavenly Father – God himself!

• In John 2:16 Jesus says that God is his Father.

• In John 14:21 it is written that he who loves the Son is loved by the Father.

• In John 20:17 Jesus says that His Father is our Father.

One of the most touching verses concerning God being the Father of true believers is the following:

1 John 3:1

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

(NKJV)

I hope you are beginning to understand the importance of being in the family of Jesus the Messiah. Because if you are not – you are in the wrong family and for all eternity.

4. The answer (3:34,35)

34 Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

Looking at the people in that crowded little house, gathered to listen to his words, he said to them that his mother, and brothers were not the ones who were outside! Only the following was his family:

35 For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

The real family of Jesus is a spiritual one and not one of the flesh. It is reserved only for he who ‘does the will of God’. But simply stated ‘what is the will of God?’

John 14:1

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

(NKJV)

CONCLUSION:

1. Believing in God and believing that Jesus is the Messiah will open the door to becoming part of the Family of God. So are you staying outside the house like Mary and her sons were or are you inside at Christ’s feet? This will determine which family you belong to.

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The gospel of Mark

17 – The parable of the sower

4:1-20

(1)He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land. (2)And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching, (3) “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; (4) as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. (5)Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. (6)And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. (7)Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. (8) Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” (9) And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (10)As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables. (11)And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables, (12)so that while “seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, otherwise they might return and be forgiven.”

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(13)And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables? (14)The sower sows the word. (15)These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. (16)In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; (17)and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. (18)And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, (19)but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. (20)And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”

(NASB)

1. The setting (4:1,2)

(1)He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land. (2)And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching,

In the first verse we see the importance of teaching in the ministry of Jesus (to teach again). Although there are many things that are not understood because of our limited understanding – there was actually very little ‘mysticism’ in his instructions. We also notice that his teachings are not for a selected few or a spiritual elite. Jesus openly preaches to anyone who desires to listen. May we also have open ears to receive from Christ.

Jesus teaches by the sea – that’s where the people were. This is where a lot of commerce was being done. People were coming and going, buying and selling. This is also where the ‘latest news’ traveled to. So Jesus chose a place where he could reach the greatest amount of people possible. This does not exclude the times that he spoke to one person at a time. Nicodemus, the woman at the well and others had a one-on-one conversation with him. This teaches us that we must take all possibilities at hand to spread the gospel whether with a friend or to family members around the dinner table.

There was a problem with dealing with such a large crowd – the potential pressing of the people.

(v.1)…And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land.

One needs to remember that the reputation of Jesus was forever growing and people gathered around him. Unfortunately when a crowd gets out of hand trouble arises. Some came to hear his sermons, others came to see miracles, while others actually wanted to be touched by him or to touch him so that they may be healed like the woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years (Luke 8:43). This situation could rapidly become chaotic. Crowd control did not exist in those days so Jesus did what was the easiest and best thing to do – he got onto a boat (He got into a boat in the sea and sat down). He separated himself from the crowd and therefore created a ‘safety zone’. He was on the boat and the crowd was on the seashore.

(2)And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching,

We will see that the Lord Jesus uses a parable to teach the crowd. We need to understand what a parable is and how it works. This is what the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia writes: ‘In the more usual and technical sense of the word, "parable" ordinarily signifies an imaginary story, yet one that in its details could have actually transpired, the purpose of the story being to illustrate and inculcate some higher spiritual truth.’So a parable is a story that points to a spiritual truth. A parable is given to help people understand a main point and not to make it even more obscure.

2. The parable (4:3-9)

(3) “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; (4) as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. (5)Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. (6)And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. (7)Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. (8) Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” (9) And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Jesus begins by saying: ‘listen to this’. Today we might say: ‘Attention please’. Jesus wanted the crowd to stop what they were doing and to listen to his words. We also need to stop our activities and to really take time to hear what the Lord has for us. We all have busy lives, we all have far too many things to do and we all need to STOP, set aside what we are doing and calmly stay quiet. Jesus will speak about four seeds.

(3) “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; (4) as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up.

The picture of a sower was very common in Israel, every person could easily imagine what Jesus was speaking about. As I said before, a parable is used to enlighten the mind and not to darken it. May our spiritual explanations also be easily understood! The first seed is thrown in the air and it lands beside the road. Like today there were little roads or paths that went from one field to another. People walked daily on these paths and the ground hardened under their feet, so hard that nothing grew on them. I personally live in the country and the entrance to our house is a path that has been used for decades. Nothing grows, nothing can grow because the ground is almost hard as rock. So some of the seed fell on this ground and since it just lies there the birds come and have a feast eating all the seed they can.

(5)Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. (6)And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

Here we see the story of the second seed. There is soil and the seed begins to grow and grow rapidly. Unfortunately the soil was not really made for farming. You see the ground was rocky. All farmers will tell you that it is simply impossible to have a crop when the soil is filled with rocks. Farmers are constantly extracting all the rocks that are in their field. There is even special equipment that is made to be used only to remove rocks! Here we see that the depth of the soil was slight because of the rock formation underneath it. Once the sun would appear and heat the soil the plant would instantly die because ‘it had no root’. This meant that the little roots it had were not able to provide any humidity from the soil (because of the rocks) and the plant withered away. The word ‘scorched’ in Greek (KAUMATIZO) means: to burn. It just withered away, dried up and died.

(7)Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.

The third group of seed unfortunately did not fall on the right type of soil it fell among already existing plants – thorns. We know that when a farmer plants seeds he first of all gets rid of everything that is on the soil. The ground has to be cleansed of rocks, debris and existing vegetation, simply because what is on the field will damage the seeding effort. Here we see that the existing thorns ‘choked’ the life out of the seeds that tried to grow. The word ‘choked’ (SUMPNIGO) in Greek means: to strangle completely. The existing life in the plant was taken away – it died.

Now so far the sower is unsuccessful for all of the first three seeds are either eaten away, dried up or left lifeless. This is a somber picture but AMEN that there is a fourth seed and this should encourage us.

(8)Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” (9) And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

The story of the fourth seed is comforting. Notice that it is the only seed that fell ‘into the good soil’. And this is a very important fact, the fourth seed is the only one that fell into ‘good soil’. This makes all the difference in the parable. Because it fell in the good soil two main things happened. The first is that: ‘they grew up and increased’. This means that they were healthy and the natural course of things went along just fine. Contrary to the first seed the soil was receiving the seed.

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Contrary to the second seed this soil was not filled with rocks and had enough depth to allow its roots to firmly set in and nourish the plant. Contrary to the third seed this soil did not have any thorns to choke the life out of it. The second main thing that happened because of the soil is that: ‘they yielded a crop’. This means that this seed was brought to maturity. The full cycle had occurred. In other words the seed became what it was supposed to be- a fully grown crop. Once again this is all because of the ‘good soil’ that the seed had fallen into.

Please notice something very important that is written: ‘produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.’ Each seed did not automatically produce the same amount of fruit, as with each true Disciple of Christ. Some are more fruitful than others depending on the spiritual gifting they had received and also their willingness to follow the Lord. This reminds me of the parable of the Talents (Mat. 25:14-30) where the owner gives five talents to one, two to another servant and finally one to the last. He rewarded the one that doubled his two talents just as much as the one who doubled his five talents. But the one who bore the Master no fruit from the talent that he was given was judged and punished. It is obvious that this last servant did not have ‘good soil’ in his heart since he did nothing else but hide the money he had received.

(9) And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Jesus draws a conclusion to his parable by stating that if you have understood this parable apply it. He is also saying that it is not everyone that has ‘ears to hear’. Not everyone is able to understand what is said by Christ.

3. I don’t understand (4:10-12)

(10)As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables. (11)And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables, (12)so that “while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, otherwise they might return and be forgiven.”

In verse ten we see that His followers and the twelve (those who would become His disciples) did not really understand or only partly understood what Jesus meant by His parable.

(10)As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables.

Notice that the followers and the twelve did not tarry with their questions ‘as soon as’. It seems that their hearts were pricked by this parable and they absolutely wanted to understand it. What a wonderful example for all Disciples of Christ not tarrying to open the Bible and asking the Holy Spirit to open their eyes so they can understand what is written. It also manifests that even the twelve who had been with Christ day in and day out still could not grasp his every word. This comforts me because there are still many things that I can not grasp!

(11)And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables, (12)so that  “while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, otherwise they might return and be forgiven.”

These two verses are difficult for our minds to comprehend and accept. It manifests both the severity of the Lord (unto those who do not have ears to hear) and the grace of the Lord for those who do.

Jesus speaks of ‘the mystery of the kingdom of God’. The word ‘mystery’ (MUSTERION) means: to shut the mouth, giving the idea of something that is a secret. The secret mentioned here has to do with the kingdom of God. What is this ‘Kingdom of God’? It seems that this term is an equivalent of: Kingdom of Christ (Mt 6:33; Mr 1:14,15; Lu 4:43), Kingdom of Christ and of God (Mt 13:41; 20:21), Kingdom of David (Eph 5:5), the Kingdom (Mt 8:12; 13:19), and the Kingdom of heaven (Mt 3:2; 4:17; 13:41). All these terms give the idea of the authority of God and his rule here on earth as the Sovereign King.

What we find in this parable has to do with ‘how to get in the Kingdom’ as we will see with Jesus’ explanation. So the answer to the mystery of the Kingdom of God is given to those who have a heart to follow Christ (those who have ears to listen). But to those whose ears are not receptive to the message they remain in darkness having no true desire or interest in the Kingdom of God.

4. The explanation (4:13-20)

(13)And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables? (14)The sower sows the word. (15)These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. (16)In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy;

(17)and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. (18)And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, (19)but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. (20)And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”

Once the disciples and followers ask questions concerning this parable Jesus makes an important point.

(13)And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables?

The point he is making is the importance of understanding parables. Since this should be an easily understood parable because it was taken from an agricultural imagery seen so often in Israel – why then don’t you get it? Sower, seed, soil, rocks, heat, etc. It should be easily understood. He then goes and says: ‘How will you understand all the parables? ’If you don’t understand a parable everybody should get how are you going to understand other parables that are more spiritual in their significance? So Jesus sets out to explain what the parable means.

(14)The sower sows the word.

The first thing he describes is what the seed is that the sower is spreading across his field – it is the ‘word’. The ‘word’ mentioned is the word of God. The sower in this case can easily be Jesus himself or anyone of his disciples that spreads the Good News. Let’s imagine that it’s Jesus as he goes to and fro in Israel bringing the Gospel message wherever he is.

(15)These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.

The following verses are self-explanatory. Jesus speaks of the first seed which falls on the ‘hard soil’ (hard heart, ears that do not hear, spiritually blind). This person does not really care about the Kingdom of God and the seed planted is there but for a very little time. Jesus says that Satan is like a bird that rapidly comes and scoops up the word of God that had been given. Some might say: ‘See how powerful Satan is’.

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Actually if the soil had been good the seed would have taken root and grown. Since the heart was closed it was easy for Satan to do his work.

(16)In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; (17)and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away.

Jesus says that when the second seed is received it lands in rocky soil and people receive the word with joy, just like many do in our churches or Christian events. There is a lot going on, music, testimonies, and atmosphere and when they hear the word they receive it. They may answer the altar call, raise their hand, sign on the dotted line and so forth. But Jesus says that ‘they have no firm root in themselves’ and this reception is ‘only temporary’. Real life happens ‘affliction or persecution because of the word’. Since they have no ‘firm root in themselves’ (their reception of the word is superficial) since there was no real second birth – they fall away. I have often seen this in people who one day attend church and are active and a few months later they are never to be seen again.

(18)And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, (19)but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

The third seed is received by people who are filled with ‘the worries of the world’ and ‘the deceitfulness of riches’ and also ‘the desires for other things’. In other words they are drowning in longings and cravings for the things of this world, the riches of it and all types of passions. They ‘want’ and they ‘worry’. Their eyes are focused on what we call materialism. They live for the NOW and they want it right NOW! All these things ‘enter in and choke the word’. The life- giving word is shut out of the heart of the person and can not bring any fruit in the person’s life.

(20)And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”

I am so glad that the parable does not end with verse nineteen because no one could be saved. So far the seed has been useless in the life of these three different kinds of people. The first person has a heart too hard to receive the word. The second person does not have any roots in himself and the seed dies. The third person is so caught up with the things of this world that the word is choked and does not bear any fruit.

The fourth seed lands in ‘good soil’ meaning that the heart of the person is ready to hear the Good News. This is the ONLY seed that falls in ‘good soil’. Also notice that there are no obstacles in the life of this person. It is written that people like this person ‘hear the word and accept it’. This is also the only seed that is accepted by the soil. And finally: ‘and bear fruit’. It is the completion of the life giving cycle.

This is the only person that enters the Kingdom of God. He hears the Good News, he has ‘good soil’ (his heart), he ‘’accepts’ the Good News (he repents) and he ‘bears fruit’ his life is transformed and glorifies the Lord God.

CONCLUSION:

1. May I ask if you have gladly received the word of God – the Good News unto salvation? Have you accepted it and repented of your sins asking Jesus to be your Savior? Has your life been dramatically transformed and are the fruits of your life evident for all to see? Only this person will enter the Kingdom of God – are you that kind of person?

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The gospel of Mark

18 – Three parables

4:21-34

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21 And He was saying to them, “A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? 22 For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”24 And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides.25 For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”

26 And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; 27 and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. 28 The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head.29 But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

30 And He said, “How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, 32 yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade.”

33 With many such parables He was speaking the word to them, so far as they were able to hear it; 34 and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples.

(NASB)

In this section the Lord will tell his listeners three parables and they are given like ‘a bundle’. Are these three parables going in the same direction? In a way they can, depending on how you look at them. Some might reflect on them long enough to find factors that link them one to another. One might say that the first parable speaks of receiving the seed (light) and being responsible for it. The second can speak about the seed (light) entering a person and growing in an unknown fashion. The third parable could speak about once the seed (light) is grounded in a person it transforms that person into someone totally different. Notice that this ‘bunch’ of parables follow the famous parable of the sower. Could it be that in some way they all have the same theme – ‘The word of God and its effect on a human being?’

1. A lamp on a stand (4:21-25)

21 And He was saying to them, “A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? 22 For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”24 And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides.25 For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”

In this first parable the Lord speaks of a lamp. Now a lamp is made to light a room, just as we ‘flick’ the switch when it is dark in our home. Jesus is speaking about light (let’s not forget that he IS the light - John 8:12; 9:5). The first thing we see is that light is not made to be hidden.

21 And He was saying to them, “A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand?

In reality the only way to hide light is to place something over it to cover it. Jesus was not hiding from anyone or anything. His “light” radiated wherever he went and it was there for all to see. His disciples were able to see the master’s light day in and day out. As a child of God we should do the same - shine on others the light that is living in us.

22 For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. 

Here we see that the Lord Jesus had not hidden any part of the light. He does not keep in secret the light that is needed for mankind to receive salvation. Jesus did not give ALL THE LIGHT. It would be absolutely impossible for man to be able to receive all the light – we are not capable of this.

It is one thing to look at a 15 watt bulb but one can not look at the sun it would destroy his eyesight! When we look at the light there is something that happens – we see our sins and that is why people do not like the light in general (John 3:19-21).

23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”24 And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides.25 For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”

In these verses Jesus is giving a warning to all who listen to what he says – this would include you and me. We need to be attentive to what we hear coming from the Lord. Jesus says: ‘Take care to what you listen’. The Greek word for ‘take care’ (BLEPO) means: to behold, to beware, to perceive. In other words ‘watch-out’ what you are hearing – pay close attention. There are two reasons for this.

24 And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides.

The first deals with the way you use what you have heard. Because the measure you use for others will be the same measure that is used for you! The person who hears ‘love one another’, then tells it to others or maybe even teaches it BUT does not practice it will land up being measured more severely by the Lord. That is why James wrote the following:

James 3:1

My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.

(NKJV)

The second reason is found in verse twenty five.

25 For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”

Now a quick look at this verse and it seems to be unfair - giving more to the one who has and less to the one who does not. But in its context it makes perfect sense. If one has a ‘good measure’ (understands well and uses well what he has heard from Christ) he will receive even more from the Lord. But the one who does not have a ‘good measure’ (uses unwisely or foolishly what he has heard from the Lord) he will receive very little. Think of the parable of the three servants who receive the talents from their Master before he goes on a voyage (Mat. 25:14-30), this is the conclusion of this parable:

Matthew 25:28,29

(28)'Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

(29)'For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.

(NKJV)

The servant, in his Master’s absence, who did more with his money received more to invest while the one who did nothing with his Master’s money has even the little he had taken away from him.

2. The growing seed (4:26-29)

26 And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; 27 and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. 28 The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head.29 But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

The second parable continues to speak about ‘receiving the seed’ (or the light from the Lord). The image given by Christ is that of a farmer and what he does - casting his seed on the soil. Jesus had just told the parable of the ‘four soils’ but now he will reveal another feature of what goes on, an aspect that the sower (person who shares the gospel) does not understand.

27 and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. 28 The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head.29 But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

This is what he does not understand – how his seeds grow to become a good crop. He does what he should do and the soil takes care of the rest. Just as the person who shares the gospel leaves the Lord to do the rest. It happens that Christians carry a burden that is not theirs. We are not the ones who bring people to the Lord. We do not open their minds so they can understand. We do not convict them of their sins. It is the ministry of the Holy Spirit to do this (John 16:7-11). All of this is done in the spiritual realm and none of us truly understand how the Holy Spirit accomplishes this. What we do know is that one day harvest will come.

3. The mustard seed (4:30-32)

30 And He said, “How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, 32 yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade.”

If the first parable speaks of receiving the seed (light) and the second the seed (light) growing to maturity. The third parable speaks of the difference between the seed and the mature plant. Here Jesus uses another seed – a mustard seed. The illustration that is used is that of a mustard seed which is a very small round seed (1-2 millimetre). This tiny seed is TOTALLY transformed into a HUGE plant (up to two meters tall).

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As I said the transformation is unbelievable from a seed just a little bigger than the dot at the end of this sentence, to the height of a tall person. This is what God does to those who receive the seed (light of the Lord), and matures to its fullest! We become something new:

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

(NKJV)

A believer has become so different that he can become shade for others. As a simple seed he could not to do this but as a mature plant his shade is welcomed by the birds that flock under its leaves. May all true believers be so transformed that they become a blessing for others.

4. The conclusion (4:33,34)

33 With many such parables He was speaking the word to them, so far as they were able to hear it; 34 and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples.

Here we see how Jesus ministered to the crowds. Sometimes it was very plain and easy to understand other times he spoke in parables. He spoke in a way that people could normally understand.

33 With many such parables He was speaking the word to them, so far as they were able to hear it;

This should teach us a lesson concerning talking, preaching, teaching or evangelizing. We should speak in a way that people can understand the language we use. Unfortunately some use a language (theological words) and people have no clue.

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We may think we impress but actually we serve for no good reason. Have you ever been to a doctor and he tells you what you have and you have no clue about what he is saying? He says that you have ‘Otis media with effusion’. So you ask him to tell you in simpler terms. He then tells you that your middle ear is swelling – that you can understand. Jesus could have talked in a way that would have ‘blown’ every body’s mind (He is God) but he spoke with the simple man’s language. What we also see is that his Disciples had a special privilege:

 34 and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples.

Jesus made certain that his Disciple would understand what he was saying. Now I know that sometimes ‘time’ had not come for them to understand certain things but in general Jesus explained parables to his Disciples. What I see is that if you are a Disciple of Christ and if you take time to draw close to Jesus, read and study his word you will be enlightened. Will you understand everything – NO! We are only human but what is important for you to understand Christ will reveal when the time has come.

CONCLUSION:

1. Have you received the light of the Lord? If so, do you hide it from others? The light that you have should shine for all to see. Don’t forget that the measure you use to measure others will be used for yourself!

2. Are you maturing in the Lord – a seed grows and so should all of us!

3. Are you so transformed in such a way that you are not recognizable? Are others coming to you to be in your ‘shade’?

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The gospel of Mark

19 – Jesus calms the storm

4:35-41

35 On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. 37 And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. 38 Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” 39 And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. 40 And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

(NASB)

1. Getting on board (4:35,36)

35 On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him.

Getting on board a train or an airplane is always quite an experience. I wonder what it was like to ‘get on board’ a fishing boat with Jesus. Notice that it is Jesus who invites his disciples to ‘get on board’ with him. I believe that this invitation still stands today. When Jesus says ‘Follow me’, he’s practically asking us to ‘get on board’ and go where he goes and live a life of following him. Have you noticed at what time Jesus told his disciples to get in the boat ‘when evening came’? It would be unusual to begin a journey in a small boat when it was dark – navigating in daylight is so much easier and pleasant. This tells me that sometimes when we follow Jesus he can bring us out with him when things are not so bright. We all wish we could follow Jesus when things are just perfect but that’s not true in a disciple’s life. We follow when we are called – even when it is night! Still in verse thirty five we see that Jesus had a goal set for his disciples ‘over to the other side’. From one point to another point. From one shore to another shore. He did not mention ‘where’ on the other side. What we do see is that the disciples willingly follow him even if they are not certain of their destination. Are we not to be like them? Following Jesus just because he wants us to be with him. Notice that in verse thirty six they separated themselves from the crowd:

36 Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him.

In life if we desire to follow Jesus and be ‘in his boat’ we must then separate ourselves from the crowd (2 Cor. 6:17,18) and follow him. The crowd will always keep us at a distance from the Lord for they do not live in spiritual light. So they joined Jesus in the boat that he was in and let him be their captain, giving his directions and following his goals. Notice that there were others that also followed. These were people who were not in the same boat nor did they get an invitation to follow to the other side. You see they wanted to follow Jesus but ‘in their own boat’, doing things their own way, being their own captain. Many are like this, following Jesus from afar but not in ‘his boat’. They might like Jesus as a person (he’s so good), or church (people are so nice) or ministries (they help so much) but they have not repented of their sins and really have nothing to do with him.

2. The storm (4:37,38)

 37 And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. 38 Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” 

Then out of nowhere a ‘fierce gale of wind’ came. The word ‘fierce’ (MEGAS) means: exceedingly great. This wasn’t just a strong wind – it was sudden and very big. Because of the mountain range near the Sea of Galilee winds sweep down and come full blown over the waters. It didn’t take long before things got out of hand. Waves were taller than the small boat, water was flooding the ship and filling it up. In other words they were going down like the Titanic! I can imagine the disciples working frantically to keep the boat afloat, doing all they can, each doing their part but with no avail. All this didn’t seem to bother Jesus at all he was sleeping in the stern – at the back of the boat! How could he sleep when everyone is frantically and desperately trying to keep from sinking? I wonder how the disciples felt when they saw Jesus sleeping like a baby?

(v.38)… and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?

They actually did one good thing and two bad things, let’s look at them. The good thing that they did was to wake Jesus up. We see that they spoke to him. It was a bit late don’t you think? They spoke to Jesus after working so hard and doing what they thought was best to get this situation fixed. Things haven’t changed much, most of us will try to get things under control and only after we see that it’s not working do we call upon Jesus. I believe they should have called upon Christ right away then they would not have gotten into this situation!

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One of the two bad things that they did was to foretell the future: ‘we are perishing’. They thought that they would die, now how did they know that – they didn’t! Like many of us in difficult situations we make up scenarios as though we were God and could see the future. They thought the worst would happen (and they were wrong). We also should stop imagining the future and leave that for God. The second bad thing they did was to say: ‘do you not care’? They actually did not believe that Jesus cared for them and why? Because they thought that certainly if Jesus cared for us we would not be in this precarious situation! Is this the way you think? Do you believe that if Jesus really cared or loved you that you would never have any storms in your life? If you do you need to know that you are wrong. We need to always come back to verses such as Rom. 5:8: ‘But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.’.

3. The statement (4:39)

39 And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.

This is one of the most unbelievable verses in the New Testament! Notice that when Jesus decides to stand and ‘fix’ a situation nothing is out of his reach and power – he does the human impossible! May we also remember that in our own storms it only takes Jesus to stand up to fix things! It is written that he ‘rebuked the wind’. The word rebuke (EPITIMAO) means: to censure or admonish, to forbid. Have you ever seen someone tell the winds to STOP blowing? Of course not, no one can do that – except God himself! Then he told the sea ‘hush, be still’. In Greek hush (SIOPAO) means: to be silent, mute. Figuratively it means: to calm down or to hold your peace. So he told the sea to be quiet, to be still. When you face a great storm on the ocean and finally it quiets down it is said that it take 2-3 days for the ocean to be totally calm (still). Everything instantly came to a halt when Jesus spoke! This miracle of controlling nature is beyond most of all his other miracles and that is why, as we will see, it had such a great impact on his disciples. If Jesus can do such a miracle can he not intervene successfully in our own difficulties?

4. The question (4:40)

40 And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

Jesus addresses his disciples with two very important questions. The first is: ‘Why are you afraid?’ They were so afraid that they thought they were going to die but where did this feeling come from?

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They worked but their hands did not suffice – they were panicking but why? This is because with their human eyes they could not see any other future for them but death! They thought with the flesh instead of thinking and reasoning spiritually. Are we not like them, situations frighten us and all of a sudden we fear for the worst! The answer comes in the form of the second question: ‘Do you still have no faith?’. They had lost all faith in the person who was in the boat with them. In other words their faith was only ‘skin deep’ it was not yet rooted deep down in their hearts. This tragic event simply manifested to them how their faith was shallow and superficial! Sometimes the Disciples of Christ need a reality check. We often think too much of ourselves but ‘under pressure’ manifest how deep our faith really is.

5. The reaction (4:41)

41 They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

This verse manifests why Jesus took them out on a ‘boat ride’ in the middle of the night. It is also one of the reasons why Jesus places his followers in difficult situations. The disciples could not believe what they had seen which brought them to question between themselves concerning Jesus. Because of this adventure the disciples were able to see another side of Jesus. They saw Jesus being master of the waves and the wind. He showed them his omnipotence. I believe that we may sometimes be placed in ‘dire straits’ only so that Jesus can manifest himself to us in a way that we have never seen. And this brings us to a deeper understand of who our Lord and Savior is.

CONCLUSION:

1. When you are facing your storms in life do not hesitate to cry out to Jesus before they become too big. Also never doubt that Jesus care and loves you – you’re in the storm for a good reason. Let him manifest it to you.

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The gospel of Mark

20 – The demon possessed man

5:1-20

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1 They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes.2 When He got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him, 3 and he had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain; 4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him.5 Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and gashing himself with stones. 6 Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him; 7 and shouting with a loud voice, he said, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!” 8 For He had been saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 9 And He was asking him, “What is your name?” And he said to Him, “My name is Legion; for we are many.”10 And he began to implore Him earnestly not to send them out of the country.11 Now there was a large herd of swine feeding nearby on the mountain.12 The demons implored Him, saying, “Send us into the swine so that we may enter them.” 13 Jesus gave them permission. And coming out, the unclean spirits entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand of them; and they were drowned in the sea.

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14 Their herdsmen ran away and reported it in the city and in the country. And the people came to see what it was that had happened. 15 They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the “legion”; and they became frightened. 16 Those who had seen it described to them how it had happened to the demon-possessed man, and all about the swine. 17 And they began to implore Him to leave their region. 18 As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was imploring Him that he might accompany Him. 19 And He did not let him, but He said to him, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” 20 And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.

(NASB)

1. The surprise (5:1-5)

1 They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes.2 When He got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him, 3 and he had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain; 4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him.5 Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and gashing himself with stones. 

         This is the continuation of our last section where Jesus calmed the sea. He and his disciples have just arrived on ‘the other side’ as Jesus called it. The country of the Gerasenes is located on the South East portion of the Southern end of the Sea of Galilee. It is one of the cities that was part of the Decapolis. Is it not interesting that as soon as Jesus arrives there is a demon-possessed man that comes to meet him! How did he know that he had arrived? How did he know that he was Jesus? Why did he come to see him since they have nothing in common? Some questions are not readily answered in the Scriptures. It seems that this man dwelt in the tombs (v.2,3,5) and also in the region of the mountains. Let’s not believe that demon-possessed people always live apart or in some sinister place. The little Syrophoenician girl lived at home (Mk. 7:24-30), the little epileptic boy lived with his father (Mat. 17:14-21), the mute possessed man lived with other people (Mat. 9:32-34), The mute person also seemed to live among his peers (Luke 11:14,15), There was also a demon-possessed man in a synagogue (Mark 1:21-28).

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         What does it mean to have ‘an unclean spirit’? It means that somehow (the Bible does not explain how this occurs) a person is ‘taken over’ by a fallen angel (evil spirit, demon, devil, etc.). These were angels that abandoned their original state and rebelled against God. Jude wrote the following:

Jude 1:6

And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day.

(NKJV)

Peter gives us another insight concerning these evil spirits:

2 Peter 2:4

For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment.

(NKJV)

Verses three and four paints for us a portrait of this man and as you will see it is very surprising.

3 and he had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain; 4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him.

On three occasions (v.2,3,5) it is written that he dwelt among the tombs. Why is it that in this case he ‘dwelt among the tombs’ and not, as we have seen, lived among other people? It just might be it was because of the depth of this demon-possession. We also see that he had super-human strength. He had been bound by shackles and chains and they could not resist him, he would simply tear them apart. As we will see this poor man had a great number of demons inside of him. This would answer the question ‘where did he get such strength’? It seems that the power of the demons somehow is transmitted to the person who they inhabit. How this is done – again the Bible does not explain it, it just confirms it. People had tried to subdue him, to chain him, to control him but ‘no one was strong enough’.

5 Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and gashing himself with stones. 

There was no rest for this man: ‘constantly, night and day’. This poor soul was never given any relief or tranquility. There are two other things mentioned that the demons pushed this man to do. The first ‘he was screaming’. We don’t know why he screamed but we can understand that it was not out of pleasure. His poor soul was so tormented that he just screamed his pain as loud as he could. The second is ‘gashing himself with stones’. Here we see that the demons did not care at all for their host. They were physically hurting the person. We can see the character of these evil spirits. That is why we are told never to have any dealing with these spirit beings, to have nothing to do with them (2 Cor. 6:14-16). Do not approach any deeds of darkness even if they seem harmless or done ‘just for fun’. They will ensnare you like Satan did with our first parents!

2. The meeting (6-10)

6 Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him; 7 and shouting with a loud voice, he said, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!” 8 For He had been saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 9 And He was asking him, “What is your name?” And he said to Him, “My name is Legion; for we are many.”10 And he began to implore Him earnestly not to send them out of the country.

         Reading verse six I need to ask myself a question: ‘How did he know he was Jesus?’ Again our text does not explain. Could it be that angels and demons are able to see things that we can not? Since Jesus is the light of the world, does this light ‘shine’ in the spiritual world in a spectrum that our earthly eyes are not capable of capturing? Notice that this demon-possessed man ‘ran up’ to Jesus.

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Why was he in a hurry to come face-to-face with him? Are they not totally at the opposite of the spiritual spectrum? They are beings of darkness and Jesus is pure light. Why were they rushing to be by his side? Have you noticed that in all occurrences of the meeting of Jesus with demons that they never ‘run away’! Is it possible that they can’t flee from him! We also see that they ‘bowed down before him’. They acknowledge his supremacy over them. They toyed with the poor man, hurting him and made him scream and live among the tombs. But when it came to Christ – they bowed down before him! Amen that Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the Lord of lords and the King of kings, the creator and sustainer of all things.

6 Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him; 7 and shouting with a loud voice, he said, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!” 

The demon-possessed man says something like: ‘what are you doing here we have nothing to do with each other’? Was the demon surprised to see Jesus in ‘their territory’ – the tombs, where the atmosphere of death, gloom and doom abound? There is an astounding phrase that comes out of this poor man’s mouth ‘Jesus, Son of the Most High God’. The demons in the possessed man knew exactly who Jesus was – the Son of the Most High God. They already had knelt before him now they declare verbally who he was – deity! Is it not astounding that demons declare openly who Jesus truly is and so few of Adam’s children do the same? The apostle James was so right when he wrote in James 2:19 ‘You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe--and tremble!’

(v.7)…I implore You by God, do not torment me!” 

These unclean spirits were afraid of Jesus and they express their fear: ‘do not torment me’. They know far too well that God – the Son has power over all things, including themselves. They also know that there is a judgment that awaits them. They fear that Jesus might even, right now, do something to them. They fear him because they know him. Are we not to love him because we know him?

8 For He had been saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 9 And He was asking him, “What is your name?” And he said to Him, “My name is Legion; for we are many.”10 And he began to implore Him earnestly not to send them out of the country.

There was no hesitation on the part of Jesus, his command was clear: ‘Come out of the man, you unclean spirit’. The unclean spirit had no business being in that person for this was not its abode. The will of God is that man be free from the binding of the spirits. Then Jesus does something that is never recorded elsewhere, he asks ‘What is your name?’ This is the only place that such a conversation is ever recorded. We never see this before nor after Pentecost. Apostles, evangelists or Disciples of Christ never speak to fallen angels – and we should also never speak to them.

(v.9)… And he said to Him, “My name is Legion; for we are many.”10 And he began to implore Him earnestly not to send them out of the country.

Here we find that many demons can ‘possess’ a person. His name was Legion: ‘for we are many’. A Roman legion in the first century had about 5000 men, you can imagine how many demons were in this poor man. Now what did these impure spirits do? It seems that they ‘began to implore Him’. The word ‘implore’ (PARAKALEO): to beseech, entreat, pray. They literally begged him to respond positively to their request. Notice that Mark writes as though Jesus is speaking only to one demon. His name is Legion ‘for we are many’. Yet these many demons are spoken of as ‘he’: ‘he said to Him’ or ‘he began to implore Him’ – why is this so? It seems that the leader of these demons is the one who speaks for the ‘Legion of impure spirits’. What did they implore Jesus about?

10 And he began to implore Him earnestly not to send them out of the country.

What did he mean by: ‘send them out of the country’? It could easily mean not to send them out of the man who was their ‘country’, where they lived. It could also mean not to send them to the abode that some other demons were in until judgment day came for them (2 Peter 2:4).

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Just as this poor man could not go anywhere UNLESS the demons allowed him we see that they were just as chained up by Christ because they could not go anywhere unless Christ permitted them! Once again we see the total sovereignty of Christ over evil spirits.

3. The pleading of the demons (5:11-13)

11 Now there was a large herd of swine feeding nearby on the mountain.12 The demons implored Him, saying, “Send us into the swine so that we may enter them.” 13 Jesus gave them permission. And coming out, the unclean spirits entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand of them; and they were drowned in the sea.

It may sound strange that there was ‘a large herd of swine feeding’. As you know pigs were unclean animals and could not be eaten. Why then were there pigs in this story? We need to remember that we are in the region of the Decapolis (ten cities). These ten cities were not of Hebrew origin but were settled by people of Greek descent. They were a group of independent cities that enjoyed great freedom under the Roman rule. They were not part of the Jewish territory and that is why pigs were farmed in that region. Now the demons see the herd of pigs and they once again make a plea for themselves: ‘Send us into the swine so that we may enter them’. Notice that there was no plea for mercy or grace to Jesus for they knew that there was none for them. They have been condemned for a long time and they were simply waiting for judgment day to come. What a great mystery: God has granted redemption unto mankind but not unto the fallen angels!

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In v.13 Jesus gives them permission and instantly they came out of the man and enter the 2000 thousand pigs. Here we see that unclean spirits are able not only to inhabit certain people but also animals. But something happened:

(v.13)… and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand of them; and they were drowned in the sea.

The pigs literally went wild, out of their (pigs) minds! They ran straight over a cliff and plunged into the Sea of Galilee (remember we are still on the shores). There are a few thoughts concerning this. First it seems that animals are not on the same plain as humans. What I mean is that this verse manifests that they are not of the same creational order. There is an order of creation: angels, mankind, animals, plants & finally minerals. It was just too much for these 2000 pigs to be the hosts for the demons yet a single man could host all of them! Is it because man is created in the image of God that this man could do this? A second thought is that Jesus knew that these pigs were going to plunge to their deaths – yet he allowed it. This teaches me (again) that there is a great difference between animals and mankind. We may be made of the same type of living organisms but the line stops there. There is NO spiritual aspect in an animal – they are not in the image of God. The death of 2000 pigs is no match in relationship to the betterment of one single person. May we always care and worry more for our fellow man than for animals. A third thoughts is where did the unclean spirits go? They did not die like the pigs did so where did they go? It is simply not told.

4. The pleading of the people (5:14-17)

14 Their herdsmen ran away and reported it in the city and in the country. And the people came to see what it was that had happened. 15 They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the “legion”; and they became frightened. 16 Those who had seen it described to them how it had happened to the demon-possessed man, and all about the swine. 17 And they began to implore Him to leave their region. 

If the herdsmen ran away it is because they were witnesses to the scene. If they ran away it is because they were frightened. If they ran away it is also because they misunderstood Jesus. So they spread out and told the people who were around. It was actually a BIG thing that had just happened. Imagine losing the entire herd of 2000 pigs and all the money that was involved! After hearing, people came to see for themselves – it was just too unbelievable to be true.

15 They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the “legion”; and they became frightened.

I wonder why they (the herdsmen) didn’t come to Jesus in the first place. They (the crowd) only came to see him later. If the herdsmen would have talked to Jesus then they could have brought a different message to the people. Are we not like them also going to see people, friends & family first instead of coming right away to Jesus? They came and they saw the demon-possessed man and he had completely changed. He was ‘sitting down’ instead of running around in the tombs and mountain side. He was ‘clothed’, I can only guess that he wasn’t before. Finally he was ‘in his right mind’ – he was no longer possessed. He was once more a normal person. I would like to say that what happened to the possessed man Christ has also done for all true believers. First the man was seated and so are believers. They are in Christ seated at the heavenly places (Eph. 2:6). We also have been clothed but by Christ’s righteousness (Rev. 3:5,18; 6:11). Finally we also have come to be in our right mind because it has been renewed (Rom. 12:1,2). Their reaction to what they had seen is bizarre – ‘they became frightened’. You see when you don’t understand what is happening you normally become frightened. Is it not true in our lives? When we don’t understand why such a thing is happening or why God allows this to happen we generally become frightened!

16 Those who had seen it described to them how it had happened to the demon-possessed man, and all about the swine. 17 And they began to implore Him to leave their region. 

Notice that the crowd DOES NOT speak to Jesus. They just believe what the herdsmen were telling them. Because of this they did not ‘get the full picture’ and remained in their state of fright. This should teach us a good spiritual lesson – speak to Jesus when you are frightened and don’t just get your information or facts from people no matter how spiritual they are! They asked Jesus to leave their region. They told Jesus to get out and to go away. How many people, because they just don’t understand why Jesus came – want to have no dealings with him. May this never be true of any of us!

5. The pleading of the cured man (5:18-20)

18 As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was imploring Him that he might accompany Him. 19 And He did not let him, but He said to him, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” 20 And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.

As Jesus and his disciples are preparing to go away and approaching the boat, the man made well by Christ has to take a decision. Do I follow the crowd and live a normal life with my family and friends OR do I follow the person who changed my life who delivered me? I don’t believe that it took too long for the man to make the right decision – he wanted to be with Jesus. Are we not also to make the right choice and choose Jesus over everything else! So he asks Jesus if he could ‘accompany Him’. But strangely Jesus said no!

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This might have hurt the man who wanted to manifest his love for him. But Jesus had something very personal for him to do. Something that is asked of ALL who have become his disciples.

(v.19)… “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” 

Since the people had told Jesus to go away they did not receive the ‘Good News’ concerning the kingdom of God. So Jesus instead of abandoning these people sent them someone who they would accept – one of their own. So Jesus gave this man a personal commission that he gives to all (Mat. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). He told the man to go home and tell them about the grace he had received, what the Lord had done for him. May I ask if you been telling others? Have you forgotten what the Lord has done for you? Are you failing to recall the mercies that were showered upon you at the cross?

20 And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.

This unnamed man loved Christ so much that he did what was asked of him – he told all who would listen what Jesus had done for him. The people who knew of him (of what had happened to him) were all surprised. They were surprised because he had changed so much. Are people surprised by your change? Can they see that the hand of God is upon your life?

CONCLUSION:

1. Jesus might surprise you with something unbelievable that’s just around the bend.

2. Demons recognize who Jesus is and are under his complete authority.

3. Humans must ALWAYS have priority over animals.

4. Always be ready to be a witness to your own people and those around you.

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The gospel of Mark

21 – The raising of the dead girl

5:21-24 and 35-43

21 When Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him; and so He stayed by the seashore. 22 One of the synagogue officials named Jairus came up, and on seeing Him, fell at His feet 23 and implored Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live.” 24 And He went off with him; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him.

35 While He was still speaking, they came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?”36 But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.” 37 And He allowed no one to accompany Him, except Peter and James and John the brother of James.38 They came to the house of the synagogue official; and He saw a commotion, and people loudly weeping and wailing. 39 And entering in, He said to them, “Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is asleep.” 40 They began laughing at Him. But putting them all out, He took along the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and entered the room where the child was. 41 Taking the child by the hand, He said to her, “Talitha kum!” (which translated means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”).42 Immediately the girl got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astounded. 43 And He gave them strict orders that no one should know about this, and He said that something should be given her to eat.

(NASB)

1. The pleading of the father (5:21-24)

         This story is different because it is ‘cut in two’ sections. As you can see verses 25 to 34 tells another story. In other words someone ‘butted in’ and took Jesus’ attention away from the father and his plea for his little girl. Don’t you get frustrated when people do that?

21 When Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him; and so He stayed by the seashore. 22 One of the synagogue officials named Jairus came up, and on seeing Him, fell at His feet 23 and implored Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live.” 24 And He went off with him; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him.

The disciple’s ‘boat ride’ continues and they once more ‘cross over again’. Although it is not stated where they landed it is believed that it is probably Capernaum. As usual we see that a ‘large crowd’ gathered to be with him. It seems that Jesus’ reputation is beyond everything that had ever been seen before. This might be a reason why the religious establishment despised him. They saw in him a ‘rival’ who was taking away their power over the common population, who was constantly gaining fame and admiration? In other words they were jealous of Jesus! We see that ‘he stayed by the seashore’. Jesus did not run away from the crowd. He did not loathe them for taking his time or demanding miracles of healing. This should be a good lesson for the believer. People may crowd us, ask us favors or take our time away from us but our response should be like Christ’s – love and care for them.

22 One of the synagogue officials named Jaïrus came up, and on seeing Him, fell at His feet 23 and implored Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live.”

Synagogues were never instituted by the Lord God! They came to be when the Jewish people went into exile in the Babylonia captivity. Since they no longer had any ‘official’ place of worship they gathered in small groups on the Sabbath day. For a synagogue to be formed there would need to be at least ten men who gathered together. In a service there would be prayers, reading of the Scriptures, interpretations of the prophets and singing. The synagogues were also used as a ‘courthouse’ presided over by three men who would settle judiciary accounts. Jaïrus was a ‘synagogue official’ which meant that he was looked upon as a man of God and one of the spiritual leaders.

We see that Jaïrus did three things. He first ‘came up’ to Jesus. By this we can understand that there was no restraint in his spirit to come and meet him. It also means that Jaïrus knew that Jesus was accessible. I wonder if people around us also feel comfortable to come to us and know that we are open to receive them. The second thing he did is that he ‘fell at his feet’. Prostrating ourselves before someone manifests our hearts. We show that we acknowledge that the person is greater than we are and manifest homage and honor by bowing down. So Jaïrus accepted that Jesus was worthy. In his mind he was a man of God – a prophet who had come into his town. The third and final thing Jaïrus did was to speak to Jesus. Here the words ‘implored him’ and ‘earnestly saying’ are used to show his desperate conversation. The word ‘implore’ (PARAKALEO) means: to call near, intreat, pray. By this we can see that Jaïrus really, really wanted Jesus to hear his cause. His attitude was pressing, it was urgent and he manifested it by ‘imploring’ him. The word ‘earnestly’ (POLUS) means: many, abundantly, plenteous. We can understand that Jaïrus did not only ask Jesus once to come to the aid of his daughter but many, many times. It seems that he wasn’t going to let Jesus go without receiving what he had come for.

(v.23)… “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live.”

Here we see the manifestation of Jaïrus’ faith. He explains what was wrong with his daughter ‘at the point of death’. This is no small matter. She absolutely needed a miracle to get her health back. He also knew and believed that Jesus had the power to restore her health: ‘come and lay your hands on her, so that she will get well and live’. We can only guess that Jaïrus had seen the power of Christ through miracles that Jesus has already done in the past or that he had heard from others the wonders that Jesus had done. If this event is actually in Capernaum then Jaïrus might even have seen for himself what Christ could do. He knew that just one touch of his hand was sufficient to heal his daughter. This man is a wonderful example of true faith in Christ.

24 And He went off with him; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him.

It did not take too long before Jesus, seeing this poor father and hearing his plea, decided to follow this man. What an encouraging phrase ‘He went off with him’. Very simply done, Jesus just follows the man. May we also remember that Jesus simply needs our honest pleading and he will follow us and be with us in our difficulties for did he not say in Mat. 28:20 ‘…I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen! But as he left with Jaïrus there was an obstacle – the crowd. There were a lot of people and all wanted to get their ‘piece’ of Jesus. I guess Jaïrus wasn’t the only one who had pressing problems to be resolved. People will always be in our way when we ask Jesus to intervene in our life. This is mostly because they will be against us following or desiring Christ.

2. The sad news (5:35)

35 While He was still speaking, they came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?”

We begin the second section of this story with very sad news – the death of his daughter! I can only imagine that the crowd that was pressing Jesus and also the healing of the woman took a certain amount of time and since the young daughter was at death’s door she slipped into eternity. How many times have I seen people create a dramatic situation simply by being in the lives of others! I can imagine Jaïrus wanting Jesus to ‘hurry up’ and come to his house.

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The people who came to give the sad news the ‘THEY’ thought that it was all finished – after all the child is dead what could you do? Too often we can also look at things with our human eyes forgetting that in the spiritual realm things are different.

Mark 10:27

But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."

(NKJV)

Since the child has died: ‘why trouble the Teacher anymore’ they told the father. The situation is beyond human understanding and human accomplishment – so forget Christ and stop bothering him! The answer to their question ‘why trouble the Teacher anymore’ is easy to answer because nothing is impossible with God. We are told never to stop asking (Luke 18:3-8). Not only was the crowd in the way of Jaïrus getting his miracle but also those who were close to him. Never underestimate what God can do for your situation.

3. Ignoring the facts (5:36)

36 But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.”

I love the way Jesus straightens-up the situation. He intervenes in the conversation they were having. What do you mean she’s dead and there is nothing to be done! Now Jesus does not scold the messengers – they didn’t know any better and by the way the daughter WAS DEAD! Jesus brings these encouraging words:

(v.36)…“Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.”

Faith in God dispels fright! We need only to believe that God is capable of changing a situation – if he desires! God can do all things but the Lord does not do something that is against his holy character or his perfect will. Paul asked three times to be rid of ‘a thorn in the flesh’ but God said in 2 Cor. 12:9: ‘"My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." God didn’t want to. We also have to understand that there are things that we ask for but God simply says ‘NO’ because he has other plans for us. And if that is the case it simply means that his plans for us are even better than what we desire. Here we see that Jesus ignores the human facts – he’s on an entirely other level!

4. The people’s scepticism (5:37-40a)

37 And He allowed no one to accompany Him, except Peter and James and John the brother of James.38 They came to the house of the synagogue official; and He saw a commotion, and people loudly weeping and wailing. 39 And entering in, He said to them, “Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is asleep.” 40 They began laughing at Him.

We can understand by the text that Jaïrus believed what Jesus told him because this scene opens up at his house. Have you noticed that only Peter, James and John are allowed to follow Jesus and be witnesses to the coming miracle? Have you ever thought why only Peter, James and John? This is not the only instance where these three disciples are chosen to observe while others are not. It happened on three occasions: here with the daughter of Jaïrus, at the Mount of transfiguration (Mat. 17:1) and in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:33). The only reason that I can see for ‘why them’ is answered in Gal. 2:9 where Peter, James and John are called the ‘pillars of the church’ by Paul. To become what they were meant to be they needed to be ‘closer’ to Jesus than the others. Shouldn’t that teach us a lesson? To become who we are called to be we also need to be very close to our Savior!

When Jesus arrived it is written that there was ‘commotion’ (THORUBOS) meaning: a disturbance, an uproar. This commotion is described as ‘people loudly weeping and wailing’. In Middle-Eastern culture it was customary for the women to cry out loud to manifest the pain of human loss. Sometimes women were even paid to be ‘official wailers’. Grief was not kept inside, it was manifested. Still today in many cultures we can see women wail and beat their breast or their heads as a sign of grieving. So there’s a lot going on in and around the house of Jaïrus. Jesus enters the house and asks a question to those who were there:

39 And entering in, He said to them, “Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is asleep.” 40 They began laughing at Him.

Either Jesus is out of his mind saying something like this or he is God incarnate knowing the truth that people can not see. How could you be mistaken and believe that a dead person is actually just asleep? When was the last time you went to a funeral home to pay your respects and told the grieving people: ‘The person in the coffin is not dead – he’s just asleep’. No wonder it is written that ‘They began laughing at him’. How many people still laugh at Jesus when his name is mentioned in a conversation?

5. Jesus takes charge (5:40b-43)

But putting them all out, He took along the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and entered the room where the child was. 41 Taking the child by the hand, He said to her, “Talitha kum!” (which translated means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”).42 Immediately the girl got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astounded. 43 And He gave them strict orders that no one should know about this, and He said that something should be given her to eat.

Jesus put everyone outside! Since they laughed at who he was and what he was saying they had no business with him – so out they went! How many will one day at the judgment of the Great White Throne, weep and wail? How many will regret having laughed at the person of Christ? How many will feel the guilt of having mocked Christ? But it will be too late (Mat. 8:12;13:42,49; 22:13; 24:51; 25:32). If you are alive it is not too late to repent and ask Christ to save you from this coming judgment.

Jesus took the little girl’s mother and father and his three disciples (Peter, James & John) and they enter ‘the room where the child was’. By only using his will manifested by a few words: ‘Talitha Kum’ the child was raised from the dead. He actually ordered the child to rise from Hades! Notice that Jesus did not do this in the name of his Father – he did it with his own power for he is LIFE (John 14:6) and he gives life to whom he desires. If the calming of the sea and of the wind was an unbelievable miracle, imagine giving life to a dead person! Have you noticed that by telling his disciples to follow him to the other side Jesus has manifested his sovereignty first over nature (wind & sea), then over demons (Legion) and here over death! Following Jesus will also make you see things that you never thought you could see!

42 Immediately the girl got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astounded. 43 And He gave them strict orders that no one should know about this, and He said that something should be given her to eat.

Even death can not stand up to Christ. It had to abandon the little girl! The grip of death instantly loosened for it was commanded to do so. Jesus said in Rev. 1:18: "I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” That is why he could say that he was the resurrection and the life (John 11:25). People were ‘completely astounded’, they couldn’t believe their eyes!

I can only imagine the gratitude that the parents had towards Christ! May we have the same type of gratitude for God for he has also brought believers out of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of light (Col. 1:13). Why did he order the parents not to say anything – I really don’t know for this would be known instantly (people were outside the house).

CONCLUSION:  

1. Let us never be afraid to plead our cause to Christ.

2. Let us never despair when we hear of bad news.

3. Sometimes we need to ignore what our human eyes see.

4. Don’t be affected by the sceptics.

5. Let Jesus take charge.

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The gospel of Mark

22- The sick woman

5:25-34

25 A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, 26 and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse— 27 after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. 28 For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.” 29 Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. 30 Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My garments?” 31 And His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” 32 And He looked around to see the woman who had done this. 33 But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came 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 affliction.”

(NASB)

1. The woman (5:25-29)

This is the story within the story. As I said in our last section concerning the raising of the young girl, the father was interrupted in his attempt to get Jesus to come to his house. And this is what happened.

25 A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, 26 and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse— 27 after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. 28 For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.” 29 Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. 

In verse twenty five we are told what type of illness the woman was suffering from – a ‘hemorrhage’ (RHUSIS): a flux of blood, issue. For some unknown reason this woman was hemorrhaging. We all know how dangerous this can be if it is intensive. But it is also very dangerous if it continues for a long time even though it is slight. Hemorrhaging is not a malady on its own, it is a symptom of an illness that one has. Now this hemorrhage had been afflicting her for an enormous amount of time – twelve years to be exact. Because she lost blood on a daily basis, this, as you can imagine, brought to her many social inconveniences. But what was even greater and much more important is that this poor woman suffered spiritually. I say this because the Law forbade a woman who had an issue of blood to partake in spiritual matters (Lev. 12:1-8; 15:19-24). Lev. 15:25 would apply perfectly to this poor woman’s case:

If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, other than at the time of her customary impurity, or if it runs beyond her usual time of impurity, all the days of her unclean discharge shall be as the days of her customary impurity. She shall be unclean.

(NKJV)

As you can see, the distress of this woman went further than her physical discomfort, it actually kept her apart, separated her, from all spiritual activities. She could not approach the Lord God because of her continuous blood loss. In verse twenty six we see that this woman had done all she could to regain her health. First of all we see that she ‘had endured much at the hands of many physicians’. This means that she never gave up (here we see her character). She saw many physicians but NONE could help her. This is an important fact in this story. She was impure before God but there was NOTHING that man could do about it. So for twelve years she goes from one physician to another and her health did not recover but had gotten worse. Imagine her state of mind! She suffered one failed hope after another. The second thing that she had done is: ‘had spent all that she had’. No matter the amount of money she had spent it was for a total loss. In a way many believe that what they do or what they spend will bring them spiritual healing – but it never does! The poor woman not only remained ill but she had lost a great amount of money in the process of getting better. To give you an idea of what ‘type of medicine’ a doctor of her day would have given her for her loss of blood here is a prescription found in the Talmud.

‘Take of the gum of Alexandria the weight of a zuzee (a fraction of a silver coin); of alum the same; of crocus the same. Let them be bruised together, and given in wine to the woman that has an issue of blood. If this does not benefit, take of Persian onions three logs (pints); boil them in wine and give her to drink, and say, ‘Arise from thy flux’.’

27 after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. 28 For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.” 29 Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. 

‘After hearing about Jesus’, this is a wonderful phrase. It manifests the importance of speaking about Jesus. If she had never heard about Jesus she never would have been cured! If true believers do not speak about Jesus how then can people be cured of their spiritual illness? The words of Paul spoken in Romans 10:15 resound perfectly:

And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!

(NKJV)

Have you ever wondered why ‘she came up in the crowd behind him’? So many come to Jesus ‘face to face’, bow down, and ask for his help. Why would she come from behind, as if she was invisible and not even speak to Jesus? The answer lies with her physical problem (issue of blood). Since she was impure, she was not allowed to touch someone because that person would also become impure (Lev.15:19). This verse also tells us that she needed to be set apart from the other people. In her mind she would automatically be rejected by Jesus if he knew her state of impurity. So she secretly crept up behind him ‘and touched his cloak’.

28 For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.” 

Her faith was unbelievable! In her mind there was no mistake about it. If she just touched his clothing then all would be fine – she would finally be healed after those long twelve years. I wonder if our faith comes close to this woman’s. Is Jesus truly sufficient for our redemption? Do we need to add a little something to what he has done at the cross? Have we placed our total confidence in his righteousness before the Lord God?

29 Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. 

She was right, she was completely healed. There was no more blood flow – Christ had made her pure and given her health back. Notice the word ‘immediately’ (EUTHEOS) means: directly, at once. There was no waiting period or trial period. She was cured instantaneously. She actually felt right away that she was cured! The benefits of her healing could be seen and felt by her! Her ‘affliction’ (MASTIX) meaning: a whip, scourging (hence plague) had gone. In a sense her body was made new again – perfect health! Isn’t that what Jesus does to all who come to him spiritually for redemption? Does he not heal totally and eternally that person from his sin-sickness (Heb. 10:10-14)?

2. The reaction of Jesus (5:30)

30 Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My garments?” 

It is the same Greek word that is used for ‘immediately’ (EUTHEOS) in both verses (29 & 30). Just as she was healed immediately – Jesus immediately felt a power ‘proceeding from Him’. The word ‘proceeding’ (EXECHOMAI) means: depart, escape, to get out”. And the word ‘power’ (DUNAMIS) means: a force especially a miraculous force. Out of Christ came a miraculous power that cured this woman’s body. The power of God is immeasurable. It is infinite! By his spoken word he created the entire universe and sustains it! What is unbelievable is that it took no greater will to cure that woman than to create the cosmos!

Jesus asks: ‘who touched my garments?’ We all know that he knew who had touched him so why did he ask? As we will see, Jesus wanted to give more than physical healing to this lady full of faith. But to do so he needed to ‘have a talk’ with her. I believe that we sometimes receive less than what Christ wants to give his disciples simply because we satisfy ourselves with little. Or we do not take real time to share our hearts with Christ. Does Jesus want to speak with you? I believe so. Did he not give his life to be able to offer you redemption?

3. The reaction of his disciples (5:31,32)

31 And His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” 32 And He looked around to see the woman who had done this. 

Now the disciples did not understand why Jesus was asking ‘who touched me?’ They thought that he was over doing it. Look at the big crowd, it could be anyone who touched you? Lots of people are ‘pressing’ (SUNTHLIBO) meaning: to compress. The crowd was so intense that people were shoulder to shoulder. It could be anybody that touched you. But there was only ONE PERSON who touched Jesus like the sick woman did and the disciples did not know this yet. This teaches me that sometimes even good disciples of Jesus do not know exactly what Christ is doing in relationship with others. So let’s not pretend that we know everything that Jesus does!

4. The truth is revealed (5:33)

33 But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. 

The first phrase describes how the woman felt – after all didn’t she get her miracle by ‘cheating’ (touching Jesus from behind, not speaking to him and hiding in a crowd)? She first felt ‘fear’ (PHOBEO) meaning: to be frightened, alarmed.

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She was probably terrified by what this man of God might say or do to her. She felt that her life was in his hands. She also felt ‘trembling’ (TREMO) meaning: to tremble of fear, being afraid. Her body was shaking because of this great fear she had. You see this woman did not know the person of Jesus. She did not know his love, mercy, care, grace, kindness and so forth – so she was terrified. How many people are afraid to come to Christ simply because they see him differently then he truly is? May we never refrain from coming to Jesus with our burdens! Never forget that we are personally invited to do so.

Mat. 11:28

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

(NKJV)

She gathered enough strength to manifest herself. She ‘fell down before him and told him the whole truth’. She did not keep anything from Christ. She became an open book. No matter what would happen she just had to confess to Jesus. You see she told him ‘the whole truth’. All who come to Jesus also need to talk to him and tell him the whole truth; not hiding anything, not only telling the good things. Are we ready to do this to receive our ‘spiritual cleansing’?

5. The blessing (5:34)

34 And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.”

Notice that Jesus calls her ‘daughter’ which is a kind calling of someone. How long had it been since she had been called ‘daughter’ in this tender fashion? Could it be at least twelve years? Do not forget that most often people believed that when you were sick it was a curse from God who was punishing you for not being a ‘good’ person. When Jesus called her ‘daughter’ it was wrapped in love and compassion.

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He commends her for her faith ‘your faith has made you well’. Once more we see the importance of the role of faith in our relationship with the Lord. It was her faith (and the manifestation of it) that brought her healing.

Jesus blesses her ‘go in peace’. How many curses, profanities had she heard men and women address her with. How many harsh words had broken her heart? How many times had she been rejected and verbally insulted during her sickness? But now she hears blessings and was approved by Christ before the entire crowd. This man of God, this prophet had just blessed her. May Christians never forget the blessings they have received by having been blessed by the death of Christ which made them become righteous before the Father!

You see, Jesus wanted to talk to her. He wanted to give her his personal blessing and approval before everyone. She could now walk among her peers with her head high and no longer see herself as being as a ‘reject’.

CONCLUSION:

1. No matter what state you are in come to Jesus.

2. Don’t hide from Jesus.

3. Sometimes people may not understand how Christ is working.

4. Always be honest with Christ, don’t hide or play games with him.

5. Jesus wants to bless you

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The gospel of Mark

23 – A prophet without honour

6:1-6

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Jesus went out from there and came into His hometown; and His disciples followed Him. 2 When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Him. 4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.” 5 And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He wondered at their unbelief. And He was going around the villages teaching.

(NASB)

1. Jesus and the synagogue (6:1,2)

Jesus went out from there and came into His hometown; and His disciples followed Him. 2 When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? 

This is the end of the journey that the disciples had taken with Jesus in the boat. We have seen that Jesus manifested his deity through the calming of the sea, the authority over demons, the total restoration of a very sick body and finally even over death by the resurrection of the 12 year old girl. But now time has come for Jesus to return home.

It is written ‘and came into His hometown’. Where would this be if not Nazareth where he had grown up? It is worthy of mention that the town of Nazareth is not named in the O-T! Nathanael said that it was a city of ill-repute (John 1:46). This can mean two things. Either the people living there (Nazareth is situated in Galilee) were not outwardly living as ‘good Jews’ because there were many Gentiles in the region, or the moral character of the people of Nazareth was not to be followed.

Nazareth was the hometown of both Joseph and Mary and that is where they settled once the fear of losing their child at the hands of evil doers had gone. Finally, it is said that during the life time of Jesus there were probably 15,000 to 20,000 people living there. So Nazareth was not a small town or a village.

(v.1)… and His disciples followed Him.

This is the one thing that all disciples are called to do – ‘follow Him’. But what does ‘following Jesus’ mean? In a few words it means: receiving his teachings and applying them in our life. In his gospel, John gave a perfect example of what it meant to ‘follow Jesus’.

John 6:67-69

(67)Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"

(68)But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

(69)"Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

(NKJV)

So the disciples followed Jesus to his hometown of Nazareth. In verse two we see that Jesus does a familiar thing on the Sabbath day – he goes to the synagogue. Once again we see the importance of gathering together (as a group of believers) to sing, pray and be exhorted by the word of God. I hope that you are following the model that Christ has given. If you are not, then you are failing to follow Jesus the way that you should. We also see that Jesus ‘began to teach in the synagogue’. This is something that he does over and over again. In Mark 1:38 Jesus says that teaching was one of the reasons why he had come forth. But this time it was different, it was in his hometown. How would people react to this?

(v.2)… and the many listeners were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? 

As we can see there were ‘many listeners’. It seems that this synagogue held quite a large number of people. All had come to sing and pray but also to receive from the Word of God. In a traditional synagogue a man could speak and edify those who were listening. While there were certain people who ‘professionally’ would, other men would simply come and speak what the Lord had placed on their hearts. For Jesus to come and teach would be an accepted thing to do. These ‘listeners’ (AKOUO) meaning: to hear, to understand were very attentive to what Jesus was saying. After all was he not the miracle worker, the one who told the sea and wind to be quiet – and it did! Was he not the one who effortlessly cast out demons, the one who cured all those brought to him and the one who even gave life back to a little girl! Of course they were very attentive to his very words and so should all true disciples be. We should be at his very feet and literally be drinking every word that comes from his mouth, like Mary did (Luke 10:38-42).

It is written that these listeners were ‘astonished’ (EKPLESSO) meaning: to be amazed. We do not know what the words of Jesus were but we do know the impact that they had on the people’s hearts. If we would end our thoughts here we could think that they were good thoughts, that they were immensely blessed by his words. But is this true? Let’s take a closer look. It seems that these listeners were very impressed NOT BY HIS TEACHINGS but rather whose mouth they came from. Three thoughts were brought up.

• Where did this man get these things

• What is this wisdom given to him

• And such miracles as these performed by his hands

They were not spiritual people and they did not receive any spiritual blessing from the Lord Jesus. When we listen to sermons are we more attentive to the person who gives the message or the message itself? They first wondered ‘where did this man get these things’? They could not conceive that Jesus was either a prophet or maybe the Messiah. Their eyes were spiritually shut. They also admitted that Jesus was speaking words of wisdom – 'what is this wisdom given to him’.

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Yet they did not retain them! Finally they wondered about where his power came from, ‘such miracles as these performed by his hands’. But these did not attract them to the person of Christ. Christ had manifested over and over again that he was the Messiah BUT they did not have ears to listen or eyes to see. They were astounded but this astonishment did not resound in their hearts – so they were left in the dark. Does your heart burn when you read the gospels? Does the Word of God have a permanent effect on your soul? Or do these emotions and wonders cease after a little while? Are you like the ones who saw and heard but did not understand?

2. Some were offended (6:3)

3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Him. 

To the people present it seems that the only things that they could think of was what they had known of Jesus – after all he had grown up in their midst. He can’t be a prophet – he’s a carpenter. He’s not a man of God – his mother, brothers and sisters are among us. He’s just the ‘little Jesus’ that we saw grow up with us. He’s not special, he’s just an ordinary guy – like the rest of us.

(v.3)… And they took offense at Him. 

Who does he think he is coming to our synagogue like that? He teaches as though he studied all of his life. He speaks as though he knows God personally? He acts as though he can do anything? It is written that what Jesus taught and did in the synagogue ‘offended them’. This word ‘offended’ (SKANDALIZO) means: to entrap, to entice to sin, displeasure. Whatever Jesus did, it brought great displeasure to the people in the synagogue. It seems that the words of Jesus offended them. This is very normal because the words of Jesus shine on the darkness within the hearts of man.

John 1:4,5

(4)In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

(5)And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

(NKJV)

John 1:11

He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.

(NKJV)

May we also remember that the words that we present when we evangelize will probably offend people! No one likes to hear that they are sinners and that all that they do has absolutely no worth before the Lord as a means of redemption. No one likes to hear that they have to repent of their sins and ask Jesus to wash them by his blood. No one likes to hear that they need to turn around, follow Jesus and leave everything behind. So some people will probably do like these listeners did – reject the Christ that you are proclaiming.

3. Prophet without honour (6:4)

 4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.” 

We have seen that people had been unjustly ‘offended’ by Christ. But how did Christ react to their offense? This declaration has been understood by countless millions that have become a disciple of Jesus in an unwelcoming environment. Still today, true Christians are being jailed, tortured and murdered on a daily basis. The honor that was due to Christ was withheld. Why was he received and welcomed with open arms in other places in Israel and even abroad yet not in his hometown? Simply because, in their eyes, he was a ‘common man’.

There is a great warning for modern believers in this passage. Has Jesus become so common to you that you have lost sight of who he is? Has he become your ‘buddy’ or your ‘BFF’ instead of your Lord and Savior? Have you made him so human that you have forgotten his divinity? Have you lost your godly respect for him? Because he has become your ‘spiritual brother’ are you downgrading him? This sin is at your door but you can overcome it (Gen. 4:7).

4. Lack of faith (6:5,6)

5 And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He wondered at their unbelief. And He was going around the villages teaching.

This is a sad ending for the section that we are studying. Here we are in the town that Jesus grew up in, with people, who knew him since he was a young child – rejecting him. They did not reject him because of having no evidence of who he was, for his reputation ran across all of Israel. They rejected him because they rejected even the idea that the Messiah could be right in front of their own eyes.

He ‘could do no miracle’ except for a few here and there. It is written that he ‘laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them’. Out of the crowd that rejected him there were ‘a few’ who did believe, a few who had faith in him and they were the ones who received their miracle. Amen that there will always be ‘a few’ here and there who truly believe, a few who will come to him, a few who will ask for his work in their lives. But what a tragedy for the majority of the Nazarenes! They get nothing from Christ. Is our world not like the city of Nazareth? The vast majority is rejecting the Lord Jesus and by doing so they receive nothing from him!

6 And He wondered at their unbelief. And He was going around the villages teaching.

This verse means that Jesus ‘couldn’t believe his eyes’ at what he was seeing. For us it would be like seeing something totally unexpected or out of place. They were supposed to believe, the miracles were there to prove that he was the Messiah. But they said ‘NO’ to him! Their ‘unbelief’ (APISTIA) meaning: faithlessness or disbelief was – unbelievable! Because of this they failed to receive what Christ had intended for them. So he went away, leaving them to themselves – in the dark! He went elsewhere to places where he would be better received.

Could it be that, as true believers, we also miss out on countless blessings simply because we lack faith in Christ?

CONCLUSION:

1. Once again we see the importance of gathering together for spiritual nourishment. Let’s remember that a disciple ‘follows’ his Master.

2. As you spread the ‘Good News’ or speak of the Lord many will be offended. So don’t be surprised or discouraged.

3. You probably will be dishonored in your home and within your circle of friends if you stand up as a Christian.

4. Lack of faith will separate you from God’s blessings.

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The gospel of Mark

24 - The sending of the twelve

6:7-13

7 And He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits; 8 and He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belt— 9 but to wear sandals; and He added, “Do not put on two tunics.” 10 And He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town. 11 Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.” 12 They went out and preached that men should repent. 13 And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.

(NASB)

1. The sending (6:7)

7 And He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits; 

After being rejected by his own in Nazareth and able only to do a few miracles because of the people’s lack of faith, Jesus set out to send his apostles on their first official mission.

The first thing that Jesus does is: ‘summoned the twelve’. The word ‘summoned’ (PROSKALEOMAI) means: to call to oneself. I like the personal touch that Jesus had. There was no messenger sent to tell the ‘twelve’ that Jesus was sending them off. He wanted them to be with Him. He personally conferred unto them this first-time mission event. Jesus is always personal with his disciples. He is also personal with his modern disciples for remember what he said in Mat. 28:20 ‘… I am with you always even to the end of times’. Once they ‘huddled’ around Jesus he personally set them apart from his other disciples ‘to send them’ (APOSTELLO) meaning: to send out. This is the first time that there is a great distinction between the ‘twelve’ and the other disciples who followed Christ. He sent them on a mission, a mission that would later be conferred to the group of ‘seventy’ and finally to all of his disciples.

He sent them off but made certain that they would be encouraged by working alongside another disciple. He sent ‘them out in pairs’, two by two and not alone. Once more we see the care that Christ had for his own. He knew how difficult it would be and how feeble our flesh is (Mat. 26:41). When we are two one can sometimes rest upon the strength of the other, or the encouragement of the other. We can pray together, plan together and travel together. But Christ did not send them off without granting them power and protection.

(v.7)…and gave them authority over the unclean spirits;

Notice that it is Christ who gave them authority. They did not have it until it was given unto them. No one can have this kind of authority unless it is given by God himself! The word ‘authority’ (EXOUSIA) means: a privilege or capacity. Since angels and unclean spirits are mightier than men (Heb. 2:7-9) these ‘twelve men’ received the privilege and the capacity to overcome these evil spirits. I believe this was done for two reasons. The first was to manifest that their message (Good News) was from God and power over evil spirits would be the proof of this. Second it would be for their own protection against the plotting of the evil one against them.

2. The instructions (6:8-11)

8 and He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belt— 9 but to wear sandals; and He added, “Do not put on two tunics.” 10 And He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town. 11 Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.” 

Jesus instructed them in what they should do. This certainly is a good lesson for all Christians especially those who desire to be in ‘ministry’. Far too many ministries go off in the name of Jesus and yet do not reflect the heart of Christ. This is not what servants are called to do. They are called to listen to their Master’s wishes and then act upon them. There is no place for ‘doing things my way’ in ministry. So let’s take a look at Jesus’ instructions for their first mission.

The BIG headline is ‘take nothing… except’. This is quite a statement! He is sending his disciples off (also read Mat. 10:1-43 and Luke 9:2-6) on a journey that will take them from town to town and Jesus says ‘take nothing… except’. This will test the disciple’s faith. Do you believe enough to go forward and trust me completely for your actual needs? Jesus allows them to take with them ‘a mere staff’. I don’t believe that this has any spiritual significance – not like Moses and his staff and the great works God did through it! The staff was used for two main things. First it was used as an aid while you walked, something that you could lean on and help you keep your balance and so forth and second to fight off animals if ever they came along. So he was thinking of their well-being.

On the other hand he said not to bring any bread, any bag and any money. This was mainly to manifest that he was going to provide for all of their needs. He would provide for their food (no bread), for their lodging (no bag) and for their expenses (no money). In verse nine Jesus adds: ‘do not put on two tunics’ – yet another item they were not supposed to bring with them. As though Jesus was saying: ‘Don’t bring anything extra with you, don’t worry about anything – all will go fine you will not be in want’. The only other thing besides ‘a mere staff’ that Jesus tells them to bring is: ‘to wear sandals’. Not everybody wore sandals. It seems that they were going to travel extensively on their mission and Jesus wanted them to have protection for their feet. This reminds me of what Paul wrote in Romans:

Rom. 10:15

And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!"

(NKJV)

Are we ready to go ahead with what we know that the Lord wants of us? Do we need everything to be perfect before we act? Have we lost the truth that the Lord will provide since it is his mission and we are his messengers? Are we counting more on what we have than on what the Lord will provide for us?

10 And He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town. 11 Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.” 

We enter a new section of his directives for his disciples. This time he tells them what to do with the people who they will minister to. Jesus tells them that he will provide for their lodging. He tells them ‘Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town’. He doesn’t seem to want his disciples to roam around every night, looking for a place to stay. When you find a place ‘stay there’. Stay there until you have finished with that town. Then he speaks concerning how to react to people in relation with their evangelism. As always there will be two different ‘camps’ of people: the ones who will receive them and the ones who will not receive them. We have seen that for the people who will receive them they are to stay in their homes. But there is another camp, those who will oppose them.

11 Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.” 

What are they to do with the ones who DO NOT RECEIVE THEIR MESSAGE? Are they to force it upon them? Are they to use any verbal language against them? Are they to hunt them down? What are they to do? Jesus tells them simply to: ‘shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them’. True Christianity NEVER uses any type of violence to force people to convert to Christ. This has been a great mistake that has been used throughout the centuries. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever for using violence or trickery or anything of the sort.

Then what are the disciples to do? ‘shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them’. One simple thing – ‘shake the dust off your feet’ – that’s all! They were not to bring judgment upon them but rather leave all judgment unto the Lord himself. For Jesus will be the one who determines their fate. He also is the only one who knows the secrets of their hearts.

Matthew 25:31-33

(31)"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.

(32)"All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.

(33)"And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.

(NKJV)

The disciples were to bring the message given to them by Christ and the consequences of that is to be left between the Lord and the people themselves. I believe that we have forgotten the role of the Holy Spirit in conversion and we often try to take his divine ministry.

John 16:8

"And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

(NKJV)

There is a tendency to keep on harassing people with the gospel because they do not react with the acceptance of it. Like a dog with a bone some Christians just ‘don’t let go’ of people. They believe that their mandate is to ‘bring people to Christ’. This is false. The mandate Jesus gave his disciples was to share the Good News with others. The consequence of this is not in their hands. The proof of this is that Jesus tells them ‘for a testimony against them’. He is the judge and the Holy Spirit is the one who produces the new birth in the individual. So don’t get mixed up – you don’t convict people and you certainly don’t judge them.

This is wonderful because by understanding that our ministry is to bring the Good News unto others and not to convert them there is an immense weight that is off our shoulders.

3. The ministries (6:12,13)

12 They went out and preached that men should repent. 13 And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.

We see that the disciples listened to Jesus: ‘They went out’. They went where people were. They didn’t wait to preach on Sabbaths in the synagogue (they could have) but they didn’t. They went where the people were and talked about Christ. This is exactly what ALL disciples are called to do – ‘preach that men should repent’. The message has not changed. It is still the same for us. I fear that in many cases we do not preach the gospel of Christ any longer. We first try to bring people to our meetings (to church) – Christ said to go out and talk out there. We have all sorts of ‘attractions’ given in these evenings instead of simply telling people the good news of Jesus Christ. Church is basically not for unbelievers but for the family of God. We try to win them with stories of ‘health and wealth’, better marriages, a great future, perfect families and so forth. But this is wrong and many are not truly saved because they have not repented of their sins but have ‘come to Christ’ for themselves, for something they want. So go out, preach the gospel and when people are saved bring them to the church meetings.

13 And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.

Here we see that the disciples used the ‘tools’ that the Lord Jesus had given them in verse seven. These were miraculous powers over the spiritual enemies. This was the seal of their testimonies, a spiritual proof of some sort unto those who heard the gospel message. In Luke ten, when Jesus sends out the group of seventy for their mission he also gave them power over sicknesses. Does this still exist today? Do all the true Disciples of Christ have power over evil spirits? Are they able to cure any sicknesses? Obviously the answer is NO! Does that mean that there are no real miracles done today? Again the answer is NO!

God still miraculously cures people – mostly through prayer. We must never place God in our little ‘theological box’. Unfortunately there are a great deal of ‘false healers’ out there and one day they will have to give an account to the Lord himself.

CONCLUSION:

1. God has sent his disciples unto the world and he does the same with his disciples today.

2. His instructions are simple: Share the ‘Good News’ and leave the rest to me. Don’t be afraid, I will provide for your needs.

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