So often on this website we have prayed for one another as we have faced huge storms.
The love we have developed for one another has
made us cry out in desperation for one another.
In Mark 5, we see that desperation before Jesus repeatedly.
So our symbol for the week is a desperate man on his knees.
In Mark 5, desperation drove:
a demon-possed man,
the father of a dying daughter,
and a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years,
to fall at the feet of Jesus, pleading for mercy.
Mark 5 also shows us the importance of patience,
which is a real test when you are desperate,
for we wonder why a loving God would delay.
Having just been ministering in prison for a week, I must
tell you how impressed I am with the women who have been denied furlough after furlough when their cause seems just.
So many still have joy, still trust God’s sovereignty, and still pray with fervor.
We went to Death Row — one of the women has been taken up by the Innocence Project for new evidence reveals she truly may have been falsely accused of murder. Yet for over a decade she has trusted, waited, and leaned on God’s sovereignty. She is in a cell 23 hours of each day — yet the woman I met was filled with joy. (All of the women on Death Row have come to Christ through Discipleship Unlimited.)
Waiting is a real test, a test we want to pass!
Highlight from Last Week
I was reminded how storms shake our world and reveal the futility of our idols. Our dear Rebecca is going through an enormous storm now, but she is such a model to me of speaking truth to her soul. She wrote:
Lord, I cry out to you for help! I confess the years I found satisfaction in human love as ultimate over your love. I believed the lies from my idols and didn’t see this inside me until your waves and breakers swept over me. How much longer in this body of sin that so easily wanders away from your love will I endure? Thank you that with each necessary battle you are making me more like you. Lord you say my eyes are like a Doves eyes and that I am your princess all gloriously wrapped in your clothing as you are taking my sin and turning it around to make me more like you. Help me to turn from my sin faster because I don’t want rocks in the stream of intimacy with you. Thank you for bringing me into the dance giving me your Holy Spirit to convict and empower me to turn. Help me today to keep my thoughts on you and not believe what the enemy whispers to me. Thank you that you are bringing my life up from the pit. In your name I pray, amen.
Pray for Rebecca! God has given us wonderful answers here as together we plead for mercy!
Sunday:
- What stands out to you from the above and why?
- Share a time, if possible, when you were desperate but also waited with trust and He came to you.
Monday: A Demon-Possessed Man Ran and Fell at His Feet
3. Read Mark 5:1-6 and describe in detail the state of this man and his response to Jesus.
Keller does not cover this incident, but Matthew Henry (always available for free online) gives great insight. He said God says, “Do thyself no harm.” (Acts 16:28) but Satan says “Do thyself all the harm thy canst.” Demons, as they often do, drive us into isolation (woe to him who is alone) or into evil company.
4. We are in the 7th week of this study, are you keeping up? Is the fellowship of your sisters here helping? If so, give thanks.
5. Read Mark 5:7-10 and describe the interaction between the legion of demons and Jesus. What do you learn about demons? Find all you can.
6. Read Mark 5:11-20
A. Summarize what happens in this passage.
B. Matthew Henry says that pigs, who like to dwell in mire, are fit habitations for demons
or for those who are loath to quit their sin. Comment?
C. Meditate on the response of the people in both verse 15 and 17. What do you see?
7. Use this story as a springboard for prayer — especially for yourself if you are “loath to quit
your sin” or for those who may be either possessed or tormented by demons.
Tuesday: Jairus Fell at His Feet Pleading for His Daughter
8. Read Mark 5:21-36
A. Summarize in a few sentences what happened.
B. How do you think Jairus felt when Jesus stopped to help the woman? What does Jesus
tell him to do in verse 36?
9. Is there an area in your life where the Lord is asking you to wait and trust Him? If so, do
you want to share it here and ask for patience and trust?
Wednesday: She Fell at His Feet, Trembling with Fear
10. Read again Mark 5:24-34
A. What details stand out to you in this story and why?
B. What common threads do you see in the above 3 stories of desperate people?
11. Read Chapter 5 in Keller’s book up to “What We Really Need” and share a few thoughts
you want to remember.
12. Is there an application to your life you could turn to prayer?
Thursday: “Why all this commotion and wailing?”
13. Read Mark 5:37-42
A. Describe what happens in this scene.
B. Do you see any similarity to the scene of Jesus stopping the storm? If so, what?
C. Is there a way you could use this scene as a springboard for prayer? If so, do it.
14. Read the section “What We Really Need” in Keller’s book and share what stands out to you
Friday: If I have you by the hand, death is nothing but sleep
15. Read the final two sections in Chapter 6 of Keller’s book and share what stands out to you
and why.
16. Is there a way God is working in your life through Mark’s gospel? If so, share to encourage
us all.
Saturday: Review and Reflection
17. Is there a question you’d like to ask of the group that came from this study?
18. Share what you think you will still remember about Mark 5 a year from now.
145 comments
Wednesday
10. Read again Mark 5:24-34
A. What details stand out to you in this story?
The amount of time the woman suffered, 12 years! The money she spent seeing doctors and had only gotten worse and then she heard about Jesus, touched His robe in a crowd and immediately she was healed…her faith made her well.
The other thing is Jairus getting the news that his daughter was dead and Jesus saying, “don’t be afraid, just have faith.”
B. What common threads do you see in the above 3 stories of desperate people?
They had all suffered physically and emotionally, hoping for a cure, knew of Jesus and His healing power and in faith reached out to Him.
I can’t think of anyplace in the gospels where a person who asked Jesus for mercy didn’t receive healing. Can you?
10. Read again Mark 5:24-34
A. What details stand out to you in this story and why?
I was trying to imagine what it was like to be in this crowd. I’ve been in crowds where you’re like a sardine in a box, and you move along with everybody else. This woman must have had her eyes sharply focused on Jesus so as not to lose sight of him in this crowd, and how she had to maneuver to get close enough to him to touch his robe. I imagine she felt some anxiety because she was thinking this is my only chance; I can’t let him get away! And she wasn’t planning on demanding an audience from Jesus; she just wanted to touch the fabric of his clothes. She believed with all her heart that this was the only thing she needed to do. I also wonder what was the sensation that Jesus felt in his body when he became aware that healing power had left his body? Did He always feel drained, then, when He healed people? I also love how when she came forward, Jesus called her “daughter”. So much more personal than “woman”.
B. What common threads do you see in the above 3 stories of desperate people?
The isolation of the desperate in the story of the demon possessed man and the woman who was bleeding. He was isolated because of the demons within, and she was isolated because she was considered unclean because of her blood flow. Jesus restores to them both their place in society: to the man, Jesus commissions him to go and tell everyone what God has done for him, and Jesus calls the woman to come forward and tell her story in front of the crowd, then pronounces her to be well, and calls her daughter. The common thread of all three desperate people falling at the feet of Jesus: it didn’t matter their station in society; the crazed outcast, the unclean woman, the prominent religious leader. All three are on level ground at the feet of Jesus, needing His mercy and help.
The time, personal attention, listening, and treating them with dignity and compassion that Jesus gives to all three.
11. Read Chapter 6 in Keller’s book up to “What We Really Need” and share a few thoughts you want to remember.
I want to remember what patience (in action) looks like. This reminded me of 1 Corinthians 13, “Love is patient…” So patience is love for the long haul, and bearing up under hard circumstances without giving up or becoming bitter. Patience means I keep working despite my own gratification being delayed, and taking what life offers without lashing out. This is the patience of Jesus, the patience He showed to His disciples and the people He met in His life.
I love how Keller delves into the emotional state of the main characters: Jairus must be so excited and hopeful that Jesus has agreed to come lay his hands on his dying little girl, yet he’s also anxious that they get there before it’s too late. Jairus, of course, couldn’t have known that there is no “too late” with Jesus. Then, Jesus does the unthinkable: He stops to find out who touched him, and lets the woman tell her whole story. Jairus’ insides must have been churning, the disciples may have been irritated, yet Jesus is calm and composed and unhurried. Keller likens this to medical malpractice, and I could relate to that. Imagine if one of my patients was suddenly having chest pain and difficulty breathing, yet I said first, I’m going to help Mrs. Smith walk to the bathroom and change her linens, then I’ll be there. Even when Jairus receives the worst news, that his daughter is dead, Jesus still doesn’t lose His composure. He simply tells Jairus to not be afraid and to believe.
This was a wonderful explanation from Keller: “When Jesus looks at Jairus and says “Trust me, be patient,” in effect He is looking over Jairus’ head at ALL OF US (me, too!) and saying….now I’m telling you that my grace and love are compatible with what seem to you to be unconscionable delays.” And this: that if I impose my understanding of schedule and timing on Jesus, I WILL STRUGGLE TO FEEL LOVED BY HIM.
Love your last sentence.
Just watched the wonderful movie A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood — how Fred Rogers lived like our Lord! As you said, Susan:
The time, personal attention, listening, and treating them with dignity and compassion that Jesus gives to all three.
You know what kills me about Mr. Rogers? It’s like my dad….he was a good, kind, man. Some of my friends think he was gay. That makes my SO mad! Our society has placed men (today) into only 2 categories: gay or athletes. No more “Renaissance Man” of the past (like Mr. Rogers and my father). My dad was a musician. He was not an athlete and he was NOT gay! I get SO annoyed that men can’t be good and kind people and just be men. It is sad for our society and very sad for our boys who may not fit into one of those two categories. I also wonder if our boys are confused because of this and I wonder if some kids who are these “Renaissance” men have been pushed into thinking they are gay? So you can’t be just a good, kind man like Jesus anymore? You have to have some label from society? Ok, off my soapbox…
13. Read Mark 5:37-42
A. Describe what happens in this scene.
Jesus has arrived at the home of Jairus, and there’s a huge commotion because of the little girl’s death; everyone is wailing and weeping. Jesus doesn’t allow a big crowd to follow; only Peter, James, and John. Jesus asks the people why all the commotion; after all, the child is only asleep. They laugh at him. Jesus puts them all out. He takes the three disciples and Jairus and his wife into the room where the dead child is lying. Jesus holds her hand, and tells her to get up. She immediately stands up and walks around the room. Jesus tells those present not to tell anyone what had happened.
B. Do you see any similarity to the scene of Jesus stopping the storm? If so, what?
The disciples in the storm accused Jesus of not caring that they were about to die; Jairus may have felt that Jesus didn’t care enough to hurry faster to get there before his daughter died, but he didn’t say that out loud. The storm here is the storm of grief and death. Jesus stops it, instantly. When He tells the little girl to arise, it’s immediate, just like when He spoke to the storm it was dead calm in an instant.
C. Is there a way you could use this scene as a springboard for prayer?
Dear Jesus, we all have times when we’re lying there in our sin, our shame, our failures, our weaknesses, our mistakes, our stupidity, our pride and self-sufficiency, and then we realize we’re really not so independent after all. And we feel like it’s over, we’re done, there’s no making things right. You come to us, to me, as it were, and take us by the hand, and say my dear little one, it’s time to get up now, to start over, to begin again, and I am with you always. I will not turn away from you when you fail, when you sin. You can come to Me for forgiveness and a fresh start. Thank You Jesus for bringing the dead things to life again.
And we feel like it’s over, we’re done, there’s no making things right. You come to us, to me, as it were, and take us by the hand, and say my dear little one, it’s time to get up now, to start over, to begin again, and I am with you always.
15. What stands out to me in the final section of the chapter, of the Waiting?
the prayer, “Grant that we may both follow the example of his patience, and also be made partakers of his resurrection..”
Patience is something I am not good at. I want to act and have a result. I want to be listened to and desire a response. Otherwise I feel somewhat offended, or insulted or not valued. Yet Christ indicates that we must wait for his timing. We must accept his response and be grateful. We must do the next thing in the meantime and especially we must trust him while we wait. I feel inadequate when I pray and wait and wait. But these are feelings.Faith is not grown with feelings. It is hope without a tangible object.
Right now I am waiting and praying for 2 friends: Debbie who is struggling with the serious cancer her son is fighting, and Linda, who is dealing with chronic pain and one complication after another. Both have faith and trust Christ as their Lord and Savior. I accept that for each the outcome is to partake of his resurrection. I know that Christ suffered and lost the presence of his Father through his time of suffering.
16. Yes, I believe God is working in my life through this study of Mark’s gospel as we ponder these questions.
17. My question for the group: How do you suggest to dear ones and to each other how we can be a comfort during these difficult problems?
I am lifting up the needs in prayer, and know that God hears and knows all about our troubles.I know He never leaves us or forsakes us. Yet tonight I feel the pain and sadness of the problems.
Shirley, for me it’s just knowing that there is someone with me, even if they are silent, that is filling the void I feel at that time. Someone to speak to, even if they just listen and knowing I’m being prayed for through the difficult times makes a world of difference. I’m sure just those loved ones knowing you are there for them is helping them along the way.
Shirley, Dee once taught us about sitting “shiva” with our loved ones and friends. It just means that we are there with them, not necessarily talking but just with them. I think it is a Hebrew word?
Yes — shiva means seven — the number of perfection, or “as long as it takes”
Friday: If I have you by the hand, death is nothing but sleep
15. Read the final two sections in Chapter 6 of Keller’s book and share what stands out to you and why. – “And so often, if God seems to be unconscionably delaying his grace ad committing malpractice in our life, it’s because there is some crucial information that we don’t yet have, some essential variable that’s unavailable to us.” this is good, why do I think I have the combination of my life? I don’t, only Jesus does and I need to just realize that my life is locked up to me and I need to accept that. Jesus will use the combination when he needs the lock undone. I also loved how Keller explained how “he sees the delays of God in his life is his own consternation and has been rooted in arrogance, and how we have delusions of grandeur, that our self righteousness and arrogance has to be knocked out of our heart by God’s delays.” This was an ouch moment for me. WOW! I can also picture the crowd and losing the grip of one I’m trying to stay close to, I’ve had that happen and oh man was I scared. But with Jesus holding our hand, he will never let go so we will never have to have the feeling of losing site of him, or being scared in a crowd. Thank you Lord for this.
16. Is there a way God is working in your life through Mark’s gospel? If so, share to encourage us all. – I am seeing that when I am in need of anything, I need to fall at the feet of Jesus, cry out to him and not believe in his power touch so much but to believe in Him completely. He is the one that will heal me from whatever the storm brings my way. If I want healing, peace, comfort, guidance, etc. I have to be bold and go to him and ask for it. I can’t sit by and wait for him to come to me, I need to ask him for the help I cannot do on my own. Then I will find what I’m looking for in Him.
Love how you are really combing Keller’s comments, Julie.
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY
TO ALL OF MY SISTERS IN CHRIST!
LOVE YOU ALL!
💗
Same to you Julie! ♥️
10. Read again Mark 5:24-34
A. What details stand out to you in this story and why? One- that the woman must have touched Jesus differently than the rest of the crowd “thronging” about him. Two- I always have thought that Christ turned around in anger or irritation at the woman but after pondering I think He turned around in love and a desire to set right her thoughts. It’s almost as if she was “stealing” a healing…trying to get away with something…presuming that this was the only way, that probably Jesus wouldn’t care to heal her. Christ calls her out not to shame her but to reassure her – her healing is a GIFT from him. Three- she suffered under many physicians… probably pelvic exams and procedures? I can imagine she was probably traumatized. Lastly – we know so much about her history but not her name. Was she known by her disease like the demon possessed man and not by who she was?
B. What common threads do you see in the above 3 stories of desperate people? They all bow at Jesus’ feet. They are all at the end of themselves and desperate for his healing (while the demon possessed man didn’t ask for his response to the healing shows how much he probably wanted it).
11. Read chapter 5 in Keller’s book up to “what we really need” and share a few thoughts you want to remember.
1.) “But Jesus will not be hurried.”
2.) “…if you try to impose your understanding of schedule and timing on me, you will struggle to feel loved by me.”
12. Is there an application to your life you could turn to prayer? My mother sent me a TED talk quote, “We have become human doings rather than human beings.” To just be. To trust and walk with the Savior instead of desperately trying to “get there.” To be content and breath despite where I am on the path. God, help me to breathe. Thank you for the reminder daily, hourly that my life is Christ and a I am loved now may I not be hurried but live each moment in gratitude. Amen
13. Read Mark 5:37-42
A. Describe what happens in this scene. They arrive at the house to find it already full of mourners. Jesus tells them the girl is merely sleeping, they laugh AT him. Jesus empties the house and then brings the girl back to life by merely speaking to her. Then he tells everyone not to tell.
B. Do you see any similarity to the scene of Jesus stopping the storm? If so, what? Jesus is calm and unruffled. Those around him have lost hope. Jesus’s Word is powerful. The miracle happened immediately.
C. Is there a way you could use this scene as a springboard for prayer? If so, do it. Jesu, may I rest in your power. May I surrender my own assessment of my situations and rely on you instead. May I fall at your feet and not despair but instead be desperate for your touch. May I believe the impossible.
14. Read the section “What we really need” in Keller’s book and share what stands out to you.
“Be aware that when you go to Jesus for help you will both give to and get from him far more than you bargained for.”
15. Read the final two sections in chapter 6 of Keller’s book and share what stands out to you and why.
“…for Jesus to raise a girl from the dead or to cure a fever was no different…he has power over death.”
”If I have you by the hand, death itself is nothing but sleep.”
”…the only way to the crown was through the cross. The only way to resurrection was through death.”
16. Is there a way God is working in your life through Mark’s Gospel? If so, share to encourage us all. Mark is certainly emphasizing how powerful Jesus is. I took up the practice of physically writing down the text in my journal in order to slow my brain down as a I have read these stories again and again and this practice has resonated deeply with me as it allows the Holy Spirit to whisper and show as well as turn the text from 2-D to 3-D.
17. Is there a question you’d like to ask of the group that came from this study? I still don’t fully understand why Jesus told people not to tell when many of the miracles would be fully evident to the community.
18. Share what you think you will remember about Mark 5 a year from now. My new perspective on the bleeding woman and the lesson of the demon possessed man coming at just the right time.
I have wondered about that too — I think it was because it distracted from His purpose for coming — to announce the good news. But would love to hear other thoughts on why Jesus told people not to tell.
Some of you may know, if you are Facebook friends with me, that I was involved in a very serious auto accident yesterday that could have left me severely injured or dead. I lost control of my car on some sharp curves and was headed for a line of trees when my vehicle hit an embankment and flipped over a couple of times ending up in a ditch, before I reached the trees. I walked away only banged up and bruised, but my request is for my sister and others who are grieving someone who didn’t walk away from an accident. I have seen some of the comments on my page that said “God was looking out for you” or “Your angels were surrounding you.” I fully embrace the essence of these comments and how they are meant for rejoicing and encouragement, but I also know that there are people out there whose loved ones didn’t survive and they want to know “Wasn’t God looking out for ____?” “Angels weren’t surrounding ___? “Why?
I know that it wasn’t my time, but I want God to grant a sense of peace to the loved ones of those for whom it was their time.
Sorry, that this doesn’t pertain to the study, but I felt the need to share so that my blog family could pray with me for comfort for others.
oh Dawn–I had no idea! So sorry for you, so thankful you’re ok, –and really appreciate what you have shared here. Father, I do pray for the victims and their families–that You would bring a peace and comfort only You can give, that You would somehow use this for good in their lives to draw people to You and that You would be glorified.
I’m so sorry to read this Dawn. I’m grateful you are ok and will continue to pray for the others mentions. My heart goes out to you and then. Dear Heavenly Father we lift up Dawn and everyone involved in this tragic ordeal, I pray for comfort, healing and peace that only you can bring. I pray you just surround this family with your love and peace and guide people to come along side this family and help them through all this hurt and grief. I don’t even know how to pray but you know what this family needs and I pray you just comfort them and hold them through all of this. In Jesus name I pray , amen.❤️
Amen.
Dear Father,
Thank you so much that Dawn was safe through this storm of the accident. I pray,too, for those who have lost a loved one tragically. May they find peace by coming into Your Presence. May we boldly share the lessons we have been pondering this week, of the power, mercy and grace you have shown to us. Help us to love others by sitting with them through their trials and pain. Thank you for comforting us through the suffering. Bless them and keep them, dear Jesus.
Oh Dawn — I didn’t know. Have been absent from our Facebook page during the last few days. How awful for you. I do pray for those who lost loved ones. I’ll go on that page now.
Dee. I didn’t post it to the Bible study’s Facebook page, just my personal page.
To clarify no one died in my accident, I was the only one involved.
Oh, that is a relief. I need to read more carefully. I am thankful you are okay. And I do understand the difficulty of saying God protected you — when you think of others that didn’t seem to be in other accidents.