Reflective Bible Study

As we continue moving through Mark’s gospel, we come to an event where one key detail is the lack of faith of those present. While all four gospels routinely demonstrate and highlight the faith of many of those Jesus healed, this event actually highlights the exact opposite. I have a suspicion that several of the gospels include this event as a warning to us about how easy it can be to choose doubt over faith, and to reject someone God sends your way because of petty details.

Let’s read this event and discover what we can learn from what happened when Jesus traveled to a place that was very familiar to Him. Our passage is found in Mark’s gospel, chapter 6, and we will read out of the Good News Translation. Starting in verse 1, Mark tells us that:

¹ Jesus left that place and went back to his hometown, followed by his disciples. ² On the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue. Many people were there; and when they heard him, they were all amazed. “Where did he get all this?” they asked. “What wisdom is this that has been given him? How does he perform miracles? ³ Isn’t he the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters living here?” And so they rejected him.

⁴ Jesus said to them, “Prophets are respected everywhere except in their own hometown and by their relatives and their family.”

⁵ He was not able to perform any miracles there, except that he placed his hands on a few sick people and healed them. ⁶ He was greatly surprised, because the people did not have faith.

Then Jesus went to the villages around there, teaching the people.

In this event, we see Jesus returning to His hometown, which was Nazareth, and to the synagogue that He likely grew up in. An amazing detail I see in this passage is the progression of Jesus’ rejection. Stepping through the phrases of verses 2 and 3, we see that the first reaction people had was amazement: “Many people were there; and when they heard him, they were all amazed.”

When thinking about what makes people amazed, a number of different reasons can come to mind. Among those things are being amazed because something is profoundly different and/or better. Another reason might be because something is shocking in some way. A third reason might be because something that seemed impossible just happened.

In the context of our passage and event, it is likely in my mind that the amazement came because Jesus now spoke or taught differently than before. While I don’t know if He had ever spoken up or taught in the synagogue during the time He grew up in the area, the passage suggests that He might have since those present have a somewhat startled response.

The next phrase leads us to where these people start their logical progression. They asked each other, “Where did he get all this?” In the context of our passage, the phrase “all this” could refer both to the truth He taught, and/or to the band of disciples that was tagging along with Him. Unlike other places that Jesus taught, those in Nazareth would have known that Jesus did not attend any formal school and Jesus did not sit at the feet of any great teacher or Rabbi that they were aware of. For the last 10 or so years, Jesus had simply been a carpenter and the son of a carpenter, not a teacher or healer or anyone significant or noteworthy.

Following the first question, the next one begins to plant the seeds of doubt. After wondering out loud where Jesus got what He had, they clarify specifically what they are referring to by asking: “What wisdom is this that has been given him?” In a subtle way, those present understand that what Jesus shared was amazing truth, and they recognize the wisdom in Jesus’ words, but they had a hard time accepting that the wisdom Jesus shared may have been through personal study or directly from God. While those in this synagogue admit that Jesus shared wisdom that Sabbath, they immediately turn to looking for a logical source for this wisdom.

With this seed of doubt planted, they then turn to another question they cannot answer. The next question is based on rumors that they had heard. They ask each other: “How does he perform miracles?” While we understand the miracles Jesus did were because the Holy Spirit had filled His life, those in the synagogue set themselves up to reject Jesus by asking the big impossible question. While they can admit Jesus had some wise things to say, they cannot find a source for this wisdom, and asking about how a miracle is done when one doesn’t have faith means that they won’t ever find or accept the truth. With the first three questions the people in the Nazareth synagogue ask, we have questions that they are unwilling or unable to answer.

At this point, the people turn to two questions that they are able to answer, because they cannot bring themselves to admit that Jesus has an unknown-to-them Source for His teaching, His wisdom, and His miracles. The answerable questions are: “Isn’t he the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters living here?”

With this set of questions, the logical progression of this group of Jews rejecting Jesus is complete. They can answer this question with a yes. Jesus is the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon, and according to this passage, Jesus had at least two sisters, because the plural nature of the last question. Jesus was one of five boys and several girls in Mary’s family. These last two questions pull Jesus back to reality in the minds of those present, and it allows them to step fully through the door rejecting Jesus’ divinity and only accepting His humanity.

Because of this, we read that those in the Nazareth synagogue rejected Jesus.

With this whole progression of questions, I picture in my mind different people asking each question. With each question, the door is opened a little more to rejecting Jesus. Instead of accepting and admitting that God had used Jesus to share a powerful and wise message with them that day, those present cannot bring themselves to see a carpenter as anything more than a carpenter, regardless of the group of disciples He had collected. This truth teaches us that it is always easier to reject Jesus than it is to accept Him. There will always be reasons for people to doubt. However, while it is easier to doubt Jesus, doubting Jesus ultimately cheats you out of experiencing a miracle in your life.

In our own lives, God can use people to share His wisdom and His truth. While we are never called to accept messengers without first looking at the quality of the message, God has a way of using sinners to help spread His message and His truth. Aside from Jesus, everyone has sinned, and this truth challenges us to look past the messengers God sends our way and to focus on the message calling us to return to and believe in Jesus Christ.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always challenge you to do, intentionally seek God first in your life and choose to place your hope, faith, trust, and belief in Jesus. Through what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross, we have the assurance of salvation when we accept the gift of Jesus’ perfect, sinless life in place of our own. Jesus took the punishment we deserved and offers us the life He deserved in its place.

Also, continue to pray and study the Bible for yourself to personally grow closer to God each and every day. While we can learn from other people, the best place to validate messages coming into our lives is by personally taking each idea and validating it against the truth of God’s Word, also known as the Bible. While customs, traditions, and society’s expectations change on a daily basis, God’s truth stays consistent, and it is as true today as it was during the Bible’s time period of history, and it will remain true throughout every generation that comes after us as well! God’s truth is the best place to build a spiritual foundation for our lives.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or let doubt steal you away from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

As we move forward in our year looking at Jesus’ miracles, we come to one of my favorite examples of Jesus healing while also challenging those present. This miracle is probably the single greatest example of persistence that we find included in the gospels about how far some men would go to get help for their disabled friend. Not only do we find an amazing example of persistence in this miracle, we also discover one amazing way that Jesus challenges the religious leaders regarding who He is.

Let’s read about what happened, and specifically about this incredible miracle that happened only because of the persistence of a group of friends. Our passage is found in the gospel of Luke, chapter 5, and we will be reading this passage from the Contemporary English Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 17, Luke tells us that:

¹⁷ One day some Pharisees and experts in the Law of Moses sat listening to Jesus teach. They had come from every village in Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem.

God had given Jesus the power to heal the sick, ¹⁸ and some people came carrying a crippled man on a mat. They tried to take him inside the house and put him in front of Jesus. ¹⁹ But because of the crowd, they could not get him to Jesus. So they went up on the roof, where they removed some tiles and let the mat down in the middle of the room.

²⁰ When Jesus saw how much faith they had, he said to the crippled man, “My friend, your sins are forgiven.”

²¹ The Pharisees and the experts began arguing, “Jesus must think he is God! Only God can forgive sins.”

²² Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he said, “Why are you thinking that? ²³ Is it easier for me to tell this crippled man that his sins are forgiven or to tell him to get up and walk? ²⁴ But now you will see that the Son of Man has the right to forgive sins here on earth.” Jesus then said to the man, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk home.”

²⁵ At once the man stood up in front of everyone. He picked up his mat and went home, giving thanks to God. ²⁶ Everyone was amazed and praised God. What they saw surprised them, and they said, “We have seen a great miracle today!”

In this passage and event, we discover that Jesus took the faith of this man’s friends and He used it to challenge everyone present. Jesus knew that the friends had displayed enough faith in their creative and unusual way of getting Jesus’ attention to heal their friend. We have no idea what Jesus was talking about at that moment leading up to this miracle, but it is fascinating to pay attention to how this passage opens.

Luke begins the passage by saying that “One day some Pharisees and experts in the Law of Moses sat listening to Jesus teach. They had come from every village in Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem.”

This marks the point in Jesus’ ministry when enough things have happened that people, specifically the religious leaders, have taken note of Jesus, but before enough has happened that the religious leadership as a whole had condemned Jesus.

While the faith of the men bringing their friend to Jesus is amazing, the phrase I want to point out in this episode is the one the Pharisees challenge Jesus with. In verse 21, the Pharisees and religious experts argued among each other saying, “Jesus must think he is God! Only God can forgive sins.”

This statement is logical on one hand, while causing challenges on another.

When we sin, the act we commit may affect another person, but the sin we committed is against God. Forgiveness only means something when the persons involved in a sin do the forgiving. It doesn’t mean much if I say that I forgive someone else for what they did to someone else. Unless I was affected in some way, giving third-party forgiveness doesn’t work. When we sin, it is against God, and because of this, only God can forgive sins.

However, in John’s gospel’s great commission to the disciples, Jesus gives His followers an unusual ability, and that is the ability to forgive sins. John chapter 20, verses 21 through 23 tells us that:

²¹ Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I send you.” ²² Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive people’s sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

On the surface, these two passages and ideas conflict with one another, but when we look closer, we see something amazing. When Jesus claims to have the power to forgive sins in this passage, it is because He has the Holy Spirit, and when He gives the disciples the commission to forgive sins, it is only after they have accepted and received the Holy Spirit.

The proof Jesus gave for His claim of sin forgiveness is a miraculous healing. This wasn’t healing to prove a point, even if a point was proved through it; this healing was to validate the faith of this man’s friends, and perhaps the faith of this man who might have been injured while doing something sinful.

In this miracle and Jesus’ response, we also see that talk is cheap when compared with action. A miracle is significantly more difficult to do, and the challenging thing to think is that if Jesus came for Himself, and for His own glory, He could have made claim after claim and they all would have fallen flat. Without the Holy Spirit supporting His ministry, Jesus would have done nothing miraculous. It is because Jesus came to glorify God that we see the Holy Spirit so visibly present in His ministry.

At this early stage of Jesus’ ministry, I don’t think it was accidental that all these religious leaders were present, and I don’t think it was a coincidence that these men brought their friend on a stretcher with the faith that Jesus could heal their friend. Everyone present praised God and declared that they had seen a great miracle, but with this miracle is the challenge we all must grapple with: Will we believe that Jesus had God’s authority when He was here on earth – including the authority to forgive sins?

This question divided the religious leaders regarding Jesus, and it divides people living today. Will we accept Jesus’ difficult truths and claims because we see God moving in a strong way validating His ministry, or will we reject Him and all the claims He is recorded making?

And if we accept Jesus at His Word, will we realize and remember that only God can forgive sins, but when God, specifically the Holy Spirit, is living inside of us, we have the power to validate God’s forgiveness of sinners? Forgiving sins and validating God’s forgiveness may be one of our highest callings as followers of Jesus while the Holy Spirit lives in and works through our lives.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

Always continue seeking God first in your life. Choose each day to live within His will and to do things that will grow His Kingdom. Know that forgiveness is a big part of God’s character, and He has called us to live lives of forgiveness as well.

Also, always pray and study the Bible for yourself to learn, grow, and move closer to Jesus. When we grow closer to Jesus, we can know Him better, and we can more fully receive the Holy Spirit in our lives. Always use your time spent in the Bible as a filter on your life and the world we live in. The Bible is the best guide we have to navigate the crazy lives we live.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or drift away from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

After Jesus calms the storm, we discover that He and the disciples then land on the other side of the lake, and they land their boats at a relatively deserted part of the shoreline. While some parts of Lake Galilee were well-populated, other parts, such as the place we discover Jesus and the disciples reaching, have a lot less people living there. However, while this place is deserted by human standards, we discover that it is well populated in a slightly different way.

Let’s read the passage and discover what we can learn about who inhabited the place where Jesus and His disciples traveled to. While our event is found in three of the four gospels, as you can imagine, for our year in Mark, we will be looking at it from Mark’s gospel. This event is found in Mark, chapter 5, and let’s read it from the New International Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 1, Mark tells us that:

¹ They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. ² When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. ³ This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. ⁴ For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. ⁵ Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

⁶ When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. ⁷ He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” ⁸ For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”

⁹ Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” ¹⁰ And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.

¹¹ A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. ¹² The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” ¹³ He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

Let’s pause reading this event for a moment. While reading from Mark’s gospel, I find it interesting that when we are first introduced to this man, Mark describes him as someone who lives among the dead and who has an impure spirit. The thing that stands out in my mind is the singular nature of this description.

In contrast, when Jesus confronts the evil spirit and asks its name, we discover that the evil spirit’s name is a plural: The evil spirit’s reply in verse 9 is, “My name is Legion, for we are many.”

What first appears to be a region inhabited by only a handful of people, specifically one demon possessed man and a group of pig-herders, is now defined as a key location that was home to thousands of evil spirits. Looking at the size of the herd of pigs, there would have been at least 2000 evil spirits in this man using a ratio of one spirit to one pig.

However, when we look up the definition of a Roman “legion”, we discover this term was used to describe a group of three to six thousand Roman soldiers. This means there could have been anywhere from two to six thousand evil spirits living in that region, specifically within that social outcast.

It may have been likely that two or even three spirits got to share each pig in that large herd.

However, why would Jesus have agreed to the evil spirits’ request to be sent into the herd of pigs?

In many ways, this doesn’t seem all that nice, especially to grant the request of a group of evil spirits at the expense of a herd of thousands of pigs who just happened to be nearby.

Let’s continue reading and discover what might be the answer. Picking back up in verse 14, Mark tells us that:

¹⁴ Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. ¹⁵ When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. ¹⁶ Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. ¹⁷ Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

Pausing our reading one additional time, I see in what happened here one possible answer to why Jesus let the evil spirits stampede the pigs to their death. For this miracle to be significant, it cannot truly stay hidden. Too many people knew about the man living in this region and about his demon possession. If this had been a secret miracle, then the healed man’s testimony would have very little credibility because people could just discount him saying that he was not that guy. Also, people visiting the region would welcome the absence of that man and would likely not assume that he had been healed. It would be more logical that he died somehow or that he moved to a different area. With attention being given to this miracle, we discover that this shines the spotlight on God and on God’s power over the evil spirits.

In our last episode, we discovered how one word from Jesus can calm the most significant storm Satan can muster, and this episode draws our attention onto the truth that one command from Jesus sends an army of evil spirits out of a comfortable home in a man and into a herd of pigs. One command from Jesus will always send Satan away. Any confrontation Jesus has with Satan results in Jesus gaining the victory.

However, what comes next is also amazing. Continuing in verse 18, Mark tells us:

¹⁸ As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. ¹⁹ Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” ²⁰ So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

At the close of this passage, Jesus sends the man home and this man goes to a region that was clearly known in that area, but one where Jesus rarely visited. Actually, there is only one other mention of this region in the gospels that references Jesus’ presence. It is likely that this man’s testimony about what Jesus did for him opened what was otherwise a shut door for His ministry. Those present in this event wanted Jesus to leave, but they couldn’t say no to this man whose home was there.

This man becomes a powerful ambassador for Jesus. In an instant, Jesus takes this man whose condition would place him firmly against God, frees him from the spiritual chains that held him, and then commissions him to be a missionary to his home territory.

In many ways, this mirrors how God calls us. While God calls some people to be missionaries for God in distant places, many of us are called to be ambassadors and missionaries for God right where we already live.

Wherever God has placed you and I, I believe He has called us to be His witnesses. While this man wanted to travel with Jesus and be a disciple, His commission to spread the news about Jesus was even more significant. While we might not readily think of it this way, this man becomes the first apostle, because like the disciples who were commissioned by Jesus after His resurrection, this man spreads the great news about Jesus with everyone who would listen! This man, like Saul turned Paul who we read about in the book of Acts, needed only an instant with Jesus in order to have His life turned around and focused on being an apostle for Jesus!

As we come to the end of another episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always challenge you to do, intentionally seek God first in your life and choose to serve Him in wherever He has you placed. Choose to be God’s best representative regardless of the situation you are in and regardless of what other people might think of you.

Also, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself to grow and strengthen your relationship with God. A strong personal relationship with God will help you be the representative God has called you to be in a world that is growing more hostile to God the closer to Jesus’ return that we get!

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or leave where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

Continuing through the gospels and the miracles that Jesus performed, we come to a miracle that Jesus did, not for a Jew, but for a Roman officer. While this detail in itself is significant for us to pay attention to, there are plenty of details in this event that should prompt us to pay attention. Most Jews were hostile towards the thought of Rome being present in their territory, and the thought of Jesus actually helping a Roman would upset many of the most devout Jews. However, it is also worth noting that a Roman asking a Jew for help is also just as shocking.

Let’s read Matthew’s gospel and discover what happened. Our passage is found in chapter 8, and we will be reading from the Good News Translation of the Bible. Starting in verse 5, Matthew tells us that:

⁵ When Jesus entered Capernaum, a Roman officer met him and begged for help: ⁶ “Sir, my servant is sick in bed at home, unable to move and suffering terribly.”

⁷ “I will go and make him well,” Jesus said.

⁸ “Oh no, sir,” answered the officer. “I do not deserve to have you come into my house. Just give the order, and my servant will get well. ⁹ I, too, am a man under the authority of superior officers, and I have soldiers under me. I order this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and I order that one, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and I order my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”

Let’s pause reading for a moment to focus on what Matthew has just told us, because while reading this just now, a phrase jumped off the page at me, and it is something that reveals something this Roman understood about Jesus that most everyone else missed seeing.

While Jesus knows that the Roman officer is simply asking for help and healing, Jesus wants to go a step further and come personally to help. However, the Roman officer is surprised by this and he is content knowing that any promise Jesus makes will happen. The officer doesn’t need Jesus’ presence to confirm Jesus’ command.

This is the first amazing level of faith this Roman officer displays. But there’s another idea present in this passage, and it is this phrase that jumped out at me while reading this.

In verse 9, the Roman officer tells Jesus, “I, too, am a man under the authority of superior officers”. This Roman understood that Jesus was not present just for Himself. Instead, this Roman understood Jesus had been sent with a mission to this world and to the Jewish people. In this phrase, the Roman officer captured an aspect of Jesus’ ministry that we don’t often think about. In Jesus’ ministry, He both came willingly and He was sent with a mission. We often focus on Jesus’ willingness to come, which is true, but we should also realize that there is a very clear theme running through the gospels that Jesus was sent.

This Roman understood the hierarchy involved in a chain of command, and He recognized Jesus was fulfilling His mission in a similar, but also spiritual, structure.

Let’s continue reading to discover how Jesus responded to this man’s statement. Picking back up in verse 10, Matthew tells us that:

¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, he was surprised and said to the people following him, “I tell you, I have never found anyone in Israel with faith like this. ¹¹ I assure you that many will come from the east and the west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of heaven. ¹² But those who should be in the Kingdom will be thrown out into the darkness, where they will cry and gnash their teeth.” ¹³ Then Jesus said to the officer, “Go home, and what you believe will be done for you.”

And the officer’s servant was healed that very moment.

In this passage and this event, we discover something amazing, both in the faith of this Roman officer, and in the promise within Jesus’ response. In verse 11, Jesus told everyone present a wonderful promise: “I assure you that many will come from the east and the west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of heaven.”

But this promise is followed up with a sobering warning. Verse 12 continues by saying, “But those who should be in the Kingdom will be thrown out into the darkness”. While we might be tempted to think this warning refers exclusively to the Jewish nation living during this time period, the sad truth is that this represents many of God’s professed people living in many different generations.

This also means that Christians today are just as liable to be kicked out of God’s feast as the first century Jews were. Christian’s today should be present at the wedding feast in the kingdom of heaven, but if they assume they are saved while not letting Jesus transform their lives or hearts, then they ultimately will be thrown out. A transformed life is the evidence that Jesus has entered one’s heart and that an individual has placed their faith, hope, and trust in Jesus. An invisible faith is a worthless faith.

In this passage and in this miracle, we discover that as followers of Jesus, we should model this Roman officer’s belief in Jesus. This Roman understood that Jesus was part of a powerful, spiritual chain of command, and this chain of command could instantly heal his favorite servant. The Roman’s faith is solid enough that he does not need Jesus to physically come and help his servant because in the spiritual realm, things can happen quicker than if we need to see in order to believe.

Also, in this passage and miracle, we discover that we should take Jesus at His word and let Him change our hearts and lives. Let’s not be kicked out of this wedding feast because we didn’t let God’s Spirit transform our lives. Let’s choose to place our faith in God in visible, tangible, and relevant ways, and let God transform us into the people He created us to be.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

Always seek God first and place your faith, hope, trust, and belief in Him and what He has done for you and me. Accept God’s promises as truth and live each day claiming His promises for our lives. Let’s be like the Roman officer who had stronger faith than the Jews present in that region and understand that Jesus is part of a much bigger picture. Jesus is the key Person in our story of redemption.

Also, as I always challenge you to do, keep praying and studying the Bible for yourself to learn, grow, and let God transform your heart and your life. The closer we grow towards God, the better we will be able to see through His eyes, and love others as He loves each of us. Use the Bible as a filter for your life and as a guide for your spiritual walk.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, or walk away from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!