Reflective Bible Study

In our last episode, we focused on the trip Jesus takes across the lake and how a severe storm sweeps across the water scaring all the disciples while Jesus slept peacefully. I had not realized the connection between that event and the one we will be focusing in on in this episode, because when we look at how the gospel writers structure this event, the miracle we will be focusing in on in this episode happens when Jesus and the disciples reach land. It is as though Satan did not want Jesus to reach this shore and meet the man who lived there.

But remember, one big theme in all of Jesus’ miracles and ministry is that God is stronger than Satan, and nothing would stop Jesus from making this trip to someone who needed God’s help.

While this miracle is included in three of the four gospels, let’s read it from Luke’s gospel to discover what happened. This miracle is found in Luke, chapter 8, and we will read it from the New International Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 26, Luke tells us that:

²⁶ [Jesus and His disciples] sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. ²⁷ When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. ²⁸ When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” ²⁹ For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.

³⁰ Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. ³¹ And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.

³² A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. ³³ When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

Let’s pause reading here to focus in on what has just happened. When reading this event, it appears as though Jesus has made a special trip across the lake just to meet this demon possessed man, and from the description Luke gives us, there was no way this man would have gone to Jesus. The legion of demons living inside of him would not have allowed it.

However, I bet this man had friends or relatives who wished he would be made well, and in the absence of a family or friend’s prayer, this man had a Creator who loved him very much.

We discover in this passage that when this man was unable to come to Jesus, Jesus makes the special trip to visit him. When we are unable to come to God, God is more than willing to come to us. While we were actively sinning and rebelling against God, Christ came to this earth. This event displays on a small scale what God did through Jesus for all of humanity and we’ve barely scratched the surface of the miracle itself!

Another theme we’ve looked at previously in this year of miracles, is that we cannot trust what comes from a demon’s mouth. However, it is interesting that we don’t read Jesus telling this demon to be quiet. Perhaps this was because there was no crowd around and no one to misinterpret the demons’ message.

When Jesus met this demon, we discover more details regarding what all the demons might have collectively said if given the chance. This legion of demons acknowledges Jesus’ divinity, and then they make the claim that Jesus would send them into the torturous abyss when given the chance.

What is interesting in my mind is where the demons’ get the idea that Jesus would sentence them to torture if He wanted to. I don’t see any hint of Jesus sentencing any demon who He cast out of a person to a place of torture or to an abyss. This then strongly suggests that this is the devil’s lie in the words that are spoken. Satan likes to mix truth and lies, and when we look for the lie, we need look no further than here. While there is a judgment reserved for Satan and His angels, there is no hint anywhere in scriptures that this judgment happened the moment a person was freed from an evil spirit.

Judgment happened when Jesus faced the cross, and another phase of judgment happens when Jesus returns. Neither of these things had happened at the point we are looking at in this event, and that means that we now see a big piece of the devil’s lie.

Through this legion of demons, we learn of a place of eternal torment given to those who reject God. Does this sound like today’s cultural description of hell?

While Satan and his angels have every right to fear a place like this if it exists, if the only places we see scripture describe a place like this is through the mouths of demons, then the very existence of this type of hell could also be an elaborate lie Satan has used to turn God into a villain. God definitely describes a time of judgment in the Bible, but God’s description of this judgment is one that has an end. God doesn’t ever describe a continual judging or condemning of sinners throughout eternity.

(I will point out here that the Old Testament description of smoke continually rising that is oftentimes used in support of a place like these demons describe in this passage simply describes smoke. Smoke can exist after a flame has been extinguished, and a flame that has finished consuming its fuel will ultimately go out. In other words, Isaiah’s concluding remarks only give evidence that a fire has occurred, but not that there is one that is forever burning.)

However, we have hit a place in this episode where we have run out of time. While there are plenty of other things we could focus in on in this passage, instead of trying to rush it into the last little portion of this episode, let’s wait and focus on the last portion of this event in our next episode.

With that said, as we come to the end of this podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

Intentionally seek God first and trust Him to keep you safe throughout eternity. When faced with ideas or theories that contradict God’s character or what we can clearly read in the Bible, choose to believe the Bible over what culture wants to push us to think and believe. Culture jumps between fads. The Bible stands as an unchanging anchor that represents God’s love, His character, and His interest in saving you and me for eternity.

Also, always pray and study the Bible for yourself to learn, grow, and mature into the person God created you to be. Intentionally study to grow closer to God and take your questions to Him and His word. God is more than happy to meet you in the pages of your Bible.

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

Part way through Jesus’ ministry, we learn that He sends His disciples out in pairs to tell others about what God was doing in their midst. While we don’t know any specific events that happened during the disciples’ mission trips, we do know that their outreach was a success – but more important than the success of their trips are things we can learn when we look closely at what Jesus tells them as He sends them out to witness for Him.

Our passage for this event is found in the gospel of Mark, chapter 6, and we will be reading it from the New International Reader’s Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 7:

⁷ [Jesus] called the 12 disciples to him. Then he began to send them out two by two. He gave them authority to drive out evil spirits.

⁸ Here is what he told them to do. “Take only a walking stick for your trip. Do not take bread or a bag. Take no money in your belts. ⁹ Wear sandals. But do not take extra clothes. ¹⁰ When you are invited into a house, stay there until you leave town. ¹¹ Some places may not welcome you or listen to you. If they don’t, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet. That will be a witness against the people living there.”

¹² They went out. And they preached that people should turn away from their sins. ¹³ They drove out many demons. They poured olive oil on many sick people and healed them.

From these few verses, we can learn quite a bit. First, it is interesting that Jesus sent the disciples out in pairs. This is significant because it is easy for one person to feel fear and chicken out of a task when they are alone. However, even if both people are scared and would chicken out if solo, when paired up with someone else, they both are more likely to follow through because they are not alone.

We can learn that if you have been living a spiritual live outside of a community and isolated from others, or if your only spiritual connections are online, you are limiting your growth potential. We are created to live in community with others and while I don’t know your exact circumstances or situation, finding at least one person you can spiritually grow with is important.

While common logic would suggest that each of the 12 disciples could have covered more area if they traveled solo, I remember reading that research has shown that their outreach wouldn’t have been nearly as successful or as effective.

Perhaps Jesus knew this characteristic of humanity, but it is also possible that Jesus wanted to emphasize another subtle truth we learn elsewhere in the gospels. This other truth Jesus promises the disciples is that where two or three are gathered in His name, He is there with them. By sending the disciples out in pairs, Jesus knows that the Holy Spirit will travel with each team of evangelist-disciples.

The next thing we learn in this passage is that Jesus gave the disciples the authority to drive out evil spirits. This is interesting to me because when we compare this authority to what the disciples come back and share, they not only drove out demons, but they also anointed people and healed them of a variety of diseases.

From this contrast, I see God being willing to bless those who represent Him with more than they realize and when we let God use us for His purposes, we will be amazed at what God wants to do through us!

Next, Jesus tells the disciples what He wants them to do and not do. In verses 8 and 9, Jesus told them, “Take only a walking stick for your trip. Do not take bread or a bag. Take no money in your belts. Wear sandals. But do not take extra clothes.” I find this first set of instructions interesting because we also don’t know how long the disciples would be away. Was Jesus sending the disciples out for a one week trip, or for a trip that would last a month or even longer?

While Jesus’ instructions themselves are powerful, because they challenge each of His followers to be 100% trusting in God, I wonder if the culture of that day was different enough from today that the literal advice is not as applicable as the theme of the challenge. The theme in these first two verses of instruction pushes us to live lives of ministry in a way where we are dependent on God. I wonder if we lived more dependent on God, if we would see more miracles in our lives. Applying this challenge in my own life is difficult, but the difficulty emphasizes this challenge’s importance. In everything I do, I am challenged to 100% trust God regarding the outcome, and with everything that happens in my life, I must also trust that God has a plan or purpose for it – even if I don’t understand what God’s plan or purpose is in the moment.

The last thing we read in Jesus’ instruction is in verses 10 and 11. Jesus continues by instructing His followers, “When you are invited into a house, stay there until you leave town. Some places may not welcome you or listen to you. If they don’t, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet. That will be a witness against the people living there.”

In the first century nation of Israel, while Jesus was walking and talking with people, we discover that there were people and towns that were not open to hearing Him or His message. While we don’t know of any examples of towns by name, I don’t think Jesus would have shared this last portion of His instructions if there wasn’t going to be some opposition to the disciples.

However, regardless of whether the disciples faced rejection while Jesus was alive on earth, I imagine most of us can relate to the idea that not everyone in our lives is pleased with our relationship with God. Even in my own situation, where I am surrounded by people who share my faith, not everyone believes everything identically, and when spiritual topics come up, it is very easy to be defensive.

This context is important because nowhere in Jesus’ instructions does He tell us to debate with others or with those who don’t welcome us. Instead, we are called to challenge people to do what the disciples did, and in verse 12, we read that the disciples challenged those they met to “turn away from their sins”.

While we all might not have the Holy Spirit’s power to heal others or to cast out demons, we all can challenge others that sin is not beneficial to their lives. When we live for God and focus on Jesus first, we will naturally move away from sin. However, some sins are tricky, so we must also be willing to let God lead us towards His truth for our lives. Only with God do our lives have purpose and only because of what Jesus did for each of us do our lives have meaning.

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, belief, and trust in Him regardless of what happens. While we live in a sinful world and not everything goes our way, we can know that in the end, Jesus will stand up victorious and we will be with Him because we placed our faith and trust in Him.

Also, be sure to always pray and study the Bible for yourself and let the Holy Spirit lead you into the truth that God wants to share with you. While a pastor or podcaster can point you to some passages or promises they have found in the scripture, only God can lead you directly to the truth for your life within the pages of His Word. In my own experience, while I have learned from others, I have learned so much more from my personal study – and I believe God will do the same for you when you seek Him in His Word!

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 give up on where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

Part of me wonders if Jesus had fun pushing and challenging the disciples’ faith. Up to this point in the miracles we have looked at, Jesus has healed people, cast evil spirits out of people, and in our last episode, we discovered that Jesus raised a dead boy back to life. With all these miraculous events, I believe the disciples were getting more and more confident in Jesus’ God-given ability to help those who were hurting.

However, having a firm grasp of healing and health is one thing. But in our event for this episode, the disciples’ faith is tested on an entirely new level. Also, following this event, the disciples had at least one more reason to be amazed and in awe regarding Jesus.

Let’s read about what happened. Our passage is found in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 8, and we will be reading from the God’s Word translation. Starting in verse 23, Matthew tells us that:

²³ Jesus’ disciples went with him as he left in a boat. ²⁴ Suddenly, a severe storm came across the sea. The waves were covering the boat. Yet, Jesus was sleeping.

Let’s pause briefly because what we just read is amazing to me. The last two statements we just read were that waves were covering the boat, and that Jesus was sleeping through it. This wasn’t just a rocky storm, this was a severe storm that could easily end a sailor’s life. While we don’t know if there was any rain with the wind and waves, reading that the waves were covering the boat makes me amazed that Jesus was able to sleep through this.

It would be illogical to think that in this entire event, Jesus didn’t get wet. In my mind’s eye, this passage describes Jesus sleeping through wave after wave as it covers the boat and drenches Him with water. I doubt I could sleep through that, but this is likely what happened. I don’t think there is evidence for boats in that day being like what we have today with a cabin below deck that is shielded from the elements. It is much more likely that Jesus and the disciples were exposed to the wind, waves, and rain if rain was also present.

The first thing in this passage that amazes me is the level of trust and faith Jesus displays in God. Through one of the worst flash storms the lake experiences, Jesus sleeps through it. This could only happen because Jesus had complete trust and faith in God. Jesus knew His live was not going to end at the bottom of the lake, so He knew God would keep Him safe. It’s also likely that Satan was behind this storm in an attempt to stop Jesus from reaching the cross.

Let’s continue reading to discover what happens next. While the wind is raging and the waves continue crashing into the boat, filling it with water, and Jesus continues sleeping, we pick back up in verse 25 where Matthew tells us:

²⁵ So they woke him up, saying, “Lord! Save us! We’re going to die!”

²⁶ Jesus said to them, “Why do you cowards have so little faith?” Then he got up, gave an order to the wind and the sea, and the sea became very calm.

²⁷ The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”

As I read this event, I wonder what Jesus is actually challenging the disciples’ faith on. Many of these disciples were experts on the water, and this storm had them scared for their lives. On one hand, Jesus could be challenging them regarding their faith in God’s protection. I’m not sure if the disciples remembered or understood that they had protection because they were with Jesus, and that the Old Testament extended protection to Jesus’ followers that none, except the one who would betray Jesus, would be lost.  

But Jesus could have challenged the disciples’ faith from a different angle. This other angle challenges the disciples’ faith regarding the idea that they could challenge the wind and waves in Jesus’ name to be still. While Jesus had not sent them out in pairs to preach and heal others yet, the disciples did have enough evidence to have at least tried to ask God to help them.

I wonder what would have happened if one of the disciples had tried to challenge the wind and waves in Jesus’ name. Would that have displayed enough faith for a miracle? Or I wonder what would have happened if the disciples had cried out to God to calm the storm for them. Would God have answered the disciples’ prayer while Jesus was sleeping?

While we can only speculate about what these alternate outcomes might have been in the disciples’ case, we can learn from these alternate paths when we face challenges and problems in our own lives. When faced with something challenging or impossible, we can lose heart and give up, or we can cry out to God for help!

However, in this event, we discover how the disciples fall into a trap that we are capable of falling into, even if their situation is a little different from ours. The disciples fall into the trap in this event believing someone else has a better connection to God than they did, and more specifically, that God is more willing to answer this other person’s request than He would be if they asked it.

While in the disciples’ case, this Someone is Jesus, and Jesus does have an excellent connection with the Father. However, I don’t believe for an instant that God the Father would only answer Jesus’ prayers while Jesus’ best friends on earth were in trouble. Jesus did have a better connection with God than the disciples did, but that does not mean that God would be less willing to answer their prayers or cries for help.

In our own lives, we might not have as great of a relationship with Jesus as we see other people having. We might even look back and wish we lived during the first century and could have walked and talked with Jesus personally. However, while there is always the temptation to think that someone else is better connected with God than we are, we should never let this fear affect our faith that God loves us and that He really does want to answer our prayers.

It is easy to be tempted that someone else’s prayers are more valuable than your own, but this temptation is a lie from Satan. God loves you and He wants to help you when you ask for help. While God answers prayers from a different perspective than we are in, God’s goal is saving us for eternity; even if that means that the answer He gives us in this instant doesn’t appear to be helpful.

We can trust that God has our best, eternal interests in mind, and that He is more than willing to help us when we pray to Him!

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 hope, faith, trust, and belief in Him. Know that God loves you and that He is more than willing to listen and answer your prayers. Never doubt God’s love or believe Satan’s lie that another person’s prayers are more valuable than yours are. God loves you and He wants a close relationship with you personally!

Also, always pray and study the Bible for yourself to grow personally closer to God and to learn what He wants to teach you. While a pastor, author, speaker, or even a podcaster can give you ideas to think about, be sure to filter everything through what you read in the pages of God’s Word.

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 abandon where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

While reading the gospels and especially the portion of an event we are looking at in this episode, I wonder if Jesus was ever actually busy or in a hurry. Perhaps this is something that is different in today’s culture than it was at the time Jesus walked the earth, but I imagine that with Jesus’ popularity as a miracle worker, a healer, and a counter-cultural teacher, He would have just as many demands on His time as someone living today. Jesus might have had even more demands on His calendar than the busiest of us. Even though Jesus didn’t travel very far over the course of His life, by the later stages of His ministry, I doubt there was anyone living in Israel who didn’t know something about Him.

However, while my life gets busy pretty regularly, and it is easy to let the busyness sidetrack me from slowing down, when I read the gospels, I don’t even see a hint of Jesus acting busy or stressed out. Throughout the gospels, I instead see Jesus modeling a presence in every moment that is very unusual when compared with our highly distracted societies today, and it might have even been unusual in the first century as well.

One great example of Jesus living in each moment comes in our passage for this episode. We will be reading from the gospel of Mark, chapter 5, using the New Century Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 21, we learn that:

²¹ When Jesus went in the boat back to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him there. ²² A leader of the synagogue, named Jairus, came there, saw Jesus, and fell at his feet. ²³ He begged Jesus, saying again and again, “My daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so she will be healed and will live.” ²⁴ So Jesus went with him.

A large crowd followed Jesus and pushed very close around him. ²⁵ Among them was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. ²⁶ She had suffered very much from many doctors and had spent all the money she had, but instead of improving, she was getting worse. ²⁷ When the woman heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his coat. ²⁸ She thought, “If I can just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” ²⁹ Instantly her bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was healed from her disease.

³⁰ At once Jesus felt power go out from him. So he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

³¹ His followers said, “Look at how many people are pushing against you! And you ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”

³² But Jesus continued looking around to see who had touched him. ³³ The woman, knowing that she was healed, came and fell at Jesus’ feet. Shaking with fear, she told him the whole truth. ³⁴ Jesus said to her, “Dear woman, you are made well because you believed. Go in peace; be healed of your disease.”

We’ll stop reading here because I want to draw out several things that stood out to me while reading this passage.

The first thing that stood out in my mind is that while Jairus urgently wanted Jesus to come quickly because the situation with his daughter looked very bleak, Jesus was more interested in identifying and drawing out the secret miracle. If we think a little deeper about what happens, it’s likely the woman who was healed, Jairus, and most everyone else present would have preferred this woman’s miracle and story to remain hidden.

But Jesus knows that this story needed to be vocalized, and He wanted to highlight this woman’s faith. We learn that the woman who was healed had a powerful testimony, but an even stronger faith that said she would be healed. While we’ll focus on the woman’s faith later in this episode, Jesus was willing to put the urgent situation of a dying child on hold to focus on the faith of a shy, would-rather-not-be-acknowledged woman.

Whether Jesus wanted to validate the woman, her faith, and the healing that just happened, or whether He wanted to stall long enough that Jairus’ daughter would actually die (which sets up the next part of the story), we see Jesus intentionally being present in each moment, even if the situation would pressure Him to hurry forward.

The next thing that stood out in my mind is that we learn that Jairus is a synagogue leader. This is significant to me because while I get the impression from the gospels that virtually all the religious leaders were opposed to Jesus, I highly doubt that this majority included Jairus – especially after this event.

Looking from the opposite perspective is also fascinating. From Jesus’ perspective, even though the majority of the religious leaders opposed Jesus, Jesus didn’t let the stereotype distract Him from choosing to help someone who needed help. Jesus didn’t let the stereotype that all religious leaders opposed Him stop Him from answering the call for help from one religious leader, and Jesus didn’t let the societal view of women stop Him from focusing attention onto this woman’s story, her faith, and her healing.

The third thing that stood out to me in our passage is the simple equation that Faith + Jesus = a Miracle. We learn from the woman’s story that she had tried everything else without success. She had spent all her money with no improvement. These details are important because the woman had faith in the medical practice of her day – even if the medical standards and understanding was lacking compared to what we know today. This woman had faith, but faith alone didn’t result in healing when she focused her faith onto the medical community.

When the woman shifted her faith onto Jesus, she discovered that was all that was needed. She focused all her faith on simply touching part of Jesus’ clothing, and that would be enough. She probably believed her condition wasn’t as serious as other conditions Jesus had healed, and because of this, Jesus’ direct intervention wouldn’t even have been necessary. She might have also believed that since her condition was less visible than most, that she could get away with a healing that was less visible than most.

The woman’s faith, when focused on Jesus resulted in a miracle and a healing in her life. We can learn from this as well because while there are countless things we could place our faith in, the only One truly worthy of our faith is Jesus – and Jesus is the only place where our faith can result in miracles occurring.

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

Be sure to place your faith onto Jesus. Focus on Him and on growing closer to Him each and every day.

Also, be sure to intentionally pray and study the Bible for yourself because only through Bible study can you learn what Jesus is really like. While a pastor or podcaster can point you in the right direction, only through personal study can you grow a personal relationship with God!

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 fall away from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!