Author: Rich Nelson

9¹⁴ When they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. ¹⁵ When the whole crowd saw him, they were immediately overcome with awe, and they ran forward to greet him. ¹⁶ He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” ¹⁷ Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought you my son; he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak; ¹⁸ and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so.” ¹⁹ He answered them, “You faithless generation, how much longer must I be among you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me.” ²⁰ And they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. ²¹ Jesus asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. ²² It has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.” ²³ Jesus said to him, “If you are able! – All things can be done for the one who believes.” ²⁴ Immediately the father of the child cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” ²⁵ When Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You spirit that keeps this boy from speaking and hearing, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!” ²⁶ After crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” ²⁷ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he was able to stand. ²⁸ When he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” ²⁹ He said to them, “This kind can come out only through prayer.” 

Jesus again foretells his death and resurrection

³⁰ They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it;
³¹ for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.”
³² But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him. Who is the greatest?

³³ Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” ³⁴ But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. ³⁵ He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” ³⁶ Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, ³⁷ “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.” NRSV

Get into the Word

1. What is going on as Jesus approaches? Who is involved? What are they concerned about?

2. Who speaks to Jesus? What is he seeking? Why is this important to him? Why is he asking Jesus? What is Jesus’ initial reaction to this situation? What happens to the boy in Jesus’ presence? How does he respond to the father’s request? How does the father react to this? 

3. How does Jesus heal the boy? What happens as a result? What does Jesus do next? How do the disciples deal with this? What is Jesus’ response to their question?

4. Where do Jesus and the disciples go next? What does Jesus talk about? How do the disciples respond to his statements [check notes on Matthew and Luke]? How might you have responded if you had been there?

5. What are the disciples talking about next? How do they respond to Jesus’ question? How does Jesus answer them? What is the key principle in his answer [check the notes on Matthew]? 

Get Personal

Have you ever been concerned about someone else’s apparent rank or importance? How did you deal with your concern? How has God helped you understand the principle of Kingdom greatness?

(Cross-references to Matthew and Luke are given in brackets)

9:14-29. Healing a boy with a spirit — Matthew’s version [Matt 17:14-20] of this incident omits the argument between the disciples and the scribes and Jesus’s remark about belief [v 23-24]. He also leaves out the demon’s final displays and the boy appearing to be dead. Matthew also changes Jesus’s answer to the disciples’ question about why they could not heal the boy: “Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you,” [17:20].
Luke’s report is briefer than Matthew’s [Luke 9:36-43]. He includes only the father’s description and plea, Jesus’s comments about “faithless people,” the boy’s convulsion, and Jesus’s rebuking the demon and healing the boy.
9:20-32. Jesus’s second prediction of his death — Matthew says nothing about teaching the disciples. He includes Jesus’s statement about the betrayal and death of the “Son of Man,” but records Jesus saying, “he will be raised (not “he will rise”). He says the disciples were greatly distressed, rather than being afraid to ask Jesus what he means, [Mt 17:21-23].
Again, Luke is very brief. Jesus says only, “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed.” Luke does say the statement’s meaning was concealed from the disciples so they did not understand and were afraid to ask Jesus what he meant [Luke 9:44-45]. 

9:33-37. Who is the greatest — Matthew begins this exchange with the disciples’ question. Jesus’s response is considerably different: Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me [18:3-4]. Jesus also tells them not to put a stumbling block in front of children and emphasizes his point be telling them to cut off a hand or foot or eye that causes them to stumble: It is better to enter life maimed or lame . . . or with one eye, that be thrown into the eternal fire [18:8-9].
Luke provides only a terse report: An argument arose among them as to which one of them was the greatest. But Jesus, aware of their inner thoughts, took a little child and put it by his side, and said to them, “Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me; for the least among all of you is the greatest,” [Luke 9:46-48].
Matthew inserts the story of the Temple tax before the discussion of who is greatest. The tax collectors asked Peter if Jesus paid the tax (a small amount each male Jew must pay each year) and Peter said, “Yes, he does.” When Peter went to Jesus, he said the tax really did not apply to him but, so that we do not give offense to them, so go to the sea and cast a hook; take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, and you will find a coin; take that and give it to them for you and me,” [Matt 17:24-27].

8²⁷ Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” ²⁸ And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” ²⁹ He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” ³⁰ And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him. 

Jesus foretells his death and resurrection

³¹ Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. ³² He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ³³ But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” 

³⁴ He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ³⁵ For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. ³⁶ For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? ³⁷ Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? ³⁸ Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his

9Father with the holy angels.” And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.” 

The transfiguration

² Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, ³ and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. ⁴ And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. ⁵ Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁶ He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. ⁷ Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” ⁸ Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.

The coming of Elijah 

⁹ As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. ¹⁰ So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead could mean. ¹¹ Then they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” ¹² He said to them, “Elijah is indeed coming first to restore all things. How then is it written about the Son of Man, that he is to go through many sufferings and be treated with contempt? ¹³ But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written about him.” NRSV

Get into the Word

1. Where is Jesus at this point? Who is with him? What does he ask them? How do they respond? What is the difference in the two questions? How does Peter answer the second question? How does Jesus respond to Peter’s answer? What does Matthew add to Jesus’ words?

2. What does Jesus tell the disciples about his future? How does Peter react to this? How does Jesus respond to Peter this time?

3. What does Jesus tell the crowd about following him? What image does he use? What does he say about a relationship with him? How do you suppose the crowd reacted to this advice?

4. What does Mark describe next? Who is with Jesus? Where are they? What happens at this point? Who is with Jesus? What are they talking about [see Notes]? How do the disciples respond to this situation? What does Peter propose? Why do you think he does this? What happens after Peter’s proposal? How do the other Gospel writers describe this event?

5: What do the disciples ask Jesus? Why would they have this question? Who is Jesus actually talking about?

Get Personal

Have you had an “Aha!” moment in your walk with Christ? What did you see or understand about Jesus? About faith? About your life? What led you to this understanding or clarity? How has it affected your faith adventure?

(Cross-references to Matthew and Luke are given in brackets)

8:27-30. Peter’s declaration about Jesus — Matthew adds to Peter’s answer and Jesus’s response: Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven,” [Matt 16:14-20].
Luke includes only Jesus’s questions and the disciples’ and Peter’s response, [Luke 9:18-20].
8:28. Prophet — in Deut 18:18 God says he will raise a prophet from among his people.
8:31-33. Jesus predicts his death — Matthew and Luke’s versions are very similar to Mark’s, except that Matthew mentions going to Jerusalem, [Matt 16:21, Luke 9:22].
8:32-33. Peter’s rebuke to Jesus — Matthew includes this incident and says Jesus called Peter “a stumbling stone,” [Matt 16:23]. Luke does not include this exchange between Peter and Jesus.

8:34-9:1. Shoulder your cross — Matthew’s version is close to Mark’s, [Matt 16:24-28], except that Jesus does not talk about “being ashamed,” and instead says, The Son of Man . . . will repay everyone for what has been done, [Matt 9:27].
Luke’s version of Jesus’s statement is almost identical to Mark’s, [Luke 9:23-27].
9:2-13. The transfiguration — Matthew’s version is very similar to Mark’s. He does say the disciples were overcome by fear at God’s voice. He does not say the disciples discussed “rising from the dead,” but he does say the disciples realized Jesus was talking about John the Baptist in reference to Elijah, [Matt 17:1-13].
Luke’s version places the transfiguration eight days after Peter’s declaration and reports that Moses and Elijah talked with Jesus about his departure . . . in Jerusalem. Luke does not mention the disciples’ fear or terror, but says they were weighed down with sleep. He does include the conversation about Elijah, [Luke 9:28-36].
9:7. Listen — this echoes Deut 18:15 where Moses says, The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people. You must heed such a prophet.
9:11. Elijah — in the last verses of the Old Testament, God says, Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes, [Malachi 4:5].

8In those days when there was again a great crowd without anything to eat, he called his disciples and said to them, ² “I have compassion for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat.
³ If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way—and some of them have come from a great distance.” ⁴ His disciples replied, “How can one feed these people with bread here in the desert?” ⁵ He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” ⁶ Then he ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground; and he took the seven loaves, and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute; and they distributed them to the crowd. ⁷ They had also a few small fish; and after blessing them, he ordered that these too should be distributed. ⁸ They ate and were filled; and they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. ⁹ Now there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. ¹⁰ And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha. 

The demand for a sign

¹¹ The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, asking him for a sign from heaven, to test him. ¹² And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.” ¹³ And he left them, and getting into the boat again, he went across to the other side. 

The yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod

¹⁴ Now the disciples had forgotten to bring any bread; and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. ¹⁵ And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out—beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.”
¹⁶ They said to one another, “It is because we have no bread.” ¹⁷ And becoming aware of it, Jesus said to them, “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? ¹⁸ Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, and fail to hear? And do you not remember? ¹⁹ When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?” They said to him, “Twelve.” ²⁰ “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?” And they said to him, “Seven.”
²¹ Then he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?” 

Jesus cures a blind man at Bethsaida

²² They came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him. ²³ He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village; and when he had put saliva on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Can you see anything?” ²⁴ And the man looked up and said, “I can see people, but they look like trees, walking.” ²⁵ Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he looked intently and his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. ²⁶ Then he sent him away to his home, saying, “Do not even go into the village.” NRSV

Get into the Word

1. Where is Jesus as this chapter opens? What is going on at this point? How does Jesus respond to the situation? How do the disciples react to Jesus?

2. What does Jesus end up doing? How does this incident compare to the earlier feeding miracle, [check Mk 6:30-44]? What does Jesus do next?

3. Who confronts Jesus next? What do they seek? Why do they want this? How does Jesus respond to this situation? How do you think the Pharisees felt about Jesus’ response? How does Mark’s version of this incident differ from Matthew’s, [see Notes]?

4. What happens in the boat? What does Jesus say in response? How do the disciples deal with Jesus’ admonition? What does Jesus say in response? What point is he trying to make with the disciples? How do you suppose they felt about the questions?

5. Where does Jesus go next? Who approaches him? How does Jesus respond to their request? What does Jesus do with the man? What does Jesus tell him to do next?

Get Personal

How has God helped you understand what his Kingdom is really about? Have there been times when you’ve focused on the stuff of this world and missed the truth God was trying to tell you? What helped you change your focus?

(cross-references to Matthew and Luke are given in brackets)

8:1-10. Feeding the 4,000 — Matthew places this miracle after a day of healing by the Sea of Galilee, [Matt 15:32-39]. His version is almost identical to Mark’s, although Matthew describes the crowd as four thousand men . . . in addition to all the women and children.
Luke does not include this incident.
8:8. Baskets — the Greek word here is different than the one in feeding the 5,000. This “basket” is actually larger than the earlier one, so it could be that even more food was left over.
8:10. Dalmanutha (also Mageda or Magdala) — probably one of the towns in Galilee near the Ten Towns mentioned earlier.
8:11-13. A miraculous sign — Matthew includes this incident, but does not link it to the feeding of the 4,000. Matthew also says the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test Jesus they asked him to show them a sign from heaven, [Matt 16:1]. He reports Jesus’ response differently as well: He answered them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is read and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot

interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah,” [Matt 16:2-4].
Luke does not include this incident.
8:11. Sign from heaven — Moses told the Israelites to see if a promised sign actually takes place as a way of determining if the prophet was from God, [Deut 1:3-5 and 18:20-22].
Sign of Jonah, [Matt 16:4] — Jesus is previewing his death and resurrection, which was the most miraculous sign of all.
8:14-21. Yeast of the Pharisses and of Herod — Matthew’s version of this exchange tracks with Marks, except that Matthew says Jesus reminded the disciples of the feeding miracles without asking the questions, and then reports that the disciples understood Jesus was talking about the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees, [Matt 16:12].
Luke does not include this incident.
8:16. Yeast . . . bread — once again the disciples are focusing on things of this world, and missing Jesus’ point about false teaching.
8:22-26. Healing the blind man — only Mark includes this incident. Although there are many theories about the two-stage healing, there is no conclusive explanation of Jesus’ actions.

7Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him,
² they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. ³ (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders;
⁴ and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.) ⁵ So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” ⁶ He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me; 
⁷ in vain do they worship me,
teaching human precepts as doctrines.’ 
⁸ You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.” 

⁹ Then he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition! ¹⁰ For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.’ ¹¹ But you say that if anyone tells father or mother, ‘Whatever support you might have had from me is Corban’ (that is, an offering to God)— ¹² then you no longer permit doing anything for a father or mother, ¹³ thus making void the word of God through your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many things like this.” 

¹⁴ Then he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: ¹⁵ there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.” 

¹⁷ When he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about the parable. ¹⁸ He said to them, “Then do you also fail to understand? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile, ¹⁹ since it enters, not the heart but the stomach, and goes out into the sewer?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) ²⁰ And he said, “It is what comes out of a person that defiles. ²¹ For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, ²² adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. ²³ All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

²⁴ From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, ²⁵ but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. ²⁶ Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. ²⁷ He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” ²⁸ But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” ²⁹ Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” ³⁰ So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone. 

³¹ Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis.
³² They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. ³³ He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. ³⁴ Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”
³⁵ And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. ³⁶ Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. ³⁷ They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.” NRSV

Get into the Word

1. Who comes to see Jesus as this chapter opens? Why do they come? What do they talk about? What do they think Jesus should do? Why is this so important to them? Who else do they talk about?

2. How does Jesus respond to their questions? Who does he quote? Why do you think Jesus chose this quotation? What point is Jesus making? How do you suppose the others felt about his response?

3. What does Jesus talk about next? Why do you think he raises this subject? What point is Jesus making now? How do you think the others felt about this accusation?

4. What does Jesus say about eating? How does Jesus explain to his disciples? Why doesn’t food harm a person? How would the Jews react to this assertion? How do you feel about it?

5. What does make a person unclean? How does Jesus explain this point?

6. Where does Jesus go after this incident? Who comes up to him? Why? What does she do and say? How does Jesus respond to her? Why do you think he does this? How does the woman respond. What does Jesus say and do next?

7. Where does Jesus go next? Who does he meet? What is his problem? What does Jesus do with the man? How does he “heal” him? What is the result? Why do you think Jesus used this approach? How did the crowd respond to Jesus’ actions?

Get Personal

How do you respond to other peoples’ traditions or rituals that might be different than yours? Are there some traditions in your faith practice that might be unnecessary or even counterproductive? How has God helped you understand the relationship among faith, purity and actions?

7:1-23. Tradition of the elders — Matthew’s version does not explain the tradition. Matthew also reports that Jesus tells the disciples, Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both fall into a pit.
Luke does not include this discussion with the Pharisees, but does report an incident when a Pharisee noted that Jesus did not wash his hands before eating. Jesus rebukes him for being careful to clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness, [Luke 11:39-40]. Jesus also rebukes them for tithing small things but neglecting, justice and the love of God [11:42].
7:2. Hand washing — this rule is not part of the Mosaic Law. Jesus quotes Isaiah 29:13.

7:11. Corban — the Law did provide fordedicating something to the Lord which then prohibited its use for any other purpose, but evidently some Jews would use this as an excuse to not care for their elderly parents.
7:16. Some manuscripts include: Let anyone with ears to hear listen.
7:24-30. Faith of a Gentile woman — Matthew calls the woman a “Canaanite,” [Mt 15:21-28]. He reports that Jesus did not respond at first, and then saying, I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, before the comment about dogs. Jesus tells the woman he granted her request because of her faith. Luke does not include this story. Check 1 Kings 7:17-24 and 2 Kings 4:14-37 for other stories of persistent mothers.
7:31-37. Healing the deaf-mute — neither Matthew nor Luke include this incident.

But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever,
the purposes of his heart through all
generations.
PSALM 33:11

Declare what is to be, present it,
let them take counsel together.
Who foretold this long ago,
who declared it from the distant past?
Was it not I, the Lord?
And there is no God apart from me,
a righteous God and a Savior;
there is none but me. 
Turn to me and be saved,
all you ends of the earth;
for I am God, and there is no other. 
ISAIAH 45:21-22

And I will put enmity 
between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel.
GENESIS 3:15

Comfort, comfort my people,
says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed,
that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received form the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins. 
ISAIAH 40:1-2

He chose David his servant 
and took him from the sheep pens; 
from tending the sheep he brought him 
to be the shepherd of his people Jacob,
of Israel his inheritance.
PSALM 78:70-71

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch,
a King who will reign wisely 
and do what is just and right in the land. 
In his days Judah will be saved 
and Israel will live in safety.
This is the name by which he will be called:
The Lord Our Righteousness.” 
JEREMIAH 23:5-6

In love a throne will be established;
in faithfulness a man will sit on it—
one from the house of David—
one who in judging seeks justice 
and speeds the cause of righteousness. ISAIAH 16:5

A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the Lord;
make straight in the wilderness 
a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain. 
And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all mankind together will see it.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” 
ISAIAH 40:3-5

“See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.
MALACHI 3:1

The people walking in darkness 
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death 
a light has dawned.
ISAIAH 9:2

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called 
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 
Of the increase of his government and peace 
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne 
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it 
with justice and righteousness 
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty 
will accomplish this.
ISAIAH 9:6-7

I will proclaim the decree of the Lord:
He said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have become your Father.”
PSALM 2:7

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, 
though you are small among the clans of Judah, 
out of you will come for me 
one who will be ruler over Israel, 
whose origins are from of old, 
from ancient times.
MICAH 5:2

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,
along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light before them 
and make the rough places smooth.
These are the things I will do;
I will not forsake them.
ISAIAH 42:16

He says:
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant 
to restore the tribes of Jacob 
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” 
This is what the Lord says—
the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel—
to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers:
“Kings will see you and rise up,
princes will see and bow down,
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.” 
ISAIAH 49:6-7

Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. 
See, darkness covers the earth 
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you 
and his glory appears over you. 
Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 
ISAIAH 60:1-3

The kings of the earth take their stand 
and the rulers gather together 
against the Lord
and against his Anointed One. 
PSALM 2:2

You who bring good tidings to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, 
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
ISAIAH 40:9

How beautiful on the mountains 
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”
ISAIAH 52:7

The Lord has made his salvation known 
and revealed his righteousness to the nations. 
He has remembered his love 
and his faithfulness to the house of Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen 
the salvation of our God.
PSALM 98:2-3

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. 
EZEKIEL 36:25-27

I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;
with my mouth I will make your faithfulness 
known through all generations. 
I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself. 
PSALM 89:1-2

Praying that your Christmas is blessed, and your journey is joyful – and healthy!

#1. (Nothing)

#2. Correct Date – True AND False
Jesus was not born in the early winter BUT the Church decided to hold a religious service – “Christ’s Mass” – on December 25 to counter the predominant pagan celebrations

• The actual date of Jesus’s birth is unknown – shepherds “watching their flocks” would happen only during lambing time – in the spring 
• The year also is unknown – Herod died in 4 BCE – Luke mentioned Quirinius was the Roman governor – he started in 6 CE
• “Star” – there is no known astronomical event – Halley’s Comet appeared in 12 BCE, Chinese astronomers reported a comet in 5 BCE
• The calendar has changed: Hebrew calendar was used in Palestine – Julian calendar in use when Jesus was born – the Gregorian or Modern calendar started in 1582 – 
• The earliest December 25 reference is 236 CE – Roman emperor attended a feast in 361 – December 25 became a US federal holiday in 1870
• Some eastern churches celebrate on January 7 because they still use the Julian calendar

Pagan midwinter celebrations:

• Solstice – return of the sun, longer days – metaphor for rebirth 
• Roman: Brumalia – Saturnalia: involved gift giving
• Sun gods – “Sol Invictus” (around 220 CE)
• Jewish: Hanukkah – 8 days of light to celebrate the rededication of the Temple (around 150 BCE)
• Scottish: Hogmany – New Years Eve – gift giving – from Norse invaders
• Norse/Germanic: Yule or Yuletide 
• Catholic Church countered with Christ’s Mass on December 25 – with feasts beginning around 350 CE

#3. There is no “0” year – the year after 1 BCE was 1 CE

#4. Santa Claus – All of the above

• St Nicholas – 4th century CE – Bishop of Demre in Lycia (modern Turkey) – generosity towards children and the poor – patron saint of archers, sailors, children and pawnbrokers
• Dutch – Sinterklaas – anglicized to “Santa Claus” – had helpers – Dec 6 – gift-giving
• English – Father Christmas – 1600’s – gifts to children Christmas Eve
• Germanic – Odin – Yule Holiday 1200’s – 8-legged flying horse (e.g. reindeer) – left gifts to kids
• “A Visit From Saint Nicholas” – 1823, Troy, New York, Clement Moore

#5. The Days of Christmas – False

• Boxing Day (England) – December 26 or 27 – gift boxes to service workers
• The “12 Days of Christmas” are December 25 through January 5 – then Feast of the Epiphany (“appearance” “manifestation”)
• Now it’s 28 days – from Black Friday

#7. Santos – False
Nativity or Crèche (cradle)

• St Francis of Assisi is credited with the first (1223) – tried to focus on worship rather than secular materialism
• Living nativity in a cave, but silent – Pope blessed the exhibit – grew from Italy
• Statues replaced people/animals – but now living nativity scenes are coming back
• Components are a mash up of Matthew (Wise men, star, gifts) and Luke (angels, shepherds, manger)
• Santos are carved statuettes of saints (primarily in New Mexico)

#8. Farolitos – True AND False

• Luminaria are traditionally small bonfires used to light the way for the Holy Family during Las Posadas (search for shelter) in the Southwest
• Farolitos are paper lanterns – a brown paper lunch bag with a candle nestled in sand – which are called “Luminaria” everywhere but Santa Fe, New Mexico

#9. Wise Men – False (but not for the reason you are thinking about)

• The Bible does not say how many wise men visited Jesus – the three gifts that are mentioned is the source of the “count”
• But the Bible does say they visited Jesus some time after his birth in a house [Matt 2:11]

Bonus: Origin of the Christmas Tree

• Started in eastern Europe in 1441 and northern Germany in mid-16th century
• “Tannenbaum” means “fir tree” – “Weihnachtsbaum” would be “Christmas Tree”
• Decorations included fruits, nuts, candles, paper flowers

Bonus: Origin of Christmas Cards

• 1843 – London – commissioned by Sir Henry Cole, drawn by John Horsley – family drinking wine
• 1875 – America – Louis Prang
• Declining in favor of electronic – Hallmark now offers E-cards.

6³⁰ The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. ³¹ He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. ³² And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. ³³ Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. ³⁴ As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. ³⁵ When it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; ³⁶ send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat.” ³⁷ But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?” ³⁸ And he said to them, “How many loaves have you? Go and see.” When they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” ³⁹ Then he ordered them to get all the people to sit down in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰ So they sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties.
⁴¹ Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. ⁴² And all ate and were filled; ⁴³ and they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. ⁴⁴ Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men. 

⁴⁵ Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. ⁴⁶ After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray. 

⁴⁷ When evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land.
⁴⁸ When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the sea. He intended to pass them by.
⁴⁹ But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; ⁵⁰ for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” ⁵¹ Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded,
⁵² for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
⁵³ When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat.
⁵⁴ When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, ⁵⁵ and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.
⁵⁶ And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed. NRSV

Get into the Word

1. What is Jesus’s plan after the mission trip? Why does he want to do this? How successful is this plan? What happens? How does Jesus respond to the crowds? Why does he do this?

2. What problem comes up in the afternoon? What plan do the disciples suggest? What is Jesus’s plan? How do the disciples react to this idea? How might you have reacted if you had been there?

3. What do the disciples discover? How does Jesus start the meal? What is the result? How did the crowd feel about this (see Notes on John)?

4. What does Jesus tell the disciples to do after the meal? What does he do? What happens to the disciples? What does Jesus do in response to their situation? How do they react to this? Why do you think they reacted as they did? 

5. What happens when they reach the other side of the lake? What is the difference between the people in this town and the people of Nazareth (check 6:6)?

Get Personal

Have you been in a situation in which you had to trust God for “enough” of something? How did it work out?

(cross-references to Matthew and Luke are given in brackets)

6:30-44. Feeding the 5,000 — both Matthew and Luke, as well as John, include this incident very close to Mark’s version, but with some differences. 
Matthew links directly to the story of John’s death and says Jesus went away by himself. According to Matthew, Jesus had compassion on the crowd and healed their sick. Matthew does not mention the potential cost or having the crowd sit in groups, but he is the only one to refer to the women and children, [Matt 14:13-21].
Luke starts his narrative the same way Mark does, but he says Jesus welcomed the crowd and taught them about the Kingdom of God in addition to healing them. Luke also omits the potential cost of feeding the crowd, but the other details closely follow Mark’s version, [Luke 9:10-17].
John includes this incident in his Gospel [John 6:1-15]. According to John, Jesus initiates the feeding by asking Philip “where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” . . . to test him. Andrew then tells Jesus about a boy with 5 loaves and 2 fish. Jesus has the crowd sit down and blesses the bread and fish and gives it to the disciples to distribute. At the end the people proclaim Jesus a prophet and he went higher on the mountain alone.
6:37. Two hundred denarii — at least six month’s wages.
6:41. This is not the only example of God miraculously feeding his people. Check Exodus 16 (manna in the desert); 1 Kings

17:7-16 (Elijah at Zarephath); and 2 Kings 4:1-7 (Elisha). Isaiah describes the ultimate feast that God will provide his people in 25:6.
6:45-52. Jesus walks on the water — Matthew includes this story but Luke does not.
Matthew follows Mark’s version at the beginning up to the point where Jesus tells the disciples “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” According to Matthew, Peter then says to Jesus “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” And Jesus tells him to come: So Peter got out of the boat and started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “You truly are the Son of God!” Matthew closes the story with healings in Gennesaret, like Mark, [Mt 14:22-36].
John also includes this incident, [John 6:16-21]. He says the disciples went to the shore and started across. John says the disciples had rowed three or four miles when they saw Jesus and were terrified. John does not say the storm abated when Jesus got in, but immediately the boat arrived at their destination!
6:56. All . . . were healed — there is a clear difference between the attitude in Gennesaret and Nazareth (6:6), and in the results of Jesus’ presence and work.

6He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. ² On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! ³ Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. ⁴ Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” ⁵ And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. ⁶ And he was amazed at their unbelief.

Then he went about among the villages teaching. ⁷ He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. ⁸ He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; ⁹ but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. ¹⁰ He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. ¹¹ If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” ¹² So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. ¹³ They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

The death of John the Baptist 

¹⁴ King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some were saying, “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him.” ¹⁵ But others said, “It is Elijah.” And others said, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” ¹⁶ But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” 

¹⁷ For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her. ¹⁸ For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”
¹⁹ And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not,
²⁰ for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him. ²¹ But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. ²² When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it.”
²³ And he solemnly swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.” ²⁴ She went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the baptizer.”
²⁵ Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” ²⁶ The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. ²⁷ Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, ²⁸ brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. ²⁹ When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb. NRSV

Get into the word

1. Where does Jesus go next? What does he do there? How do the people react to him? Why do you think they responded as they did? How is Luke’s version of this incident different than Mark’s [see Notes]. How does Jesus respond to the people? How does this affect his ministry there? How does he feel about this?

2. What is the next step in Jesus’s ministry? What instructions does he give the disciples? Why do you suppose he directed them as he does? How do you think they felt about the directions? How did their ministries fare?

3. What does Matthew add to this incident [see Notes and check Mt 10:16-42]. Does this change the nature of the work for the disciples?

4. What happens to Jesus’s reputation as a result of his ministry? Who do people say he is? Whose attention does this attract? What was the relationship between John and Herod? Who else was involved? Why was Herod upset with John? What did Herod do to John at first?

5. What does Herod finally do to John? What leads him to take this action? How does his wife figure into this situation? What does this tell you about Herod’s character? About Herodias’ character?

Get Personal

What does “sharing your faith” look like to you today? How does this align with Jesus’s mission for the disciples? How does God help you be a witness for the Gospel?

(cross-references to Matthew and Luke are given in brackets)

6:1-6. Jesus’s rejection — each author puts this story at a different point in the narrative. While Mark places it after the healings, Luke puts it right after Jesus’s temptation in the wilderness, [Luke 4:16-30], and Matthew puts it after Jesus’s parables, [Matt 13:53-58].
Matthew’s version is almost identical to Mark’s, except he omits the statement that Jesus was “amazed at their unbelief.” 
Luke does not mention teaching, but says Jesus read the passage from Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has appointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,” [61:1-2]. Jesus then says, today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. He then refers to the prophet not being accepted in his home-town and to several Old Testament prophets who weren’t accepted. Luke’s version ends with the people grabbing Jesus and taking him to a cliff to push him off, but he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.

6:3. Brothers — James became a believer and leader of the Jerusalem church and probable author of the letter that bears his name; and Judas is the author of the letter called “Jude;” but there is no information on Jesus’s other sisters and brothers in the New Testament.
6:7-13. Sending the twelve apostles — Luke follows Mark’s version of this incident very closely, [Luke 9:1-6], although he does not specify sending the apostles in pairs. Luke also includes the story of sending 72 disciples, [Luke 10:1-20]
Matthew has more detail in his version, [Mt 10:5-15], including Jesus’ direction to go the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Matthew also includes Jesus’s predictions of the costs and rewards of discipleship, [Matt 10:16-42].
6:14-29. Herod and John the Baptist — Luke refers only to Herod’s question about Jesus, since he had beheaded John the Baptist, [Luke 9:7-9], and does not include the story of John’s death.
Matthew generally follows the story in Mark, [Matt 14:1-12]. He blames Herod more than Herodias and says Herod did not execute John because he was afraid of a riot among John’s followers. The Jewish historian, Josephus gives us the daughter’s name: Salome.

5²¹ When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea. ²² Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet ²³ and begged him repeatedly, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.” ²⁴ So he went with him.

And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. ²⁵ Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. ²⁶ She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. ²⁷ She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, ²⁸ for she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.”
²⁹ Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. ³⁰ Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” ³¹ And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’” ³² He looked all around to see who had done it. ³³ But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. ³⁴ He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” 

³⁵ While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” ³⁶ But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” ³⁷ He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. ³⁸ When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. ³⁹ When he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” ⁴⁰ And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. ⁴¹ He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha cum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!” ⁴² And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. ⁴³ He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat. NRSV

Get into the Word

1. Where is Jesus in this incident? What happens when he arrives? How does the man greet Jesus? What does he ask Jesus to do? How does Jesus respond to this request?

2. Who approaches Jesus next? What is this person’s situation? What does she say to herself? What does she do? Why would she do this? What happens to her?

3. What does Jesus do as a result of the woman’s actions? How do the disciples react? How does the woman respond to Jesus? What does Jesus say to her?

4. What happens next? How does Jesus react to the news? What does he do next? Who did accompany him? What happens when Jesus gets to the house? How does the crowd react? What does Jesus do with the girl? How does she respond? What does Jesus say to the parents?

Get Personal

1. What do these three incidents tell us about the Kingdom of Heaven? About God’s power? About how he deals with people? What have you learned about God’s power in your own life? In the lives of others you know?

(Cross-references to Matthew and Luke are given in brackets)

5:21. Healing in response to faith — Matthew includes the basic facts of these two incidents, but, again, his version omits much of the detail Mark records, [Mt 9:18-26]. Matthew follows these healings with one not in Mark or Luke, about two blind men who follow Jesus into the house where he was staying and ask him: “Son of David, have mercy on us!” Jesus touches their eyes and they could see, [Mt 9:27-31].
Luke tells these two stories much as Mark does. He has Jesus tell Peter: “I felt healing power go out from me.” In Luke’s version Jesus does not stop the crowd until they get to Jarius’ house. The rest of the story is almost identical to Mark, [Lk 8:49-56].
5:22. Leader — a lay person responsible for maintaining the building as well as organizing worship and education.

5:25. Suffering hemorrhages — if linked with menstrual bleeding she would have been “unclean” according to the Mosaic Law.
5:29. Immediately — both the woman and Jesus experienced the shift in spiritual power.
5:36. Do not fear, only believe — Jesus is about to demonstrate that he has power even over death, something that all people fear.
5:43. No one should know this — in Jewish communities Jesus knew they would not correctly interpret his title of Messiah, so he told people to not share news of his healings; but in non-Jewish areas people thought he was a magician, so he tells the man healed of the demons to spread the news about how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy he has shown you, [5:19-20].

4³⁵ On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” ³⁶ And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. ³⁷ A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. ³⁸ But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” ³⁹ He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. ⁴⁰ He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” ⁴¹ And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

5They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. ² And when he had stepped out of the boat, immediately a man out of the tombs with an unclean spirit met him. ³ He lived among the tombs; and no one could restrain him any more, even with a chain; ⁴ for he had often been restrained with shackles and chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and the shackles he broke in pieces; and no one had the strength to subdue him. ⁵ Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always howling and bruising himself with stones. ⁶ When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and bowed down before him; ⁷ and he shouted at the top of his voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” ⁸ For he had said to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!”
⁹ Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” ¹⁰ He begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. ¹¹ Now there on the hillside a great herd of swine was feeding; ¹² and the unclean spirits begged him, “Send us into the swine; let us enter them.” ¹³ So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and were drowned in the sea. 

¹⁴ The swineherds ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came to see what it was that had happened. ¹⁵ They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the legion; and they were afraid. ¹⁶ Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. ¹⁷ Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighborhood. ¹⁸ As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed by demons begged him that he might be with him. ¹⁹ But Jesus refused, and said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy he has shown you.”
²⁰ And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed. NRSV

Get into the Word:

1. What does Mark describe next? What happens to the disciples? How do they react to the situation? How does Jesus respond? What does he say to the disciples [see Notes]? What does this tell us about Jesus? About the disciples?

2. What happens when Jesus gets to the other shore? Who meets him at the shore? Where does he come from? How does the man behave? Why does he act like this?

3. What does the man say to Jesus? Why do you think he said these things? How does Jesus respond? How does the spirit answer Jesus question?

4. What does the spirit propose to Jesus? Why would it suggest this? How does Jesus answer the proposal? What happens next?

5. How do the people react to all these developments? How might you have reacted if you had been there? What do the people ask of Jesus?

6. What does the now-cured man want to do? What does Jesus say to this? Why do you think Jesus gave him this direction? What is the result?

Get Personal

What storms have come up in your life recently? How did you respond to the situation? How did you ask God for help with the problem? How did God help you to relax and trust him for the outcome?

(cross-references to Matthew and Luke are given in brackets)

4:35-41. Calming the storm — Luke includes this incident although he does not refer to any crowd or other boats, [Luke 8:22-25]. Luke says the disciples shouted Master, Master, we are perishing instead of the question about Jesus not caring about drowning. Also, Luke says Jesus asked only, Where is your faith? He also reports the disciples were afraid as well as amazed.
Matthew’s version of this incident actually comes earlier in Jesus’ ministry and another healing at Capernaum. It is similar to Mark and Luke, but Matthew says the disciples told Jesus We are perishing, and that Jesus rebuked the disciples with why are you afraid, you of little faith?, before he calms the storm, [Mt 8:23-27]. Matthew also says the disciples were amazed at Jesus’ power over natural forces.
4:41. Filled with great awe — the disciples may have been impressed but they missed the point that only God can start and stop storms: He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed, [Psalm 107:29]. Jesus has now demonstrated his authority over illness, “demons,” and nature.
5:1. The demon-possessed Man — Luke’s version of this incident is very similar to Mark’s, including the spirit’s challenge to Jesus, the name legion, the

spirits going into the pigs, the response of the people, and Jesus’ instructions to the cured man, [Luke 8:26-39].
Matthew puts this encounter in Gadara, actually a different town in the same region. Also, Matthew reports that two demon-possessed men confront Jesus, [Mt 8:28-34]. Matthew includes the pigs and the people begging Jesus to leave, but omits most of the detail that is in Mark.
5:11-12. Pigs — Mosaic law forbid eating pork, so Jews would see nothing wrong with evil spirits choosing pigs as their new host.
5:4-5. Shackles, chains, stones — both abnormal strength and self-wounding are often associated with someone who is “possessed.”
5:9. Legion — evidently many demons possessed this man (which explains the use of “we”).
5:12. Swine — pigs were “unclean” according to Mosaic Law [Lev 11:7]. The demons did not want Jesus to send them someplace where they had no hosts; but note that they knew they had to obey Jesus.
5:17. Beg Jesus to leave — Jesus had just caused a severe economic loss and done something the people did not understand.
5:19. Go home — Jesus directs the now-healed man to tell others about this miracle.