In Mark’s Gospel Chapters 4 and 5 we find the story of a day of Jesus’ ministry. I like to think about what is happening to people in the background of the stories like this one from Mark’s Gospel.
I imagine that I am one of the Disciples reflecting on this particular day. I spend every day with Jesus and the other 11 Disciples. I have a front row seat watching Jesus’ ministry to people. Most of our days are like this one. Jesus always teaching and touching lives. In the morning we were on the beach by the lake and a crowd started gathering. Jesus, in His normal way, began to talk to the people in the crowd.
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Mark 4 from NIV
The Parable of the Sower
Again, Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around Him was so large that He got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught them many things by parables, and in His teaching said: 3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew, and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”
9 Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
10 When He was alone, the Twelve and the others around Him asked Him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the Kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that, “‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise, they might turn and be forgiven!’”
13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the Word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the Word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the Word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the Word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the Word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the Word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the Word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the Word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
A Lamp on a Stand
21 He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? 22 For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”
24 “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. 25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”
The Parable of the Growing Seed
26 He also said, “This is what the Kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
30 Again He said, “What shall we say the Kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”
33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the Word to them, as much as they could understand. 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when He was alone with His own disciples, He explained everything.
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We always appreciate it when Jesus clarifies the parables for us and gives us “ears to hear.” His Kingdom is much different than what we think of as kingdoms with kings and armies. It is more concepts and principles than physical boundaries and powerful armies.
As His teaching ended, Jesus had us get in the boat with Him and go to the other side of the lake. We did not know where we were going, but as things unfolded, it was obvious Jesus was on a mission.
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Jesus Calms the Storm
35 That day when evening came, He said to His disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took Him along, just as He was, in the boat. There were also other boats with Him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
39 He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40 He said to His disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
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That was amazing. Who is this guy? It was something that you had to see to believe. Nature itself was at His command. That was a little scary. Then we headed for what turned out to be another ministry site. Jesus got out of the boat, but the rest of us just sat and watched Him.
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Mark 5 from NIV
Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man
They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet Him. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills, he would cry out and cut himself with stones.
6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of Him. 7 He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”
9 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.
11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13 He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.
14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. 17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.
18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with Him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you.” 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.
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The interaction with Jesus and that demon-possessed man was amazing. The demons in the man knew Jesus was the Son of God and were afraid of Him. When Jesus sent the demons into the pigs and they drowned, we were frightened. Imagine watching 2000 pigs run into a lake. Scary! However, the next thing we knew the man was setting with Jesus, fully clothed, and just talking normal. Jesus sent him back home to tell people what He had done for him.
Jesus got back in the boat, and we went back across the lake. That was when I realized the reason we crossed in the first place was to heal that man. When we landed on the other side, the crowd was back. They seemed to be everywhere He went.
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Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman
21 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around Him while He was by the lake. 22 Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at His feet. 23 He pleaded earnestly with Him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put Your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him.
A large crowd followed and pressed around Him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch His clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from Him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched My clothes?”
31 “You see the people crowding against You,” His disciples answered, “and yet You can ask, ‘Who touched Me?’ ”
32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came, and fell at His feet and, trembling with fear, told Him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
35 While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the Teacher anymore?”
36 Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
37 He did not let anyone follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 But they laughed at Him.
After He put them all out, He took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with Him and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this and told them to give her something to eat.
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That was a full day! Starting by listening to Jesus teach in parables and then clarify the message to us. Then getting caught in a fierce storm and having Jesus calm the storm with His words. After that, watching the whole interaction of Jesus, the demon-possessed man, the demons and the pigs and how that affected the people from the area. Then back across the lake and seeing a lady healed just by believing if she touched Him, she would be healed and Jesus raising a young girl after she had died. Sometimes it is hard to get to sleep after a day of ministry with Jesus. Watching His power over the physical and spiritual world is almost too hard to take in.
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That is the end of my imagining, but If I were there as a Disciple my head would be spinning. Can you imagine following Jesus day after day for three years watching His ministry unfold like this? Every day for more than 1000 days He just kept teaching and touching the lives of people. And yet, after more than 1000 days like the day above and after Jesus’ resurrection and He was preparing to ascend to heaven, still some had doubts.
Matthew 28:16-17
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.
Some doubted! Hard to believe, but that gives me great peace when I have doubts. If the Disciples could have doubts after three years with Jesus day in and day out, I know my Lord will help me through my doubts. His loving care was there when He walked this earth and is still here today. Praise His Name!!
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