Christian Quest
Study 12
Miracles According to Mark

Reading:
Mark 4:35-41;
chapter 5;
and 6:1-13

This lesson will play catch-up for Gospel writer Mark. The journey across the Sea of Galilee to the Gerasenes where Jesus cast out the demons into a herd of swine, and also the woman who was healed of hemorrhaging are familiar accounts from previous studies in Matthew and Luke. Also, the healing of Jairus's daughter, Jesus' rejection in Nazareth, and Jesus summoning the twelve apostles for special mission.

Scholars tend to believe that Mark was actually the first Gospel to be written, and it may have been a reference for Matthew and Luke. Yet, all three are uniquely different. While they tell some of the same stories, each account also has unique reflections on the ministry of Jesus Christ. Each tell the story in a little different way, and often the episodes appear in different sequence. This would strongly dismiss the idea that the three were written by conspiracy or collusion. Also, each was written to a different audience and therefore gives different emphasis, and this gives added credance to the authenticity of the Gospels.

The Sea of Galilee

In Jesus' day this huge fresh water lake, 13 miles long and 7-1/2 miles wide, had a number of thriving towns along its shores, including Capernaum, Bethsaida, and Chorazin (where most of Jesus' 3-1/2-year ministry took place), and Magdala and Tiberias. The lake lies in a land depression 700 feet below sea level and enjoys a healthful semitropical climate. The Jordan River flows into it from the north, and flows out of it to the south through the Jordan valley until it reaches the Dead Sea. The lake was often subject to sudden and violent storms as the cold air from snowy Lebanon collided with the warmer air above the lake. The Sea of Galilee abounds in fish, with fishing being an important industry. The sunny climate, with health-giving sulphur springs near Tiberias, made it a mecca for the sick, and a fruitful scene for Jesus' healing ministry.

Synopsis

Mark 4:35-41 Miracle of calming the sea. (Also Matthew 13:31-35)
After speaking to the crowd in parables in a fishing boat, Jesus and the apostles head for the other side of the Sea of Galilee when a turbulent gale-storm arises. The apostles wake Jesus fearing that they are doomed. Jesus calms the storm. The apostles still do not have a full understanding of the power at Jesus' command and are constantly amazed by what they see.

Mark chapter 5 Demons are cast into Swine. (Also Matthew 8:28-34; Luke 8:26-39)
When they reach the other side of the Sea, in the country of the Gerasenes, they encounter the man with demons. The demons recognize Jesus as the "Son of the Most High God" and converse with him. He charges them to come out of the man and they beg permission to enter a large herd of swine nearby instead.

This episode of Jesus crossing the Sea of Galilee invites some speculation for the fact that the people very evidently are foreigners, not Jews. What is more, they are raising "a large herd of swine which Jews regard as "unclean" animals and would have no reason to be raising a large herd for food or sacrifice. Therefore it seems these were pagans. When Jesus exorcised the demons and they entered the pigs, they immediately charged and plunged into the sea and drown, being about 2000 pigs. Their herdsman ran away and told the towns people, and they came to see what happened. Notice that these people did not have the same reaction about Jesus healing the demonized man as the Jewish people had at seeing Jesus heal. The Gerasenes wanted Jesus to leave their area when they saw this. If pigs were raised for sacrifice to a God--which is quite possible, it may be that the people were frightened on religious grounds, fearing their God was offended. The man whom Jesus restored wanted to come with Jesus, but he refused to allow him. This too would indicate that Jesus had brought his apostles here to demonstrate his power over the demons, even among pagans on their own turf.

35-43:
Coming back to Galilee the woman who had been hemorrhaging for 12 years was healed by touching Jesus garment. An interesting aspect of this is that in the orthodox Jewish culture, the woman would also have been shunned as being unclean for the 12 years. Jews were not supposed to touch a woman who was menstruating just as they were not supposed to touch a leper. This woman would not only have had the ordeal of her affliction, but would have had to live with being shunned like a leper--except lepers at least have other lepers for companionship. That is why the sought to be healed by touching the hem of Jesus robe, so as not to touch him.

35-43:
Afterward, Jesus raised the deceased daughter of Jairus, a synogogue official. Notice he is still instructing people not to go telling about this kind of miracle. Only the parents and a few of his apostles were allowed to witness the miracle.

Mark chapter 6:

1-5: Jesus is rejected in Nazareth, his home town.

7-13: Jesus gives instruction to his twelve apostles for preaching repentance. Now the apostles too began healing the sick and casting out demons.

Optional research:

Review questions:

Optional discussion:
Since the woman who was bleeding was regarded as unclean and could not be touched, what might life have been like for her aside from the affliction itself?