JESUS'
AUTHORITY
Bible
Background • MARK 4:35-5:20
Printed
Text • MARK 4:36-41; 5:2-13a
Devotional
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LESSON OVERVIEW |
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LESSON
AIM
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KEEP
IN MIND
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FOCAL
VERSES
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IN
FOCUS
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THE
PEOPLE, PLACES, AND TIMES
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BACKGROUND
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AT-A-GLANCE
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IN
DEPTH
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SEARCH
THE SCRIPTURES
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DISCUSS
THE MEANING
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LESSON
IN OUR SOCIETY
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MAKE
IT HAPPEN
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FOLLOW
THE SPIRIT
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REMEMBER
YOUR THOUGHTS
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MORE
LIGHT ON THE TEXT
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DAILY
BIBLE READINGS
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LESSON
AIM
By
the end of the lesson, students will understand that Jesus has all authority
they will reaffirm their intent to put complete faith in Him.
KEEP
IN MIND
"What
manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" (Mark
4:41).
FOCAL
VERSES
Mark
4:36
And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was
in the ship. And there were also with him
other little ships.
37
And
there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so
that it was now full.
38
And
he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake
him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou
not that we perish?
39
And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and
said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the
wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
40
And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how
is it that ye have no faith?
41
And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What
manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
5:2
And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of
the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
3
Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not
with chains:
4
Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains
had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither
could any man tame him.
5
And
always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying,
and cutting himself with stones.
6
But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,
7
And cried with a loud voice, and said, What
have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure
thee by God, that thou torment me not.
8
For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.
9
And he asked him, What is thy name? And
he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.
10
And
he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.
11
Now
there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.
12
And all the devils besought him, saying,
Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.
13
And
forthwith Jesus gave them leave.
IN
FOCUS
Little
Cory was afraid of the dark. One night his mother told him to go out to
the back porch and bring her the broom. The child turned to his mother
and said, "Mama, I don't want to go out there. It's dark."
The
mother smiled reassuringly at her son. "You don't have to be afraid of
the dark," she explained. "Jesus is out there. He'll look after you and
protect you."
The
little boy looked at his mother real hard
and asked, "Are you sure He's out there?"
"Yes,
I'm sure. He is everywhere, and He is always ready to help out when you
need Him," she said.
Cory
thought about that for a minute and then went to
the back door and cracked it open a tiny bit. Peering into the darkness,
he called, "Jesus? If You're out there, would
You please hand me the broom?"
THE
PEOPLE, PLACES, AND TIMES
The
Times.
Word of Jesus' name and teachings had spread throughout
Gadarenes.
(Gerasenes and Gergasenes
in some manuscripts) This refers to the city of Gadara,
which was a large city situated on the summit of a mountain approximately
six miles southeast of the Sea of Galilee. Although Garasenesare
is mentioned in the passage (Mark 5:1-13), scholars are not sure if the
miracle of Jesus healing the demon-possessed man (vv. 2-13) actually took
place in Gadara or in another place with
overlapping names.
BACKGROUND
Mark
4 opens with a litany of parables that Jesus tells to a large crowd gathered
by the Sea of Galilee. He sits in a boat and teaches so that everyone can
see and hear Him. Although Jesus may have taught using parables before,
this is the first recorded case of a series of these stories.
What
is a parable? The Greek term parabole
(pronounced pah-rah-BO-lay) means
"placing side by side for the purpose of comparison." In other words the
parable uses the familiar to clarify the unfamiliar. Thus Jesus speaks
of the sower, the lamp, and mustard seed—all
items with which His listeners are familiar. In the Parable of the Sower
Jesus provides a detailed explanation of its meaning to the disciples.
After teaching, Jesus and the disciples leave that evening by boat.
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AT-A-GLANCE |
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1.
Where Is Jesus in Your Storm? (Mark 4:36-41)
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2.
Who's Really in Control? (5:2-13)
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IN
DEPTH
1.
Where Is Jesus in Your Storm? (Mark 4:36-41)
After
teaching the multitudes in a ship by the sea of Galilee, Jesus instructs
the disciples to go to other side of the shore. Weary from his daylong
delivering of sermons, Jesus falls asleep in the stern (lower or back part
of the ship). Then a fierce storm arises. The disciples fear for their
lives and see the imminent danger as water fills the ship. The next action
that the disciples take is one we should study closely, for it reveals
our own reactions to difficulties. Frantically, they wake up Jesus and
say, "Teacher, don't you care that we are about to die?" (Mark 4:38, TEV).
Isn't this the same question we as Christians often ask the Saviour
when we encounter the storms and problems of life: "Jesus, don't you see
what I'm going through? Can't you do something about it?"
Jesus
did do something about the storm on the Sea of Galilee by simply speaking
to it "Peace, be still" and of a certainty He wants to protect us when
we experience life's turbulence. Jesus requires that we have faith in Him,
and even reprimands the disciples for their lack of trust (Mark 4:40).
Although the disciples are aware that Jesus is with them, the storm appears
to be greater than their faith in the Saviour.
One ancient writer, Saint Ephrem the Syrian,
sums up this passage in Mark powerfully: "The ship carried His [Jesus']
humanity, but the power of His Godhead carried the ship and all that was
in it" (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture edited by Thomas
C. Oden and Christopher A. Hall).
As
you face life's storm, remember that God is carrying the ship. He has total
control over the tempest that you face. Where is Jesus in your storm? He
is right there with you saying, "Peace, be still."
2.
Who's Really in Control? (5:2-13)
In
this passage we see another instance of Jesus confronting a demoniac. Although
any person controlled by an evil spirit is in bondage, the man in the tombs
is a severe case, for he had been possessed for a long time. During Jesus'
time people believed that evil spirits dwelt among the tombs. Since the
demon-possessed man was uncontrollable, he was a menace to society. Even
worse, he was a danger to himself for he mutilated his own body with stones.
This man had thousands of demons as his name, "Legion" (v. 9), so indicates.
(A legion was a division of the Roman army containing four to six thousand
men.)
Yet
the unclean spirit that totally dominated the man had to submit to Jesus
(v. 6). This act demonstrates Jesus' superior power and authority. Not
wanting to relinquish control of the man, the unclean spirit gives the
same response recorded in Mark 1:24: "What do you want with me?" or "Leave
us alone." Jesus exercised total control and commanded the demon to come
out of the man. The passage concludes with Jesus permitting the demons'
request to be cast into a herd of swine. Being possessed by so many demons,
the swine ran down a steep cliff and drowned in the sea.
SEARCH
THE SCRIPTURES
1.
How did the disciples react when faced with the storm? (Mark 4:38)
2.
What was the condition of the demoniac? (5:3-5)
3.
What did Jesus do to show His authority over the demons? (v. 8)
DISCUSS
THE MEANING
1.
Allow the students to spend time discussing the question, "Where Is Jesus
in Your Storm?" Why is it often difficult to have faith in a crisis?
2.
Jesus shows His power and authority during the storm and when He heals
the demoniac. As Christians, has Jesus also given us authority over unclean
spirits and illnesses? Why or why not?
LESSON
IN OUR SOCIETY
In
today's lesson we discovered that Jesus is in control at all times. What
He asks of us is to have complete faith and confidence in Him. Often it
is difficult for us to have faith because we feel the need to be in control
and resort to trusting our own reasoning. But there are some things that
only God knows, and He will not reveal them to us because He wants us to
trust Him. We must let God be our confidence in the midst of a storm, for
He has ALL power and authority.
MAKE
IT HAPPEN
Read
the following Scriptures on faith, select one of the passages, and share
it with someone this week: Matthew 17:20; Romans 10:17; and Hebrews 11:1.
You will strengthen your faith by meditating on the Word as well as by
sharing the Scriptures with others.
FOLLOW
THE SPIRIT
What
God wants me to do:
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
REMEMBER
YOUR THOUGHTS
Special
insights you have learned:
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—Precepts
2002-2003