“Who is Jesus?”

“The Ultimate Healer” Mark 5:21-43

February 21, 2016

Jesus the Rabbi is now drawing crowds that would make Bernie Sanders or Donald Trump jealous. Everyone wants what Jesus can give; a healing touch. Mark focuses on two: the ruler of the local synagogue with a sick little girl, and a woman with a hemorrhage. They couldn’t be more different. Yet their need and their desperation are much the same. Then Jesus does something neither of them expected…

Points to Ponder

  1. When God “delays” in our time of need, there is always apurpose behind it all.
  1. In the crises of life, we ultimately have only two options:

. To fear or only believe.

So,Who is Jesus? Heis the Worker of Miracles. He has the ultimate authority overdiseaseanddeath.

Other notes:

Discussion questions for Community Groups:

This ruler of the synagogue was aware of who Jesus was, and what He could do; he had seen Jesus restore a man’s withered hand in his own building (3:1-6). But now, instead of seeking to destroy Jesus, he seeks deliverance on his daughter’s behalf (5:22-3). What might this tell us about our judgment of others based upon their past? How does God sometimes reach out to the least likely among us?

Have you ever been in a situation where God “delayed” (seemingly) in His response to a need you had taken to Him? How did you respond, initially? What changed, as time progressed? What did you later see, or find out, that God had been doing in the meantime?

In verses 40-43, The passage tells us that Jesus “put out” allthose who had gathered to mourn, taking only the parents and Peter, James and John in to see the young girl who had just died. He then “strictly charges” the parents, after their little girl is brought back to life, not to tell anyone how this happened. In light of the fact that Jesus is Messiah, why would he do that? Why would he prevent others from seeing (and validating) this miracle, and then forbid the parents to likewise testify of it?

As you look back this story in Mark 5, what verse or truth stands out as significant to you? Why—what do you get out of this passage personally?