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More healing and hushing...
In the first story, verse 17 pushes us to ask what sort of things Jesus might do (or tell us to do) that would make us want him to leave.
The second story is actually 2 stories, one of them sandwiched within another story.
At the end of both stories, Jesus once again hushes people.
Your thoughts...
The first story confuses me. Maybe it's because we don't really talk about demon possessed people anymore. How would you know if someone is demon possessed? Can I Google "Demon Possession" and get this information?
ReplyDeleteI think that the people didn't understand who Jesus was, but they saw his power and were frightened.
In the second two stories we see how concerned Jesus is when we have great faith. The woman with the bleeding problem (what is this? fibroids?) believes that by touching just the tip of his robe she will be healed. Even though he is in a crowd of people, and presumably rushed, he stops to speak to her.
When he performs the miracle with the dead child, he doesn't do it in front of a large crowd. I have a couple of thought here... I think that Jesus' healing is a personal thing. He is not doing it for fame or glory for himself. He could have probably made quite a living as a "healer and miracle worker" He is doing these things privately and personally for the glory of God.
Another thought, when Jesus is in his hometown, he can only heal a few sick people and performs no other miracles. Perhaps this is because he is surrounded by doubters. Maybe in this story, Jesus is ushering out the doubters so that he can raise the child from the dead?
I think Wendy is on to something here regarding the hushing. Jesus is simply doing Himself what He commanded of us. We should not do good things for earthly recognition, but for God's glory. When these things are kept quiet we cannot boast about them, and that helps us maintain perspective, and not get too full of ourselves.
ReplyDeleteDemon possession: I think the lines are pretty blurring between evil power and mental illness, especially as a result of abuse/trauma. I've come across a number of people that I think you could classify as being possessed/overpowered/bound by evil power...and I do think Jesus still has a mightier power over that...not b/c of a stake or holy water either. I see it in young people who cut themselves, and in adults who drink themselves into numbness.
ReplyDeleteClearly Mark wants us to know that Jesus had saving power here, even though no one else did (v. 4) and he didn't need a chain!
The deal with the pigs is interesting...especially in the link between the unclean spirits who caused the man to try to destroy himself by cutting and the transfer of those spirits into the pigs who then go and destroy themselves.
The second two stories are sandwiched together in order to shed light on each other:
ReplyDelete1. Interesting that the 12 year old girl's dad was a Jewish leader who accepts Jesus has authority, and submits and trusts in him.
2. Before that gets resolved, the soman who had the issues of blood for 12 years. It was a 'womanly bleeding' that couldn't be controlled or stopped, which, among other challenges, made her continually 'unclean' from a Jewish perspective. That also meant she (like the guy possessed by unclean spirits) disconnected from everyone...no community.
3. After Jesus gets laughed at for saying the girl is effectively only asleep, he raises her (same word as Jesus being 'raised' from the dead).
Friends, we follow a Jesus who has done this sort of thing!
5:17 The people pleaded for Jesus to leave their region . 2000 pigs into the lake .....He had just ruined their pig farming economy . Plus , I think they were afraid of a man with this kind of power .Interesting , Jesus did want " Legion " to go home and tell his family . Was he the first Evangelist ( not counting John the Baptist )?
ReplyDelete5:30 Jesus realized that "power had gone out from Him " . That's pretty cool !