Even the brightest human minds cannot fully comprehend the universe. Scientists, artists, philosophers, teachers, musicians, and poets touch only the hem of the garment of this universe. Immense. Awe-inspiring. Mysterious. Infinite.
To read any of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) is to get a glimpse into heaven and the glory of God. When we read the Gospel of Mark, we see God on the move, in flesh, in glory.
Yes, the Bible is clear that when Jesus left the glory of heaven and took on human flesh, something was emptied and set aside (see Philippians 2:6–7). But to see Jesus is to see perfect divinity. This is why Jesus told his disciple Philip, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9, NIV).
In chapters four and five of Mark, we see the veil between heaven and earth pulled back and realize that Jesus is truly Lord of creation — and everything in it.
Lord of Creation
Read Mark 4:35–41.
Original Meaning
Jesus urges his disciples to set sail for the other side of the lake. Obedience to this command requires them to leave the crowd and join Jesus in the boat. The “fishermen” disciples presumably take the lead in this regard, because they are the expert mariners. Ironically, they are the ones terrified by the unexpected storm while Jesus sleeps serenely.
It is easy to imagine how, at the end of a long day preaching to hardened hearts, Jesus was physically exhausted. Those attuned to Scripture, however, catch a deeper significance behind his peaceful repose. Jesus’ sleep in the midst of a building and then raging storm that churns the sea all around him and fills the boat with water is a sign of his trust in God. It stands in stark contrast to the terror of the disciples.
The disciples do not interpret his untroubled sleep as a sign they can be untroubled as well. They don’t see Jesus’ peaceful slumber as evidence of his trust in God that will also ensure their welfare. Rather, they regard it as a token of Jesus’ indifference to their safety in their hour of need. They awaken Jesus with an indignant wail of complaint, as if he were in some way responsible for their plight. Jesus’ rest is another token of his divine sovereignty the disciples do not yet recognize, and the formidable power of the tempest is promptly overcome when he arises and speaks. Jesus answers their anxious cries by rebuking the wind with a word.
After calming the sea, Jesus then turns to rebuke the disciples for their hysteria. In this we find that faith is clearly not something that is inborn. It can ebb and flow, depending on circumstances, and is most likely to fizzle in situations of danger. The fear of the disciples, however, does not alleviate after the storm quiets. Instead, it shifts to the person with them in the boat, who has just shown his divine control over the sea. The disciples’ awe is appropriate, but they still have only the vaguest inkling of who this man is in their midst.
Past to Present: Deliverance Through the Storms
Reading this account of the storm in Mark’s Gospel helps us recognize we must trust in a Savior who does not deliver us from storms but through storms. Jesus didn’t tell his disciples to get out of the boat because he knew a storm was brewing. Rather, he got in the boat with them as they sailed out across the lake. He was there with them in the boat as the water rushed over the sides, but he didn’t react to it as they did.
Our faith in Jesus is not a promised refuge from the uncertainties and insecurities of the world. The truth is that there are no safe places in life. We can only find security with Jesus and a serenity that this world does not know and cannot give. We can trust that Jesus has beaten down the savage storms and there is no reason to fear anything this life can bring (see Romans 8:31–39). Our role is to get into the boat and trust Jesus to carry us to the other side.
Lord of the Spiritual World
Read Mark 5:1–20.
Original Meaning
Wherever Jesus goes, his holy presence triggers a reaction from the unholy. The demons in this story do not cower in fear but cause the man to rush at Jesus. No one had the strength to “subdue” him. This Greek word (damazō) is used for taming a wild animal and is better translated, “no one was able to tame him.” People treated him like a wild animal, and he acted like one. He was banished from society and had to dwell with those whose sleep would not be disturbed by his shrieks echoing through the night as he lacerated his body with stones.
In the demons’ desperate attempt to resist being cast out, they are momentarily successful in creating a standoff. Their evasive tactics consist of having the demonized man prostrating himself before Jesus. Whether this action is counterfeit worship or conniving submission, the evil spirits employ subterfuge to persuade Jesus to leave them alone. They invoke the name of God to keep the Son of God off their back — to protect themselves.
Jesus asks for the demon’s name. However, the evil spirits evade the question by giving a number instead of a name: “My name is Legion” (verse 9). A legion was the number in a Roman regiment consisting of six thousand foot soldiers and 120 horsemen. Mark reveals to his readers in this way that the man was captive to a host of demons.
It was popular belief in Mark’s day that evil spirits were not content to wander aimlessly about. They wanted to inhabit something. A human host was best, but wanting that, a bunch of pigs would do. This is what the evil spirits request, and Jesus grants them passage. In this, he might seem too gracious in granting the request, but it leads to the surprise ending. The very thing the demons want to avert happens. From a Jewish perspective, the scene is a joke. Unclean spirits and unclean animals are wiped out in one swoop, and a human is cleansed.
The townspeople do not seem to care that Jesus has such power. They just want him gone. Instead of giving him the key to the city, they give him a cold shoulder. The demons had begged Jesus to let them stay in the region, but the townspeople now beg Jesus to leave. But when Jesus is gone, a man transformed by the power of the Messiah remains as a witness!
Past to Present: When Community Goes Wrong
Mark’s original readers would have noticed the detail he goes into to describe how people in the man’s community had tried to restrain him. They would also have noticed how members of this same community arrived on the scene after the deliverance to ask Jesus to leave. These details reveal that this story has to do not only with Jesus’ encounter with the demons but also with that community — a community that cracks down on madmen and protects its own.
In fact, it is striking just how callously indifferent they are to the restoration of this man! They seem fine to have just left that man as he was, tortured and tearing himself up with stones in the graveyard. It is one thing to encounter the impersonal forces of evil in nature that run amok in an individual but quite another to encounter them in a whole community.
This provokes us to ponder our own motivations and responses when it comes to dealing with people like this man. Are we likewise content to just let them mire in their misery — that if they are out of our sight they are out of our minds? Or do we intentionally make a beeline for their shores like Jesus did? This community opted for violent solutions to problems. We, as followers of Jesus, must opt for solutions that encompass Jesus’ way of compassion and mercy.
Lord of Health and Lord Over the Grave
Read Mark 5:21-43.
Original Meaning
Mark first presents Jesus’ divine power over the natural world through the story of Jesus speaking to the storm and calming it. He then relates a story of Jesus speaking to a legion of demons and bringing calm to a man by casting out the demons into a herd of pigs. These stories reminded Mark’s readers that Jesus, the one they served, was truly the Lord over nature and over the spiritual world. But there is one more set of stories that Mark wants to tell.
After Jesus returns from his journey across the lake, a synagogue official falls before his feet and begs him to come to his home and heal his daughter. Jesus agrees, but the rush to the girl’s side is interrupted by an anonymous woman. She is so desperate to be healed from her illness that she sneaks up to touch Jesus’ garments in hopes it will restore her to health.
This woman also suffers socially and psychologically. As a ritually “unclean” woman, she would have been ostracized from Jewish society. Her plight is further compounded because she has become impoverished by wasting her living on the fruitless cure of physicians. When she touches Jesus, immediately the flow of blood stops. Jesus calls her to step out in faith and be identified. When she does, he blesses her and announces that her faith has made her well.
One can only guess what the distraught father must be thinking about this delay. He, too, must then publicly demonstrate his trust in Jesus when the worst possible news comes. His daughter is dead. He had shown faith in coming to Jesus in the first place, and now he must continue when Jesus tells him not to fear. He leads Jesus to his house, where his faith is again challenged by the grievous chorus of those already assembled to mourn his little girl’s death.
Their skepticism puts them outside. There will be no miracles for the scornful throng. In private — with only the parents and Peter, James, and John — Jesus grasps the little girl’s hand and raises her up. Jesus does not utter some mysterious mumbo jumbo but an ordinary phrase. The offer of food shows that the child is really alive and not a disembodied spirit. The command to secrecy reveals that Jesus is not interested in turning jeers into cheers.
Past to Present: Faith Has Many Faces
The miraculous healings in these two scenes reveal the power that comes through faith in Jesus. The synagogue official and the woman came to Jesus for healing because of their faith. They had faith in him before their healing — and that faith led to their being made well. Whether it is halting or imperfect, faith compels us to reach for God when we need healing.
This occurs regardless of who is exhibiting the faith. The synagogue leader was in a different economic, social, and religious spectrum from the woman. He could openly approach Jesus with a direct request. The woman, however, had to slink around behind the scenes. This is why she felt she must approach Jesus from behind and merely try to touch his garments.
What Mark reveals in this intertwined story is that being female, impure, dishonored, and destitute is no barrier to receiving help. In God’s kingdom, the nobodies become somebody. This is important for us to remember. Regardless of what we think of ourselves, God sees us as his beloved children — and he is ready to help those who have faith.
From Biblical History to Modern Times
Explore the rest of the Gospel of Mark in the Mark Bible Study, based on the NIV Application Commentary series. Each study in the series employs a three-step process to help you understand both the historical meaning of a biblical text and its relevance in modern times:
- The original meaning section reveals the questions and concerns the author was addressing.
- The past to present section then explains what significance the original audience would have found in the passage and what significance you can find in it today.
- Finally, the questions that accompany each section will help you apply the author’s words and teachings to your own life and find meaning in them for what you are facing.
Go deeper into your Bible Study with the NIV Application Commentary resources, including the NIV Application Bible — also available as part of Bible Gateway Plus. Start your free trial today!
Dr. Kevin G. Harney is the president and co-founder of Organic Outreach International and the teaching pastor of Shoreline Church in Monterey, California. He is the author of theOrganic Outreachtrilogy,Organic Disciples, more than one hundred small group guides, andnumerousarticles. He does extensive teaching and speaking nationally and internationally to equip leaders in effective and culture-changing discipleship and evangelism. He and his wife, Sherry, have three married sons, three daughters-in-law, and five grandchildren.
