THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST
SPREADING THE SOUL-SAVING MESSAGE OF JESUs
(Chapters 5-8)
Introduction by narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. Spreading the soul-saving message of Jesus. And now, Ben Bailey.
“Jesus has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak” (Mk. 7:37). Welcome to our study of the gospel of Mark, which is about the majesty of Christ—how Jesus truly “has done all things well,” and is the Savior of the world. Mark 5 ties into this theme by showing Jesus cleansing a man who was demon possessed, and making him clean and in his right mind by casting out the evil spirit. In the specific context of Mark 5, Jesus comes to the region of the Gadarenes, and as He gets out of the boat, people tell Him about a man who possesses an unclean spirit. This man had great problems. He lived in the mountains. He cried out day and night. No one could tame him, the text says. They put him in chains and shackles, but he broke them into pieces. This man’s life was in a great tumult and chaos because of the unclean spirit within him.
The man sees Jesus, runs to Him, and worships Him. Jesus asks the man, “Who are you?” The demons answered, “We are legion.” There were many demons inside the man. They recognized Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus insisted that He was going to cast out the demons. They requested Him not to send them into another country, but to send them into a herd of swine. Jesus did that, and the swine ran off the cliff and drowned in the sea. But what is interesting is what happened after that. Mark 5:15 gives us this comment about the man who possessed the demons, once he had been cured: “Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.” This is an odd response on the part of the people to Jesus’ miracle. They even said to Jesus, “Why don’t you leave our town?” They were afraid. They did not like what He had done, and did not know how to respond. What Jesus had done was so amazing and astonishing that it created fear within them. But the man who previously had been possessed by demons is now sitting, clothed, and in his right mind—which was in stark contrast to how he had been when he probably wore no clothes and wasn’t sitting, but was crying out and cutting himself with stones. Now, he was “in his right mind.”
There is a practical principle found in Mark 5:15 that relates to every person who is in sin. If we are in sin, we are unclean. Isaiah 64:6 says that all our righteousness, apart from God and His salvation, is “like filthy rags.” Before we obey the Gospel, we are dirty and unclean. Until you submit your will to the Gospel of Christ, until you are cleansed by the Gospel, and until you are saved by the healing power of Jesus’ blood, you will never be in your right mind. I am not saying that you are crazy. I am saying that you cannot have “the mind of Christ” (Phil. 2:5) until you submit to the will of God. That is “the right mind.” The right mindset is to have “the mind of Christ.” The right way of life is to walk in the steps of the Savior (1 Pet. 2:21). Jesus helps us have the proper mindset. He helps us to see what life is really about. So many people are like the man in Mark 5. They are going through life in chaos, without real meaning, and, in reality, are doing harm to themselves by the way they are living. Being in the right mind through Jesus means that we understand why we are here. We are here to do all things to the glory of God (Is. 43:7). Being in our right mind means that we recognize things that are harmful to us so that we can remove them from our lives. Ungodly, immoral things (such as alcohol, drugs, and tobacco) are things that we must remove from our lives. Ways of life that are not right (such as living in immorality and/or adultery) also must be removed from our lives. We must be cleansed of that by Christ’s blood. And when we do, we can see clearly through the haze that once enveloped our lives. The people who saw Jesus heal the man were afraid because of the great power He possessed.
But look at Jesus’ relationship with the man who had possessed the demon. Jesus gets into a boat and is ready to leave for the other side of the sea. The man comes to Jesus and asks if he can go with Him. The man wants to stay with Jesus because he is so proud of, and so thankful for, what Jesus had done for him. In Mark 5:19 the text says, “Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, ‘Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.’” The man was finally in his right mind, and wanted to stay with Jesus. But Jesus tells him that is not what he needed to do. Jesus was saying, “I have work to do. You do not need to go with me. Rather, you need to go home to your friends and reestablish the relationship that you were unable to have because of the unclean spirits you possessed. Then tell your friends what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” What should be the response of every person who has been cleansed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ and healed from sin? We need to tell others the message of Jesus. We need to go home to our friends, and tell them how good the Lord has been to me, and how compassionate He is. “Through the Lord’s mercy, we are not consumed because His compassions fail not” (Lam. 3:22). We need to tell people about the goodness of God in salvation. Hebrews 8:12 says, “I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” People need to know from our lives, our examples, and our teachings that we have been cleansed from sin, and that we want others to know about the great love of God.
In Mark 5 Jesus also performs two other healings. Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, comes to Jesus. He has a daughter who is at home sick. Jesus agrees to go with Jairus. But along the way a crowd gathers. In this crowd is a woman who has had an issue (flow) of blood for many years. She had seen doctors, and has spent all she had, but she was not any better. In fact, the text says that she actually was worse. She had a problem that was causing her to have severe health issues. She might even have been on the verge of dying. As Jesus is heading toward Jairus’ house, the woman says to herself, “If I can just touch the hem of His garment, I will be made whole.” She touches Jesus, and immediately is made well. Jesus feels the power drain from Him, and asks, “Who touched Me?” His disciples said, “Lord, what are you talking about? Have you gone crazy? You are in this crowd, and you have asked, ‘Who touched Me?’” Jesus then turns to the woman—who falls down in fear and trembling—and says, “Your faith has made you well” (Mk. 5:34). Jesus was willing to heal this woman because she had an extraordinary faith. She did not need pomp and circumstance. She simply wanted to touch the Savior. She wanted to get close to Him—which is how she was made well.
Then someone comes to Jairus and says, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” (vs. 35). Jesus looks at Jairus and says, “Do not be afraid; only believe. We’ll take care of your daughter.” Jesus went home with Jairus, and said to the girl, “I say to you, arise.” She arose, and was healed right there in that place. So, here we see two great healings—the healing of Jairus’ daughter that brought her back from the dead, and the healing of the woman who had an issue of blood that no one could heal.
What is the purpose of these miracles? What did these healings prove? What about miracles for us today? There are a lot of people who have health problems, and a lot of people whom we love dearly, die. Are miracles still occurring today? The Bible says, “Absolutely not!” In 1 Corinthians 13:10 Paul said, “When that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.” In the context, what was that which was “in part”? It was miraculous knowledge, tongue speaking, and the ability to do miracles. But when the perfect came, that which was “in part” would be done away with. Jesus is perfect, of course. But He had already come by the time of the writing of 1 Corinthians 13. What other “perfect” was there? The Word of God! James 1:25 tells us that we have “the perfect law of liberty.” Did you know that the purpose of miracles was to confirm the Word of God? Mark 16:20 and Hebrews 2:1-4 tell us that miracles were to confirm the Word of God. Suppose two people stand up, and both of them say, “I have a message from God.” How do you know who really has the correct message—in a time when people could not check their Bibles because they did not have the written-and-revealed Word of God? Today we can test people’s claims by the Word of God. But back then, how could they check people’s claims? If one man could work a miracle, and another man could not, then the one who worked the miracle was confirmed by the miracle that he was indeed a servant of God. The miracles do not exist today because we have the Word of God, which saves us. Miracles served the purpose of proving that a person was a spokesman from God, and that Jesus was the Son of God. In Mark 5 we see the power of Jesus through His healing.
In Mark 6 we are given an update on John the Immerser. In Mark 1 we saw John preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. He was laying the groundwork for Christ to come, and even baptized Christ Himself. Jesus’ ministry pretty much begins at that point. What happened to John? Mark 6 tells us exactly what happened. And it was a sad scene because of people’s sins. John had been exposing Herod’s sin. Herod had taken his brother’s wife. John told him quite clearly that such was against the will of God, and that he could not continue in that relationship. Herod had taken his brother Philip’s wife, and they should not have been in such a relationship (which was against the will of God). In Mark 6:18 we read, “John had said to Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.’” Why did Herod behead John? Why did John lose his life? It was because he told Herod that he was in a sinful relationship that violated God’s law, and that he could not have his brother’s wife. John died because of strong Gospel preaching. Today, the world and the church both need strong Gospel preaching on matters of life and death, and on matters of salvation. When it comes to the church, people need to know clearly that there is one church (Eph. 4:4). Jesus built the church of the Lord Jesus Christ (His church—Matthew 16:18), and that men and women cannot be saved in denominationalism, which is against the will of God (1 Cor. 1:10-13). Like John, we need preaching that people can understand clearly. There is one church. There is one way of salvation. Baptism is for the remission of sins. And if people are not willing to submit to God in baptism, then they will be lost in Hell fire. We must be clear and plain like John. If you have not submitted to God’s will concerning baptism, you are lost—and you will perish in Hell for eternity. I do not say that because I am happy about it. I say it because you will know the truth. There are multitudes of false teachers who say that all a person has to do to be saved is to believe or say a sinner’s prayer. Or, perhaps if you say so many “Hail Mary’s,” then you will be all right with God. But those things are not what the Scriptures teach. Those are human teachings that spring from the ideas of men. Jesus said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mk. 16:16). Peter said, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). Later Peter said, “Baptism does also now save us” (1 Pet. 3:21). We need plain Gospel preaching on marriage, divorce, and remarriage. God, from the beginning, established marriage for one man and one woman for life. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24). Jesus gave one reason for divorce. In Matthew 19:9 Jesus said that except for fornication, people were not to divorce their wives or husbands. Fornication (sexual immorality and impurity) was the only reason Jesus gave for divorce. Then and only then did the innocent party have the right to remarry. That is the law that God set in order. There are a lot of people today who are in unscriptural marriages. If, in a divorce that occurred because of fornication, you were not the innocent party, and you later remarried, then you are in an unscriptural marriage. You need to get out of it in order to go to Heaven. Repentance is required of you. According to Ezra 9 and 10, you must get out of that ungodly marriage and remain faithful to God by living in an unmarried state. What John preached was hard. But it was what was true and necessary for people to get to Heaven. Strong Gospel preaching—even on subjects that are difficult—is what John did. And it is what we today need to do as well.
In Mark 6, Jesus is identified as a great Man of peace. In the context of Mark 6, Jesus had his disciples depart to the other side of the sea. They had had a rough few days preaching. The crowds had been pressing in on them—so much so that in order to eat and rest, they had to depart for a while to a solitary place (Mk. 6:36). But after all this, Jesus sent His disciples ahead of Him so He could go into the mountain to pray. In the fourth watch of the night, Jesus sees His disciples in a boat straining against the wind. He decided to go out to them. They saw Jesus, and they were afraid because they thought it was a ghost. Jesus tells them that it is Him, and He then comes into the boat with them. Mark 6:50 tells us, “They all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, ‘Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.’” We need to realize that Jesus, the Son of God, is a Man of peace. What do we mean by that? Jesus taught some hard things. He said that He would divine a father from his son, and a mother from her daughter. But Jesus was a Man of peace—in the sense that He brings peace with God through the Gospel that He teaches. In Luke 2:15 we see that when Jesus came into the world, the angels sang, “Peace on Earth; good will toward men.” In Isaiah 9:6-7, Jesus is identified as “the Prince of peace” because through His death Jesus made peace between God and man (the greatest peace that is possible). We are not talking about a state of euphoria where everyone gets along, and where there are never any fights or disagreements. True peace is peace between God and man that occurs because of the cross of Christ (Col. 2:14-15).
In Mark 7, Jesus has to deal with things that cause division and are against the peace that He came to bring—the human traditions and laws that are elevated above the laws of God. The scribes and the Pharisees came to Jesus and asked, “Why do you disciples eat with unwashed hands?” You might ask, “What kind of question is that?” Well, the scribes and Pharisees had certain traditions that said things like “a person had to wash his hand up to his elbow,” or “a person had to wash the couch on which he said,” and things like those. They focused on things like that instead of on the Word of God. They then elevated those traditions to the point that if a person did not follow them, he or she could not be a part of their group or be right with God. Thus, Jesus dealt with the concept of human traditions being elevated to the same status as the law of God. In Mark 7:7-8 Jesus said, “In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrine the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.” Jesus then said to them, “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.” What was the problem with people in Jesus’ day? It was the same problem that we have today. Too many people have listened to “so and so” say “such and such,” and you cannot find any of it in the Bible. Yet those teachers have elevated their teachings to the status of “This is the way it has to be!” People have elevated what “they think” or what “they feel” to the point that it is now equal to the law of God—even though you cannot find it in the Bible. We need to be very careful that we do not put tradition before the will of God. Let me give you one example. Catholic tradition says that in order to be forgiven of sins, you must confess your sins to a priest. You must say something like, “Father, I have sinned. Forgive me.” That is Catholic tradition, and what Catholics say a person must do in order to be forgiven. Do you know why that is wrong? In Matthew 23:9 Jesus said, “Call no man father.” Nowhere in the Bible does a person have the right to call a man “Father,” and say to him, “Father, I have sinned. Forgive me.” Christians are to approach God in repentance and prayer (1 Jn. 1:7-9), at which time the Bible says we will be forgiven (Acts 8:22-24). We are to pray to God so that the evil thoughts of our hearts might be forgiven us, and we will receive forgiveness.
Look at some of the traditions that exist today that have been elevated to the status of God’s law. These types of things separate people from God. In fact, Jesus taught in this context what it is that defiles a man. They had the idea that if you did not wash your hands, and if you did not wash your cups and pitchers, and you ate with those unwashed hands or drank out of an unwashed pitcher, you would be come defiled. They were saying that what entered a person’s mouth was what defiled him. Jesus, however, said the exact opposite in Mark 7:15—“There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.” Jesus said that it was not whether or not you washed your hands, or whether or not someone washed a pitcher that defiled a person. It is not what a person takes in that defiles him, because such things are purified and eliminated by the body. But what goes out of a man is what defiles a man—his words, actions, deeds, and lifestyle. It is not what goes in, but what comes out. What goes out is a result of what a person takes into his mind. “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 23:7). What you think is what comes out in your words and actions. Jesus said that those are things that define a person. In Mark 7:37 we find a key verse: “Jesus has done all things well.” We need to submit to His will and follow His way of life. He was perfect in every way. Jesus had just healed a man who was both deaf and mute. He stuck His finger in the man’s ear and then touched the tip of his tongue. The man then was loosed from both bonds. The Scriptures say that the people were astonished at Christ because He had “done all things well, and had made the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.” “Jesus did all things well” is the theme of the gospel of Mark. Look at His majesty—and how He did everything perfectly. “Jesus committed no sin, nor was guile found in His mouth” (1 Pet. 2:22). As a result, God made Him “who knew no sin, to be sin on our behalf” (2 Cor. 5:21). If we want to have a perfect life, we must follow the perfect example. Jesus was “tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15).
As a Man who had “done all things well,” we see Jesus in Mark 8 as a Man of compassion. The people in the crowd had been with Him several days. He looked out on them and had compassion on them because He saw them as sheep without a shepherd. He knew that if He sent them away, they would faint. Here we see Jesus as a great Man of compassion. If you do not see the compassion and love of God in Jesus Christ—in His life, sacrifice, and death—then you have missed out on a big part of the life of Christ. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3:16). Jesus went about doing good and helping others. He loved us so much that He left Heaven and came to this Earth where people hated Him and refused to listen to His words and teachings, yet He went around doing good by healing the sick and taking care of those who were in need. He preached the Word of God, and He lived a perfect life. He died a horrible, gruesome death, and was then raised by God on the third day after His death so that He now reigns from Heaven as “King of kings and Lord of lords.” That is the compassion of Jesus that is available for each one of us.
Even some of Jesus’ own disciples did not understand this. In Mark 8:31 Jesus told His disciples that “the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.” Peter was appalled at such a statement, and “took Him aside and began to rebuke Him” (vs. 32). Can’t you imagine what Peter might have said? “Lord, You are not leaving us. Don’t be talking like that. We need You! That kind of language is sinful.” Perhaps Peter said that, or something similar to it because he no doubt felt that Jesus was wrong. But in Mark 8:33 Jesus said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Even the disciples did not fully understand God’s great scheme of redemption. Jesus said, “You’ve taken the roll of Satan, My adversary. So, get behind me because you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Do we realize that if we are not careful, we can take an adversarial role to Christ, and can become a tool for Satan? What did Peter do? Peter was supposed to be behind the Lord. But acting like he was, he was putting himself out in front of the Lord. Jesus said that we are to follow Him (1 Pet. 2). We are to walk in His footsteps. We are not to lead the way. We are not to go in front of the Lord. Rather, we are to follow the path that He sets for us. Peter was not doing that. To really be right with God, we must step in line behind the will of the Lord and understand that it has nothing to do with what we think or feel that is important. We must be mindful of the things of God, not the things of men.
What does it mean to be mindful of the things of God? It means that we put first things first, and that we have proper priorities. In Mark 8:36-37 we see proper priorities. I believe these to be some of the greatest questions in the Bible. “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” If we are mindful of the things of God, then we will understand the value and importance of the soul. The questions are rhetorical of course, because the answer to both of them is “nothing.” What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Suppose you amassed the wealth of everyone in the world, and you live in luxury, but you died without being right with God. What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? The answer is “nothing.” If you spend all your time and efforts seeking the things of men instead the things of God, and you have everything you ever desire, yet you go to Hell, then you will have lost it all. “What a man give in exchange for his soul?” If you stand before God’s throne, and you have not lived correctly, but you have ten bars of gold, and you say, “God, I know I haven’t lived the way I should have, but I have these ten bars of gold and this bag of diamonds. Wouldn’t you like those?” What good will worldly goods do us if we are not right with God?
The most important thing is to make sure that your soul is right with God. Have you obeyed the Gospel? Jesus teaches that we must hear the Word (Rom. 10:17). We must believe in Him as the Son of God (Jn. 3:16). We must repent and change our lives (Lk. 13:3). We must confess Christ as our Savior (Rom. 10:10). And we must be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). But it does not stop there. We also must “walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4) and “be faithful unto death” (Rev. 2:10). Are you right with God? Have you answered correctly Jesus’ two questions? If not, I beg you to get your life right with the Gospel of Christ before it is everlastingly too late.
Narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST is brought to you by loving, caring members of the church of Christ. The McLish Avenue church of Christ in Ardmore, Oklahoma, oversees this evangelistic effort. For a free CD or DVD of today’s broadcast, please write to:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST
607 McLish Ave.
Ardmore, OK 73401
You may call 580-223-3289. Please visit us on the web at www.thegospelofchrist.com. We encourage you to attend the church of Christ, where “the Bible is loved and the Gospel is preached.”
1. According to the material presented in this lesson, what is the overall theme of the Book of Mark?
2. In Mark 5, Jesus healed a man. What was the man’s ailment?
3. In Isaiah 64:6, to what is human righteousness compared?
4. What statement did Paul make in Philippians 2:5?
5. In 1 Peter 2:21, what did Peter tell every Christian to do?
6. According to Mark 5:19, what did Jesus instruct the man to do (whom he had previously healed)?
7. What important point is found in Lamentations 3:22?
8. What important point is found in Hebrews 8:12?
9. In Mark 5, what did Christ do for Jairus’ daughter?
10. When, in 1 Corinthians 13:10, Paul said, “When that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away, to what does the phrase “that which is perfect” refer?
11. In Mark 6:18, what did John the Immerser tell Herod that eventually resulted in John’s being put to death?
12. According to Matthew 16:18, how many churches did Christ build?
13. In Matthew 19:9, what was the one acceptable reason Jesus gave for a husband and wife divorcing?
14. According to material contained in this lesson, in Mark 6, what kind of Man is Jesus portrayed as being?
15. In Mark 7, what seemingly unusual question did the Jewish scribes and Pharisees ask Jesus about His disciples?
16. What did Jesus say in Mark 7:7-8 to the scribes and Pharisees who had asked Him a question?
17. According to Acts 8:22-24, what should a Christian do when he has sinned and wants to be forgiven of that sin?
18. What important truth did Jesus teach in Mark 7:15?
19. What two urgent questions did Jesus ask in Mark 8:36-37?
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST, 607 McLish Ave., Ardmore, OK 73401; (580) 223-3289; www.thegospelofchrist.com