Bible ReadingMark 4:35–4135 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.”
[13:29]36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him.
37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.
38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
[16:21]39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”
[19:47]41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
[20:33]Mark 5:1–201 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes.
[22:29]2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.
3 He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain,
4 for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him.
5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.
6 And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him.
[26:24]7 And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.”
[26:55]8 For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!”
9 And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.”
10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country.
11 Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside,
12 and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.”
13 So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and were drowned in the sea.
14 The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened.
15 And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.
[30:06]16 And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs.
17 And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.
18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him.
19 And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”
20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.
[32:21]Mark 5:21–4321 And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea.
[34:57]22 Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet
23 and implored him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.”
[36:02]24 And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him.
25 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years,
26 and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse.
27 She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment.
28 For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.”
[38:39]29 And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.
30 And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?”
31 And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’”
32 And he looked around to see who had done it.
33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth.
34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
[40:01]35 While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”
[42:09]36 But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.”
37 And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James.
38 They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly.
39 And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.”
[44:27]40 And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was.
41 Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.”
[45:05]42 And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement.
43 And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.
Observation questions- What details show the contrast between the disciples’ response to the storm and Jesus’ response to it?
- What words and images in Mark 5:1–5 show how isolated, tormented, and powerless the man among the tombs had become? [23:12]
- When the townspeople see the restored man “sitting there, clothed and in his right mind,” why might their fear be surprising? What do they ask Jesus to do?
- What similarities are there between Jairus, the bleeding woman, and the formerly demon-possessed man when they come before Jesus? [39:41]
Interpretation questions- Jesus does not promise that every storm will be removed immediately, yet he shows that he is Lord over the storm. What does it mean for a believer to be safe and secure in Christ while still facing real suffering, grief, sickness, or uncertainty? [21:34]
- The townspeople would rather have Jesus leave than have their familiar way of life disrupted. What kinds of comfort, control, or habits can make submission to Christ feel threatening to a person?
- Jesus tells the restored man to return home and tell others about the mercy he has received. Why is witness a fitting response to salvation rather than simply an optional extra for some Christians? [32:20]
- Jesus calls the bleeding woman “daughter,” even though she had been excluded and unclean for many years. How does this change the way a believer should understand grace, belonging, and identity in God’s family? [40:44]
Application questions- What is one current “storm” that has led you to ask, “Do you not care?” How could you bring that question honestly to Jesus while also remembering who is with you in the boat? [17:27]
- Where is fear most likely to control you right now—health, finances, family, grief, conflict, loneliness, or the future? What would it look like this week to grow in trust that Jesus is Lord over what you cannot control? [21:48]
- Is there an area where the status quo feels easier than obeying Jesus? What might submission to Christ change in that area, and what makes that change feel costly? [30:32]
- The restored man was sent back to people who knew his former shame and suffering. Who is one person or group of people with whom you could naturally share something of the mercy Jesus has shown you?
- The bleeding woman came to Jesus with a need that no human effort had been able to fix. Is there a burden, sin, wound, or struggle that you have tried to manage on your own? What might it look like to come before Jesus openly and in faith? [41:10]
- Jesus calls those who trust him beloved sons and daughters. When do you most struggle to believe that you are welcomed and loved by God, rather than merely tolerated? [41:41]
- How does Jesus’ victory over death give practical hope when facing loss, mourning, aging, or fear about the future? [48:07]
