Masterclass: The Gospel of Mark

Part 5: Jesus Restores Lives

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Summary

Are you needing some area of your life that needs an overhaulin’? Do you have an area of your life that needs fixing up? Maybe in your marriage, perhaps you are in need of healing of some sort, or maybe you may need something to happen in your relationship with God. Mark Chapter 5 reminds us that Jesus is in the business of restoring hearts, souls, and minds. Ultimately, Jesus not only restores our lives, but he wants to resurrect them. He wants the dead to come to life. He wants to remove the condemnation of sin through faith in His death, burial, and resurrection. Will you allow Jesus to transform your life?

Content
Jesus Displays His Power to Restore

If you’ve been in this world for long at all you know there’s a lot of imposing and scary forces out there. We don’t get much choice on the subjects of weather and erosion, or of sickness and decay, or of death. Every single day, we’re subject to the whims of forces outside of our control. But, the awesome truth is that there’s not one thing that Jesus doesn’t have power and authority over. Scripture illustrates this for us.

At the end of Mark 4, Jesus calms the storm of the Sea of Galilee and leaves His disciples asking themselves, Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him! And in chapter 5, we discover that with His words alone, Jesus has the power to restore order not just in the atmosphere, but in human and spiritual matters.

In the place where Jesus and His disciples stepped off the boat, there was a demon-possessed man. Mark 5:4 tells us that this man had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. The demon who spoke from the man’s body told Jesus his name was Legion, because there were many demons in the man. Clearly, this was no small case of impure spirit, if there could be such a thing as a small case. The people of the town were not even able to physically restrain the man in his supernatural strength!

But Jesus had power over the evil spirits that even they were forced to recognize. They recognized Him as Jesus, Son of the Most High God. The spirits begged Jesus not to send them out of the area, accepting the fact He had the power to do whatever He willed. Ultimately, Jesus cast them out, and the man was healed both physically and spiritually, and he went to testify to others in neighboring towns about Jesus.

We have now seen that Jesus has power over the natural environment and over forces of evil. This is nothing short of incredible! And while not all of us have had personal experiences of storms rocking our boats or demon possessions in the town square, Jesus also shows His authority over something which looms over each and every one of us: sickness and death itself.

Desperation and Restoration

Have you ever been desperate? Have you felt like the world was closing in on you, that your options were becoming limited, or that you didn’t know where to run? A man named Jairus knew that feeling. He was a synagogue leader (and therefore, probably a Pharisee) in the next place where Jesus left His boat. His daughter was dying.

Considering Jairus was a religious leader of the time, He had to put His reputation at stake to turn to Jesus, whom the Pharisees considered a heretic. But with no other hope for his daughter, Jairus fell to his knees before Jesus in faith. ​​

He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” So Jesus went with him. (Mark 5:23-24)

When we’re desperate, we seek some place to put our hopes on in dependence. Sometimes, in our desperation we can allow ourselves to become dependent on the wrong things: addictions, our own abilities, or worldly leadership. These reactions invite sin, like gluttony, pride, and idolatry into our lives. They further entrench us into reliance on quick-fix solutions which leave us needy again and again.

But desperation is also an opportunity to choose Jesus in a radical, faith-filled way. Desperation leads to restoration. Pay attention to where you want to turn when times get tough. If the first instinct isn’t Jesus every time, you’re not alone! But each of those moments is an opportunity to grow in faith and love with your Heavenly Father.

Jesus Heals and Resurrects!

Let’s not forget to conclude the story we began. On the way to Jairus’ dying daughter, Jesus encounters a woman who touches His robes in faith that He will heal her from chronic bleeding which made her an outcast in her day. Jesus spent time with this woman, listening as she explained why she had touched His robe. In parting, Jesus said, Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering. (Mark 5:34)

In these moments, some people informed Jairus that his daughter had died, and discouraged him from seeking Jesus’ help any longer, since it seemed nothing more could be done. Had Jesus just prioritized healing a chronic condition over healing a dying young girl? Not exactly. You see, God’s timeline doesn’t always make sense to us.

Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, "Don’t be afraid; just believe.” (Mark 5:36)

Jesus went to see the girl, who had indeed died. He declared to the mourners that she was not dead, but only asleep, but they didn’t take Him seriously. Moments later, Jesus commanded the girl to get up, and she did!

If it seems impossible to you, it probably is impossible for you. But not for God! When fear comes knocking, reject it in favor of faith in Him. Jesus has the power to restore and even resurrect your life.

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