In the fifth chapter of his book, Mark gives us an account of a day in the life of Jesus.
Demon-possessed man healed
Mark chapter 5 begins with the arrival of Jesus and His disciples to the region of the Gerasenes.
“When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. For he 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.” Mark 5: 2-4
Jesus cast the legion of demons out of the man and set him free from captivity. The man went home and spread the good news of what Jesus did for him. All the people were amazed and glorified God. (For the full story, read Mark 5: 1-20.)
Bleeding woman healed
Jesus continued His day by crossing over by boat with His disciples to the other side of the lake. On arrival…,
“a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. 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: 21-24
While Jesus went with Jairus, the large crowd thronged Him and pressed all around Him and His disciples. In the crowd, was a sick woman with a bleeding problem (famously known as the ‘woman with the issue of blood’), who had faith to be healed. She meandered her way to Jesus, touched the edge of his garment, and was instantly healed of her chronic shameful infirmity. (For the full story, read Mark 5:25-34.)
Jairus’ daughter raised
While Jesus was still talking to the woman who HAD the issue of blood, messengers came from the house of Jairus to let Him know that his daughter had died and there was no reason to bother Jesus anymore.
“Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, ‘Don’t be afraid; just believe.'” Mark 5: 36
Jesus took Peter, James, and John to Jairus’ house. On getting there, He cleared the house of the distracting, unbelieving mourners before going into the room where the child was with His disciples and her parents. Then Jesus took her by the hand, spoke to her, and raised the little girl from the dead.
What an awesome day!!
All in a day’s job, Jesus set a demon-possessed man free from captivity, healed a sick woman, and raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead.
Jesus fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy in Isaiah 61:1
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners…”
While Jesus was on earth, He…
- walked in love
- spoke and acted with power and authority
- showed compassion by responding to the needs of those around him
- did not brush people off but reached out and touched them
As His followers, are we not called to follow in His footsteps?
What about us?
As born-again believers and followers of Christ, we have been called to be “Christ’s ambassadors as though God were making His appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20). God’s Spirit dwells within us (1 Corinthians 3:16), and we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16b). The same Spirit that raised Christ Jesus from the dead lives in us (Romans 8:11). We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).
In Jesus’ own words, “Very truly I tell you, WHOEVER believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). He started this statement with an emphasis “very truly,” because He wants us to know that He meant it.
Just like Jesus, every day we are given by God should be:
- A day to walk in love
- A day of power
- A day of purpose
- And a day to walk in the footsteps of Jesus
Find practical ways to be the light and share the love of God. Pray, share the Word of God fearlessly, encourage people, lay hands on the sick, reach out and touch the lonely ……….
Prayer
My prayer for you is that “your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called- his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the SAME MIGHTY POWER that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 1:18-20 NLT).
AMEN!!
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