Lessons from The Book of Mark.

Hello Bare and Blessed Fam! I hope we are all doing well! As a community, we are slowly and steadily making our way through the New Testament. So far, we have completed the books of Matthew and Mark and for me it has been so humbling to look closely at the life of Christ and what it means for us. Reading and watching in my mind’s eye as Jesus was born in accordance with prophecies from hundreds of years before just made my heart trust even deeper in God to bring to fruition every promise He has spoken over me. The life, death and resurrection of Jesus means SO much for our lives as believers. It means that we can have utmost confidence in EVERYTHING God says because it will happen just as He has said it.

There were a few things from the book of Mark that really stood out to me and I would love to share them with you here, and also invite you into this time of study with us. Reading The Bible is such a core part of our walk with God, it takes time and attention and it is worth it, a hundred times over. Come and sit at your Father’s feet and drink his words like cool water to refresh your soul. In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

I will begin with Mark Chapter 5, specifically from verses 21 to the end. It tells of Jesus’ healing ministry, specifically in the case of the woman with the issue of blood, and Jarius’ sick daughter. The Bible tells us in v 21–24 that Jaruis, a leader of the synagogue came to meet Jesus who was surrounded by a large crowd, to beg Jesus to please come and heal his daughter. The Bible says that Jarius bowed low on the ground before Jesus and pleaded with Him for healing. The first thing that jumps out to me is the posture with which Jarius approaches Jesus, in complete and total humility and surrender. Bear in mind this man is a leader in the synagogue, and could raise his shoulders up, but he came to Jesus completely aware of his inadequacy and believing only in Jesus’s capacity for healing. So many times we come to God with pride in our hearts, or with disappointment because we have tried to do things our own way and they don’t work so we come back to God grudgingly. These verses showed me what kind of heart posture Jesus is moved by, because after Jarius bows down in worship and pleads with Jesus humbly, Jesus agrees to follow him to his home and heal his daughter. SO first lesson of the day: HUMILITY AND SURRENDER IN OUR HEART POSTURE WITH GOD.

However, on Jesus’ way to Jarius’ house, there is another person in need of healing, the woman with the issue of blood. Now this story is quite popular and most of us know that the woman with the issue of blood had suffered for many years and she believed that if she could touch the hem of Jesus’ garment she would be healed, and it happened to her exactly as her faith believed. However, on this particular reading, the Spirit of God opened my eyes to something else. After the woman received her healing, that was not the end of the story. The Bible tells us that Jesus wanted to find out and interact with the woman who had just received her healing by touching Him. He asked His disciples who were like ‘abeg Jesus can’t you see we are surrounded by so many people abegg jor’. Their response did not deter him. He continued to search for this woman. He could just have left it alone but verse 32 says: ‘Jesus continued looking for the one who touched him’, and he looked and looked until the woman finally presented herself. It was not enough that she just got what she wanted, our God is a God of relationship, of connection and community. Our walk with God is not transactional where we just get what we want, then we walk away. We must meet Him, talk to Him and hear from Him. Jesus was intentional about finding her, the same way He is intentional about finding us, connecting with us and setting us free from any bondage. Similarly, Mark 5:34 is a verse I have ALWAYS loved: ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over’. In case that woman ever doubted that she was healed and delivered, these words of Jesus would have helped to cast out every doubt. It also affirmed and strengthened her faith in Him. It was not just a fluke that she touched his garment, she believed in Him, she believed that He could heal her and Jesus wanted her to know that that belief in Him was the source of her healing. And he professed over her that the healing was final. Who The Son sets free, is free indeed. Hallelujahhhh

Another thing the Spirit of God revealed to me when I was reading this was the way that timing and delay play a major role in this scripture. The Bible tells us in Mark 5:35 is that while Jesus was talking with the woman with the issue of blood, Jarius’s daughter’s sickness had worsened and she had passed away. In a way, the healing of that woman seemed like it had prevented the healing of that little girl. It may have looked like it was too late for Jesus to still do anything now that Jarius’ daughter had died. The servants even said there was no need to worry Him anymore. But Jesus said ‘Do not be afraid. Just have faith’. Even when it looks TOO bad, do we still have faith in God, or do we think there are some instances that are too far gone for Jesus to intervene? Do not be afraid, just have faith. When you are worried about your future: do not be afraid, just have faith. When it seems like all id lost: do not be afraid, just have faith. May this become a mantra for us all. More than that, sometimes a seeming delay, has a more powerful implication. Jarius’ daughter could have been helped by Jesus if he arrived earlier, but instead she was resurrected, which was by far a greater display of Jesus’s power and which would have even more greatly grown the faith of everyone that witnessed it (especially his disciples!). Sometimes things happen to us and we wonder why, we forget that God may be using our story to equip and strengthen the saints, and this does not mean that we will be a cautionary tale because God will still show Himself mighty in our case. The Spirit of God opened my eyes to a different way of thinking whenever we feel like God is not moving fast enough. Maybe sometimes we can stop and ask; what does God want to use His timing to reveal? Something similar happened with the story of Lazarus, another time where Jesus delayed his arrival, and once again there was a greater manifestation of the glory of God. Our stories are not always, only about us. There is so much God can and will do through our lives, to instruct and to encourage and it is our responsibility to trust His timing and believe that He is good to us, no matter the time.

A small note on how to approach Bible Study

When I concluded my discipleship class with Pastor Funmi Alao-Gorge, one of the main things I took away was that I could not do Bible study effectively without specifically inviting The Spirit of God into that time of study with me. How can I, in my flesh and with my own understanding, understand all the mystery, power and wonder in the word of God? These are not just words on a page, they are divine, with powerful spiritual realms that only the Spirit of God can lead me into. SO if you are joining us in our time of study, i appeal to you to please invite the Holy Spirit into your Bible Study, ask Him to show you things and to show you the heart of God in His word, I promise if you do this you will gain deeper understanding of The Word and your walk will be better for it. We start the book of Luke today and we are praying for God to show us many wonderful things. Please join us! You can email midun.okupe@gmail.com in order to join our WhatsApp group and take on this journey with us. (You can also email that address if you would like to schedule a Bubble i.e. a time of fellowship and prayer with me you and Jesus) I have attached a calendar below in case you want to see what we’re reading each day, and maybe you can join too! May God bless us all and draw us deeper into His side. Amen.