Recap

So far in Mark we've read the prologue, Jesus' early ministry in Galilee, and started the section on the calling and training of the disciples. Mark's gospel open with the assertion that Jesus is the son of God and king that the Old Testament had been looking forward to. We read as John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus, just as the messenger and prophet prepared the way for God in Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3.

Jesus declared the start of his new reign by fighting spiritual warfare in the desert, just as many kings would fight battles to assert their reign. Then Jesus went out and began preaching that the kingdom of God is near, and we started to get examples of what that meant. The kingdom of God has authority and power over the forces of darkness, as Jesus cast evil spirits. It has authority and power over sicknesses and disease, as Jesus healed many. It makes unclean things clean as Jesus reached out and touched a leper.

The one group the kingdom of God doesn't control is people, as we saw different people reject or ignore Jesus. Then Jesus taught how the kingdom of God doesn't work like the people expected it to. It is a new thing that doesn't fit into old ways of thinking. It is a kingdom focused on those in need and cares more about people than laws. 

Then the book moved into the calling and training of the disciples. The kingdom of God is a mystery. It is intentionally hidden so that people will have to work to find it. This is why Jesus spoke in parables that make no sense at first but make more sense the more you dwell on them. This naturally filters out those who would reject Jesus anyway, and those that push through and fight to understand will have a stronger faith because they worked for it themselves.

We then read how Jesus and his disciples went out in their boat and were caught in a storm. The disciples were terrified, but Jesus calmly stilled the storms. The kingdom of God has authority over the natural forces. 

Mark 5-6

Reaching the other side of the sea of Galilee, Jesus and his disciples came to the land of the Gerasenes. This was Gentile, non-Jewish, land. There may be Jews living here, but if they are, they're non-practising. We know this because they are farming pigs, something no practising Jew would ever do. This is important because, by this point, the Jews separated themselves from the Gentiles as much as possible.

There they encounter a man possessed by demons. Jesus asks the demons their name, and they respond, "My name is Legion, for we are many." (Mark 5:9). To add context to this a legion was a force of 6,000 men in the Roman army. While there may not be exactly 6,000 demons in this man, the point is there are a lot.

The demons beg Jesus to cast them into some pigs, and Jesus agreed. So the unclean spirits are cast into the unclean animals, and the pigs run into the sea and drown. In this moment, Jesus has cleaned the land of spiritual uncleanliness and ritual uncleanliness. And remember, this is a non-Jewish land.

The kingdom of God has authority everywhere, not just in Israel. It also has authority against all forces of darkness, no matter how big. Seeing their wealth run into the sea and drown, the herdsmen flee into the city to tell others what had happened. They then come back out and beg Jesus to leave them. Makes sense when you think from their point of view Jesus has just destroyed their property and livelihoods.

Crossing back to the other side, Jesus encounters a man named Jairus whose daughter is at death's door. Jesus agrees to come visit her and begins to push through the crowds. In the crowd is a woman who had had a problem of bleeding for twelve years.

She believes that if she can just touch Jesus she can be healed, and as she reaches out and brushes against his clothes, her bleeding immediately stops. Noticing something has happened, Jesus stops and looks around to see who had touched him. The woman comes forward and admits it was her, and Jesus praises her for her faith.

Unfortunately, this pause slows Jesus down, and Jairus' daughter dies. But Jesus isn't discouraged and continues on to the house, brushing aside those that are mourning. He takes the girl by the hand and pulls her up, telling her to arise. Immediately, the young girl awakens and is healed.

In these two miracles, we see more of the nature of the kingdom of God. First, just in case it wasn't clear, the kingdom of God is for women as well as men. Unlike the society around them, God's kingdom doesn't see women as second-class citizens. Secondly, the kingdom of God is for all ages. Jesus healed a young girl and an older woman. There are no limits where age is concerned. And thirdly, the kingdom of God isn't restricted by death. Jesus puts himself alongside Elijah and Elisha, two of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament, as he raises this girl back from the dead (1 Kings 17:17-24, 2 Kings 4:32-37). Even death has to submit to the kingdom of God.

But then we come back to this mystery around the kingdom of God. Some are able to understand it while others can't. Jesus goes back to his hometown, but there they don't trust him. Yes, Jesus has done great miracles, but they’ve watched him grow from a young boy. Surely there's nothing special about him?

Mark notes that Jesus was unable to do any mighty works in his hometown because of their unbelief. I don't think this means that Jesus was lacking, in that he tried to heal people but couldn't. I believe this is simply because the people didn't give him the opportunity because they didn't believe he could. The few sick people that were brought to him he healed, but other than that, nothing.

Jesus then sends out his disciples, giving them the authority to do all that he has been doing. As he sends them out, he warns them that as they share about the kingdom of God, there will be those who listen to them and those who don't. They're not to get worked up about that. Instead, they should just brush the dirt off their feet and move on.

Then, to further emphasise this idea that some will never understand, we get a story of John the Baptist's death. Herod had him killed to please his brother's wife, who he had been sleeping with. Now hearing about Jesus, Herod doesn't understand and just thinks that this is John the Baptist back from the dead.

Next up, Jesus feeds over 5,000 people by multiplying five loaves and two fish. This miracle is incredible, which is why it appears in all four gospels. But Mark chooses to use this miracle to set up a key point. After feeding all these people, Jesus sends his disciples off in the boat and goes off to pray. Later that evening, he catches up to his disciples by walking on the water. At first they think it's a ghost, but ghosts can't walk on water.

However, in Roman mythology, divine beings can run on water, so a Roman audience listening to this gospel being read out would likely have concluded that Jesus was in some way divine. In both this miracle and in the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus is showing his disciples that he is God. But the disciples don't understand. They are left confused and frightened. This is the mystery of the kingdom of God, that even the disciples haven't fully grasped it yet.

Mark then immediately contrasts this with another story. Jesus and his disciples make it back to the land of the Gerasenes. Remember how Jesus had essentially killed all their pigs and how they asked him to leave their country? Well now, the people immediately recognise Jesus and are happy to have him there. They chase across the country, collecting up sick people to bring to Jesus. The disciples don't understand who Jesus is, but these Gentiles understand enough to know they need to bring all their sick to Jesus.

Psalm 81

This psalm is attributed to Asaph, one of king David’s musicians, and falls into the category of oracle psalm. In this psalm, the worship leader gathers the people together and then God speaks through them. This psalm was likely sung during a feast day.

Psalm 81:1-5 - The worship leader gathers the people

Psalm 81:6-7 - God led them out of Egypt

Psalm 81:8-10 - God warns them to worship no other

Psalm 81:11-12 - The people did not listen, so God gave them to their enemies

Psalm 81:13-16 - If the people would listen, they would flourish

The worship leader gathers the people together, encourages them to sing to God. They are to raise their voices and up their instruments on the feast day at new moon and full moon.

We don’t read of any moon feasts in the Bible. The feasts likely developed later in the northern kingdom, after the kingdom of Israel split in two. I say the northern kingdom because the worship leader specifically identifies this feast with Joseph. Joseph, back in Genesis, was the father of Ephraim and Manasseh, which end up being the two largest tribes in the northern kingdom.

And then God enters the conversation. He reminds the people that he was the one who led their ancestors out of Egypt. He freed them of their burden and answered them in their distress. God then mentions that he tested them in Meribah. This was the second time that God has provided water for his people from a rock. We read it in Numbers 20:2-13. The problem was this time they failed the test and Moses was banned from the promised land.

God then quotes himself, sharing with the people now what he shared with the people then. He had encouraged them to listen to him and not to worship other gods. He was their God, and he would provide them with everything they needed.

But then God explains that his people didn’t listen to him and so he gave them over to their own decisions. But he still longs for them to listen and to walk in his ways. He would defeat all their enemies for them.

The final section gets a little more confusing to read, was it’s not clear who’s speaking. It looks like God speaks in the third person for a bit. God explains that those who hate him will be forced to submit him. But for God’s own people, he would feed them with good things. Just like in Israel’s past, he provided them with water from rock, now he would happily provide them with honey.

This psalm serves as a reminder to the people during a time of feast that God is the one that provides them with the good things they eat. He’s the one the brought them out of Egypt and he only asks of them that they be faithful to him. If they do then they will enjoy his favour just like they’re about to enjoy this feast. If they don’t, he will leave them to their own devices.