Sea of Galilee and chapter 9

We have still not finished tackling some of the chapter 8 questions concerning the Sea of Galilee.

8. The scribe and the disciple in vv. 19 - 22 got different lessons from the Messiah -- different but similar, too. How were they similar? How was Jesus using his word like a scalpel to differentiate each individual from other things?
9. Is the Sea of Galilee dangerous? How does it figure into the story of the men crossing in the boat and into the story of the two demon possessed men?
10. How does this sea figure into Jesus' teaching? Does it relate to the previous stories of healing and freedom from possession?

This is OK, because we have some Sea of Galilee information in chapter 9, which we will also discuss tomorrow. Here are some questions to use for reading ahead.

1. In verse 1, we see that Jesus embarked in ship again and came to his own city. How long was He over in the Gadarene side of the Sea of Galilee, five minutes or so?
2. How is the story of the paralytic a model for prayer for us who are not paralytics?
3. Did Jesus challenge the paralytic to get up and follow as a disciple?
4. At the banquet with the IRS men, the Pharisees make an inquiry with the disciples. Why didn't they inquire with Jesus?
5. How is Matthew the tax man connected to the paralytic?
6. Does Barack Obama do his own mending of worn out clothes? How many household chores does he handle each day?
7. What is the relation between the idea of "new wine" and the Bridegroom Jesus?
8. Consider the centurion in chapter 8 and the ruler in chapter 9 -- two very different men, yet there are some similarities in their stories. What similarities can you see?
9. How is the woman cured of hemorrhage connected to the ruler's daughter whom Jesus raises back to life?

There is a lot to learn, and it will be good to gaze carefully into this section of God's message tomorrow morning. Be ready and expect the unexpected.

Some study questions for chapter 8.

There is a lot of action and danger in Mattthew's 8th chapter. Let's look into it by asking a few questions:

1. Why does Jesus instruct the leper to follow the commandment from Moses as to his healing but to refrain from telling anyone about himself, Jesus?
2. Leprosy is an illness, a difficult kind of bacterial infection, but it is also a figure for a specific spiritual state. What spiritual state is that?
3. What is the command structure in which the centurion lives and operates?
4. How does the centurion's experience of authority affect his ability to see Jesus accurately and his readiness to believe?
5. Where did Roman centurions come from? Were they Jewish or Gentile?
6. How does Matthew know that the centurion's servant was healed that very moment?
7. How do the people react to Jesus, those whom He healed: the leper, the centurion's servant, Peter's mother-in-law, the two demon possessed men in the tombs?
8. The scribe and the disciple in vv. 19 - 22 got different lessons from the Messiah -- different but similar, too. How were they similar? How was Jesus using his word like a scalpel to differentiate each individual from other things?
9. Is the Sea of Galilee dangerous? How does it figure into the story of the men crossing in the boat and into the story of the two demon possessed men?
10. How does this sea figure into Jesus' teaching? Does it relate to the previous stories of healing and freedom from possession?

We have a million more questions we could dive into, but let's start with these tomorrow morning at 7 AM.

Grace to see

All through Mark's gospel, we see frequent healings by Jesus, and even his Twelve get an internship mission to heal and preach. Which is the best of all the healings?

I vote for the blind begger, Bartimaeus. "Son of David, have mercy on me," he cries out. "O Lord, I want to see."

What we talked about

Joe and Ken made some important connections between the events in this part of Marks gospel.

1. Jesus teaches with authority about the Torah, the Law, and what is clean, because God is the author of the Torah.
2. Ben16 says that Jesus is, himself, God's living Torah, and as such the Torah was meant to be universal.
3. Joe connected the Syrophoenician woman and her daughter to the universality of the Torah.
4. We read through Peter's dream, Acts 10:9-17, about the sheet lowered down from heaven with clean and unclean animals.
5. Ken pointed out that Jesus uses signs, frequently with the humble things of Creation, so that everybody can see what is happening. He does not just send an email.
6. Joe sees the deaf, mute man as a parable for the Twelve and for all of us. How can we spread the Lord's message unless
   1. we hear the message and
   2. speak clearly to others about the message?

Questions for next time, Aug. 20

On August 20, we will study the miracles in Mark 5. Here are some questions to think about:

1. Was the country of the Gerasenes a part of Israel?
2. Jesus gave a specific mission to the man who had been possessed by demons. How does it resemble our mission today?
3. What did the woman say to Jesus before she touched the hem of his garment?
4. Ought we pray like the woman who touched the hem of Jesus' garment?
5. Jairus, whose daughter was ill and died, was a ruler of a synagogue. Was Jesus treated in this synagogue like he had been treated in other synagogues, e.g., Mark 3:1-6?
6. Who was in the room with Jesus when he raised the little girl?
7. He instructs them to give the little girl something to eat. Does this remind you of a similar event in the Gospels?

We will discuss these and other questions early Thursday morning. Be ready to look into the Lord's heart.


Ruin of a synagogue in Galilee.

Comments from today

Here are a few of the comments from the guys at this morning's Bible study session.

1. Why does Jesus undergo the baptism of John the Baptist?
   
   1. God the Father appears and verifies the Son.
   2. Jesus is showing us the way: he chooses to fulfill all righteousness in obedience to God the Father's plan, just as we ought to do. This is the foundation of the other questions.
   
   
2. Why does Jesus instruct so many NOT to tell others who he is?
   
   1. He does not want people to follow him so that he can become an earthly king or so that they can snag a free lunch.
   2. Instead of propagating the wrong message, he wants people to accept him on his own terms, or...
   3. New skins for new wine!
   4. As 1:38 says, "It is for this reason that I have come." He and his Abba have a reason.
   
   
3. If Jesus can heal leprosy, is it important to seek Him in the sacrament of confession?
   
   1. Afflictions, in old view, were because of sins or parents' transgressions.
   2. Are you going to confession for a free lunch or for love of God?
   3. Confession can be a stumbling block for some people. They accept the Church's teachings except for making confession.
   
   
4. In chapter 2, Jesus acts twice for a paralytic man. Why did he take the second action, healing the paralytic man's body?
   
   1. First off, this story is really about the 4 buddies who lowered the paralysed friend down from the roof.
   2. Never misunderestimate the power of prayer.
   3. Jesus has power and authority in both areas, so this is like Jesus saying, "Make my day."
   4. Man has body and soul, so Jesus heals both.
   5. The second healing visually confirms the unseen act of forgiveness.
   6. The "make my day" act is like Jesus saying, "This is the new wineskin!"
   
   
5. What was the price Jesus paid when he healed the paralytic man's body?
   
   1. Wrath of the Pharisees was the price he paid.
   2. Also, he continued to experience crowds and being jammed out into the wild places before he and his men could catch their breath or get 40 winks.
   3. Eventually, he would pay the ultimate price, at the Cross.
   
   
6. Why did Jesus openly have dinner with Levi and the other sinners and IRS agents?
   
   1. It was the reason he was on Earth: to call the sinners.
   2. He wanted to show his disciples how to be compassionate with sinners.
   3. It affirms that his forgiveness is true.
   4. This also connects to another famous dinner, the wedding at Cana.
   5. Another meal he has with us sinners is the Eucharist, the ultimate meal and act of worship, the source and summit of the Christian life.
   
   

Questions for next time

On July 23 we will finish up Mark 1 and push deeper into chapter 2. Here are some questions to think about for next time:

1. Why does Jesus undergo the baptism of John the Baptist?
   
2. Why does Jesus instruct so many NOT to tell others who He is?
   
3. If Jesus can heal leprosy, is it important to seek Him in the sacrament of confession?
   
4. In chapter 2, Jesus acts twice for a paralytic man. Why did take the second action, healing the paralytic man's body?
   
5. What was the price Jesus paid when he healed the paralytic man's body?
   

We will discuss these and other question on early this Thursday morning!