READING: Genesis 12-15, Psalm 148, Mark 5
The fourth and fifth chapters of Mark’s Gospel grant us a marvelous picture of who Jesus is. In yesterday’s reading (Mark 4:35-41), we learned that He is the Master over nature – the one who calms the waves and the wind by His command. In today’s reading, He is the Master over demons (Mark 5:1-20), the Master over sickness (Mark 5:21-34), and the Master over death (Mark 5:35-43). When He speaks, demons flee. In His very being is power to heal. Even death is not an obstacle in His work. He is, after all, the Son of God.
I’m most struck by the way Mark describes these scenarios. He doesn’t simply say that the disciples faced a storm; instead, “A great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped” (Mark 4:37). The man in the graveyard did not simply have demons; rather, Mark’s description is dramatic: “He lived in the tombs, and no one was able to restrain him anymore—not even with a chain—because he often had been bound with shackles and chains, but had torn the chains apart and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains, he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones” (Mark 5:3-5). The diseased woman was so sick that she had been “suffering from bleeding for twelve years [and] had endured much under many doctors. She had spent everything she had and was not helped at all. On the contrary, she became worse” (Mark 5:25-26). Then, the story of Jairus’ daughter began with her sickness and moved to her death—a drastic change that only a miracle worker could address.
Into all of these dramas came Jesus, who is still today the answer to any chaos in our lives. Let’s trust Him for who He is.
PRAYER: “Lord, You are the Master. I praise You!”
TOMORROW’S READING: Weekend is for review and catch-up
MONDAY’S READING: Genesis 16-18; Mark 6
