Mark 5:21-23 Criss-crossing the Lake
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: January 23, 2018, Mark 5:21-23
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
When Jesus again had crossed to the other side in a boat, a large crowd gathered around him by the seashore. Then a synagogue leader named Jairus arrived. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet and begged him urgently, saying, “My little daughter is dying. Come and lay your hands on her so that she may get well and live.”
(Understanding the Text) Jesus was on one side of the lake and made a quick getaway from the crowd there about evening time. A big storm came up while he was sleeping and He calmed it. It may have thrown them off-course, and they landed in the country of the Gesarenes where Jesus healed the demoniac and was begged to leave. We always think that everyone would want a demoniac healed, but this is not always so. For example, Paul and Silas were thrown in jail for healing a demon-possessed girl (Acts 16:16-24). We think that people will love the person who casts out demons but both these examples show that is not always true. Anyway, the people there begged Jesus to leave, so after just a few hours on land, the group got back into their boats and crossed over to the other side of the lake again.
It occurs to me that one reason that Jesus called fishermen was because He would need men with boats who knew the water during His ministry. Did He call them specifically because their skills met His needs? Or did He use the skills that happened to be present when a need arose? I think it was a combination of both, but one of the reasons was their skills. They went on the Lake a lot during Jesus’ ministry. It was only after Jesus was gone that Peter, James, and John were landlocked in Jerusalem.
(Revelation of God) It had to be hard for Jairus to go to Jesus. He must have wondered if Jesus would listen to him since most of the religious leaders were working against Jesus. This may have been why Jairus fell at his feet and begged. Jairus must have believed that Jesus would be inclined to reject him, and felt that demonstrating broken pride would move Jesus. God does not glory in our groveling. Our brokenness and humiliation are either simply the results of life lived in a sinful world or necessities that allow us to be remade into righteousness-new and clean. Falling at Jesus’ feet is a natural reaction to holiness but not a necessary reaction to obtain Jesus’ help. We fall at His feet because we realize how unworthy we are, not to manipulate Him into doing what we want.
(Application) However, Jairus was sincere in wanting Jesus’ help, which was the real reason that Jesus helped him, not because Jairus had abased himself enough. Sometimes, we think that repentance requires groveling, showing God how terrible we feel about our sin, and if we wallow in our guilt long enough, somehow we think that we have earned forgiveness. In reality, (as a friend once pointed out) repentance is not about feeling bad about our sin; it is about turning away from our sin because we know that it is wrong. Jairus’ daughter was healed for the same reason that everyone else was healed. He had faith, and Jesus had compassion. Jairus totally displayed his faith by saying that if Jesus would come and lay hands on Jairus’ daughter, she would be healed. His groveling was not necessary, but his faith was.
(Prayer) I want to repent and turn away from all that is evil, yet I am attracted to selfish, empty living. Open my heart to know Your beauty so that I will be attracted to the ways of heaven.