Inductive Bible study (SOAP) is an approach to God’s Word focusing on three basic steps that move from a focus on specific details to a more general, universal principle. Through these three steps, we apply inductive reasoning, which is defined as the attempt to use information about a specific situation to draw a conclusion. The steps are observation (what does it say?), interpretation (what does it mean?), and application (what does it mean for my life?). Inductive Bible study is a valuable tool in understanding and applying the principles of God’s Word. In an inductive study everyone participates. We will be working through as much of a chapter of Marks Gospel each week, taking turns to do the following:
SOAP Meathod
S: SCRIPTURE: Read a section of scripture, then summarise in your own words (What does it say? What verse stuck out to you most?).
O: Observation: Read the related Companion material below, then summarise one point/observation in your own words (Is their an issue being addressed?)
A: Application: How do you apply this truth to your life? What does it mean for us today?
P: Prayer: Following the study we will spend time in small groups praying. How do you implement this verse into your life? finish with the quiz below.
Mark Chapter 5
When we turn to Chapter 5, we discover Mark has chosen to give us extended details of three significant incidents in the life and teaching of Jesus. There is the detailed account of a man being delivered of a legion of unclean spirits. This is followed by the extended narrative of the bringing to life of a girl who’d died. And, finally, we have the healing of a woman who’d secretly set out to touch Jesus. As already mentioned in the notes at the end of Chapter 4, the second and third incidents have Jesus recognising and encouraging faith.
Read Mark 5: 1 – 20 Jesus and Legion
This incident begins with Jesus and his disciples arriving by boat onto the shore of the Lake of Galilee in the vicinity of the Gerasenes, or Gadarenes or Gergesenes. The precise spelling and location of this area is now not known.
When Jesus arrived, a deranged man from the local cemetery ran straight to him. The description of the deranged man is vividly recounted. He was like a dark, super villain with extreme strength. Although it was not mentioned, I’ve always imagined the rise of fear that would’ve dominated the disciples when they saw this ogre rushing towards them. But, like in the fearful storm of the previous section, Jesus seemed impervious to fear; such was his life of faith.
Just before he crashed into Jesus, the man fell onto his knees and shouted or perhaps screamed, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won’t torment me!” Once, again, we note the certain knowledge the unclean spirits had of the identity of Jesus. But in this exchange, the unclean spirits also revealed that they are aware of their coming eternal torment.
Then, for the first time in Mark’s gospel, we get a discussion that took place between Jesus and a member of the unclean demonic spirit realm. Jesus, of course being led by the Spirit of God, asked for the unclean spirit’s name. In answer, the spirit said, “Legion, for we are many.” The spirits continue to beg Jesus not to send them out of the region.
It is of interest to note, it is common among animistic societies to believe that demonic spirits are associated with particular regions. Often members of these societies are quite fearful of travelling into another region, unless they had first appeased or satisfied the spirits of the region they want to enter. Such is the strength of belief by some in these societies, they refuse to enter a neighbouring place for fear of being destroyed by the spirits of the new place.
The word legion was well known to the Jewish community of Galilee. The Roman army was composed of legions. The leader of the legion was a legate which was a political appointment. Much kudos was gained by the legate politically if his legion was successful in battle. A fully manned legion (and they were often not at maximum strength) was composed of 5,400 men. Each legion had ten cohorts, numbered first to tenth. The first cohort was the most significant or important, and was twice as large as the other nine.
Each cohort was composed of six centuries (except the first cohort which was composed of 12 centuries). The century was the basic unit in the legion. It was commanded by a centurion and consisted of 80 legionnaires. Each century had ten sections of eight men and these eight men lived, slept, ate and fought together. All 5,400 men were Roman citizens and received a salary.
Now if you’ve added the numbers (and I don’t expect you have), we are short of the 5,400. This is because each legion also had a cavalry unit of 120 divided into four squadrons of 30 that travelled with the legion.
Now, a final brief note concerning the Roman army. Fighting alongside the Roman legions and attached to them were Roman auxiliaries. These were armed units of non-Roman conscripted men. Their structure, size and fighting ability varied greatly. Where the Roman centuries were highly trained and organised, the auxiliaries were sometimes poorly trained and equipped. They did not receive the same salary as the Roman citizens.
So, I assume the name the unclean spirit gave itself was metaphorical. It was simply saying to Jesus there are 1,000s of us in this human. And, of course, that accounted for the rage and violence the man exhibited. It also shows us the superiority and authority Jesus had. The Son of God could not be overwhelmed, even a little, by a vast horde of unclean spirits! And neither can we be!
We read there was a large herd of pigs nearby, and the unclean spirit was demanding that Jesus allow them to enter the pigs.
If the identity of the region where Jesus and his disciples landed was in the Decapolis— a Gentile region of ten cities on the Eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee— then a large herd of pigs was not out of place.
Jesus gave the spirits permission, and the demonised pigs ran down to the sea and drowned. This raises some serious questions. For example: “Why did Jesus yield to the unclean spirits?” and “Why did Jesus destroy the livelihood of farmers in the region?”
So, let’s note some truths. Firstly, the fate of the pigs showed the disciples quite clearly that the intention of unclean spirits is destruction of life. The unclean spirits had been trying to destroy the man. They made him cut himself and most likely do other acts of self-harm. We should never forget that every intention of unclean spirits is to bring about the destruction of God’s creation.
Next we note the time for the ultimate judgement of these unclean spirits has not yet come. This destruction of the pigs and the defeat of Legion is a sure promise that a time is coming when all of Satan’s hordes will be permanently banished. It is a visual and powerful reminder to the apostles that, in their apostolic ministry, they will meet unclean spirits and know that a time is coming when those spirits will be permanently banished.
This incident was so startling, there was no way that Peter and the other apostles would ever forget it.
Unusually for these incidents, we are told something of the reaction of the people. The herdsmen ran off and told everyone in the surrounding towns and villages what had happened. This madman was, of course, well known and feared; so the people came out to see for themselves. They found the man dressed and behaving normally, probably in conversation with Jesus or some of the apostles.
We’ve seen that in Galilee after Jesus performed a deliverance miracle on an individual, the assembled crowd was amazed, excited and soon swelled in number. But, here in the gentile region of the Decapolis, the crowd was fearful and urged Jesus to leave them. This showed they were completely unable to comprehend what had taken place, and fear was their only response. Without some knowledge of God, there was no ability to understand the power of God. And ignorance brings its own fear.
So Jesus and his disciples depart by boat. The delivered man wants to stay with Jesus. But on this occasion Jesus says, “Go home to your family and friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” In Galilee Jesus told the recipients of his healing miracles not to tell anyone, because he knew it would make his ministry more difficult. But here in the Decapolis, where Jesus was not wanted, he told the recipient the opposite, “Go and tell everyone.”
This teaches us that our testimony of God’s goodness in our life will depend upon circumstances and the leading of God’s Spirit. Our testimony is most important where there is resistance to the person of Jesus. Also, we learn that the man’s testimony was not a theological statement of truth or an explanation of the way of salvation but was sharing of his personal encounter with Jesus.
We should also note in concluding this remarkable incident, whereas the crowd’s fear of Jesus caused him to be driven away, the testimony of the healed man filled the people with amazement, which made it possible for the people to welcome Jesus later.
Mark 5: 21 – 43 Jairus and Bleeding Woman
The second and third incidents in this chapter: the raising of Jairus’ daughter and the healing of the woman with a bleeding problem are intertwined. So, I’ll separate them and write about the woman first.
Read Mark 5: 25 – 34 The Bleeding Woman
Jesus was on his way from the shore of Galilee to the home of Jairus. As is often the case in this early part of Jesus Galilean ministry, a large crowd followed him. They pressed in close to him so that they could see and hear him. I imagine the apostles provided some ad hoc security, so Jesus could move forward without being jostled too much.
Present in the crowd was a woman with a bleeding problem that doctors had been unable to cure. In fact, the text tells us she suffered much under the care of doctors! The imagination boggles! And, of course, the doctors were expensive and she was now broke! She’d had this problem for 12 years and was progressively getting worse.
Like the rest of the citizens of Capernaum (the town in which I imagine this incident took place), the nameless woman had either heard about Jesus and his healing miracles or perhaps even seen him in action. I imagine her thinking and becoming convinced that her only hope for being healed was to go to Jesus. But how was she to get Jesus to pay attention to her? She was only a woman, and one with a bleeding problem. She knew she was ceremonially unclean. She knew she should avoid crowds. She knew she couldn’t just approach Jesus, so what was she to do?
So, she concluded she would have to break social norms and sneak up behind Jesus and secretly touch him. This is an outstanding example of faith. And we’ll see later that Jesus makes a big note of her faith. So, again, we have to use our imagination. A woman, weak from the loss of blood, forced her way through a predominantly male crowd. Did she make herself as small as possible so she could ease her way between the men? Did the men miraculously allow her through? (God responding to her faith?) However she managed it, she saw Jesus’ cloak, and she reached out and briefly grabbed it. Immediately, she felt the surge of healing power infuse her body. She let go and began to melt back into the crowd of men, holding in her heart her joyful secret.
But, almost immediately, her joyful heart turned cold with fear. Jesus had stopped walking. He turned around and demanded, “Who touched me?” His disciples challenged Jesus. They thought it was a ridiculous question as the crowd was so boisterous. But Jesus knew and the woman knew, and so she physically shook with fear. What she had done she knew was so culturally wrong. She could now expect to be rebuked or, even worse, excommunicated from society. She fell to her knees. She explained everything to Jesus. And then she heard the most wonderful and joyful news, “Daughter, your faith has healed you; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
One of the problems facing Christians today is a true understanding of faith. Jesus identified faith in the woman. So what did Jesus see? He saw a thoughtful conclusion to a problem that motivated the woman to action in spite of cultural hindrances. He saw a conviction and a determination that was focused entirely on Jesus and his healing power. Now, you may recognise this as a bit different from how you would define faith. For faith is not just saying something is true. It is not just agreeing with facts. It is not wishing and then expecting something miraculous to happen, just because you believe it will. Jesus saw a depth of desperation that led to determined action centred on himself, and he called that faith!
Mark 5: 22 – 24 & 35 – 43 Jairus and His Daughter
The third incident in this chapter is the raising of Jairus’ daughter from death. Jairus is introduced as one of the rulers of the synagogue. We are not given his job description, but his title implied that he was a highly respected member of the synagogue and hence the Jewish faith. I imagine he was responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the synagogue. He conducted the Sabbath meetings, chose the songs and the readings, and invited the guest speakers. He was also responsible for maintaining the dignity and decorum of the meetings.
Now, if this incident took place in Capernaum (and verse 21 says Jesus had just crossed back), it may have been the same synagogue Jesus was in when he performed his first public miracle (as we noted in Chapter 1:21). There, an unclean spirit called out that it knew the true identity of Jesus as the Holy One of God. Jesus then set the man free from the unclean spirit. Or Jarius may have been present when the man with the withered hand was healed on the Sabbath in the synagogue. Nevertheless, Jairus was confident that Jesus could heal his sick daughter.
Like the incident with the bleeding woman, Jairus fell at the feet of Jesus. Given Jairus’ standing in the community, this was a very significant public act of physical submission to Jesus. Next we note that Jairus pleaded with Jesus earnestly. This was a clear demonstration of his personal conviction that Jesus could heal his daughter. Pleading earnestly was not a casual request, but a desperate outpouring of confidence that Jesus could heal his daughter. Together, these actions demonstrated Jairus’ faith.
Yet Jairus’ faith was expressed quite differently from that of the woman’s. She was convinced she only needed to touch Jesus. Jairus was convinced Jesus has to come and physically lay his hands on his daughter. We will see in Mark’s Gospel, there are other demonstrations of faith; but, on each of those occasions, Jesus will flow with the expression of faith of the one who is seeking him. So already we can see there is no formula for the securing of miracles through faith. For faith is very personal in its expression.
However, while Jesus was still speaking with the woman who had been healed of her bleeding disorder, men from Jairus’ house arrived with bad news. Just as an aside, it might be worth noting that the phrase, “while Jesus was still speaking,” implied he said a lot more than just the few statements recorded by Mark. I think it is worth reminding ourselves, the gospel account is a very condensed version of the incidents and events in the life and ministry of Jesus. And that Jesus said a lot more to individuals than the bare bones we encounter in the narrative.
The bad news the men brought was that Jairus’ daughter was now dead and there was, therefore, no further need for Jesus to come to Jairus’ house. There were two responses: Jairus’ and Jesus’. It is easy for us to imagine what Jairus’ immediate experience was. His heart would have dropped, his hope been extinguished and a numbness would have surged through his soul. The response from Jesus was quite different. Not because he didn’t care, or because the girl wasn’t his daughter, or because he had no empathy, but because of his faith.
Jesus immediately said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid, just believe.” I think fear was one of the driving forces that propelled Jairus to seek out Jesus in the first place. Jairus had seen his daughter’s health progressively fail. The expected result of her sickness was death, and this news he’d just received confirmed his worst fear.
Again, we are reminded that for Jesus the opposite of faith is not unbelief but fear. Fear is a powerful and natural human condition resulting from the fall of man. We see it first in the Garden of Eden where immediately after Adam and Eve sinned, they experienced fear in the presence of God. Prior to their disobedience of God, they had no fear of God. Faith in God and full obedience to him has no fear.
I imagine they are now close to the house of Jairus. Jesus stops the crowd of people accompanying him. For the first time in the gospel, we see the emergence of an inner circle of apostles: Peter, James and John. They are the only apostles Jesus took with him into the house of Jairus. At the house there was already a crowd of mourners showing their grief to the family with their noise, much of it put on as their culture required.
Jesus dismissed the crowd because as he said, “the child is only sleeping.” Jesus was ridiculed for saying this because the mourners knew the child was in fact dead. But the crowd seemed to have obeyed and left the building and probably stood “across the street” to see what would happen next.
Mark recorded Jesus uttering the Aramaic words, “Talitha koum,” which meant, “Girl, I say to you, get up.” She was 12 and soon approaching marriageable age. So why did Mark record the specific Aramaic words? He wrote his gospel in the popular Greek language and every other quote of Jesus, Mark has simply written the Greek translation. Jesus may have spoken some Greek words in his years of ministry, but Aramaic and Hebrew were the principal languages among the Jews of Palestine. Aramaic for the ordinary Jew, Hebrew for the learned, especially as almost all written teaching was in Hebrew. Greek was also widely known, as for many centuries it was the trade language.
I think Mark recorded the original Aramaic words of Jesus because of Peter’s experience. Peter was present, at the time, and so personally impacted by this astonishing miracle that he recounted it (with Aramaic words) every time he taught the life and ministry of Jesus to a new audience.
The girl instantly recovered and regained her life. She was healthy and hungry. Jesus told her parents to give her something to eat. This was the proof that the girl was now alive!
Finally, we read that Jesus didn’t want the miracle broadcasted. But as soon as the mourners discovered the girl was now alive, they gossiped the miracle. This caused limitations to be placed on the movements of Jesus.