Lesson 34: Mark 1
Introduction
John the Baptist preached “the baptism
of repentance for the remission of sins” (Mark 1:4). After John baptized Jesus, the Savior
began to preach the gospel and work miracles by divine power and authority. He
cast out unclean spirits and healed a leper. His fame spread throughout
Galilee.
I.
Mark 1:1–20
Jesus begins His ministry
---A
few days prior to class, ask two students if they will
briefly share their testimonies of Jesus Christ in class.
After the devotional, invite the two students to share their testimonies of the
Savior. Afterward, ask the class:
- What is valuable about hearing testimonies from several individuals rather than from just one person?
- What do you think might be valuable about studying the testimony of Mark now that you have studied the testimony of Matthew?
---Scan Mark 1:1–4, 9–11
silently, looking for the event with which Mark began his account of the
Savior’s life.
- With what event did Mark begin his account?
---Mark’s account of the Savior’s
life is different from Matthew’s. It begins suddenly and is fast-paced,
emphasizing the Savior’s divinity by focusing on His works and miracles. Mark
likely wrote his account based on what he learned from the Apostle Peter.
---Mark 1:12–20 says that after Jesus fasted for 40
days, He was tempted by the devil. He also preached repentance in Galilee and
called disciples to follow Him. (Note: These accounts were taught in depth in
the lessons on Matthew 4.)
II.
Mark 1:21–39
Jesus casts out devils and heals the sick
---Write the phrase Enemy Territory on the board and ask
students what dangers a soldier in enemy
territory might face?
---Read aloud the following
statement by President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles:
“You young people are being raised in enemy territory.
“We know from the scriptures that there was a war in heaven
and that Lucifer rebelled and, with his followers, ‘was cast out into the
earth’ [Revelation 12:9]. He is determined to disrupt our
Heavenly Father’s plan and seeks to control the minds and actions of all” (“Counsel to Youth,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov.
2011, 16).
- In what ways is our life here on earth like being in enemy territory?
---Raise your hands if you have ever
felt overwhelmed because of the evil influences and temptations that surround
you.
---As we study Mark 1:21–39 look for a truth that will help you when you face
evil influences and temptations.
- Why were the Jews astonished at the Savior’s teachings?
- What do you think it means that Jesus taught “as one that had authority”? (Mark 1:22).
---The scribes were considered
experts in the law of Moses.
When they preached they often quoted former authorities in the law (see New Testament Student Manual
[Church Educational System manual, 2014], 103).
In contrast, Jesus spoke with the power and authority of His Father and as the
great Jehovah who gave the law of Moses (see Joseph Smith Translation, Matthew 7:37 [in Matthew 7:29, footnote a]).
Invite students to read Mark 1:23–26 silently, or show the class the
video “Jesus Heals a Possessed Man” (1:48) from The
Life of Jesus Christ Bible Videos, available on LDS.org. Ask the class
to look for what happened as Jesus taught in the synagogue. Ask students to
report what they find. Explain that “unclean spirit” refers to an evil spirit.- What did the unclean spirit know about Jesus?
- How did the unclean spirit know who Jesus was? (The evil spirits that seek to possess physical bodies are Lucifer’s followers. They dwelt in the presence of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ before being cast out of heaven.)
- If you had been at the synagogue then, what would you have thought about Jesus?
---Read Mark 1:27–28
looking for how the people responded after seeing Jesus cast the unclean spirit
out of the man.
- How did the people respond?
- What does this account teach us about the Savior’s power? (Students should identify a truth similar to the following: The Savior has power over the devil and his followers.)
- How can knowing this truth help us when we feel overwhelmed because of the evil influences and temptations that surround us?
---Read the following statement by
President James E. Faust of the First Presidency:
“[Joseph Smith] stated, ‘Wicked spirits have their bounds,
limits, and laws by which they are governed’ [in History of the Church, 4:576].
So Satan and his angels are not all-powerful. …
“… Satan’s efforts can be thwarted by all who come unto
Christ by obedience to the covenants and ordinances of the gospel” (“Serving the Lord and Resisting the Devil,”
Ensign, Sept. 1995, 6, 7).
- According to President Faust, what can we do to receive greater power to resist the devil?
- According to verse 28, what happened after the Savior cast out the evil spirit?
---In Mark 1:29–39 the Savior healed Simon Peter’s
mother-in-law of a fever, healed many others who were sick, and cast out many
devils. Jesus continued to preach in Galilee.
III.
Mark 1:40–45
Jesus heals a leper
---Scan Mark 1:40 silently, looking for who came to the
Savior as He continued to preach in Galilee. Report what you find.
---Invite a student to the front of
the room. Ask students to imagine that the student at the front of the room has
leprosy.
---Leprosy is a chronic disease that
attacks skin, nerves, eyes, bones, and limbs. Left untreated, it leads to a
painful death. In ancient times, it was believed that anyone who came in
contact with lepers would contract the disease.
---Point to the student at the front
of the room and ask:
- If (student’s name) were a leper living in ancient times, how might (he or she) be treated?
---To protect a community’s health
and well-being, lepers were forced to live outside the town. The law required
them to call out “Unclean!” to warn anyone approaching them (see Bible Dictionary, “Leper”; Leviticus 13:44–46).
---Ask a few students to act out
this scene by walking past the student who represents the leper. As they walk
by, ask the student representing the leper to yell out “Unclean! Unclean!” Ask
the students walking by how they would react in this situation. Then invite the
students to be seated.
- How would having leprosy impact your life?
---Imagine
being lepers during the time of Jesus Christ. What would you do if you saw the
Savior approaching?
- According to Mark 1:40, what did the leper do when he saw the Savior? (Explain that the word beseeching means begging or pleading.)
- How did the leper show his faith in Jesus Christ? How does the phrase “if thou wilt” imply the leper’s faith?
- What impresses you about how the Savior responded to the man’s pleading?
- If you had been the leper, what would it have meant to you to be touched by the Savior? Why?
- How would your life have changed if Jesus Christ healed your leprosy?
---Write the following statement on
the board:
Leprosy can be likened to sin.
---Read aloud the following
statement by Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:
“Leprosy in biblical times, in addition to its desolating
physical effects, was looked upon as the symbol of sin and uncleanness,
signifying that as this evil disease ate away and destroyed the physical body,
so sin eats away and corrupts the spiritual side of man” (The
Mortal Messiah, 4 vols. [1979–81], 2:45).
- In what ways can leprosy be likened to sin? (In likening leprosy to sin, ensure that students understand that diseases are not necessarily caused by sin.)
---Reread Mark 1:40–42
aloud, this time substituting sinner for leper and sin for leprosy, looking for
how we can liken this leper’s healing to being cleansed from sin.
- As you read the verses this way, what words suggest the idea of being forgiven?
- How can we liken what the leper did to be cleansed from leprosy to what we need to do to be cleansed from sin?
- What principle can we learn by likening the healing of the leper to being cleansed from sin? (Students may use different words, but make sure they identify the following principle: As we exercise faith and come unto the Savior, He will have compassion on us and cleanse us from sin. Using students’ words, write this principle on the board.)
- In what ways must we exercise faith and come unto the Savior so He can forgive us of our sins?
---Consider again what the leper’s
life was like before and after he was healed.
- How can coming unto Jesus Christ to be cleansed from sin change someone’s life?
- When have you seen someone’s life change after being cleansed from sin through Christ’s Atonement? (Caution students against mentioning individuals by name or identifying their past sins.)
---Ponder what sins you need to be
cleansed of. Come to the Savior by exercising faith in Him through prayer,
repentance, and obedience so He can make you clean.
---Testimony of the cleansing power
of the Savior’s Atonement.
---Read Mark 1:43–45. And look for the instructions the
Savior gave the healed leper. Report what you find.
---The law of Moses required those
healed of leprosy to show themselves to a temple priest and offer a sacrifice.
- What did the man do after the Savior warned Him against telling others?
- What happened because the man spread the news of his healing?
---What
impressed you most about the actions of Jesus Christ recorded in Mark 1?
Commentary
and Background Information
Mark
1:24–25. Why did the Savior command the devils to “hold [their] peace”?
Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught that Jesus “consistently refused to permit
[devils] to bear record of his divinity. Converting testimony comes from God,
not from Lucifer. Had Jesus let unclean spirits go unrebuked, or had he
acquiesced in their testimony of him (though in fact it was true), the Jews
would have claimed greater justification for their false charge against him,
‘He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?’ (John 10:20.)” (Doctrinal New Testament
Commentary, 3 vols. [1965–73], 1:168).
Mark
1:40. Leprosy
One Bible
commentator described the devastating effects of leprosy as follows:
“The symptoms and the effects of
this disease are very loathsome. There comes a white swelling or scab, with a
change of the color of the hair … from its natural hue to yellow; then the
appearance of a taint going deeper than the skin, or raw flesh appearing in the
swelling. … The nails loosen and drop off, the gums are absorbed, and the teeth
decay and fall out; the breath is a stench, the nose decays; fingers, hands,
feet, may be lost, or the eyes eaten out. The human beauty has gone into
corruption” (Charles F. Deems, The Light of the Nations [1884], 185).
Mark
1:40–42. Through the Savior’s Atonement we can be made clean from sin
Elder Shayne M. Bowen of the
Seventy taught:
“The Atonement of Jesus
Christ is available to each of us. His Atonement is infinite. It
applies to everyone, even you. It can clean, reclaim, and sanctify even you.
That is what infinite means—total, complete, all, forever. President
Boyd K. Packer has taught: ‘There is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion,
no transgression, no apostasy, no crime exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness.
That is the promise of the atonement of Christ’ (“The Brilliant Morning of Forgiveness,” Ensign,
Nov. 1995, 20)” (“The Atonement Can Clean, Reclaim, and Sanctify Our Lives,”
Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2006, 34).
© 2016 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Right margin extras:
Likening
the scriptures to ourselves
Likening the scriptures to ourselves
means comparing them to our own lives. As students see the similarities between
their own experiences and those recounted in the scriptures, they will be
better able to identify doctrines and principles of the gospel. Students will
also better see how they can apply these doctrines and principles in their
lives.
Lesson 35: Mark 2–3
Introduction
Jesus forgave and healed a paralytic
man and then called Matthew to follow Him. He taught the scribes and Pharisees
about the Sabbath day. The Savior continued to heal many people, sent forth His
Apostles to preach, and warned against speaking blasphemy against the Holy Ghost.
I.
Mark 2:1–12
Jesus forgives and heals a paralytic man
---Imagine that someone you love is
suffering from a life-threatening physical challenge that requires specialized
treatment.
- Whom would you seek to help your loved one? Why?
- What would you be willing to do if there was only one doctor who could help but it was difficult to schedule an appointment with this doctor?
---In Mark 2:1–4 in the village of Capernaum in
Galilee, there was a man “sick of the palsy” (verse 3), which means he was paralyzed. Four
other men carried this man to the house where Jesus was. When they found that
the house was so crowded that they could not enter it, they disassembled part
of the roof of the house and lowered the paralytic man into the Savior’s
presence.
---Read Mark 2:5
and look for what Jesus said to the man with palsy. Ask students to report what
they find.
- According to verses 6–7, how did “certain of the scribes” respond to the Savior’s words? (They were angered by His claim to grant forgiveness for sins.)
- What did Jesus ask the scribes?
- What did the Savior demonstrate and teach by healing this man? (After students respond, help them identify the following truth: Jesus Christ has the power to heal us spiritually and physically.)
---When the scribes saw the man with
palsy rise from his bed and walk, they were given undeniable evidence that
Jesus Christ had power to heal the sick and they heard Him testify that He
could forgive sins. However, there is no indication that these men approached
Jesus thereafter and sought forgiveness for their own
sins.
(Note: The events recorded in Mark 2:1–12 will be discussed in greater depth in
the lesson for Luke 5.)
II.
Mark 2:13–22
Jesus calls Matthew to follow Him and eats with publicans and sinners
---Divide students into pairs and
give each pair a piece of paper. Invite students to discuss the following
question with their partners and to list their answers on their papers.
- What are some reasons why individuals might not seek the Lord’s forgiveness for their sins?
---Ask a few students to report
their answers, which might include the following: some individuals might not
want to stop sinning; some might not want to acknowledge or confess their sins
because of pride or embarrassment; others might hope the Lord will forgive them
even if they do not repent; and some might believe the Lord has power to
forgive, but they lack faith that He would forgive their particular sins.
---Look for truths in Mark 2:13–22 that can encourage us to seek
the Lord’s forgiveness.
- What did the Savior do after healing this man?
- How did Levi respond to the Savior’s invitation?
---Levi also went by the name of
Matthew and was the same Matthew who wrote the Gospel of Matthew. The phrase
“sitting at the receipt of custom” (verse 14) means that Matthew was a publican
and “a tax gatherer at Capernaum, probably in the service of Herod Antipas” (Bible
Dictionary, “Matthew”).
Many Jews hated publicans because they viewed publicans as traitors who
collected money from their own people for the Romans.
- According to verse 15, what did Matthew do for the Savior and His disciples?
- Who else attended this feast?
---During the Savior’s mortal
ministry, sharing a meal meant much more than simply eating and drinking
together. It indicated that a bond of friendship and peace existed among all
the people who attended.
---Read Mark 2:16
and look for how the scribes and Pharisees reacted when they saw the Savior
eating with publicans.
- What did the scribes and Pharisees say?
- Why do you think they criticized Jesus for eating with publicans and sinners?
- What word did the Savior use to describe Himself? (Point out that by using the word physician, the Savior reaffirmed His power to heal both spiritually and physically.)
- How might the Savior’s response have helped the scribes and Pharisees understand why He associated with publicans and sinners?
- What truth can we learn from verse 17 about how the Savior responds to our sins? (After students respond, write the following truth on the board: The Savior desires to help us repent of our sins and be healed.)
- Why is it important to believe that Jesus desires to help us repent and be healed?
---Read aloud the following
statement by Elder Craig A. Cardon of the Seventy:
“The Lord loves us and wants us to understand His
willingness to forgive. …
“… All of us, including those struggling to overcome
addictive behaviors such as substance abuse or pornography
and those close to them, can know that the Lord will recognize our righteous
efforts and will lovingly forgive when repentance is complete” (“The Savior Wants to Forgive,” Ensign or Liahona,
May 2013, 16).
- How can we know that the Lord desires to help us repent and receive His forgiveness?
---Ponder whether you are like the
publicans and sinners (who acknowledged their need for the Savior and came unto
Him) or like the scribes and Pharisees (who did not come unto the Savior to
seek His forgiveness and healing power).
---Testify of the Savior’s power and
desire to heal us, and encourage students to seek His forgiveness through
repentance when necessary.
---In Mark 2:18–22 Jesus taught why His disciples did
not fast while He was with them. He also taught why it was difficult for some
people to accept His gospel. (Note: These teachings will be covered in greater
depth in the lesson for Luke 5.)
III.
Mark 2:23–3:6
Jesus teaches about the Sabbath
---Have you ever
chosen not to participate in an activity in order to keep the Sabbath day holy?
---Invite a few to share their
experiences.
---Write the following question on
the board and invite students to ponder it as they continue to study Mark 2–3:
How do you know whether an activity
is appropriate to do on the Sabbath?
---Divide the class in half. Invite
one half to read Mark 2:23–28
silently. (Encourage these students to also read Joseph Smith Translation, Mark 2:26–27 [in the
Bible appendix]). Ask the other half to read Mark 3:1–6
silently. Instruct students to look for what the Savior and His disciples did
that the Sadducees believed was a violation of the commandment to keep the
Sabbath day holy.
---After sufficient time, ask the
following questions:
- What did the Pharisees believe was unlawful for the Savior and His disciples to do on the Sabbath? (Plucking corn and healing someone.)
- Why would the Pharisees consider it a violation of God’s laws to pluck corn or heal someone on the Sabbath?
---Remember that Jewish teachers
added their own rules and interpretations, called the oral law or tradition, to
the law of Moses.
These added rules were intended to prevent violation of God’s law, but they
also prevented some people from understanding the true purpose of certain
commandments, including the command to keep the Sabbath day holy.
---Write the following incomplete
statement on the board:
We can keep the Sabbath day holy
by …
- How would you complete this statement based on the Savior’s teachings in Mark 2–3? (After students respond, complete the statement on the board so it conveys the following truth: We can keep the Sabbath day holy by glorifying God and doing good works.)
- In what ways can we glorify God on His holy day?
- What are some examples of doing good works on the Sabbath?
---Read aloud the following
statement by President James E. Faust of the First Presidency:
“Where is the line as to what is acceptable and unacceptable
on the Sabbath? Within the guidelines, each of us must answer this question for
ourselves. While these guidelines are contained in the scriptures and in the
words of the modern prophets, they must also be written in our hearts and
governed by our conscience. … It is quite unlikely that there will be any
serious violation of Sabbath worship if we come humbly before the Lord and
offer him all our heart, our soul, and our mind. (See Matt. 22:37.)
“What is worthy or unworthy on the Sabbath day will have to
be judged by each of us by trying to be honest with the Lord. On the Sabbath
day we should do what we have to do and what we ought to do in an attitude of
worshipfulness and then limit our other activities” (“The Lord’s Day,” Ensign, Nov. 1991, 35).
- How have you felt blessed as you have tried to worship God and do good works on the Sabbath?
---Ponder one way you can better
keep the Sabbath day holy and write a goal to do so in your class notebooks.
IV.
Mark 3:7–35
Jesus heals many people, sends forth His Apostles to preach, and
warns others about blasphemy
---In Mark 3:7–35 Jesus went to the Sea of Galilee and healed
many people who followed Him there, including some who had unclean spirits.
After selecting Twelve Apostles, Jesus ordained them and sent them forth to
preach, heal, and cast out devils. He then warned the scribes about speaking
blasphemy against the Holy Ghost and taught that His family are the people who
do Heavenly Father’s will.
(Note: Some of the events recorded
in Mark 3:7–35 were covered in greater depth in the
lesson for Matthew 12:22–35.)
---Testify of the truths identified
in the lesson.
Commentary
and Background Information
Mark
2:7. Jesus healed the paralytic both spiritually and physically
Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught
that Jesus provided undeniable evidence that He was the Messiah when He healed
the paralytic man:
“This event in the life of our Lord
was visible and irrefutable proof that he was the Messiah; and it was so
recognized by those among whom he ministered. He had borne frequent verbal
testimony that God was his Father and had supported that personal witness with
an unparalleled ministry of preaching and healing. Now it was his purpose to
announce that he had done what no one but God could do and to prove that he had
done it by a further manifestation of his Father’s power.
“Both Jesus and the ‘doctors of the
law’ who were then present knew that none but God can forgive sins.
Accordingly, as a pointed and dramatic witness that the power of God was
resident in him, Jesus took (perhaps sought) this appropriate occasion to
forgive sins. Being then called in question by the scripturalists who knew (and
that rightly) that the false assumption of the power to forgive sins was
blasphemy, Jesus did what no imposter could have done—he proved his divine
power by healing the forgiven man. To his query, ‘Does it require more power to
forgive sins than to make the sick rise up and walk?’ there could be only one
answer! They are as one; he that can do the one, can do the other” (Doctrinal
New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [1965–73], 1:177–78).
Mark
2:27–28. A day for glorifying God
Elder Mark E. Peterson of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained what our observance of the Sabbath
communicates to Heavenly Father and Jesus
Christ:
“Our observance or nonobservance of
the Sabbath is an unerring measure of our attitude toward the Lord personally
and toward his suffering in Gethsemane, his death on the cross, and his resurrection from the dead” (“The Sabbath Day,” Ensign, May 1975, 49).
Mark
3:4. “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil?”
President Spencer W. Kimball
helped clarify what it means to “do good” on the Sabbath day:
“The Sabbath is a holy day in which
to do worthy and holy things. Abstinence from work and recreation is important,
but insufficient. The Sabbath calls for constructive thoughts and acts, and if
one merely lounges about doing nothing on the Sabbath, he is breaking it” (“The Sabbath—a Delight,” Ensign, Jan.
1978, 4).
President Russell M. Nelson of
the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gave the following counsel on Sabbath day
observance:
“In my much younger years, I studied
the work of others who had compiled lists of things to do and things not to do
on the Sabbath. It wasn’t until later that I learned from the scriptures that
my conduct and my attitude on the Sabbath constituted a sign between me and my
Heavenly Father [see Exodus 31:13; Ezekiel 20:12, 20]. With that understanding, I no
longer needed lists of dos and don’ts. When I had to make a decision whether or
not an activity was appropriate for the Sabbath, I simply asked myself, ‘What
sign do I want to give to God?’ That question made my choices about the Sabbath
day crystal clear. …
“… What sign will you give to
the Lord to show your love for Him?” (“The Sabbath Is a Delight,” Ensign or Liahona,
May 2015, 130).
Supplemental
Teaching Idea
To help students understand the
reality of the truth that the Savior desires to help us repent of our sins and
be healed, you could show the video “The Savior Wants to Forgive” (5:50). This video
portrays the true story of a man who struggled with addiction and spent time in
jail but with the Savior’s help repented and received forgiveness.
Consider showing the video after reading and discussing the statement by Elder
Craig A. Cardon about the Savior’s desire to forgive us. This video is
available on LDS.org.
© 2016 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Right margin
extras
Ask
questions that help students understand doctrines and principles
After students identify doctrines
and principles, they must understand them before they can meaningfully apply
them. Ask questions that will lead students to a clearer understanding of a
particular doctrine or principle or that will encourage them to consider a
principle in a modern context. Also invite students to explain their
understanding of the doctrine or principle.
Lesson 36: Mark 4–5
Introduction
On the shores of the Sea of Galilee,
Jesus taught His disciples using parables. While on the sea, the Savior calmed
a storm. Jesus demonstrated His superiority over devils by casting them out of
a man. While ministering in Capernaum, He healed a woman with an issue of blood
and raised Jairus’s daughter from the dead.
I.
Mark 4 Jesus
uses parables to teach about the kingdom of God and then calms a storm
---Consider the worst storm you have
been in. Who would like to briefly describe their experiences?
- How are life’s challenges like a storm?
---Write the following words on the
board (leaving space under each word):
Physical, Spiritual, Mental, Social.
---Ask the following question as it
applies to each word on the board:
- What are some examples of physical (or spiritual, mental, or social) storms youth experience? (List students’ responses under the corresponding words on the board.)
---As we study Mark 4–5 look for principles that can help you when you
experience life’s storms.
---Mark 4:1–34 tells that while on the shores of the
Sea of Galilee, the Savior taught several parables to a multitude.
---Read Mark 4:35–38
looking for the challenge the disciples experienced as they crossed the Sea of
Galilee.
- What problem arose while the Savior and His disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee?
---The Sea of Galilee is 700 feet
below sea level and is surrounded on three sides by mountains. At times, cool,
dry winds rush down the mountains and collide with warm, moist air over the Sea
of Galilee, creating sudden, intense storms—sometimes in a matter of
minutes—with large waves on this relatively small body of water.
The Sea of Galilee and Mount Arbel
- What effect did the storm have on the ship?
- If you were in a ship in these conditions, what thoughts and feelings might you have?
- Whom did the disciples seek help from at this fearful time? What did they ask the Savior?
- In what ways might we be tempted to respond as Jesus’s disciples did during our own storms of life?
---Read Mark 4:39
looking for how the Savior responded to
the disciples’ plea for help. Report what you find. Mark the phrases “Peace, be
still” and “great calm” (verse 39).
- If we seek the Lord’s help in times of trouble or fear, what can He do for us? (After students respond, write the following principle on the board: If we seek the Lord’s help in times of trouble or fear, He can bring us peace.)
- In what ways can we seek the Lord’s help in times of trouble or fear? (We can pray to Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ. Our prayers may not be answered in the ways we expect. However, we will be blessed with peace as we seek the Lord’s help.)
- If you had been with the disciples, how might you have answered their question in verse 41?
- How can understanding “what manner of man” (verse 41) Jesus is strengthen our faith and move us to seek His help in times of trouble or fear?
---Let’s read the words of the hymn
“Master, the Tempest Is Raging” (Hymns, no. 105). Jesus Christ has the
power to calm not only physical storms but also personal storms within our
hearts.
---Who wants to share about a time
when you sought the Lord’s peace during a storm of life and He alleviated your
fears and comforted them.
---Write in your class notebooks what
you can do to seek the Lord’s help during your challenges.
II.
Mark 5:1–20
Jesus heals a man by casting devils out of him
---In Mark 5:1–18 Jesus healed a man full of “unclean,” or evil,
spirits. After these unclean spirits had been cast out of the man, they entered
a herd of swine, which then violently ran off a cliff into the sea. The man
then sought to enter the ship where Jesus was.
- What did the Savior instruct this man to do?
- How did the man respond?
- What principle can we learn from this story about what we can do when we experience the Savior’s power in our lives? (Help students identify the following principle: When we experience the Savior’s power in our lives, we can testify to others of His blessings and compassion.)
---Consider ways in which you could
help others by testifying of the Savior’s blessings and compassion.
III.
Mark 5:21–43
Jesus heals a woman with an issue of blood and raises Jairus’s
daughter from the dead
---Read aloud the following account
told by Elder Shayne M. Bowen of the Seventy:
“On February 4 of 1990, our third son and sixth child
was born. We named him Tyson. …
“When Tyson was eight months old, he aspirated a piece of
chalk that he had found on the carpet. The chalk lodged in Tyson’s throat, and
he quit breathing. His older brother brought Tyson upstairs, frantically
calling, ‘The baby won’t breathe. The baby won’t breathe.’ We began to
administer CPR and called 911.
“The paramedics arrived and rushed Tyson to the hospital. In
the waiting room we continued in fervent prayer as we pled to God for a
miracle. After what seemed a lifetime, the doctor came into the room and said,
‘I am so sorry. There is nothing more we can do. Take all the time you need.’
She then left” (“Because I Live, Ye Shall Live Also,” Ensign or Liahona,
Nov. 2012, 16).
- If Tyson had been your brother, what would you think or do at that moment?
- How might an experience like this test someone’s faith?
---Read Mark 5:21–24
looking for how a ruler named Jairus faced a similar challenge that may have
tested his faith.
- Why did Jairus seek the Savior’s help?
---Although the New Testament
accounts do not define the nature of the woman’s “issue of blood” (verse 25), we know it was personally
troubling to her. Furthermore, under the law of Moses,
someone with an issue of blood was considered ritually unclean (see Leviticus 15:19–33). This likely meant that this
woman was ostracized and excluded during the 12 years of her ailment. The desperation
she felt about her situation is evident in the fact that she “had spent all
that she had” (Mark 5:26) seeking a cure from physicians.
- What did this woman do that demonstrated her faith in Jesus Christ? (You might explain that the phrase “came in the press behind” [verse 27] refers to her struggle to break through the crowd of people who surrounded the Savior.)
- What can we learn from this account about what we must do if we desire to be made whole? (Help students identify the following principle: If we demonstrate our faith in Jesus Christ through our efforts to come to Him, He can make us whole.)
---Becoming whole from any infirmity
through faith in Jesus Christ depends not only on our efforts to come to Him
but also on God’s timing and will.
---Read Mark 5:35
silently, looking for the message that was brought to Jairus as the Savior
stopped to help this woman.
- What news did Jairus receive?
- If you had been in Jairus’s position, what thoughts or feelings might you have had at that moment?
- What did the Savior say that may have sustained Jairus’s faith?
---To emphasize what we learn about
faith from this story, write the following truth on the board:
Exercising faith in Jesus Christ
requires us to continue believing in Him even in times of uncertainty.
- In what ways can we apply this principle in our lives?
- What miracle did the Savior perform?
---Testify of the Savior’s power to
bless and heal us.
---Sometimes the Savior calms the
storms in our lives by removing the difficulty or fear we experience. At other
times, He might not remove our trial, as illustrated in Elder Bowen’s account of
the death of his son. However, as we exercise faith in Jesus Christ, He will
give us peace during our challenges.
---Read the following testimony of
Elder Bowen. Listen for how he was able to maintain his faith even after his
son died.
“As I felt the guilt, anger, and self-pity trying to consume
me, I prayed that my heart could change. Through very personal sacred
experiences, the Lord gave me a new heart, and even though it was still lonely
and painful, my whole outlook changed. I was given to know that I had not been
robbed but rather that there was a great blessing awaiting me if I would prove
faithful. …
“I testify that … ‘as we rely on the Atonement of Jesus
Christ, He can help us endure our trials, sicknesses, and pain. We can be
filled with joy, peace, and consolation. All that is unfair about life can be
made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ’ [Preach
My Gospel: A Guide to Missionary Service (2004), 52]” (“Because I Live,” 17).
- Like Jairus, when have you or someone you know maintained faith in Jesus Christ during a time of uncertainty? What blessings came as a result?
---Consider inviting students to
testify of the truths taught in this lesson.
Commentary
and Background Information
Mark
4:35–41. Jesus Christ
calmed a storm
President Howard W. Hunter
discussed important truths about Mark’s account of the Savior calming a storm
on the Sea of Galilee:
“All of us have seen some sudden
storms in our lives. A few of them, though temporary like these on the Sea of
Galilee, can be violent and frightening and potentially destructive. As
individuals, as families, as communities, as nations, even as a church, we have
had sudden squalls arise which have made us ask one way or another, ‘Master,
carest thou not that we perish?’ And one way or another we always hear in the
stillness after the storm, ‘Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no
faith?’
“None of us would like to think we
have no faith, but I suppose the Lord’s gentle rebuke here is largely deserved.
This great Jehovah, in whom we say we trust and whose name we have taken upon
us, is he who said, ‘Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and
let it divide the waters from the waters.’ (Gen. 1:6.) And he is also the one who said, ‘Let
the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the
dry land appear.’ (Gen. 1:9.) Furthermore, it was he who parted the
Red Sea, allowing the Israelites to pass through on dry ground. (See Ex. 14:21–22.) Certainly it should be no surprise
that he could command a few elements acting up on the Sea of Galilee. And our
faith should remind us that he can calm the troubled waters of our lives” (“Master, the Tempest Is Raging,” Ensign, Nov.
1984, 33).
Mark
5:30. “Virtue had gone out of him”
Some translations of Mark 5:30 state that “virtue” went out of Jesus
Christ when the woman was healed. In the original Greek text of the New
Testament, the word corresponding to virtue is dynamis, which means “power” or
“strength.”
Mark
5:36. “Be not afraid, only believe”
One truth taught in Mark 4–5 is that faith and fear are incompatible.
In both Mark 4:40 and Mark 5:36, the Savior admonished those He taught
to replace their fear with faith in Him. These accounts leave us with a
powerful lesson to have faith in Jesus Christ and not take counsel from our
fears.
In an address to Church Educational
System religious educators, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the
Twelve Apostles asked students and teachers to “be not afraid, only believe.”
He encouraged us to have complete confidence in God and to speak with
conviction that the gospel of Jesus Christ is “the most certain, the most
secure, the most reliable, and the most rewarding truth on earth and in heaven,
in time and in eternity.” He testified that fears, doubts, and anxieties can be
overcome as we focus on the “majestic, eternal, first-level truths [that are]
central to the grandeur of the whole gospel message”—such as the plan of
salvation, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the First Vision, the restoration of
the priesthood, and the Book of Mormon—and not set aside or dismiss the
whole truth by “obsessing over second- or third- or fourth-level pieces of that
whole.” (See “Be Not Afraid, Only Believe” [an evening with
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Feb. 6, 2015], lds.org/broadcasts.)
Elder Neil L. Andersen of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles also taught about overcoming our fear through
faith in the Lord:
“Challenges, difficulties,
questions, doubts—these are part of our mortality. But we are not alone. As
disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have enormous spiritual reservoirs of
light and truth available to us. Fear and faith cannot coexist in our hearts at
the same time. In our days of difficulty, we choose the road of faith. Jesus
said, ‘Be not afraid, only believe’ [Mark 5:36]” (“You Know Enough,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov.
2008, 14).
Supplemental
Teaching Ideas
Mark 4:35–41. Video presentation—“Finding Faith in Christ”
Instead of inviting students to read
Mark 4:35–41, you may want to show a portion of
the video “Finding Faith in Christ” (time code 0:25–2:12).
The opening scene in this video depicts Christ calming the storm on the Sea of
Galilee. This video is available on the DVD titled Finding Faith in Christ and
on LDS.org.
Mark
5:1–17. Jesus heals a man by casting devils out of him
Instead of summarizing Mark 5:1–17, you may want to use the following
activity:
Display the picture Jesus Healing the Nephites (Gospel Art Book
[2009], no. 83; see also LDS.org) and an image of a chain (if you cannot
easily find a picture of chains, you may want to draw a chain on the board).
- What are some things the devil uses his power for? What are some things the Savior uses His power for?
Explain that in Mark 5:1–17 we learn several truths that help us
experience the Savior’s power and avoid the influence and power of the devil.
Divide students into pairs. Provide
each pair with a copy of the following chart. Invite students to read Mark 5:1–17 and work with their partners to
complete the chart by matching each truth with the verses in which it is
taught. (Note: This activity is designed to help you quickly point out truths
found in the scripture block so you can move on to other principles.)
|
|
2. _____ Through the power of Jesus Christ
we can overcome Satan’s influence in our life.
|
|
3. _____ The devil does not care about our
well-being but rather seeks to make us miserable and to destroy us.
|
|
4. _____ The devil and the spirits who
follow him have a knowledge of Jesus Christ’s divinity and power.
|
|
After students have completed the
chart, invite several of them to report their answers. (Answers: 1-b; 2-d; 3-a;
4-c.) Emphasize the change that the man who had been possessed with evil
spirits experienced through the power of Jesus Christ.
Mark 5:25–34. Video presentation—“Finding Faith in Christ”
Instead of inviting students to read
Mark 5:25–34, you may want to show a portion of
the video “Finding Faith in Christ” (time code 6:13–6:55),
which includes a depiction of Jesus healing the woman with an issue of blood.
This video is available on the DVD titled Finding Faith in Christ and on LDS.org.
© 2016 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Right margin
extras:
Determine
pacing
Avoid the mistake of taking too much
time on the first part of the lesson and having to rush through the rest of it.
As you prepare, estimate how long each section of the lesson will take using
the teaching methods you have chosen. Because you will almost always have more
material to teach than there is time to teach it, determine which portions of
the scripture block to emphasize and which to summarize.
