BEHIND THE BOOK Connecting to the Bible

Transcription

1 1 BEHIND THE BOOK Connecting to the Bible (Observation) Mark 5:21-43 (READ VARIOUS TRANSLATIONS) MAY 3RD, 2016 RESOURCES: THE NEW INTERNATIONAL COMMENTARY ON THE NEW TESTAMENT THE PILLAR NEW TESTAMENT COMMENTARY NIV APPLICATION COMMENTARY NEW AMERICAN COMMENTARY MARK 1-8: TIM CHESTER MARK: 9-16: TIM CHESTER MARK: 1-8: JOHN MacARTHUR: THE MacARTHUR NEW TESTAMENT COMMENTARY MARK: 9-16: JOHN MacARTHUR: THE MacARTHUR NEW TESTAMENT COMMENTARY THE KING S CROSS: TIM KELLER Introduction: Mark 5 has been called the St. Jude chapter since Saint Jude is the saint for hopeless causes. This section of Scripture focuses on two individuals who approach Jesus for healing. It once again demonstrates the extent of Jesus s power and compassionate ministry to the world. Notice: *One named, the other is not *One a man, the other a woman *One wealthy, the other poor *One respected, the other rejected *One honored, the other shamed *One approaches Jesus from the front, the other from behind *One is religiously clean, the other is ceremonially unclean *One leads the synagogue, the other is excommunicated from the synagogue *One with a 12-year old child, the other with a 12-year old sickness These two people have nothing natural in common with each other but everything in common with everyone. They are both sinners touched by the fall and about to meet Jesus who will not

2 2 only answer their hearts deepest requests but also make them family and members of his kingdom. First: Jesus is Accessible V 21 - In the previous text Jesus cast out a legion of demons on the Eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee only to be expelled from the region. The Gentile residents responded with fear, just as the disciples had responded to Jesus s calming the storm, and asked Jesus to leave. Note the difference: For Mark, disciples continue to hear Jesus, unbelievers reject his message. In response, Jesus and the disciples made the six-mile journey back across the lake to the western shore near Capernaum. The crowd who met Jesus was so large that it kept him on the shoreline. Remember the saying, if you want to know God s heart, watch Jesus s feet. In the first six chapters of Mark there are 15 references to Jesus ministering on the wrong side of the lake; the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. V 22 A man named Jairus, a leader of the synagogue in Capernaum made his way through the crowd. Perhaps his name and leadership at the synagogue got him through the mass of people. Or perhaps his desperation thrust him through the waiting throng. We don t know how he made it through the crowd. But we know that he did. Desperation makes people do desperate things. The synagogue leaders were opposed to Jesus (3:6, 22) so they must have been shocked to see Jairus personally approach Jesus. More, Jairus may have been shocked at his willingness to endure the scorn of the religious leadership. The history of the synagogue is shrouded in mystery but it is commonly thought that synagogues came into being during the Babylonian exile when the people could no longer attend the Temple in Jerusalem. In order to maintain their gatherings, teachings, language, culture and identity, Jews created synagogues (synergy = come together) as places of Jewish worship. A synagogue could be established by as few as 3 or as many as 7 men who were willing to lead the gathering. In Jesus s day, synagogue officials normally numbered between 3 and 7 men. They were laypeople who safeguarded the door, the sacred texts, cared for the facilities, organized the synagogue school and supervised readers and teachers. Jairus must have been a devout Jew who was known and respected in the community. None of the gospel writers identify him as a Pharisee but he would have been well known by the Pharisees in Capernaum. He too, was very aware of them and their animosity toward Jesus. Unlike Nicodemus who approached Jesus at night, Jairus s daylight approach to the teacher was very public. There must have been a very powerful reason why he believed Jesus could heal his

3 3 daughter. It is quite possible that Jesus exorcised the demoniac in the synagogue (1:21-28) that Jairus led. He was certainly aware of Jesus s other healings. All of this inspired hope. Mark doesn t normally burden his stories with proper names. It s altogether possible that Peter and Mark knew Jairus personally since this was Peter s hometown and perhaps even his synagogue. Jairus s posture toward Jesus (he fell at his feet) is a demonstrative proof of Jairus s respect for the rejected Rabbi. Matthew 9:18 uses the word prosukeno meaning to bow down but also used by other writers to imply worship (Matt 4:10; John 4:21-24; 1 Cor 14:25; Rev 4:10) Verse 42 states that Jairus s daughter was 12-years old. This means she had entered the first year of womanhood and was eligible for marriage. She was, nonetheless, Jairus s little girl and his passion entreated Jesus to work back through the crowd with Jairus s toward the house where his child lay ill. "...at the point of death is a Jewish colloquialism eschatos echei or is dying or at death s door. Verse 24 is demonstrative of Jesus s life and ministry. He came to earth to go with people into their sin and hurt. In Mark 1:38 he reminded those who tried to restrict his ministry, Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out. In so doing, Mark testifies to Jesus s belief that every individual (Gentile and Jew, man and woman, adult and child) is of inestimable worth to God. Second: Jesus is Available V 24b The progress through the crowd must have been slow though steady. Jairus s must have wished the crowd would dissipate. He knew that his daughter was at the point of death (23). But to Jairus s terror, their journey to his home is about to be interrupted. Without a moment to spare, a moment must be spared, for another individual, of equal importance to Jesus, approaches him for healing. This is another example of a Markian sandwich in which Mark has so much to say in his effort to demonstrate Jesus s effortless exercise of divinity, that he sandwiches one event into the other. Too, this story, as all of Mark s middle stories, helps us better understand the surrounding stories. The event about the woman is told in the aorist or past tense while the flanking stories are told in the imperfect and present tenses. In addition, Mark signifies the relationship between these two particular stories with several common elements. Both of these stories are about women healed by Jesus s touch. Both are called daughter by Jesus. The woman s illness and the girl s are twelve. In both stories Jesus is met by rebuke (17 & 40). Both stories bring Jesus into contact with uncleanness that he should not touch. But oh, he does: How Jesus makes the world clean!!! This connects these

4 4 events with the previous story about the demoniac. In all three, Jesus transfers his wholeness to their uncleanness in a Triune, biblically historic, globally redemptive agenda The woman with the hemorrhage is the antithesis to Jairus. He was a respected leader, she was a social outcast, ostracized from Jewish religions and social life. While Jairus had known 12 years of happiness, this woman had known 12 years of constant sorrow. It may very well be that Jairus s was on the synagogue council who had inspected the woman and informed the woman she was no longer welcome in the synagogue. The cause of the hemorrhage is not stated but no cure was available. She had spent all the money she possessed in seeking help but to no avail. In fact, her situation had deteriorated over that time span. According to Leviticus 15:25-27, any such discharge rendered a woman ceremonially unclean. Women had to wait 7 days after their bleeding stopped before they were readmitted to the synagogue and the sacrificial system (vs 28-29). This woman had not been to the Temple or the synagogue she had offered no sacrifice for her sin in 12 years. Her situation was akin to that of a leper and she really had no business in the crowd, much less touching anyone, especially a rabbi. If Jesus was not God, he would have been rendered unclean and his ministry exposed as false. She didn t risk only her own life. She risked Jesus s too As such, the woman's prognosis was no better than that of the dying girl s. Hearing of Jesus s healing ministry, the woman risked her very life to press through the crowd. Although superstitious ( If I touch even his garments, I will be made well ), the urgency of her need just like that of Jairus s - propelled her through the crowd. Jesus is indeed the temple of God (John 2:19). His presence made the first garden perfect and his presence will make the last garden perfect. Revelation 21:3-5 - And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, [b] and God himself will be with them as their God. [c] 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. 5 And he who was seated on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. Jesus s incarnational ministry was a foretaste of the all things new that God will do. The miraculous was not miraculous for Jesus. It was the norm. This is partially why, in every instance, Jesus, who is God in the flesh, maintains such calm in the midst of a crowd, supernatural evil, life-threatening storms and even death. No matter where he was or what he was doing, Jesus s knew himself and his mission. He was God. There was nothing to fear but him.

5 5 John 6: Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. It was this mission that set him in conflict with the Jewish leadership. John 6: So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, I am the bread that came down from heaven. 42 They said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, I have come down from heaven? In all of it, Jesus was undeterred and unperturbed. Numbers 15:37-41 details how Israelites were instructed to tie tassels on the bottom of their cloaks as a symbol of God s ownership of Israel. These tassels reminded the Jews of their devotion to God but also testified to others of their commitment to God. Religious hypocrites like the Pharisees intentionally extended their tassels (Matt 23:5) to show their religious devotion. Just as the storm immediately calmed and Legion immediately vacated the demoniac, so this woman was immediately (29) healed the very moment she touched Jesus. At that point, she knew it. At that point, Jesus knew it. But Jesus evidently wanted everyone to know it. And the woman needed to know something else Jesus s acknowledgement that divine power had emanated from him is an important concept about our personal God. Divine power is not an impersonal cosmic force. God is personal, engaged in every act of power from creation to redemption and maintenance of the universe (Heb 1:3). He knows it all (Luke 12:24-30) and feels it all (Heb 4:15). Jesus s question was not motivated by ignorance but to make the woman s healing public. From a human perspective, the disciples asked a logical question. From the divine perspective, Jesus knew exactly what he was asking and of whom he was asking it. The woman wanted to hide but needed to go public with her healing. Jesus s eyes evidently settled on the woman (32). Aware that she could not hide, the woman came forward and confessed her identity as well as the whole story (33). And Jairus heard it all. Jesus s response to the woman s faith (34) publicly acknowledged to everyone that she had been healed. The word disease means literally whip or scourge. This gives us some indication of how this malady had affected the woman s life for 12 years.

6 6 In verse 29, for the word healed, Mark uses the word iaomai while Luke uses therapeuo (therapeutic). These are common terms for healing. But the word Jesus used in verse 34 for well is sozo, a term more commonly associated with salvation and being saved from sin. The spoken Yashaw is a variant of the Hebrew name of Jesus, Yeshua. Matthew 1:21 - She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins Blue Letter Bible: σώζω sṓzō, sode'-zo; from a primary σῶς sōs (contraction for obsolete σάος sáos, "safe"); to save, i.e. deliver or protect (literally or figuratively): heal, preserve, save (self), do well, be (make) whole. The gospels often use sozo to demonstrate the connection between a person s faith and salvation. Jesus said Your faith has saved you to the penitent prostitute (Luke 7:50; Mark 10:52). The Greek in both gospels is identical even though most English translations don t render it as such. While Jesus healed many people who did not exhibit saving faith, he also healed people who expressed saving faith in him. Jesus s response to this woman suggests she was healed both physically and spiritually. And because of this she could truly go in peace (34). Jairus must have been greatly disturbed by the woman s interruption. Her disease was not lifethreatening while his daughter lay at death s door. But Jesus felt it important to stop and address the woman s need. In so doing, he healed her, publicly announced her wholeness, brought her to saving faith and increased Jairus s faith; an encouragement Jairus would need sooner than he realized. Third: Jesus is Intentional V 35 Mark now dramatizes the delay with new information, effectively stacking the deck against Jesus. Jairus s daughter is not just sick, she is dead. Can Jesus do anything about that? The gospel writers do not tell us how long Jesus delayed with the woman. But the interruption lasted long enough for people from Jairus s house to find him, make their way through the crowd and address both he and Jesus. The delay, though profitable for the woman, is immediately unprofitable for Jairus. Jesus s delay with the woman has now turned deadly for Jairus s daughter. The insinuation, Why trouble the teacher any further (35) is that Jesus had wasted time. In this, they misunderstood Jesus s divine authority over time, space, death, etc. For Jairus s friends, Jesus s ministry was now pointless. Martha and Mary would assume a similar posture when Lazarus died (John 11:21, 32). V 36 The term for overhearing is parakouein and can be translated three ways: a) To overhear something not intended for the listener; b) to ignore and c) to refuse to listen or discount something as untrue. All three can be applied to Jesus s response.

7 7 Jesus ignored the news and responded directly to Jairus. He knew Jairus s immediate reaction would be fear and doubt. He didn t want Jairus to faint as the disciples had doubted during the storm. The Greek in this verse could be translated Stop being afraid and keep believing. Luke adds And she will be made well (Luke 8:50). Mark s repeated challenge to believe was undoubtedly directed toward his Roman readers. Mark repeatedly shows Jesus requiring faith in the midst of a crisis of belief. The underlying question was, Would the Romans believe on the Jesus whom Mark was presenting? Do we? What kind of faith was Jesus asking Jairus to have? The faith of an unnamed, unclean, woman. The woman exemplifies and defines faith for Jairus (Pillar Commentary) It may very well be that twelve years ago, Jairus was one of the synagogue leaders who examined and excommunicated the healed woman. He knew how serious her disease was and he knew she could not be healed by any known medicine. In other words, Jairus fully understood the severity of the woman s condition. He also just witnessed her healing. He may not have thoughtfully reflected on what had just transpired in her healing but it must have encouraged his faith when Jesus promised healing for his now-deceased daughter. Evidently, Jesus s delay was more purposeful than Jairus s could have initially imagined. His faith was evidently bolstered enough to continue troubling Jesus as the two, plus James, John and Peter walked together to Jairus s house. In this process, Jesus was doing for James, Peter and John exactly what he had done for Jairus. He was bolstering their faith. Peter stood on the Day of Pentecost and preached the gospel to 3,000 antagonistic Jews saying, You crucified the Lord of glory but God has resurrected him, making him Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36) and then demanding the Jews repent (2:38). That took faith in a God who could resurrect him if the Jews killed him. James would become the church s first martyr, again, requiring faith in a resurrecting God. John would live longer than any other apostle, into a time when no other human being could remind him of all Jesus had done or that it was all true. Each of the three disciples needed the personal revelations of Jesus s deity that he provided them. 38 The interruption and journey to Jairus s house had taken long enough for mourners to gather. Three distinctive events characterized funerals of that day. First, grief was expressed by tearing clothes. Jewish tradition included 39 regulations on how to tear clothes. Relatives tore their garments over the heart. It could be sewn but must be worth for thirty days as a sign of prolonged grief. Second, professional mourners were hired to vocalize and broadcast the event. Agony was magnified, not shrouded. Third, musicians were also hired (Matt 9:23). They loudly played adding their emotional discord to the family s pain. According to Jewish tradition, even the poor were required to hire at least 2 flute players and one wailing woman So when Jesus arrived at Jairus s house, chaos reigned. The number of professional mourners was probably large. It was then, contrary to Jewish tradition and unfeeling for Jesus

8 8 to enter the house and ask why the people were making such a commotion. Everyone knew. According to Matthew and Luke Jesus also told the mourners to stop weeping (Luke 8:52) and to leave (Matt 9:24). The drama of the moment was intensified by the sudden silence. (MacArthur) The silence was interrupted by Jesus s claim that the young girl was not dead but sleeping. The crowd responded in scornful, mocking laughter. Liberal commentators suggest Jesus was confessing the child was not dead. But the time lapse since the child s declaration of death and the arrival of professional mourners signify her real death. professional mourners were not in the habit of being deceived by comatose patients (James R. Edwards). Jesus metaphor of sleep redefined death as harmless and temporary. The same word is used throughout the NT to remind Christians that death is not permanent and that, although the body sleeps, the soul does not (Matt 27:52; Acts 7:60; 1 Cor 15:6; Luke 16:19-31; 2 Cor 5:8; Rev 6:9-11). Undeterred, Jesus took Jairus, his wife and the three disciples with him into the room where the child lay lifeless. Fourth: Jesus is Life Throughout Mark, Jesus has demonstrated kindness to every sincere enquirer and Jairus is no exception. He granted him a personal audience in the midst of a pressing crowd. He agreed to go with him to care for Jairus s daughter, reassuring him when she died. He left the ministry to the crowd for a one-on-one encounter with Jairus, his wife and daughter. Jesus s ministry thus far, has been characterized by power and compassion. 41 God created everything that is by his word and by the word of his mouth. Incarnate, Jesus has personalized the Father s ministry by touch. He touched the man with leprosy (Mark 1:40) the woman of Mark 5 touched him, and he now touches Jairus s daughter. Jesus was indeed God in person. Talitha cumi is a term of endearment. Only Mark s gospel records Jesus s statement in its original Aramaic, the daily and common language of the Jews in Palestine. Aramaic (Arāmāyā, Syriac ) is a family of languages or dialects belonging to the Semitic family. More specifically, it is part of the Northwest Semitic subfamily, which also includes Canaanite languages such as Hebrew and Phoenician. The Aramaic alphabet was widely adopted for other languages and is ancestral to the Hebrew, Syriac and Arabic alphabets. Jesus, the central figure of Christianity, spoke an Aramaic dialect during his public ministry. (accessed 5/3/16).

9 9 Talitha is feminine for youth or lamb. Cumi is an imperative that can be translated Rise up or Stand. Much can be said about Jesus being life itself and Jesus s imperative commands to life. John 11:43 - Lazarus, come out. John 5:25 Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. John 10:9-10 I am the door. If anyone enters by m e, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. John 10: My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand It should be remembered that no one ever died in the presence of Jesus. Quite to the contrary, dead people near Jesus were always resurrected. On the cross, Jesus died before the two thieves around him. John 19: Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 42 Mark again employs one his favorite words; immediately. And immediately the girl got up When Elijah raised the widow s son (1 Kings 17:17f) he called on God to raise the boy. He then stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the Lord. Jesus raised Jairus s 12-year old daughter by his own power and with a simple invitation. He undoubtedly took her hand to steady her as she sat up and began walking. Amazement (ESV) is one Greek word existemi. It means to be thrown out of place, to stand outside oneself or beside oneself with bewilderment (Mark 3:21; 2 Cor 5:13). The event undoubtedly took all of the eyewitnesses outside of their normal worldview and experience. There was no human explanation for what happened In the midst of the celebration Jesus discouraged sharing the news. Of course, it could not be kept from those inside the house. But Jesus s encouragement was intended to quell fanatical enthusiasm on the part of the crowd outside the house. The crowds were already unmanageable and Jesus had no desire to be pulled into every cemetery in Israel. His purpose was not to gain popularity as a miracle worker. Second, such news would undoubtedly expedite the eventual confrontation between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders.

10 10 When Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ, strictly charged them to tell no one about him. 31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and dafter three days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly (Mar 8:30-32a) Undoubtedly Jesus did not do this for his benefit but for that of his followers. Just as Jairus s faith needed to be encouraged, there was much Jesus needed to teach and show the disciples so that they would be men of faith at his crucifixion and after his ascension. He needed the time to do so and asked those present to aid in that endeavor. Conclusion: This resurrection miracle could only be fully understood in the light of Jesus s entire passion; his death, burial and resurrection. He had not come to give only temporary life but eternal life. Jesus insisted on silence, then, because the story was not yet finished (MacArthur). Many times we or others wonder about the existence of a good, great God and simultaneous suffering. But God is not ignorant of or absent from our suffering. In fact, he entered into it and suffered for us so that we might not suffer eternally. That holistic, (there is more to salvation than our immediate needs or physical/material rescue) comprehensive (there is more to salvation than only us) salvation should give meaning and hope So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal (2 Cor 4:16-18). Questions for Consideration: 1 What does Jesus s western shore ministry say about God s global plan? What OT hints existed about God s mercy being shown to Jews and Gentiles alike? How would you, as a Jew, have reacted to Jesus s ministry to Gentiles? How would you, as a Roman reader, have reacted to it? 2 - What does Jairus s and the woman s great crisis say about how God works in the lives of unbelievers? Do these events give you a wider perspective on suffering and evil in the world? 3 Jesus s ministry not only touched the woman but the crowd who previously rejected her. It also bolstered Jairus s faith in a crisis moment? How do these events help you better understand and experience evil, suffering and heartache?

11 11 4 God waited 12 years to heal this woman. But his timing was perfect. What personal or global life incidents do you reflect on differently with the advantage of time? 5 - Jesus publicly embarrassed the woman by calling her forward after she was healed. He intentionally made Jairus wait until his daughter had died. How does it help us to move us out of our comfort zone to where God is our only hope? What advantages came from these instances? 6 Multiple times in Mark, Jesus turns from crowds to personal ministry and it is in the personal ministry that we see people exercise saving faith and life change occur. What does this tell you about ministry in your family, in your workplace, with other believers? What oneon-one, life-on-life relationships are you presently enjoying? If you don t have any right now, with whom could you begin such a relationship? 7 How is Jesus s challenge to Jairus, Don t be afraid. Only believe applicable to you today? For Elders and CG Leaders: 1 Don t read the story about this woman without entering into her pain. Think about twelve years of suffering, the uncleanness from an unstoppable hemorrhage that worsened each year, ostracism, embarrassment, etc. In addition, she had spent all her money on potential cures. And all the while, she watched Jairus, the man who had officially, publicly, excommunicated her from the Synagogue for no fault of her own, walk there every Saturday with his little daughter who was the same age as she had been ill. His happiness exacerbated her sorrow. Was she jealous? Was she bitter? Was she angry at God? Did she lie awake at night, night after night with ungodly thoughts toward Jairus and the world? And what about a husband or parents? There is no mention of any support group in the text. She approaches Jesus all alone. This text provides us with an enhanced view of why God allows evil and suffering in the world. Think about how you would share the story of the hemorrhaging woman with a chronically suffering member. How did God use her 12-year illness to save her soul? How did he use it in the life of the crowd? How did he use it in Jairus s life? Unlike the woman, we may never see the spiritual and eternal benefits that arise from evil, suffering, perpetual illness or even death. But like the woman, we can place faith in Jesus. He has his divine reasons for positive and negative thing that occurs and he employs even every negative thing in our lives for his glory; our good and that of others (Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28). Can we challenge our people to have the faith of this woman? Her healing should help them suffer. 2 Our people really wonder about God s goodness and his timing. One thing we learn from Jairus s pain is that God is always on time. This text can help our people develop trustful

12 12 patience as they wait on God for answer to prayer, illness, jobs, etc. When Eve gave birth to Cain (Genesis 4:1), she really believed he was the promised seed of Genesis 3:15; the divinely sent cure to all that ailed the world. Imagine how this unfulfilled hope multiplied her sorrow when Cain killed Abel. Adam and Eve died still looking for God s answer to sin and sorrow. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son (Gal 4:4). God s timing isn t always our timing and as we wait on God we can lose hope, like Jairus did when he heard the news of his daughter s death. If the Bible is anything, it is the record of hope: hope set on God, misplaced hope, unrealized hope and hope against hope. Many of our members cry Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation (Psalm 42:5) and Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you (Psalm 33:22). What does Jairus s story teach us about hope in God? How can we apply Jesus s words Do not fear, only believe (Mark 5:36) to our hopeless members? Don t lose Jesus in the text. These stories weren t written to deify the woman or Jairus. If anything, the text demonstrates their frailty; one physically and the other spiritually. This text is intended to demonstrate that Jesus is God; to illustrate Jesus s power and compassion. Jesus is God. He is good. He is great. Because he is both, we can have faith and hope in Him Behind the Book is only one aspect of Heritage s teaching ministry which seeks to employ our church s mission statement: Connecting to God, Growing with Others and Impacting the world. On Wednesday evenings we connect to Sunday morning s Bible passage and discover what it says through in-depth Bible study. Sunday morning in corporate worship (9:30am) we grow from the passage by learning what it means for our daily living. In Community Groups (8:30 & 10:45am) we practically apply the text, being impacted by it and learning to impact the world with it. CGI provides a balanced approach to life and Bible study; an upward look (Connect), an inward look (Grow) and an outward look (Impact) ensuring that our mission fulfils our vision to be a God-centered, Great Commission congregation. It s a well-known and beneficial way to approach the Bible Connect/Observation, Grow/Interpretation, Impact/Application. It s also a Trinitarian approach to Scripture: Connecting to the Father, Growing in Christ and Impacting the world by the Spirit, so that the way we study the Bible daily reminds us about who our God is and how he is unique among all religions of the world