New Testament Lesson #7 “[He] Took Our Infirmities, and Bare Our
Sicknesses”
Mark 1:14–15; 21–45; 2:1–12; 4:35–41;
5; Luke 7:11–17
Quotes:
1.
“it
is important to remember that Satan can have no power over people without their
consent. President James E. Faust (1920–2007) of the First Presidency
explained: ‘We need not become paralyzed with fear of Satan’s power. He can
have no power over us unless we permit it. He is really a coward, and if we
stand firm, he will retreat. The Apostle James counseled: “Submit yourselves
therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). He cannot know our thoughts unless
we speak them. And Nephi states that “he hath no power over the hearts” of
people who are righteous (see 1 Nephi 22:26)’ (‘The Great Imitator,’ Ensign, Nov.
1987, 35).”
2.
Elder
Packer, “Those who will repent and forsake sin will find that His merciful arm
is outstretched still. Those who listen to and heed His words and the words of
His chosen servants will find peace and understanding even in the midst of
great heartache and sorrow. The result of His sacrifice is to free us from the
effects of sin, that all may have guilt erased and feel hope. Had He not
accomplished the Atonement, there would be no redemption. It would be a
difficult world to live in if we could never be forgiven for our mistakes, if
we could never purify ourselves and move on. The mercy and grace of Jesus
Christ are not limited to those who commit sins either of commission or
omission, but they encompass the promise of everlasting peace to all who will
accept and follow Him and His teachings. His mercy is the mighty healer, even
to the wounded innocent.”
3.
James
E. Talmage: “The vital distinction between a restoration of the dead to a
resumption of mortal life, and the resurrection of the body from death to a
state of immortality, must be thoughtfully heeded. In each
of the instances thus far considered—that of the raising of the dead man of
Nain,w and that of the daughter of Jairus,
as also in the raising of Lazarus to be studied later—the miracle consisted in
reuniting the spirit and the body in a continuation of the interrupted course
of mortal existence. That the subject of each of these miracles had to
subsequently die is certain. Jesus Christ was the first of all men who have lived on earth to come
forth from the tomb an immortalized Being; He is therefore properly designated
as “the first fruits of them that slept.”
Introduction
According to
early Christian sources, Mark was not among the original disciples of Jesus
Christ, but he later converted, became an assistant to the Apostle Peter, and
wrote his Gospel based on what he learned from Peter. If Matthew and Luke used
Mark as a source when writing their Gospels, as some scholars postulate, then
Mark’s association with Peter may help explain why Matthew and Luke would use
Mark as a source.
With all the
many miracles that the Savior performed out of compassion and in order to teach
correct principles and build faith, perhaps the most telling moment was with
the man who was “sick of the palsy” in Mark 2:8–11 “Why reason ye these things
in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins
be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye
may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to
the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy
way into thine house.” While we may not have the opportunity to be healed from
our infirmities as we go through life, because of His Atonement, we are
guaranteed that our sins will be forgiven if we follow the conditions of
repentance. Inner, invisible healing and outward visible healing—both
miraculous, but which is more valuable to our eternal progression?
Mark 1:14–15; 21–45
Jesus is returning to Galilee after the meeting with the Samaritan woman
and being with the (now converted) Samaritans for two days. Last week we heard
about his call to Simon and Andrew to join Him, but just before that, in Mark
1:14–15, Jesus issues the call to repent! This will presage the great message
of His ministry that “Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is
forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more” (D&C 58:42), because only
then can we be cleansed of our sins and eventually be “saved in the Kingdom of
God” (2 Nephi 9:23). John the Baptist is in prison.
Read Mark 1:21–27. Where is
Jesus? And what happens here? There are many references to Jesus casting
out evil spirits and those spirits recognized Him. Read Quote 1. Seemingly this, more than the other accounts of His
healing, dramatically increased the knowledge of and response to Jesus the
Christ.
Read Mark 1:29–34. What does anon
mean (eventually). We know that Christ and our Heavenly Father know us
initimately, but we are required to bring our cares, desires, and pleas to
Them, not expect Them just to heal us without asking. That being said, we will
look at two instances of the Savior Himself healing when He was not asked.
From now on wherever He goes the people follow, principally to be
healed—physical manifestations of His power rather than seeking the spiritual
manifestations.
Mark 2:1–12
Read the scriptures. Here, then, is what the people should have been
looking for. The power to forgive sins. Read Quote 2. Question: Does this give you some insight into the importance of
striving to be a disciple? The importance of His word in our lives? The
Lord may choose not to heal us physically, but He will always heal us spiritually as we adhere to the principle of repentance!
Mark 4: 35–41; 5:1–20/Luke 7:11–17
Calming the storm—Peace Be Still.
Casting out devils. Unlike other miracles, this time Jesus tells the
healed man to “Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord
hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee” (Mark 5:19). Question: How does He calm the mental
storms in our lives?
Luke
Nain is 30 miles, uphill from Capernaum—a tough journey. A widow in
ancient Israel has no claim to any property, only through her children, so if
she lost her only son, and had no other living relatives, then she would be
homeless, nameless, and eventually completely forgotten (see Deut. 25:5–6; Isa.
56:5; Micah 2:2). Question: How does
this make us feel about the sealing power restored to earth by Elijah through
Joseph Smith? What earthly consequences does this have? The significance of
this miracle is that (1) Jesus initiated it; there was no request from the
widow or anyone else in the funeral procession and (2) compared with Jairus’s
daughter or the servant of the centurion it occurred comparatively far away
from these miracles which were centered around Capernaum, 30 long, hard miles
away, and Jesus had with him His disciples and others, not to mention the
funeral procession.
Read Quote 3
Mark 5:22–43
Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, has come to the Savior pleading with
him to heal his ailing 12-year old daughter. Because of his humility, one
supposes (vss. 22–23), Christ accompanies him, but then so does a multitude who
are waiting for Jesus to perform a miracle, or, we can hope, teach them. While
they are walking, a timorous woman, outcast because of her medical problem,
undoubtedly shunned—since an issue of blood, according to the Law of Moses,
rendered a woman unclean—poor in wealth having spent it all on physicians, and
humbled because of her enforced isolation from family and friends, thinks to
herself, “If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole” (vs. 28). Any
utensil or anyone she touches becomes unclean, but she felt that touching the
edge of His garment would not defile Him. And, on the contrary, it heals her.
Anyone seeing this would have gasped at her audacity, but the Savior had
infinite compassion. By calling her “daughter” He gives her family and restores
her completely. In a very public place, a very intimate conversation has taken
place.
But now the atmosphere changes—one wonders why Christ did not
immediately heal Jairus’s daughter as the woman was immediately healed, but it
is possible that the while the woman’s faith was complete, Jairus’s was not.
This was his only daughter, and possibly his only child. He was desperate, but
perhaps his faith was not complete. When news came of her death, Jesus tells
Jairus: “be not afraid, only believe” (vs. 36). Then, in a reversal of the
public nature of His healings, He takes just Peter, James, and John with Him.
When He gets to the house, He dismisses the mourners who seemingly have no
faith whatsoever—presumably themselves of the ruling class: “they laughed him
to scorn” (vs. 40). And He raises her from the dead, and to reassure the
unbelieving that she was indeed resurrected, instructs that she be fed
physically, having fed them all spiritually.
