Introduction:

Miracles present no problem to genuine believers in God. A supposed god that has no more knowledge or power than men have is no god at all. Infidels who doubt or deny the miracles of the Bible simply do not know the God of the Bible. When we get to know Him, we know that He Who created all things for His own glory is perfectly capable of doing what He will with His own creation.

Now, the God of the Bible has manifested Himself most clearly in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. That He worked miracles during His earthly ministry should occasion no surprise: it would be most amazing if God should appear and fail to show Himself superior to any of His creatures!

Two passages of scripture in this lesson give two examples of the exercise of divine power in the ministry of Jesus. The whole lesson can be outlined as follows:

1. Power over Nature, Mark 4:35-41
a.	The Shipmates, 35, 36
b.	The Storm,  37
c.	The Sleep,  38
d.	The Stillness, 39
e.	The Shame, 40     
f.	The Secret, 41    

2. Power over Disease, Mark 5:25-34
a.	The Case, 25, 26
b.	The Cause, 27, 28
c.	The Cure, 29
d.	The Call, 30-32
e.	The Confession, 33
f.	The Comfort, 34 

Notes on the Printed Text:

Power over Nature, Mark 4:38-41.

Combination of the human and the divine in the Person of Jesus is beautifully illustrated in this account of a tired and sleepy Man responding to the need of His disciples by asserting the power of God over the elements of nature. Other men can.talk about the weather, but here was One Who could talk to it and by His mere command change it according to His own will.

The Shipmates, 35, 36.

From context we may note that "the same day" was a day during which Jesus had been teaching the multitudes in parables which He later explained to His disciples. No doubt tired from a long day of preaching and teaching, He proposed to His disciples that they sail across the Sea of Galilee to the other side.

After dismissing the multitude, the disciples "took him even as he was," tired out and with no speccial preparation for the voyage. Among the disciples were some experienced fishermen who knew well how to handle the little ship, so that there was no apparent need for their weary Teacher to stay awake.

The Storm, 37.

Even on so small a lake as the Sea of Galilee, sudden and unexpected storms can raise great waves and sink small ships. So on this occasion such a storm cast waves upon and into the ship until it was practically full of water and ahout to sink. The best of sailors can be defeated and the greatest of ships destroyed by just a little bit of God's weather. These Galilean fishermen understood the danger of their situation.

The Sleep, 38.

Meanwhile Jesus had found a place to rest in the stern of the ship and there He was "asleep on a pillow." God as God needs "neither slumber nor sleep" (Psalm 121:4), but when He became Man He took on human needs. Because Jesus was Man, He fell asleep; because He was God, He was perfectly safe in so doing; and so were His disciples safe while they were with Him. But this they failed to realize; hence their fear of the storm and complaint, of His apparent unconcern.

The Stillness, 39.

Creative fiat had brought air and water into existence; divinely ordained natural laws had brought on the disturbance of wind and wave; now their eternal Creator and Governor commanded peace and quiet, and showed again that He is God. The Devil and his angels and fallen men dare to disobey their Creator; other creatures obey His word without question.

The Shame, 40.

Shame on these disciples that, with Jesus in the ship, they were so afraid! Where was their faith? Shame on us who claim to be His disciples today that, with Jesus on our side, we are so afraid! Where is our faith?

The Secret, 41.

No longer fearing the storm which had passed away, the disciples "feared exceedingly" in the presence of their Lord as they realized His divine power. Here is the secret of the highest courage: When we fear God we need fear none and nothing else.

Power over Disease, Mark 5:25-34.

God's mighty power easily handles the greatest forces of nature, and just as easily reaches down to microscopic and submicroscopic germs and viruses, or whatever things there may be to cause disease, and directs them all to move and act, to live or die, according to His will.

The Case, 25, 26.

A chronic case of bleeding for twelve long years had defied medical treatment. We are not told how rich the poor woman was before she became ill, but we are not surprised that she "spent all that she had." Nor is it surprising that, having "suffered many things of many physicians," she "was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse." The story sounds as familiar in the twentieth century as no doubt it was in the first.

The Cause, 27, 28.

"When she had heard of Jesus" suggests that she had heard of His miraculous healing power and had enough faith in what she heard to seek healing for herself she had the rather superstitious idea that to get healed she would have to touch at least the clothes of Jesus, and so this was what she did.

The Cure, 28.

Why would God bless and honor such shy, sneaky, shallow faith? The question is unanswerable and Impertinent. Let us rather rejoice that it is not the quality of our faith, but the virtue of our Savior, that is most important. The woman was healed Immediately in what she perhaps imagined could be a stolen blessing.

The Call, 30-33.

Of course, Jesus always knows all things to Himself. The adverb "immediately" in verse 30 should be construed as modifying the verb "said" rather than the participle "knowing." Jesus knew very well who had touched His clothes: His question was not asked to get information for Himself, but to call the woman to confession. His disciples missed the point of the question, but as He continued to look around, the woman found thatshe could not avoid either His words or His eyes.

The Confession, 38.

Stolen blessings must be acknowledged; secret disciples cannot remain hidden, but must openly confess to their Savior. "Fearing and trembling," the woman "told him all the truth" about her getting healed.

The Comfort, 34.

Words of comfort, peace, and assurance from Jesus are far better than any inner feelings of our own. Our feelings may change with a breath or a heartbeat, but His words abide forever. The weakest faith can obtain blessing and comfort when it rests upon Jesus. Note, however, that the words of comfort were given in response not to the stolen touch but to the honest confession.

Key Verse:

"And he said unto me, My grace Is sufficient for thee: for my strength Is made perfect in weakness." - II Corinthians 12:9.

Even the apostle Paul, with all his faith, all his prayers, all his power to work miracles, could not get rid of a certain "thorn in the flesh." The Bible doctrine of healing is quite different from that of would-be and self-styled "divine healers" or "faith healers." God is sovereign in healing as in all else that He does. Sometimes, in the sufficiency of His grace, our afflictions qualify us for His comfort; our weakness prepares us for His strength.
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[From Ashland Avenue Baptist paper, February, 7, 1969, 1977, pp. 2-3. Scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall.]

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