- And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” 31 And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” Mark 5:30-31 – Something that is standing out to me in this reading of the gospel over previous times is that level of the crowds Jesus was having to work in. Often we’ll see pictures of Jesus sitting peacefully on a rock teaching a handful of people, but that’s not the image we’re getting here in Mark. He is overwhelming surrounded by people, pushing and shoving, trying to get close to Jesus, likely bumping into Him constantly. Which makes the disciples’ statement understandable. Who touched you in this crowd Jesus? Literally everyone here is touching you and bumping into you. Yet Jesus was able to discern the difference between the crowds pressing in on Him and the touch of faith expressed by this woman. Let us also be aware of this truth, we can be near Jesus, pressing into where He is at, and knocking into Him, but not actually reaching out to Him in faith. You can be in church but not actually feel Jesus. You can read your Bible but not actually hear from Jesus. You can be where Jesus is at and totally miss Him if your heart isn’t reaching out to Him in faith like this lady in our passage was. Choose then to approach your time with Jesus differently if recently you haven’t been feeling His presence or blessing in your times of drawing near to Him. Know He is always close and always available, what’s needs to be examined though is where is our heart at as we approach Him. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 3096
- He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Mark 5:3-4 – On our own we may be able to overcome the bonds man puts on us, but without the help of Jesus we can never break free from the bonds of our enemy the devil. We see that lesson shown here in this passage. Every time man placed ropes around him to bind him he always broke free, but through it all he never could break free from the hold the devil had on him…that is till Jesus came into the picture. Today I want you to recognize the need of Jesus’ strength in your life. There will be things you can handle, but there will also be things you can’t on your own. Know that Jesus is able to handle what you can’t. If the bonds of death couldn’t hold Him down, whatever is binding you isn’t too much for Him either. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 460
- And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. Mark 5:2 – The moment Jesus stepped out of the boat on the other side He was met with another storm. Do you remember what just happened on on the boat trip across the lake? The massive storm that Jesus had to calm. Then with no breather given, another storm hits immediately when Jesus steps off the boat. We too can’t guarantee a breather between storms. God may have just calmed one storm in our story but there is no promise given that when we step out of the boat we too won’t be faced with another storm. What we must keep in mind is while we may have no breather between storms, God can handle every storm. He can calm what needs calmed and free what needs freed. So have faith in the storm and continue to have faith when you see the demoniac running at you as you step out of you boat. If our God is able to calm the waves and legions of demons have to seek his permission to move, have faith He is able to move us through anything. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1614
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