Bite-size Manna. 
A Bible teaching commentary in six units on the book of Mark Part 1. For personal or group study, written by Fred Morris. 

Unit 5: Chapter 5:23 to Chapter 7:23. 

Next topic: THE FAITH OF A WOMAN AND A SYNAGOGUE LEADER. 
One of the Jewish synagogue leaders came to Jesus and knelt at His feet. He begged Jesus, “My little daughter is dying. Please come. Place Your hands on her to heal her. Then she will live” (5:23). 
The crowd followed Jesus. A very sick woman followed Him. She had bled for 12 years. She spent all her money on medicines, but the bleeding got worse. In faith she reached out to Jesus and touched His clothes. Immediately, she was healed. The woman knew that she was healed inside her body (5:25-29).
Jesus turned round and asked, “Who touched My clothes?” He knew that power had gone out from Him (5:30). The woman knelt down at the feet of Jesus. She was shaking with fear but she told Him the truth (5:33). 
Jesus said to her, “Dear woman, your faith has healed you. Go in peace. You are free from your suffering” (5:34). No one had ever spoken words like these to this woman before. 
Do you have a sickness? Or has someone hurt you inside? Reach out to Jesus. He is waiting for you to trust Him. Believe that He will take away your pain. 
The synagogue leader was still with Jesus. Messengers arrived with bad news. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the Teacher any more?” Jesus did not listen to them. He told the father, “Do not be afraid. Just believe” (5:35–36). 
Then Jesus asked Peter, James and John to follow him to the man’s home (5:37).  He often kept these three men close to Him (9:2). 
They met some mourners who were crying loudly. Jesus went inside. He said to them, “Why all this confusion and crying? The child is not dead. She is only sleeping.” They laughed at Him (5:38-40). 
Jesus made them all go outside. He took the mother and father and the three disciples inside. He took the girl by the hand and said, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!” At once, she stood up and walked around. Everyone was amazed (5:41-42).
Jesus has power to heal people and to give back life. Reach out to Him in faith for all your needs. He has promised to answer your prayers. ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever’ (Hebrews 13:8). 
Jesus ordered the family not to let anyone know what really happened. Then He told them to give the girl something to eat (Mark 5:43). 
Peter, James and John saw and heard what happened. Peter later wrote in one of his letters, ‘Give all your worries to Him. He cares about you’ (1 Peter 5:7). The bleeding woman had faith in Jesus for herself. The synagogue leader had faith in Jesus for his daughter. God blessed their faith and answered their prayers. God wants to bless those who have needs, who are sad and who are willing to ask Him for help (Matthew 5:3-5).
The man with the demons, the bleeding woman and the synagogue leader, believed in Jesus in very different ways. Their faith brought fullness of health in body, mind and spirit.

Mark Chapter 6. 
Next topic: NO FAITH AT NAZARETH. 
Jesus went back to Nazareth where He grew up (1:9; 6:1). He taught in the synagogue, the local Jewish meeting house. It was the Sabbath day. Many who heard Him were amazed (6:2). But they did not believe that He was the Messiah, or Christ. They knew that He was the son of a carpenter. They knew His brothers and sisters (6:3). They could not believe in Him. They did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God.  
Christians may go to many places taking blessing to others. However, they are not always valued in their home town (6:4). Jesus healed only a few people in Nazareth because they had little faith in Him (6:5). He was amazed (6:6).
Next topic: JESUS SENDS OUT THE TWELVE DISCIPLES. 
Jesus left Nazareth and went to other villages in Galilee. His time on earth would soon end. Many places had not heard the Good News. So He sent the disciples out to tell it to others. ‘He sent them ahead to … every town and place He was going to visit’ (Luke 10:1). Jesus gave them power over evil spirits (Mark 6:7). Notice that they did not go alone, they went in twos.
Notice also that He said to them, “Take no bread, no bag and no money in your belts.” They were doing this work for God so they did not need to worry about food or money or extra clothes (6:8-9). They could trust in God for their needs (6:10). But they did not stay where they were not welcome (6:11).
The same power that was in the disciples is in all believers. ‘The disciples went out. They preached that people should turn away from their sins. They drove out many demons. They poured olive oil on many people who were ill and healed them’ (6:12-13). They did this in the power of Jesus and with His authority (6:7).

Next topic: HOW HEROD KILLED JOHN THE BAPTISER. 
King Herod ruled in Galilee. He was not a friend of the Jews. He was a friend of the Romans. He was called King because he was governor of a large part of Israel (Matthew 14:1). His wife tricked him to kill John the Baptiser. 
Herod heard that Jesus healed sick people and drove out demons. He also heard that some people believed God had raised John the Baptiser from the dead. Others said, “He is Elijah” (Mark 6:15). Many thought he was one of the prophets of God from long ago. 
This troubled Herod. He put John in prison for preaching to him. John told Herod that it was wrong for him to marry the wife of his brother (6:16–18).
The new wife of Herod hated John. Herod put him in prison. Herod made a foolish promise to her daughter at his birthday party. He boasted, “Anything you ask for I will give to you” (6:23). Her mother told her to ask for the head of John the Baptiser (6:24). Sadly he sent the order to kill John. He was afraid to break his promise in front of important guests (6:27). 
Later, Herod wanted to kill Jesus, too. Jesus said, “Tell that fox [Herod] … I must keep going” (Luke 13:33). Jesus knew that this evil man could not stop the plan of His Father to save people from their sins. It was the plan of God for His Son to go to Jerusalem at the right time. There He would die for sinners in the way that God had always planned.

Next topic: JESUS FEEDS FIVE THOUSAND. 
The disciples returned to Jesus. They told him all they had done and taught (Mark 6:30). Jesus could not eat with His disciples because so many people were coming and going (6:31). He said, “Come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place. You need to get some rest.”  So they got into a boat and went along the lake (6:32).
People saw them leaving and they ran ahead. They hoped that they would find Jesus (6:33). 
Jesus was sorry for them. ‘They were like sheep without a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things’ (6:34). But the disciples said to Jesus, “It is already very late. Send the people away. They can go and buy something to eat” (6:35-36).
Jesus told the disciples, “You give them something to eat.” Philip said that they did not have enough money to buy food. Andrew said, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves of bread. He also has two small fish. But how far will that go in such a large crowd?” (John 6:7-8).
Jesus told the people to sit down. ‘He took the five loaves and two fish. He looked up to heaven and gave thanks to God. He broke the bread into pieces. Then He gave them to His disciples to give to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all’ (Mark 6:41).
 ‘All of them ate and were satisfied. The disciples picked up 12 baskets of broken pieces of bread and fish. The number of men who ate was 5000’, not counting some women and children (6:42-44). They were all amazed. 
See how Jesus used the disciples to work this miracle. Christians often complain that the job is too big. But God has given us all that we need through the power of His Spirit. God uses the little we have to work His miracles. But if we do not use what we have, we cannot see Him at work.
Jesus sent the disciples away in a boat. Then He sent the crowds away. He went up the mountain to pray (6:45-46). 

Next topic: JESUS WALKS ON WATER. 
Jesus saw the disciples rowing the boat against the wind. They were in the middle of the Sea of Galilee. Early in the morning, He went to them. He walked on the lake (6:47-48). They saw Him and thought He was a ghost. They were afraid and shouted out (6:49). 
At once Jesus said to them, “Be brave! It is Me. Do not be afraid” (6:50). He got into the boat with them and the wind died down. They were completely amazed (6:51). 
The disciples still did not have much faith. They followed Jesus and saw miracles. But they did not understand about the loaves and fish. They were stubborn (6:52). They were also afraid when He walked on water and calmed the wind. But with Jesus in their boat, they found peace.  
As soon as Jesus and His disciples landed, the crowds ran to Him. They carried sick people on mats. Everywhere He went, all who touched Him were healed (6:53–56). 

Mark Chapter 7. 
Next topic: THE TEACHINGS OF THE JEWISH LEADERS. 
The Jews always washed their hands before they ate food. Many washed them in a special way. One day, the religious leaders saw that the disciples ate food without washing their hands (7:2). So the teachers of the law questioned Jesus. “Why do they eat their food with unclean hands?” (7:5.)
He replied, “Isaiah was right. He prophesied about you people who pretend to be good.” Isaiah the prophet said that these teachers honour God by what they say but their hearts are far from Him. They teach only human rules (7:6-7; Isaiah 29:13).
Jesus told the teachers, “You keep the teachings that men have made” (Mark 7:8).  Then He gave an example. These teachers told people to give money to God instead of using it to help their aged parents. They were not obeying the commandment, ‘Honour your father and your mother’ (Exodus 20:12). Jesus told them, “You make the word of God useless by putting your own teachings in its place. You do many things like that” (Mark 7:13). 
Washing hands in a special way before they ate food was one of the Jewish rules. But Jesus told them, “It is what comes out of you that makes you unclean” (7:15). 
These Jewish teachers from Jerusalem looked good on the outside but God wants us to be good on the inside. It is the things we think and do which are important to God. God knows our thoughts.
Later, Jesus told the disciples that evil thoughts come from our hearts. “Sexual sins, stealing, murder, adultery, greed, cheating come from the heart. So do telling lies about others and being proud and being foolish. All these evil things come from inside a person. They make a person unclean” (7:21-23). 

© 2000, 2021, by Fred Morris, Manna Publications (USA) Inc. 
Bible quotations are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, New International Reader’s Version, © 1998 by International Bible Society, and are issued by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Limited. All rights reserved.