Day 24: Jesus heals adeaf man in aGentile area
Jesus’ visit to Tyre and Sidon and His healing of the Gentile woman’s daughter was the beginning of a string of miracles that Jesus did for Gentiles who had faith in Him. We’ll read about another one today. Jesus healed the Gentile woman’s daughter from a distance: He just says she’s healed, and she is. But in our story today, Jesus takes multiple steps to heal a man who is brought to Him.
What region did Jesus go to when He left Tyre and Sidon (v. 31)?
Decapolis was a Gentile region with ten cities. The Greek word for ten is deca, and the word for city is polis, so that’s how Decapolis got its name. This is also the region where the man whom Jesus heals from a legion of demons came from and where he returns to and tells everyone there how much Jesus has done for him (Mark 5:20).
In verse 32, some people bring a man to Jesus. What two problems does the man have?
What do the people ask Jesus to do (v. 32)?
If Jesus was just wanting to show off His power, He would have healed the man in front of the crowd. What does Jesus do instead (v. 33)?
What did Jesus do to the man’s ears (v. 33)?
What did Jesus do to the man’s tongue (v. 33)?
Why do you think Jesus looked up to heaven before speaking in verse 34?
Do you think Jesus had to pray before He could heal someone? If not, why not?
What did Jesus say after He looked up to heaven and sighed, and what did it mean?
This is the second time in Mark’s gospel that we get to hear some Aramaic, which would have been Jesus’ first language. The first time was when He raised the dead twelve-year-old girl back to life and said, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you get up!” (Mark 5:41).
What happened to the man in verse 35?
What instruction did Jesus give to the people who had seen Him heal the man in verse 36?
Did the people follow Jesus’ instruction?
What were they saying about Jesus (v. 37)?
Thank God that Jesus cares for you, just like He cared about the man He healed. Praise Him for His power and His love for all kinds of people: Jewish and Gentile, healthy and sick.