Bible Study – Who Is This Jesus
Share: Your highs (something that made you happy) and lows (something that made you sad) this week with others around you or write them down.
Epiphany means several things: a gift is received; the gift must be shared. Jesus appears to be suggesting a rhythm, a balance to our lives. We go inward to be with God, to receive; we go out in the world to share what we have been given – still with God. We are called to balance the pouring out of our love with the resting in God. We are called to heal by just showing up, by laying on hands, by sharing what we have. This good news that was for the few people who heard it up close and personal is ours because they reached out and shared it. It will belong to those who have not yet heard, if we accept our call to share the story by how we live out our lives and as St. Francis said, “with words, if necessary.”
Who is this man? He now has a little band of raw recruits – eager to serve yet largely clueless. Does Jesus send them off to school? No. He shows them. He models the behavior that will form disciples. He teaches with authority. He is right where they are – not way over their heads. He heals when He notices it is needed. Who He is speaks powerfully: as one with authority.
Think about different ways in which you learn and write them up on a sheet of paper. (We learn by following an example, watching someone else, reading or following instructions and rules, through our experiences, seeing something, reading, etc.) Keep this in mind as we enter into the story.
Opening Prayer: Help us, God, to figure out what you call us to do. Amen.
In this passage there is a man with “an unclean spirit”. At that time people had no concept of viruses or even germs, of mental illness, nor of many diseases now recognized, such as Hodgkin’s disease, cerebral palsy, etc. If a person was incapacitated, people assumed the person had an “unclean spirit.”
Please open your Bibles to Mark 1:21-28 and read or read the scriptures below.
Mark 1:21-28
Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit
21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
25 “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” 26 The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.
27 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” 28 News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.
Questions: (See answers at the bottom of the page)
Verses 21 – 22
- What is a synagogue and why did Jesus and his disciples go there?
- What kind of teaching did people expect from the “scribes”?
- What do you think it means that Jesus “taught them as one having authority”?
Verses 23 – 28
- How does Mark describe what was wrong with the man in verse 23?
- What do you think might have been wrong with the man?
- What did Jesus do?
Click here for the young learner’s lesson.
Videos (Click on url)
KJV Kids Bible Stories – Jesus Casts Out Unclean Spirit – Mark 1:21-28 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N22Y_S7uWQM or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-t-I1_98LM
Gospel of Mark Summary – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGHqu9-DtXk
Song: My God Is So Great - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnJP26wqbIM
Activities:
Not Good Thoughts: Does this sounds familiar: You are starting on your homework and all of a sudden you think: “I can’t do this – it is just too hard.” What other kinds of ‘not good’ thoughts cause us to lose confidence in our abilities.
Take a strip of paper and write some of these not so good thoughts down. Then fold the papers up and place them in a large bowl.
Read verse 25 again. “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” 26 The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. What words describe what Jesus would want us to do about negative thoughts. What might we say? (Something like: “Jesus wants you outta here!”)
Take the strips of paper that you placed into the bowl and begin ripping them up using the words that are in the scripture or the words that you came up with reminding you that God is taking these thoughts away from you. Jesus takes these words and these feelings from us, wanting us to be whole.
Positive Thoughts: Now take a different strip of paper and cover it with a statement or many statements of positive thoughts – in your own words. You can decorate the strip if you want.
God has a Plan for Me Poster: Find and cut letters from a magazine or newspaper etc. “GOD HAS A PLAN FOR ME” and glue the letters to a poster board. After gluing the letters, use various colored markers to draw your own name on the poster. Then draw a picture of something GOD might have a PLAN for you to do as you grow up! Remember Jesus is in control of our lives and plans!
Who Is In Control - Crossword: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/who-is-in-control
Who Is In Control - Word Search: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/who-is-in-control-3
Who Is In Control – Multiple Choice: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/who-is-in-control-1
Jesus Drives Out an Unclean Spirit - Decoder: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/jesus-drives-out-an-unclean-spirit-1
Prayer: Thank you, God, for helping us to stop putting ourselves down. Amen.
Answers to the questions above:
Verses 21 – 22
- What is a synagogue and why did Jesus and his disciples go there? (The synagogue was the temple where Jewish people worshipped. Jesus and his disciples were Jews.)
- What kind of teaching did people expect from the “scribes”? Scribes are those who had spent huge amounts of time studying the scriptures to be sure they understood all the laws. (Do’s and Don’ts.)
- What do you think it means that Jesus “taught them as one having authority”? (He taught from God, and only God. He obviously understood a bigger picture and he was able to explain it in ways to help them “get it.”)
Verses 23 – 28
- How does Mark describe what was wrong with the man in verse 23? (The man had an “unclean spirit.”)
- What do you think might have been wrong with the man?
- What did Jesus do? (He silenced him and sent the unclean spirit away.)
