They Needed Healing. They Needed Food. In the Land of Jordan

By Mary Vee
Mark 8, Matthew 15

Peter

Photo by Mary Vee
The country of Jordan which is the modern day country
on the eastern side of the Jordan River
where today's event takes place. 

I am a disciple of Jesus.

The eleven other disciples and I walked with Jesus along the eastern shores of the Sea of Galilee and visited the villages there. This was the land of the Decapolis, the Ten Cities. 

We spent several days in the area, listening to Jesus' teachings. We met many people, some who had traveled great distances to see Him. There were men, women, and children who needed healing, sometimes physically, but all spiritually.

Jesus never walked away from them. He welcomed anyone who wanted to listen.

Each day the number of people who came to hear Jesus speak grew. One day a very large crowd had gathered. They'd listen to Him speak most of the day. Some had been there for three days. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called to us and said, "I have compassion for these people. They have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way. Some have traveled a long distance."

The other disciples and I looked around. As you can see from the photo, we stood in a remote area with no markets and no fields. "Jesus, where can anyone get enough bread to feed these people here?"

Jesus said, "How many loaves do you have?"

We quickly counted. "Seven."

Jesus turned to the crowd and asked them to sit on the ground. He asked for the seven loaves, raised his head and thanked His Father for the food. He then broke the loaves into pieces and gave them to us to serve the people. And we did.

We found a few fish in our stores as well and gave them to Jesus. He also gave thanks for the fish then asked us to distribute the meat among the people.

Everyone who was there received food! They ate and said they'd had plenty.

When my disciple brothers and all the people finished eating, we gathered up the left overs, filling seven baskets with broken pieces that hadn't been eaten. And yes, Jesus ate too.

We looked at the crowd that had gathered and estimated four thousand men were present. This did not include women and children. 

At the end of the meal, Jesus asked the people to leave. 

We boarded a boat and sailed west across the Sea of Galilee to the region of Dalmanutha which is southwest from Capernaum.

Did I ever get tire of going from place to place as Jesus' disciple? No. This is now the second year I've followed Jesus. Every day, every moment I spend with Jesus is like having my soul's hunger satisfied.

 Come back to read the next story.

*Author of blog's note: If you have questions, please feel free to leave them in the comment section. I will see them and will answer as best I can or direct you to a source.


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sources: 
*A Harmony of the Gospels for Historical Study, An Analytical Synopsis of the Four Gospels by William Arnold Stevens and Ernest DeWitt Burton, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York 1932
*New International Version, New King James Version. 
*My Bible College training.
*My notes and walk through classes I've taught in Children's church. Answers to student questions, etc.
*Pastoral sermons on this time
*Matthew Henry Commentary
*F. LaGard Smith Commentary
*My notes from my trip to Israel.
*Photos from my trip to Israel.

Their Happiness Spilled Into Praises to the God of Israel

By Mary Vee
Mark 7, Matthew 15

Peter

Photo Courtesy: Google Maps plus added notations

I am a disciple of Jesus.

The eleven other disciples and I went with Jesus to Tyre where he met a woman who had a sick child. You can read what happened in the last post. Scroll down.

The next day we walked up through Sidon then turned east and south into the area of the Ten Cities: Damascus and eight major cities to the east of the Jordan River, and one on the western bank of the Jordan River.

In one city, some men brought their dear friend to Jesus. The friend was deaf and could hardly speak. The men begged Jesus to place his hand on their friend. 

Jesus took the friend and the men who brought him a distance from the crowd. Once they were alone, He put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue. Jesus looked up to heaven. He heaved a deep sigh then said to the man, "Ephphatha," which is translated: be opened. 

Instantly, the man's eyes went wide. He touched his ears and turned his head at every sound. Even faint ones. Then--he spoke as plainly as I would. "I can hear! I can talk," he shouted. His friends hugged him. They laughed. They patted him on the back and rejoiced.

Jesus then said, "Don't tell anyone what has happened." But the more Jesus asked, the more the men and their friend told people. It wasn't out of cruelty. They were just so happy they couldn't keep the good news a secret. 

The crowds that heard their news were overwhelmed and amazed. They said, "Jesus has done everything well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."

It didn't take long before masses of people came to the area bringing loved ones who were lame, blind, crippled, mute and with many other issues. They laid them at Jesus' feet.

Compassion poured out of Jesus for these people. He healed the ones brought to Him. 

Men and women stood amazed when they saw the mute speak, the crippled made well, the lame walking, and the blind clearly seeing. As they watched. Their happiness spilled into praises to the God of Israel. It was a great time of rejoicing.

And--it was a time I will never ever forget. 

 Come back to read the next story.

*Author of blog's note: If you have questions, please feel free to leave them in the comment section. I will see them and will answer as best I can or direct you to a source.


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sources: 
*A Harmony of the Gospels for Historical Study, An Analytical Synopsis of the Four Gospels by William Arnold Stevens and Ernest DeWitt Burton, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York 1932
*New International Version, New King James Version. 
*My Bible College training.
*My notes and walk through classes I've taught in Children's church. Answers to student questions, etc.
*Pastoral sermons on this time
*Matthew Henry Commentary
*F. LaGard Smith Commentary
*My notes from my trip to Israel.
*Photos from my trip to Israel.

The Pig Herder's Story

By Mary Vee
Mark 5

From Pig Herder's Journal 

On the Sea of Galilee facing the shore where
this story takes place.
Photo by Mary Vee

I am a pig herder. I've lived on the far side of the Sea of Galilee my whole life. I take my large herd to the hills and let them feed. 

In my village, there was a man who for a very long time had demons possessing him. The man seemed crazy all the time. 

The entire village was afraid of him. His eyes were wild. We didn't want him to harm our children or our wives so we hired guards to capture him and tie chains to his arms and legs. Big iron chains. But the man had the strength of a ... well, I don't know any man so powerful. He ripped the chains apart then escaped. 

After many years, the possessed man stayed in the tombs. Living like an animal. We left him alone since nothing could hold him prisoner.

Were we still afraid of him? Yes. We were.

This morning, I took the herd out to the hills to feed. From where I stood I watched several boats dock. One man seemed to lead many who followed him.

The most amazing thing happened after He and his followers stepped on to the shore. The crazy man from our village ran to the leader, falling to his knees. I couldn't hear what was said, but the man seemed desperate. Why he went to this leader, I didn't know.

Moments later something odd happened to our crazy man. He stood without thrashing. He didn't scream or flail his arms. It was the first time I had seen him this way.

At the same time, my pigs acted oddly. They squealed like they were attacked but there wasn't any other animal near. They ran in a pack, all two thousand of them, down the steep hill toward the water. 

I yelled my signal to them to come back, but they didn't obey. The entire herd ran into the sea and sank under the water. I couldn't believe my eyes. I had never seen such a thing. 

I ran to the village, calling for everyone to come and hear what had happened. I told them about the pigs running into the sea and the wild man from our village who no longer was wild. 

"Let's go see," they said.

I took them out to the place and showed them the leader who came ashore from the boat. They looked at the wild man from our village sitting on the ground, dressed, and in his right mind. 

We were terribly afraid. How could he have changed so much?

The people who had traveled with the leader told my villagers what had happened. Their leader stepped out of the boat onto the shore. The wild man from our village came and fell on his knees. Jesus told the evil spirits to leave him. The evil spirits asked to go into the pigs and Jesus allowed it. That was when the pigs ran into the sea and drowned.

The news frightened us. Such power in our presence. We hardly knew what to do. "Please leave our region," we said to Jesus.

Jesus didn't argue. He climbed back in the boat. As he did, our village man who had been healed ran to Jesus and asked to go with him. 

"No," Jesus said. "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you. Tell them how He has had mercy on you."

Our village man watched with great sorrow on his face as Jesus left. 

But, I am a witness, that the village man did as Jesus said. He went throughout Decalopis and told everyone what Jesus had done for him.

Everyone who heard his story was amazed.

It made me curious about this man called Jesus.

 Come back to read the next story.

*Author of blog's note: If you have questions, please feel free to leave them in the comment section. I will see them and will answer as best I can or direct you to a source.


*********************************************************************************************

sources: 
*A Harmony of the Gospels for Historical Study, An Analytical Synopsis of the Four Gospels by William Arnold Stevens and Ernest DeWitt Burton, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York 1932
*New International Version, New King James Version. 
*My Bible College training.
*My notes and walk through classes I've taught in Children's church. Answers to student questions, etc.
*Pastoral sermons on this time
*Matthew Henry Commentary
*F. LaGard Smith Commentary
*My notes from my trip to Israel.
*Photos from my trip to Israel.