Mark 5

"Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the LORD has done for you, and what mercy he has shown you. And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him;" (Mark 5:19) Isn't that the very essence of evangelism? There are some who are called to be "Apologists" for the Christian faith. Their role is to provide convincing proofs for unbelievers. Most of us are not called to this more argumentative approach to sharing our faith. Most of us are simply called to tell our story. In Acts 1:8 Jesus says we are to be his witnesses. A witness simply tells what he/she has seen or heard. Too many Christians have ceased to be witnesses and have become prosecuting attorneys. What is your story? What has the LORD done for you?
     All Jewish men in Jesus time wore a prayer shawl. The shawl was square with tassels on each corner. These tassels generally hung below one's cloak or outer garment. It was widely believed, and taught by many Rabbi's of and before Jesus time, that when the Messiah (Christ) comes his tassels (sometimes call the "fringe") would hold healing powers -- it would be a sign or a marker that the individual was in fact the promised Messiah. The woman with the Hemorrhages must have believed something like this. In Matthew's 9:21 -- she is touching this fringe as well as in Luke 8:44.
      I am praying that you are all enjoying our first week of reading the New Testament together. We resume with Chapter 6 on Monday January 9 and will read chapters 6-10 of Mark next week. Thank you for making comments and we have had some fun conversations before and after classes and meetings this week. BJ