How many of you have a best friend or a great group of friends? Now how many of you love to give good gifts to them? Mark 1:1-12 contains one of the best stories ever told about friendship and giving good gifts. What I love about this story is it actually happened! It wasn’t a parable that Jesus told to teach a bigger lesson, even though many lessons were learned that day. We will discover one last “Bible Study Tip” today to explore these important scriptures.
Bible Study Tip #5
When you have to learn something new, try teaching it!
Imagine you have to teach this passage to a group that has never heard the story before.
Identify the main characters and the main events of the story.
Always look for deeper or spiritual meanings in the passages.
Re-tell or teach the story in your own words, but make sure you don’t change the meaning of anything that happened that day.
Something to note about this story and how you could apply it to your own life is that the type of friend you are and who you choose as a friend matters. “When Jesus saw THEIR faith, He said to the paralyzed man, 'Son, your sins are forgiven.'” Mark 2:5. Their personal faith in Jesus is what led to their friend’s miraculous healing. May we always keep our faith strong and be willing to do anything to get others to Jesus.
Prayer: Lord, thank You for this incredible story about friendship. Help me to be brave and bold when it comes to helping others in need. Most of all Lord, help my faith to be big enough to lead those I love to Your feet. Thank You for healing this man and for crediting his friend’s faith for the miracle He provided. You are so amazing and kind to those who love You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.