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BIBLE STUDY LESSON 15

SERIES Q --- THE SAVIOUR

CHANGED LIVES

THROUGH GALILEE WITH GOOD NEWS

From Mark 1:35-38; Matthew 4:23-25

Early the next morning, long before sunrise, Yeshua quietly left the house and went to a lonely place to pray. When Simon Peter and some others got up later, they saw that He was gone and went out to find Him. [Everyone is looking for You,] Peter said. [Then it is time to go on to other villages,] Yeshua replied. [I must share the Good News with them also, for that is My purpose in coming to this world.] From place to place, all over Galilee, Yeshua went with His followers, teaching in synagogues and telling the Good News. People with every kind of sickness and disease were brought to Him for healing. The news of His miracles spread over all Galilee, and far beyond. Before long, people came from as far away as Syria to be healed. No matter what the disease or sickness, including demon possession, epilepsy, and paralysis, Yeshua healed all who came. Wherever He went, the crowds followed, with people from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and the regions beyond the Jordan River.

NEW LIFE FOR A LEPER

From Mark 1:40-45

One day, as Yeshua was touring Galilee, a man with leprosy knelt down before Him, begging for help. [You can take this leprosy away from me if You want to,] the man said. Yeshua felt sorry for this man and reaching out His hand, He touched him. [I do want to help you,] He said. [Your leprosy is gone!] Immediately the man was healed. He was completely well again. [You must not tell anyone what I did,] Yeshua said firmly. [Go now and let a priest examine you. Take the offering that Moses ordered in the Law, to prove that you are clean. But don’t linger along the way to talk to people.] The man was so happy about his new life that he went everywhere, telling people what had happened. He created so much excitement that Yeshua could no longer go into the towns publicly. Instead, He stayed out in the countryside, and people came from everywhere to meet Him there.

THROUGH THE ROOF

From Mark 2:1-12

When Yeshua finished His tour of Galilee, He returned home to Capernaum. The news that He was home spread all over the city, and people rushed to the house where He was staying. Before long, the house was filled with people and others crowded around the doorway, trying to get in. Then four more people came along, carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. Because the crowd was so large, they couldn’t take their friend to Yeshua. Then the men made an opening in the roof of the house and lowered their paralyzed friend to Yeshua. Yeshua was pleased that these men believed in Him so much. To the paralyzed man He said, [My son, your sins are forgiven.] This statement irritated some of the religious leaders who were in the house. [How dare He say such a thing,] they thought. [Only YHVH can forgive sins.] But these men couldn’t keep their thoughts to themselves, for Yeshua knew what was in their minds. [Why does this disturb you?] He asked. [Would you find it more acceptable for Me to use some other words? While you’re worrying about words, I will prove to you that I do have the authority to forgive sins on earth.] With that, Yeshua turned to the man on the mat. [You may get up now and walk!] He said. [Pick up your mat and go home.] Everyone was amazed to see the man pick up his mat, which was like a cot or mattress and walk out of the house. [Never before have we seen anything like this,] the people said. They praised YHVH for what they had seen.

NEW WORK FOR THE TAX COLLECTOR

From Mark 2:13-17

Leaving the house, Yeshua walked beside the Sea of Galilee. The crowd went with Him, so He kept on teaching them, as He had done inside the house. Along the way, Yeshua saw a tax collector, sitting in his office. His name was Levi, the son of Alphaeus, and he later became known as Matthew. [Come and be My follower,] Yeshua urged. Leaving his work behind, Levi went with Yeshua and became a devoted follower. Later, Levi invited some other tax collectors and men with bad reputations to dinner. Yeshua and His disciples were also guests. But some of the religious leaders complained to the disciples. [Why is He eating with such people?] they grumbled. Yeshua heard what they said and gave them His answer. [People who are healthy do not need a doctor,] He said. [Only those who are sick. I have come to heal the spiritually sick, not those who are spiritually healthy.]

COMMENTARY

AROUND THE SEA OF GALILEE

Yeshua spent most of His life in the area that surrounds the Sea of Galilee. He grew up in the village of Nazareth, and later moved to Capernaum. When Yeshua began His public ministry, He taught in the synagogues of northern towns like Bethsaida and Capernaum. Most of His disciples probably came from the villages in this northern area. As His fame spread, Yeshua became well-known in the region of Galilee. The crowds that followed Him became so large the synagogues could not hold them, and He had to teach out in the open countryside. Many of the towns and villages mentioned in the Gospels either cannot be found or are uninhabited ruins. Newer towns have sprung up in some places. But most of the countryside around the Sea of Galilee has remained essentially unchanged over the past two thousand years. From the heights that surround it, there is a breath-taking view of the blue waters of the Sea of Galilee. Fishermen still work there, casting their nets into its waters as fishermen did in Yeshua’ time. Away from the Sea of Galilee, in the opposite direction, the fertile plain of Gennesaret stretches out far below. It is easy to imagine Yeshua and His disciples walking through the area and stopping to rest on one of the gently sloping grassy hillsides that surround the Sea of Galilee.

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