Lesson Five
THE LOVE OF GOD1. Read chapter 6 of the Gospel of Mark.
2. Read this lesson and do exam number five.In chapter two we saw how Jewish leaders hated the Perfect Servant of
God. In this chapter, Christ returns to His own countryside and His own people
do not believe in Him (verses 1-6). It is difficult to serve God among those
who know us, but this is what God wants us to do.
When those of Nazareth would not believe in Christ, the Lord sent His
disciples to nearby villages to preach (verses 7-13). God loves people even
though they do not want to believe in Christ; for this reason He sends His
servants to preach the Gospel.
King Herod ordered the head of John the Baptist to be cut off. John had
preached that Herod was living in sin with the wife of his brother, Philip. This
woman had Herod kill John, the cousin and friend of Jesus. The Lord was
saddened by the death of John. Today, many still suffer in order to be faithful
to Christ and the Truth. God will reward them when Christ comes again.
The Lord and the disciples tried to get away from the people to pray and
rest, but many followed them. Christ spoke to them of the love of God. When
it was late in the day, the people still had not eaten and were hungry. They
were in the desert, and there was no place to buy food.
The disciples said, "Send them away," but Christ had more to teach them.
They had five loaves of bread and two fish. The Lord took this small portion,
prayed and gave it to the disciples to give to the people. The creating power of
God was manifested, and there was enough for every person. There were even
twelve baskets left over!
God, in His love, gives us sun, rain, and food for our bodies. He also gives
us something more important - His Word. It is food for our souls. The Gospel
of Mark is one of 66 books in the Bible. Are you grateful for what He has
given us?
As the disciples were crossing the lake on their way back to Bethsaida, the
Lord came to them, walking on the water. The disciples were frightened, but
the Lord said, "Be not afraid."
Christ does not want us to be afraid either. He died for our sins and now
lives to hear our prayers. Why not ask Him for salvation?7