He] Took Our Infirmities, and Bare Our Sicknesse

7 Have ye any that are sick among you? Bring them hither. Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will heal them, for I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy.

Mark 1:40-41 40 And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.

Read Matt 9:27-30 27 ¶ And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, [ What is the signifigance of calling Jesus - Thou son of David? It was the general opinion in Judea at the time of this statement, that the Messiah should be son of David. (John vii. 42.) And that Jesus Christ was generally and incontestably acknowledged as coming from this stock. chap. xii. 23. ] have mercy on us. [An acknowledgment that the only thing they were worthy to ask for the Savior was for his mercy - pretty humble plea.]

28 And when he was come into the house, [the house of Peter at Capernaum, where he ordinarily lodged] the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.

29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. [ What is the signifigance of this question to the blind men? ]

30 And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.

1 AND again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.

2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: [Meaning the yard or court before the house] and he preached the word unto them.

3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, [ palsy is the paralysis of a body part, often accompanied by loss of sensation and by uncontrolled body movements, such as shaking. Medical conditions involving palsy include cerebral palsy (caused by certain intracranial lesions), brachial palsy (the paralysis of an arm), and Bell's palsy (the paralysis of half the face due to inflammation of the facial nerves).] which was borne of four. [ Four men, one at each corner of the sofa or couch on which he lay: this sick man appears to have been too feeble to come himself, and too weak to be carried in any other way. ]

4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: [The houses generally had flat-roofs so the inhabitants could go on top to get fresh/cool air; most had battlements as well protecting those who were on top from falling off, Deut. xxii. 8; Judg. xvi. 27; they also had a trap door by which they cpi;d descend into the house. This door, it appears, was too narrow to let down the sick man and his couch; so they uncovered the roof, removed a part of the tiles; and having broken it up, taken away the laths or timber, to which the tiles had been attached, they then had room to let down the afflicted man.] and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.

5 When Jesus saw their faith, [ Whose faith is he referring to here when it says their faith? Both the inflicted and the four men who went to so much trouble as to take off the roof so that the Jesus could bless him.

Whose faith contributed to the healing of the man who was sick with palsy?

How did these people demonstrate their faith?

How can we exercise faith in behalf of others?

How has the faith of others helped you or someone you know? ] he said unto the sick of the palsy, son, thy sins be forgiven thee. [ Are sins the cause of his palsy? How did the Savior us this as a teaching moment by saying your sins are forgiven? ]

6 But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,

7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?

8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? [ What things were the men thinking? see vs 6-7 It was blasphemy to forgive sin. What question does the Savior use to challenge their thinking? see vs 9 ]

9 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? [ What is the underlying message that the Savior is trying to portray here? just as it was a miracle for the man to be healed of palsy, it was also a miracle for him to be forgiven of his sins. ]

10 But that ye may know that the son of man [ Title for Christ - The "son of God" and the "son of Man" are synonymous... In the pure Adamic language, the name Elohim means "the Gods" it is (plural) in hebrew, the Father, is "Man of Holiness" (signifying that God is a Holy Man), and the name of Christ, the son, is short for "son of Man of Holiness" (Mormon Doctine p671; Moses 6:57 ] hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)

11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.

12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.

21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.

22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.

23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,

24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.

25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.

26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.

27 And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.

35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. [Or he is going to sail to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. So Jesus and the disciples get into ships to avoid the sign-seeking crowd - he really just wants to preach the gospel to those that are interested - he is not looking for popularity. This is why they got in the boats in the first place Matt 8:1]

36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.

37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.

38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. [ What do you feel when you here these words? ] And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? [ What do you suppose the Saviors was trying say here? Why fear I am with you - I am hear too - nothing is going to happen.] how is it that ye have no faith? [ What might the Savior be implying with this comment? you have seen all the things that I have done and yet you still don't get it. the disciples are stunned, and rightly so. Here is a man who controls the nature, something only God can do! Hence their astonishment. How could this man do such a thing unless he were God? He couldn't, so he must be God.]

41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? [ To put this in context we have to compare what Jesus does with the other OT prophets who have dealings with nature control. Take Elijah for example. Elijah pronounces droughts and later supplies rain, all in the Lord's name. Here, Jesus does not do it in the Lord's name, he simply speaks and it is done. Failing to acknowledge the Lord as the source of the power in doing such a thing would be blasphemy (e.g., Moses and the water from the rock, cf. Num. 20:10-12, Deut. 32:51), unless the speaker was the Lord. But, who could imagine such a thing, standing in the presence of the incarnate Lord?

Also of note: the other boats which started out with them are not mentioned as to have reached the other side as did Jesus' boat. Did they turn back at the sight of an impending storm, were they sunk, or just thrown to a different shore we aren't told. We do know that Jesus was trying to separate from them, and apparently as a result of the storm they accomplished there mission. What then is the purpose of the storm? To separate the more faithful from the less faithful, with the less faithful being turned away and the more faithful witnessing a miracle and being taught a lesson on faith.]

1 AND they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.

2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,

3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:

4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.[His strength, it appears was supernatural, no kind of chains being strong enough to confine him. ]

5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.

6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,

7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. [ The eternal torment perscrobed to Satan and his followers is that they will never posess a body. In this case they have momentaryly gained a physical bodyand have it at their disposal and therfore do not want to be tormented by being forced to leave. ]

8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. [ What can we note by the choice of words used by the healer here? He understands what the problem is - there is an unclean spirit; uses a firm command not asking - telling the sporot to leave. ]

9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. [Typically boyj Gods and Devils inherit special names for purposed that they are to complete - ie (Savior of the world...) Legion re[resents those spi;d wo were cast from Fathers presence.A legion in the Roman army is 6,000 men, but figuratively it is a large number; in this case it was large enough to force a few thousand pigs to jump onto the sea.]

10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.

11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.

12 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. [ Why do the unclean spirits want to be able to go into the bodies of the swine? What glimpse does that give us as to the importance of our bodies? Or in other words don;t deprive us of some type of body. ]

13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea. [ Why the pigs? Interesting to note that is the pigs were pwned by a Jew they would have been on a illegal trade. If the pigs would have been owned by a Gentile they would have done so as an insult to the national religion, it's customs and laws.]

14 And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done.

15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.

16 And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine.

17 And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts. [ Why do they want Jesus the worker of miracles to leave? Quite often when we are confronted with the truth, and we recognize it we have to make a decision - to embrace it or deny and rebell. Here the people do not want to make the required commitment; but rather enjoy their current way of life and want to continue to enjoy it whothout having to make change! ]

18 And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him.

19 Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.

20 And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.

12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.

13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.

14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.

15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.

16 And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people.

17 And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about.

21 And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea.

22 And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet,

23 And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.

35 While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?

36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.

37 And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.

38 And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly.

39 And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.

40 And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying.

41 And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.

42 And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.

25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,

26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,

27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.

28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. [ so how did the woman with an issue of blood show her faith? ]

29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, [ Simiular expreience happened to Joseph Smith. In his journal entered March 14, 1843 he wrote "Elder Jedediah M. Grant enquired of me the cause of my turning pake and losing strength last night while blessing children. I told him that I saw Lucifer would exert his influence to destro the children that I was blessing and I stove with all the faith and spirit that I had to seal upon them a blessing that would secure their lives upon the earth ; and so much virtue when out of men into the children That I became weak from which I have not yet recovered. and I referred to the case of the woman touch the hem of the grament of Jesus. The Vitue referred to is the spirit of life and a man who exercise get faith in administering to the sick, blessing little children or confirming is liable to become wekened (Teachings 280-281)" ] turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?

31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? [ She really only touched his garment - how would he have even known? see verse 30]

32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.

33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.

34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.