The Gospels--Mark - Essay Example

The Gospels --- Mark With which person or group of people from this passage do you identify most and why: the disciples in the storm, the man oppressed by demons, the prominent man with the sick child, or the woman with a debilitating and shameful illness? What were the peculiar doubts and struggles of each? Among the group of people described, I can identify with the disciples who lost faith in Jesus during the storm. I sometimes find myself lacking in faith on Jesus especially during difficult times.

Like the disciples, I do not trust Jesus enough during some trying times in my life. The struggle of the disciples in the storm is their lack of faith. They were overwhelmed by fear and were afraid that they will perish in the storm. The struggle of the man oppressed by demons was that he was being controlled by the devil. He was powerless against the evil one. The prominent man with the sick child was helpless because his daughter is dying. He was desperate and asked for the help of Jesus.

The woman with an illness was struggling from her disease of discharging blood for a long time already. She however did not doubt Jesus’ healing powers.2. What religious traditions or rituals do you practice? What customs does your church practice? Which of these are helpful to you? Which have not been prescribed by the Bible? Describe how we sometimes put human tradition over the authority of Scripture. The major rituals and practices in Shintoism include Ayurveda, Hatha Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Namaste greeting, Puja, and The Sadhu (Religionfacts.com). Ayurveda is the system of medicine and healing of the ancient Hindu system.

Hatha Yoga is the practice or meditative movement. Kundalini Yoga is the practice of awakening the kundalini or the energy that lies at the base of the spine. Namaste greeting is the act of greeting somebody by bowing the head and putting both palms together. The Puja is a ritual whereby humans relate to the actions of the divine. The Sadhu are the holy men of Hinduism, like the priests of the Catholics (Religionfacts.com). Among these practices the Kundalini Yoga is most helpful to me.

Among these rituals the Ayurveda and the Namaste greeting have not been prescribed by the Bible. The use of ancient healing like the Ayurveda is a human tradition which takes precedence over the authority of the Scripture. Even the Namaste greeting cannot be found in the Bible.3. If you knew you had only a few weeks to live, how would you spend that time? How would your priorities change? What would you do to help your loved ones get ready for the future? If I knew that I have only a few weeks to live, I will spend more time with my family, relatives and friends.

They are the people who matter most to me; thus, I want to have more time with them. Instead of spending more time at work, I will prioritize my family. If I wronged some people, I will ask forgiveness from them. To help my loved ones get ready for my imminent death, I will tell them that I am ready to go and that they should not be sad because I have already lived my life to the fullest. If they realize that I am already prepared for my death, it may be easier for them to accept it. I will request them to spend some time with me.4. What effect did the Transfiguration have on Peter, James and John?

What did this event reveal about Christ? For the disciples Peter, James and John, the Transfiguration is the proof that Jesus is both the Messiah and God. It was in this event, that the death and resurrection of Christ was revealed to the disciples. The Transfiguration made the disciples affirm the real identity of Jesus. The Transfiguration revealed that Christ is the Son of God.5. What specific lessons did Jesus teach His followers about servanthood in this passage? Jesus taught his disciples that servanthood involves sufferings.

The two requirements for servanthood that Jesus mentioned to his apostles was the denial of self and the taking up of one’s cross. Denial of self means putting others first before one’s self. It also means that God should be the center of one’s life and not the self. Taking up one’s cross means that one should be willing to “suffer” for Christ; that is, committing one’s self to Christ.Works CitedReligionfacts.com. "Hindu rituals and practices." n.d. religionfacts.com Web site.

2 January 2012 .