Mark 5:1-20

Session 3: Proximity Principles

Big Idea

Jesus put Himself in proximity with people in messy situations.

• Let anyone in the group share some places in the world that they view as being less messy, more calm, and overall more comfortable. Check out this list of the 10 most peaceful places to live in the United States: tatacapital.com/blog/travel-loan/top-10-most-peaceful-cities-of-the-usa/.

• What are some reasons we view a city as comfortable to live in?

• One of the reasons those destinations are comfortable to us is that they seem far away from the messy parts of life. When we read the Gospels, however, we see Jesus was usually in proximity to messy situations.

Open up Mark 5:1-20 together.

Discuss the following questions with your group as you read through the text. If your group is larger, consider breaking into smaller groups:

1. What questions come up when you read through the story?

2. Why would Jesus be willing to be in close proximity to such a messy story when others were not?

3. Who are the modern-day burial cave dwellers among us that no one wants to be close to?

4. What was the result of this one at a time moment in verse 20?

• In John 13:34 (NLT), Jesus said, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” This seems so basic to those who follow Jesus, yet we still put boundaries on who gets the proximity of that love. Why?

• This week’s challenge as a group is to look at a map one more time. While on the surface it may seem some faraway place is the location for comfort, it is often right where we do our own daily life. We keep the same set of friends, stay in our homes, remain near our place of business, and never change our proximity to the mess of humanity around us. Let’s close with the same prayer Brittney had from the video:

God, place broken-hearted people in my path and fill me with You so I can let Your love heal their pain. Amen.

End the group by asking members to share in the group text any experiences they have with the work God does in their lives through these prayers.