Decapolis

• DECAP'OLIS (Gk. de-kap'o-lis; "ten cities"). A district containing ten cities in the NE part of Galilee, near the Sea of Galilee (Matt 4:25; Mark 5:20; 7:31).

• .The cities were Scythopolis, Hippos, Gadara, Pella, Philadelphia, Gerasa, Dion, Canatha, Raphana, and Damascus. Damascus is the only one now entitled to the name of city. They were built originally by the followers of Alexander the Great and rebuilt by the Romans in 65 BC, by whom they had certain privileges conferred upon them. These were typical Greco-Roman cities with their forums, pagan temples, baths, theaters, hippodromes, and other accoutrements. They were a thorn in the side of the Jews because they introduced nonsupernaturalistic ideas and elements of non-Jewish life-style and architecture into Palestine during the Roman period.

• (from The New Unger's Bible Dictionary. Originally published by Moody Press of Chicago, Illinois. Copyright (c) 1988.)

The Feeding Miracles• Feeding the 5000

• Judea• 5 loaves & 2 fish• 5000• 12 baskets• Kophinos :was "a wicker basket,"

originally containing a certain measure of capacity,

• 12 tribes= Israel

• Feeding the 4000• Mark 7:31”the region of Decapolis”• 7 loaves & a few small fishes• 4000• 7 Baskets• Spuris , signifies "something round,

twisted or folded together" (connected with speira, "anything rolled into a circle";

• hence a reed basket, plaited, a capacious kind of hamper, sometimes large enough to hold a man

• 2 Cor 11:32-33• 33 But I was lowered in a basket from

a window in the wall and slipped through his hands.

• Rev 1:11• What you see, write in a book and

send it to the seven churches

The Good Shepherd

• John 10:14-16• 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My

sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

The Pharisees Seek a Sign

• John 11:40• “Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if

you would believe you would see the glory of God?"

• Luke 23:8-9• Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was

exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. 9 Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing.

7 Questions• Mark 8:17-21• But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, 1. "Why do you reason because you have no bread? 2. Do you not yet perceive nor understand? 3. Is your heart still hardened? 4. Having eyes, do you not see? 5. And having ears, do you not hear?6. And do you not remember? 7. When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many

baskets full of fragments did you take up?"• They said to Him, "Twelve." • "Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many

large baskets full of fragments did you take up?"• And they said, "Seven." So He said to them, "How is it you do not

understand?"

• Mark 8:22-25• Then He came to Bethsaida;

and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. 23 So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.

• 24 And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."

• 25 Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.

• Mark 7:32-35• 32 Then they brought to Him

one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him. 33 And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. 34 Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."

• 35 Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.

Blind Bartimaeus• Mark 10:46-52• Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His

disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

• 48 Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.

• Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you." And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.

• So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?"

• The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight." • Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well."

And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.

The Gospel of Christ’s suffeing

• Matt 16:16-19

• 16 Simon Peter answered and said,"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

• 17 Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

The Revelation

• Luke 10:21-22

• In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 22 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."

The problem of the Cross

• Matt 4:8-10

• 8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."

• 10 Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"

• Luke 9:23• Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to

come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me

1. Desire

2. Deny

3. OBEDINCE

4. Follow me

I may gain Christ

• Phil 3:7-9• 7 But what things were gain to me, these I have

counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith

Love of the world

• James 4:3-6• 4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that

friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain,"The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously"?

• 6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:

• "God resists the proud,• But gives grace to the humble."

Do not love the world

• 1 John 2:15-17

• 15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world-the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

• NIV