A woman reaching through a crowd in desperate faith. A father pleading for his dying daughter. Jesus stopping to see the suffering of one person while another waits for a miracle. These moments from Mark 5 came alive for students when Dr. Michael Zeigler visited Mr. Preston’s Book of Mark class, transforming familiar biblical accounts into a compelling live drama that invited students to experience Mark's urgency and the emotion of his Gospel through Jesus' extraordinary authority.
Dr. Zeigler brought students into the events of Mark 5 through a memorized live drama. As the events unfolded, students were challenged to consider the people behind the familiar words and the reality of Jesus’ presence in their lives. For students in the book of Mark class, the experience became more than a classroom presentation; it became an opportunity to see how Scripture records real events involving real people who faced many of the same fears, uncertainties, and questions students face today.
One of the central moments of Dr. Ziegler’s presentation hit students in a unique way when Jesus tells Jairus, "Do not fear, only believe" (Mark 5:36, ESV). Those words carry significant weight when we consider the circumstances students face today. Jairus has just received news that his daughter has died. The situation appears hopeless, yet Jesus calls him to trust. Moments earlier in the presentation, Dr. Ziegler quoted Jesus acknowledging the faith of the woman who reached out to touch His garment, telling her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace" (Mark 5:34, ESV). These two encounters invited students to wrestle with significant questions. What does faith look like when circumstances seem impossible? How does Jesus respond to suffering? Rather than discussing these questions in the abstract, students could consider them as they watched the biblical narrative unfold.
The most significant moment came after the drama finished. Dr. Zeigler invited students to share what they had noticed in the presentation and what stood out to them from the biblical account. Students highlighted Jairus's remarkable faith. Others focused on the woman who touched Jesus, recognizing both the depth of her suffering and the extraordinary faith that moved her to reach toward Him.
Experiences like Dr. Zeigler's presentation help students see Scripture as essential to their faith and integral to everyday life. In the book of Mark class, students study biblical narratives carefully, consider the choices and circumstances of the people involved, weigh the historical and cultural contexts against their own time and situations, and reflect on what God reveals about Himself. Consistently, students in this class talk about how they’re developing a more complete understanding of their faith.
As students left their encounter with Mark 5, they carried more than a memorable dramatic performance after the bell rang. They encountered the account of a Savior who sees suffering, hears the desperate, strengthens the fearful, and holds authority even over death. Through the faithful work of teachers and visiting presenters like Dr. Michael Zeigler, Hillcrest students are discovering that the Scripture they study is not merely a record of what God has done, but His living Word, through which He continues to reveal Himself, strengthen faith, and shape their lives today.