This week we will
start the book of Mark.
Mark focuses on the deeds, rather than the teachings of Jesus, putting the emphasis on Jesus being the “servant” of the Lord. You may want to consult your study Bible or any of the many fine commentaries. It suffices to say here that Mark writes possibly from Rome to the persecuted Italian new believers, giving them perhaps the earliest written account of the gospel. He writes with many vivid words (like immediately) that engage the readers with the emotion and tension of the gospel account.
(1) Imagine this as the first ever written account of the gospel. If you were a non-believer, especially in Rome, what impact might the first line of this gospel have on you?
(2) Mark does not begin with the birth of Jesus, but with the beginning of His ministry. What does this tell you about the purpose of his writing, as inspired by the Holy Spirit?
(3) Mark appeals to Isaiah 40:3 to portray John the Baptist as the one foretold to prepare the way for Jesus. What was the significance of John’s ministry? Why was it so necessary? What if there weren’t any preparatory ministry by John to precede Jesus’ own ministry?
(4) What does John testify about Jesus in concrete terms?
(5) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
(1) Mark gives only a summary of Jesus’ baptism, but in a summary, Mark purposely highlights several important truths about Jesus. What are they?
(2) Consult John 1:32-34. For whom was this baptism meant, at least in part?
(3) Again, Mark gives a summary account of Jesus’ temptation in the desert. What is he trying to highlight and how are they significant?
(4) Mark then jumps to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee after John the Baptist was jailed. Again, he gives an extremely brief summary of the message of Jesus, highlighting the essence of Jesus’ message. What is he trying to highlight and what is their significance?
(5) What follows is the account of calling of the first disciples. Can you catch some of the special words Mark uses to give a vivid account of what happened? What is Mark trying to tell us?
(6) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
(1) Where did Jesus meet the man possessed by an evil spirit? What does it say about the spiritual condition of the time?
(2) As this marks the early period of Jesus’ ministry, why would Jesus stop the evil spirit who appeared to be testifying for him, calling him “the Holy One of God”?
(3) Read a similar account in Acts 16:16-18 where Paul also refused to be associated with the demon and would not accept their testimony. What can you learn from both accounts? (Refer to 2 Co. 6:14-18.)
(4) The people hearing his preaching and witnessing the driving out of the demon, said, “A new teaching”. In what sense was the teaching “new”? Is it “new” also to today’s generation?
(5) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
(1) Compare this miracle of the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law with the driving out of the demon. Which is the more spectacular? Which is a greater miracle? Why?
(2) Of all the disciples, we know at least Peter was married. 1:18 says, he “at once” left his nets and followed Jesus. Refer to Mark 10:28. What really has Peter left behind? What did he think of his decision? What did this “small” miracle mean to his family?
(3) Mark paints a very human picture of a small working-class town where people all had to work in the daytime. That evening, they all flocked to Jesus at Peter’s house with their lanterns or lamps. Read Isaiah 9:1-2 and soak in what was happening that night.
(4) 1:35 gives us a picture of Jesus’ “devotional life”. How does Mark, in a few words, give us Jesus’ example of what prayer-life should be?
(5) When everyone was looking for Jesus, He decided to go somewhere else. Why? What can we learn about the priority of Jesus’ ministry?
(6) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
(1) How did the leper come to ask Jesus for healing? What does this tell you about him?
(2) Did the leper have faith when he said, “If you are willing”? What should faith in God entail?
(3) What options can you think of that Jesus could use to heal him? What method did He choose and why?
(4) As a leper, what kind of a plight would he have gone through in life? What kinds of healing did this touch accomplish?
(5) Jesus asked the man to comply with Mosaic Law after cleansing. What does such a ceremony aim to accomplish?
(6) Was it not natural for the man to spread such good news? What did his disobedience accomplish?
(7) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
The early fathers told us that Mark was writing this gospel exactly as he heard from Peter. Therefore, it is natural that much of the early accounts center around Peter’s hometown and his home.
(1) “Jesus saw their faith” (2:5). Whose faith did He see? How did they demonstrate their faith? How special was it?
(2) Instead of saying “be clean” like He said to the leper in chapter one, why did He say, “your sins are forgiven”? What is the basis for forgiveness of sin according to the Bible? (I John 1:9)
(3) Jesus asked, “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’, or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'?”. What do you think the answer should be? Can Jesus say to all the sinners in the world, your sins are forgiven? Why not?
(4) What does Mark aim to tell us about Jesus in this miracle?
(5) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
(1) From this brief account about Levi, can you describe the kind of life a tax collector might have? Take time to think of someone that you know who might live a life quite similar to that of Levi (who is Matthew). How hard might it be for that person to become a Christian? Why?
(2) Why then would Levi follow Jesus immediately upon being called?
(3) What did Levi do right after he became Jesus’ disciple? Why did he not cut off all ties with his former circle? (Many commentators tell us that the term, sinners, refers to prostitutes.)
(4) Ask yourself, if you were one of the Pharisees, would you feel comfortable about Levi and his circle of friends and their lifestyle? Would you also wonder why Jesus would willingly be part of such a dinner?
(5) As a Christian, what might be the kind of people that would make you uncomfortable in associating with?
(6) Mull over the reply Jesus gave in v.17. How should it affect your attitude toward reaching people who might make Christians uncomfortable?
(7) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?