We shall continue with
the study of the Book of Mark this week.
(1) What was the purpose of sending out the Twelve? Were they “qualified” to preach? How much did they know? Did it really matter?
(2) Why did Jesus send them out in pairs?
(3) As they were sent to preach, Jesus was very specific in His instructions of not taking anything for the journey. Should this principle be applied to us today? Why or why not?
(4) What about the instruction to stay in one house (instead of moving around)? What was the purpose of such an instruction?
(5) Was the shaking of dust too harsh a treatment against those who rejected them? Why or why not? What was the message here?
(6) Can you test your memory and list the names of the Twelve disciples (see 3:16ff). Did the Twelve include Judas? How then could he also perform miracles? (See Matthew 7:22)
(7) What is the core message to you today and how my you apply it to your life?
“Seldom in history can there have been such a series of matrimonial entanglements as existed in the Herod family. By (seducing and) marrying Herodias, his brother’s wife, Herod had broken the Jewish law (Lev. 18:16; 20:21) and had outraged the laws of decency and morality” (Barclay, 150). Herod was in essence a governor, but Caesar had bestowed the title of a king to his father, Herod the Great who slaughtered the children of Bethlehem in Matthew 2.
(1) This section opens with three differing opinions about who Jesus was. What can you tell about the reasoning and the causes behind each of these speculations?
- He is Elijah (see Mal. 4:5)
- He is like one of the prophets long ago (by then the Jews had not seen a prophet for over 400 years)
- He is John the Baptist (Herod’s speculation)
(2) John’s mission was to pave the way for the Messiah (Isa. 40:3 ff), but his mission appeared to have been cut short by his confrontation by a gentile queen, the wicked Herodias. Was it worth it? What do you think?
(3) Mark gave a fairly detailed picture of the inner struggle of Herod. What is your verdict about him—his commendable traits and his weaknesses? What was Jesus’ verdict (see Lk. 13:32 and also 23:8-12)? What lesson can one learn from the life of Herod? (This Herod was eventually sent into exile to Gaul by Caesar.)
(4) What is the core message to you today and how my you apply it to your life?
(1) If you were one of the Twelve, describe your experience and what you might report to Jesus. What would this experience have meant to you?
(2) What would you have expected Jesus to say in reply? What did he say in reply? Does it surprise you? Why or why not? Is this also Jesus’ invitation to you today?
(3) Would you be upset to see the crowd who would not give you a chance to rest? What was Jesus’ reaction to them? What is meant by “like sheep without a shepherd”? (See Ezek. 34:4 concerning the duties of a shepherd.) How did Jesus shepherd them that day (v. 34)?
(4) Consider
the action of the disciples: What was wrong with their plan of action in these ways:
(a) The sending away of the people
(b) Having them buy their own food at such a late hour; saying that they did not necessarily have any money
(c) Telling Jesus what to do
(5) What is the core message to you today and how my you apply it to your life?
(1) What might be the problem(s) of the disciples in feeding the people:
(a) They did not have enough money.
(b) They did not want to spend so much money.
(c) It was too onerous a task for them.
(d) They did not consider this as part of their ministry.
(e) They did not care about the people.
(2) What was the message to the disciples by Jesus as He said, “You give them something to eat”? What should their reply be? What would your reply be?
(3) In feeding the 5,000 (men), what options did Jesus have? What was the option He chose? Compare His chosen method with II Kings 4:42-44, and see the similarities and also the differences. Which of these catches your imagination?
(4) What had this experience meant for the hungry crowd and for the disciples?
(5) What is the most significant lesson you have learned today and how may you apply it to yourself?
(1) Remember that the teaching and the feeding of the people happened against a background of exhaustion of the disciples and of Jesus (v. 32). At the end of the day, their fatigue would only have multiplied. What did Jesus choose to do and why?
(2) The 4th watch was about 3-6 o’clock in the morning, a time when they desperately needed to rest. Did the storm happen by chance? Where was Jesus when the storm was taking place? What can you learn about the storm(s) in your life?
(3) Jesus could have ordered the storm to be calm at the shore, or He could have sneaked into the boat before calming the storm. Why did He choose to walk towards them on the lake? Did He achieve his purpose?
(4) The comment by Mark in v. 52 links their amazement with the loaves. What impact should the experience of the loaves have on them? If it had the desired impact, how would it change their experience on the lake?
(5) What is the core message to you today and how my you apply it to your life?
The word elders does not mean, in this phrase, the officials of the synagogue; rather it means the ancients, the great legal experts of the old days. Their rules and traditions (known as the Mishnah) were oral and were eventually written down in the 3rd century after Christ. These were considered to summarize the essence of the service of God. As such, ethical religion was buried under a mass of taboos and rules.
(1) What might be the purpose of these Pharisees and scribes coming all the way from Jerusalem to see Jesus in Galilee? From this story, which of the following was their focus?
a. Jesus’ teaching
b. Jesus’ miraculous power
c. How He conducted His life
d. Or…
(2) Do you think their hearts were in the right place? Why or why not? What was Jesus’ verdict in vv. 6-7?
(3) What might be the rationale behind the substitution of “Corban” in lieu of caring for the parents? Try to justify it as a Jew of the time.
(4) Can you think of three “traditions” or “rules” in today’s Bible-believing churches that resemble “Corban”? How are they being justified?
(5) What is the core message to you today and how my you apply it to your life?
(1) Jesus declares that “Nothing outside a man can make him unclean” (7:15) and that “all foods (are) clean” (7:19). This was in direct conflict with the law in Leviticus distinguishing food that is clean and food that is not clean (see Lev. 11). But Jesus also declares that He has not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17). How can you reconcile the claims of Jesus in light of 2 Corinthians 3:6?
(2) It is obvious that by declaring all food clean, Jesus has not abolished the “spirit” of the Law in Leviticus on food, but fulfilled it. What is the “spirit” of the Leviticus Law on food and how has Jesus fulfilled it?
(3) Jesus did not mince His words and rebuked the disciples for being “so dull”. If you were the disciples, would you have asked Him the same question? Why or why not? How then can we not be “dull” when it comes to understanding the Word of God?
(4) In Jesus’ explanation, the key to unlocking His word, in this case, is the meaning of “cleanliness”. From what He explained, define the meaning of “being unclean”.
(5) Jesus produced a long list of things that issue from a man’s heart. Why, in your opinion, did Jesus choose to list them out one by one? Write down all the items on this list on your journal (or notebook), and examine yourself in light of each, and how you may be made unclean by each.
(6) Spend some time confessing those sins so enlightened by the list.
(7) What is the core message to you today and how my you apply it to your life?