We shall continue with
the study of the Book of Mark this week.
(1) What impact do you think the previous experience on the mountain had
on their understanding of the following?
a. Who Jesus is
b. Jesus’ mission in going to Jerusalem
Would it explain why they failed to understand what ”rising from the dead” meant?
(2) In v.11 the disciples asked Jesus a question about Elijah, only to be asked a question in return about the Son of Man in v. 12. How were the two questions related? (The link is in v. 13 which refers to the suffering and death of John the Baptist.)
(3) Jesus simply appeared in v.15 without having done anything, yet the crowd was overwhelmed with wonder at His sight. Why? Does it have anything to do with what happened to Jesus on the mountain? (See Exod. 34:29)
(4) In response to the news that His disciples failed to drive out the evil spirit, Jesus gave a seemingly frustrated reply in v.19. Was it directed to the disciples or to the people or both when he said, “O unbelieving generation”? What does it mean if it was directed to the disciples? What if it was directed to the people?
(5) Jesus obviously knew everything. Why then did He ask the father, “How long has it been like this?”? What did the father’s answer reveal about himself?
(6) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
(1) Why did Jesus repeat the last words of the father and turn it into a rhetorical question?
(2) The father’s reply appears to be rather contradicting in v. 24 when he said, “I believe, help my unbelief” (literal translation). What did he mean by that? Did he believe that Jesus could help him? Then what was his “unbelief” then?
(3) Was Jesus driving out the evil spirit a result of his faith?
(4) Jesus said, “This kind (of spirit) can come out only by prayer.” How did the disciples drive out other spirits before (6:7-13)? Did they depend on prayer (What does prayer demonstrate as far as the attitude of the ones who pray is concerned?)
(5) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
(1) In passing through Galilee, why did Jesus not want anyone to know where they were? What does the reason given in v. 31 teach you?
(2) Given the seriousness of what Jesus said about His death and resurrection, what might be the reason for why the disciples “were afraid to ask”? What might your reason be for not asking a question about something which is obviously of great significance?
(3) In the previous 32 verses in chapter 9, more than once Mark told us that Jesus was trying to impress upon His disciples His coming sufferings in Jerusalem. Why then would it result in the Twelve arguing about who was the greatest among them? In so arguing, in what way was it a reflection of their faith? In what way(s) were they wrong?
(4) Jesus says, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” Then, if we work hard at serving others and at making sure we occupy the least important role in order to be the greatest, will it work? Why or why not?
(5) We all love children. Then why did Jesus imply that we in fact have a hard time “welcoming these little children”? What does welcome mean? Under what circumstances might we not welcome children and why?
(6) What can you do to welcome children, thereby welcoming Jesus and the one who sent Him?
(7) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
(1) Why did John try to stop others in driving out demons in Jesus’ name? What was the implication of his action? Is John’s attitude a reflection of yours as well?
(2) What has the teaching of the giving of “a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ” to do with John’s action?
(3) Many people doubt that there is a hell. What kind of a place is hell, as made clear by Jesus in this passage? Try to define hell, given Jesus’ repeated description to the disciples.
(4) The analogies of losing a hand, foot and eye are called hyperboles, which is using exaggeration to make a point. What then is the main point of these hyperboles?
(5) The using of salt as an analogy appears to be one of Jesus’ favorites. In this passage, the emphasis is on “at peace with each other”. How appropriate is the use of salt in its application?
(6) What is the most significant lesson you have learned today and how can you apply it to yourself?
The Jews (i.e. the rabbis) by Jesus’ time, had adopted as legal what was called an “any cause divorce” (Instone-Brewer’s Divorce, p.55) invented by Rabbi Hillel. Some Jews saw it as contrary to the Law of Moses but it appeared that they were in the minority. Both gave permission to divorce, except the former one almost gave men the license to divorce their wives at will. The Pharisees were testing Jesus, perhaps, hoping that He might restore the more conservative of the two.
(1) If that was the case, did they succeed? Why or why not? As much as they might prefer a stricter rule in this respect, what was their problem in the matter of divorce?
(2) How does the fact that “the two will become one flesh” reflect the original intent of God’s creation of male and female?
(3) What does “let man not separate” mean and how does it form the basis of the rationale used by Jesus in vv.11-12?
(4) This passage, like most teachings recorded in the gospel, is a summary of a much longer discourse by Jesus. Therefore it does not cover the explicit exception (“except for marital unfaithfulness”) (Matthew 19:9). Therefore we should be careful not to use this specific passage as “proof-text” to look at the entire matter of divorce. However, the way that Mark summarizes (as inspired by the Holy Spirit) in this section, conveys a main message. What is that message?
(5) How then shall we look at “marriage” and at “divorce” today?
(6) What is the most significant lesson you have learned today and how can you apply it to yourself?
(1) Why did people bring children to be “touched” by Jesus? What were they thinking? Did the disciples have any good reason for turning children away?
(2) Granted that the disciples were wrong, why would Jesus be “indignant”?
(3) What is the entrance requirement for entering the kingdom of God? (See Jn. 3:16)
(4) How does being little children define what “saving faith” really is?
(5) As Jesus “took the children in his arms and put His hands on them and blessed them”, was it an act of teaching or an act in essence?
(6) How should you treat children, especially in the church?
(7) What is the most significant lesson you have learned today and how can you apply it to yourself?
(1) From parallel passages in the other synoptic gospels (Matt. 19:16-22; Lk. 18:18-23), we understand that this man was young, rich, and a ruler too. Based on what he asked Jesus and how he asked (i.e. the actions that accompanied his search), how would you describe his character and what outcome would you have expected from his sincere search for eternal life?
(2) What was the purpose of pointing out that “No one is good except God alone” to the man while accepting his kneeling before him?
(3) Do you think the man’s answer (that he had kept all these things—the six commandments—from youth) was a truthful answer? Why? (Note Jesus’ immediate emotional response to his answer.)
(4) There are Ten Commandments (see Exod. 20). Why did Jesus only quote the last six and leave out the first four in asking if he also had kept them?
(5) What was the “one thing” he lacked in terms of having eternal life and what did it entail? What does “the one thing” that the man lacked have to do with these four omitted commandments?
(6) In His encounter with people, Jesus did not ask everyone to physically follow Him (Zaccheus was a case in point). They would still be disciples but ones who did not have to follow Him physically like the Twelve. But here, Jesus asked the man to follow Him, and that necessarily demanded him giving up all he had (like the Twelve). What does this tell you about being a disciple of Jesus Christ?
(7) Why did the young man leave grieving? What was he grieving about?
(8) What is the most significant lesson you have learned today and how can you apply it to yourself?