We shall continue with the study of the Book of Mark this week.
(1) These messengers from the religious leaders gave a rather detailed description of the character of Jesus and inadvertently provided us with a great definition of “integrity”. What is their definition?
(2) Examine yourself in light of Jesus’ character and reflect on how you may imitate Jesus’ integrity.
(3) Their action also led to the charge of “hypocrisy”. How may you define hypocrisy in light of their action?
(4) Without reading Jesus’ reply, come up with your own reply to their question, “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar?”. (Remember like most Caesars who were ruthless and violent, Tiberius, the Caesar in Jesus’ time, was also slothful, self-indulgent, hypocritical and greatly despised by historians, not to mention that he was a foreign occupying ruler of the Jews.)
(5) If the “image” on the coin confers authority to Caesar, what “image” confers God’s authority on earth?
(6) Since what belongs to Caesar really belongs to God, how does Jesus’ reply speak to our relationship with the government of our land? (Refer to Rom. 13:1)
(7) What is the most significant lesson you have learned today and how can you apply it to yourself?
The Sadducees are believed to be a priestly class that elevated the Law of Moses above all other OT scriptures, and since the Law of Moses does not touch on the resurrection, they “say there is no resurrection” (See COBTAEL, Vol. IX, 236)
(1) Read 2 Timothy 3:16. What might be the danger of elevating one book of the Bible over the rest? In the case of the Sadducees, how did they suffer spiritually by their denial of the resurrection?
(2) The Sadducees are quoting from Deuteronomy 25:5-10. What is the intention of the Law of Moses in this respect?
(3) The Sadducees sadly illustrate to us how one might wrongly interpret the Scripture. Do you agree that their errors included: 1) interpreting the Scripture out of context, and 2) not comparing scripture with scriptures? Can you think of other errors of interpretation that they committed?
(4) What kinds of error does Jesus charge them with in v. 24 and why?
(5) What does v.25 really mean and how should such an understanding of it affect your life on this earth?
(6) Let’s learn from Jesus’ interpretation of Exodus 3:6. What is the context of this statement? What is the main purpose of this statement by God? How does Jesus interpret it?
(7) How does Jesus’ interpretation differ from the Sadducees’?
(8) What is the most significant lesson you have learned today and how can you apply it to yourself?
(1) What might be the reason behind asking what the most important commandment of all was? Are not all commandments important?
(2) One would think that since the Ten Commandments are of such importance that the most important commandment should be quoted from them, yet Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Leviticus 19:18. The Jews might have expected His quote from Deuteronomy 6 which is a key part of their daily Shema prayer, but Leviticus 19 is certainly a very obscure quote.
(3) Matthew charged that the teacher of the law asked a question in order to “test” Jesus (Matt. 22:35) and that he gave a very wise response as he agreed with Jesus. What was Jesus’ response to his wise answer in Mark 12:34? Is there a difference between being “not far” from the Kingdom of God and being “in” it? What is the problem with this scribe then?
(4) In citing Psalm 110:1 in Mark 12:36, Jesus is showing us some important pointers in understanding scripture. What might they be?
(5) What is the most significant lesson you have learned today and how can you apply it to yourself?
(1) Not all teachers of the law were guilty of all the charges by Jesus, but in general, these charges do represent the collective sins of these religious rulers:
Examine yourself in light of the above charges to see if you are also guilty of any of them.
(2) Jesus exhorts us to “watch out” which literally means, “looking away from them” (Lenski 551). What does it mean to “watch out”?
(3) Since Jesus says such men will be punished most severely, why do such behaviors draw the wrath of God?
(4) In general, our
tithing to the Lord, should come out of the following:
Which do you think represents the heart of the widow and why is her offering so special to Jesus?
(Note: The temple did provide something like a soup kitchen for the poor, but would it then diminish the action of the widow?)
(5) How should the widow’s offering affect your offering?
(6) If you were responsible for the counting of the weekly offering in the church, how does this story change your attitude toward the counting of small change?
(7) What have you learned today that you need to apply to your life?
The temple that the disciples saw was still under re-construction. Although nowhere near the splendor of the original built by Solomon, this rebuilding which was supported by King Herod was still a stunning piece of architecture: The stones laid were massive and its exterior glistened in the sun.
(1) What did the temple represent as far as the people were concerned?
(2) What did the temple represent as far as God was concerned?
(3) What is meant by “Not one stone here will be left on another”?
(4) What would such destruction mean to the people and to God?
(5) Matthew adds that the disciples were relating the destruction of the temple also to Jesus’ second coming and the end of the age (24:3). In light of this, jot down the signs that Jesus gives from vv. 6-8 and group them into logical categories. How long have some of these signs been around? Have they intensified? In what way and especially in what period of time?
(6) Are you alarmed by the news of wars or rumors of wars?
(7) Are you alarmed by the news of earthquake? (Go to sites like www.emsc-csem.org and get an idea of how widespread earthquake is on a daily basis. You will be amazed).
(8) Preceding His coming, Jesus highlights in vv. 9-13 the sign of persecution. Although the immediate setting was in “local councils” and “synagogues”, it did spread beyond these (v. 10). There is a report that there are more martyrs in the last century than at any time in the history of Christianity. Name five countries that you know which are persecuting believers today. Pray for them now. (If you have access to the internet, take time to visit www.persecution.org today.)
(9) Are you afraid of persecution? How can you prepare yourself for persecution?
(10) What is the most significant lesson you have learned today and how can you apply it to yourself?
We should be aware that as much as Jesus is giving us signs of the end-time, we have to confess that like prophecies of His first coming, we will not fully comprehend these signs at this time, except for things that have been made obvious to us. Also, it is important to note that this section appears to add more urgency to those who live in Judea, i.e. the Jews (see v. 14).
(1) What kind of a picture is being depicted in vv.14-18 as the tribulation occurs? Can you sum it up in one word? Read Zechariah 14:1-3 as reference as well.
(2) Vv. 19-20 emphasize the severity of the tribulation. Why would God allow such days to happen and for what purpose? (See Zech. 12:10 and recall parables like the one in Mk. 12:1-12 that we read earlier.) Do you think it is a result of natural disaster or human warfare or both?
(3) If “false Christs” can perform miracles, how then can we discern that they are false?
(4) Vv. 24-27 describes what will happen at His actual coming. Do one of the following:
(5) What will happen to all those who would not believe in Jesus at the time?
(6) What is the most significant lesson you have learned today and how can you apply it to yourself?
(1) As Jesus concludes His answer to the disciples’ question about the signs of His coming, why does He emphasize that “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away”?
(2) As you mull over all the signs in the preceding verses, do you get a sense that Jesus is “right at the door” (v.29)? Why or why not?
(3) Like leaves on a fig tree, of all the signs, which ones appear more “tender” to you? Why?
(4) As we consider His parable of the fig tree, it is helpful to read what Peter (who heard Jesus’ words with his own ears) reminds us of in 2 Peter 3:8-10.
(5) In the analogy of the household servants, all are put in charge of something, with the one at the door being entrusted with something rather important. What is it? How important is it?
(6) Have you ever tried to stay awake and yet kept went back to dozing? What caused you to doze and how could you have avoided it? How can you apply this to Jesus' command that we "keep watch"?
(7) In some manuscripts,verse 33 reads, “Be alert and pray.” Why are “watching” and “praying” so often mentioned together? (e.g. Matt. 26:41)
(8) What is the most significant lesson you have learned today and how can you apply it to yourself?