Wow, this last 8 weeks has flown by... we are on our last study of the book of Mark. We actually spent 2 weeks on the 7th lesson, because there was so much to discuss, so we have lots to cover today at Bible Study.
Mark 14-16
If you had been a follower of Jesus at the time of His arrest and crucifixion, do you think you would have stood by Him in His final hours?
What do you think the motive was behind Judas' betrayal of Jesus? Was he just responding to the officials' plea to help them find and arrest Jesus? Or was he really hoping that Jesus was going to establish His kingdom on earth, and because Jesus failed to do this, he decided to betray him? What about Judas' greed? Is that the reason he turned Jesus over to the officials? Or was it the voice of Satan that urged Judas to betray Jesus with a kiss?
In the Upper Room, Jesus reinterpreted the elements of the Passover meal to explain the new Covenant. The bread had previously been described each Passover as "the bread of affliction which our ancestors ate when they came from the land of Egypt." Now, it would represent Jesus' body, broken for us, and the wine represented His blood, shed for us. Jesus was the ransom for many. We remember his shed blood and love for us each time we participate in communion... an act of worship.
Read Mark 14:53-65
What false charges were made against Jesus?
Why did the Sanhedrin face difficulty in convicting Jesus?
How did Jesus respond to the High Priest's questions?
Why did Jesus declare in public that he was the Son of God?
Mark 14:66-72
Who denies Jesus?
What did Peter do after he heard the rooster crow?
Mark 15:1-15
Jesus came before Pilate and confirmed that he was King of the Jews. He didn't answer any other charges. Then Pilate asked the crowd who they wanted released... Jesus or Barabbas... they chose Barabbas and shouted for Jesus to be crucified.
Jesus was mocked, and forced to carry his own cross to Golgotha. Jesus cried out, "My God, why have You forsaken Me? And then he died. Joseph of Arimathea asked for Jesus' body and buried him in a tomb, and rolled the stone against the opening.
Mark 16:1-20... the stone could not keep Jesus in the grave. The most surprising or shocking think to ever happen in your life could not match the surprise that awaited the women at Jesus' tomb after his crucifixion.
After Jesus rose from the grave, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, a pair of the disciples, and then to the gathered disciples. Jesus proclaimed the missionary commission of the disciples and described signs that would accompany those who believe.
With his time and ministry on earth complete, Jesus ascended into heaven and took his rightful place at the right hand of God. The disciples took the gospel message and spread it all around.
Jesus lived as we live and suffered as many of us suffer. Mark clearly shows us in his gospel how Jesus made great sacrifices to become one of us. His mission on earth was that "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:45
Showing posts with label discussion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label discussion. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Jerusalem Ministry
Lesson Six
this week Mark 11 and 12
Thanks Helen for leading our study this week. Here are some of the things we discussed...
The Triumphal Entry - Mark 11:1-11
Jesus sent 2 of his disciples to get a colt from the village ahead of them and bring it to him. He road into the city on it. Many people spread their robes on the road in front of Jesus and the crowds lined the street shouting "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!"
What is different about the way that Jesus entered the city? Usually Jesus travelled by foot, not riding on a colt or horse. The people were waiting for him to overthrow their oppressors, and this is perhaps the first time that they saw him doing something that looked to them like an earthly king. A king would not walk from town to town as Jesus had been doing.
Jesus Clears the Temple: Mark 11:12-19
As Jesus was leaving Bethany, he saw a fig tree in the distance. He was hungry, so he went towards it to see if there were any figs for him to eat. It was not the right season for figs, so the tree was empty. Jesus cursed it and said that nobody would ever eat from it again.
Then he went to the temple and found that it was not being used as a house of prayer, but a "den of thieves." When people would come to make sacrifices and offerings at the temple, they would buy doves, and other animals for the offerings, but coming from all different countries, the people would often need to have their money exchanged to local currency in order to make their purchases. The money changers were not honest in their transactions. Also, the merchants selling doves may have been charging outrageous prices, and Jesus was mad.
Seeing Jesus do this, the chief priests and teachers of the law began to look for a way to kill Jesus. They were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. So, what were they afraid of? Jesus himself, or perhaps losing popularity to Jesus as the crowd began to favour his ways and teachings over theirs. Nobody had ever questioned their authority before, and they didn't like it.
As Jesus explains the withered fig tree to his disciples, he ends with "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. But if you don not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your sins." (Mark 11:25-26)
In our discussion, Leanne pointed out that Jesus was upset about the fig tree, and the temple... both were not doing what they were made to do... and later in the Bible our bodies are called the Temple of the Holy Spirit. How often are we not treating it as a Temple?
We also read through Mark chapter 12. The most discussion was spent on the section about the Widow's offering in verses 41-43. "Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasure. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything-all she had to live on."
What are we offering to Jesus that costs us everything we have... time, money, popularity....?
this week Mark 11 and 12
Thanks Helen for leading our study this week. Here are some of the things we discussed...
The Triumphal Entry - Mark 11:1-11
Jesus sent 2 of his disciples to get a colt from the village ahead of them and bring it to him. He road into the city on it. Many people spread their robes on the road in front of Jesus and the crowds lined the street shouting "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!"
What is different about the way that Jesus entered the city? Usually Jesus travelled by foot, not riding on a colt or horse. The people were waiting for him to overthrow their oppressors, and this is perhaps the first time that they saw him doing something that looked to them like an earthly king. A king would not walk from town to town as Jesus had been doing.
Jesus Clears the Temple: Mark 11:12-19
As Jesus was leaving Bethany, he saw a fig tree in the distance. He was hungry, so he went towards it to see if there were any figs for him to eat. It was not the right season for figs, so the tree was empty. Jesus cursed it and said that nobody would ever eat from it again.
Then he went to the temple and found that it was not being used as a house of prayer, but a "den of thieves." When people would come to make sacrifices and offerings at the temple, they would buy doves, and other animals for the offerings, but coming from all different countries, the people would often need to have their money exchanged to local currency in order to make their purchases. The money changers were not honest in their transactions. Also, the merchants selling doves may have been charging outrageous prices, and Jesus was mad.
Seeing Jesus do this, the chief priests and teachers of the law began to look for a way to kill Jesus. They were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. So, what were they afraid of? Jesus himself, or perhaps losing popularity to Jesus as the crowd began to favour his ways and teachings over theirs. Nobody had ever questioned their authority before, and they didn't like it.
As Jesus explains the withered fig tree to his disciples, he ends with "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. But if you don not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your sins." (Mark 11:25-26)
In our discussion, Leanne pointed out that Jesus was upset about the fig tree, and the temple... both were not doing what they were made to do... and later in the Bible our bodies are called the Temple of the Holy Spirit. How often are we not treating it as a Temple?
We also read through Mark chapter 12. The most discussion was spent on the section about the Widow's offering in verses 41-43. "Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasure. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything-all she had to live on."
What are we offering to Jesus that costs us everything we have... time, money, popularity....?
Monday, October 1, 2007
A Further Look
Let's take a quick look at the discussion we had on the questions from last week's study. Mark 1:14 - 3:6 was our text, and in the last post I put the questions we were talking about.
Jesus started his ministry with 4 key aspects: teaching and working with his disciples, preaching to the people, miracles of healing and driving out demons, and coming into conflict with authorities who felt threatened by him.
Jesus entered Galilee and said, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:15). There were probably some mixed feelings about this statement. Some maybe thought to themselves, "here comes another one!" Or, maybe they saw Jesus as different right away. At any rate, the Jewish leaders were not seeing what they thought they would in a King. A local man, who was born in a barn, not paraded into town in royal robes. Some of the Jewish people had a hard time accepting Jesus for who he was because he had no intention of overthrowing the Romans, but rather, he came to save people from their sins and tell of the Kingdom of God.
A little bit later in the chapters, Jesus called his first disciples. He called Simon and Andrew, and then James and his brother John. Fishermen. Hard workers, but not glamorous positions. Why did Jesus choose them? Why did they follow him? Well, perhaps he wanted to get his point across that he really doesn't care what you do, or what you have done in the past, he can use you if you are willing. Also, these guys probably saw a great man standing in front of them on the seashore, and they wanted to follow him. Whether they fully understood who he was or not, I don't know. But, as was the custom of the day, a Rabbi would call students to study under him. If you didn't get chosen for this, then you would fall into your family's occupation. For these 4 guys, it was fishing. But to be called now, they got a second chance to learn something new. Obviously they wanted this, because the Bible says they left their boats, father, hired men, etc, and got up and followed Jesus. Wow! Would we do that today? If Jesus walked up to you and said, "leave your life as you know it and follow me..." would we? The commitment of a disciple had to be total commitment.
Often when Jesus healed someone, he would tell them to go to the priest, or to their families, but "don't tell anyone, keep quiet about what has happened to you." There are some different thoughts on why this might be:
1) Jesus wanted his identity to be kept silent because he didn't want to cause a misunderstanding about what his work would be.
2) He didn't want to only be seen as a miracle worker.
3) He didn't want a lot of publicity to hinder his work.
4) He didn't want to cause his death to come about too soon... he wanted to finish his ministry work.
5) People had to be pronounced clean by a priest, if it was made known that Jesus had healed the leper then the priest's decision may have been prejudiced.
But, as Mark reports in his gospel, the leper went and shouted about his healing anyway. How could he not? Being a social outcast for the entire time of his affliction, and then to be healed in an instant... who wouldn't want to shout their praises?!
Conflict between Jesus and the Jewish Religious Leaders was starting to heat up. Mark chapter 2 deals with a couple reasons why... The people were contiuously amazed by Jesus' miracles, and this caused the religious leaders to take notice of this man Jesus. The leaders were shocked when Jesus told people their sins were forgiven, and thus proclaiming that he was God, because everyone knew that only God had the power to forgive, even though he gave people the power to heal through Him. The leaders perhaps felt like they were going to be dethroned by Jesus as his popularity grew. Also, Jesus ate with "sinners." When Jesus called Levi to be a disciple(whose name was changed to Matthew) the Pharisees questioned what Jesus was doing. Jesus said, "I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." Mark 2:17.
Another conflict came when the Pharisees saw Jesus and his disciples not fasting on the Sabbath. Major offense! Jesus said his disciples couldn't fast while the bridegroom was with them. He said, "the day will come when the bridegroom will be taken away form them and on that day they will fast." Mark 2:20.
Jesus also challenged their view of what was right and wrong on the Sabbath. Jesus said, "the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." (Mark 2:27). If Jesus healed people, ate grain from the field, and told the story of David and his men eating temple bread on the Sabbath, then it shows that it is more important to obey the Spirit than the letter of the law.
At the end of this Bible text, we read that the Pharisees went out and started plotting to kill Jesus, along with the Herodians. They had had enough of Jesus' teaching, and wanted to end it. Why is it that even today, Christianity is the one belief that people find the most threatening? I believe it is because it is the only one that is completely true. Why is the name of our Lord and God usually the choice for taking in vain? I never hear people cursing with the name of Buddah or other gods.
Hide His word in your heart.... one thought I had while watching Survivor China this week was that if we are ever in a spot without our Bibles, it is so important that we know how to recite verses from the Bible. There is a Christian on Survivor right now, and I hope she goes far. She has already had her faith tested a couple times, one instant was on the first day when she got up and fled a Buddist temple because she said she would not put her face on the ground for anyone but Jesus Christ. Then this last week, she was just wishing for her Bible. She said through tears, "If I just had my Bible, then I could spend time reading it and praying for God's strength." Don't wait for Survivor!! Read it now. I am being challenged this year, both by this Bible study, and by the group of ladies at BSF on Thursday mornings. There is a difference between reading the Bible and studying the Bible. Studying it involves thinking and praying, and writing down your thoughts. This is when it comes alive and we remember it.
"Grace be with you all." Hebrews 13:25
Jesus started his ministry with 4 key aspects: teaching and working with his disciples, preaching to the people, miracles of healing and driving out demons, and coming into conflict with authorities who felt threatened by him.
Jesus entered Galilee and said, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:15). There were probably some mixed feelings about this statement. Some maybe thought to themselves, "here comes another one!" Or, maybe they saw Jesus as different right away. At any rate, the Jewish leaders were not seeing what they thought they would in a King. A local man, who was born in a barn, not paraded into town in royal robes. Some of the Jewish people had a hard time accepting Jesus for who he was because he had no intention of overthrowing the Romans, but rather, he came to save people from their sins and tell of the Kingdom of God.
A little bit later in the chapters, Jesus called his first disciples. He called Simon and Andrew, and then James and his brother John. Fishermen. Hard workers, but not glamorous positions. Why did Jesus choose them? Why did they follow him? Well, perhaps he wanted to get his point across that he really doesn't care what you do, or what you have done in the past, he can use you if you are willing. Also, these guys probably saw a great man standing in front of them on the seashore, and they wanted to follow him. Whether they fully understood who he was or not, I don't know. But, as was the custom of the day, a Rabbi would call students to study under him. If you didn't get chosen for this, then you would fall into your family's occupation. For these 4 guys, it was fishing. But to be called now, they got a second chance to learn something new. Obviously they wanted this, because the Bible says they left their boats, father, hired men, etc, and got up and followed Jesus. Wow! Would we do that today? If Jesus walked up to you and said, "leave your life as you know it and follow me..." would we? The commitment of a disciple had to be total commitment.
Often when Jesus healed someone, he would tell them to go to the priest, or to their families, but "don't tell anyone, keep quiet about what has happened to you." There are some different thoughts on why this might be:
1) Jesus wanted his identity to be kept silent because he didn't want to cause a misunderstanding about what his work would be.
2) He didn't want to only be seen as a miracle worker.
3) He didn't want a lot of publicity to hinder his work.
4) He didn't want to cause his death to come about too soon... he wanted to finish his ministry work.
5) People had to be pronounced clean by a priest, if it was made known that Jesus had healed the leper then the priest's decision may have been prejudiced.
But, as Mark reports in his gospel, the leper went and shouted about his healing anyway. How could he not? Being a social outcast for the entire time of his affliction, and then to be healed in an instant... who wouldn't want to shout their praises?!
Conflict between Jesus and the Jewish Religious Leaders was starting to heat up. Mark chapter 2 deals with a couple reasons why... The people were contiuously amazed by Jesus' miracles, and this caused the religious leaders to take notice of this man Jesus. The leaders were shocked when Jesus told people their sins were forgiven, and thus proclaiming that he was God, because everyone knew that only God had the power to forgive, even though he gave people the power to heal through Him. The leaders perhaps felt like they were going to be dethroned by Jesus as his popularity grew. Also, Jesus ate with "sinners." When Jesus called Levi to be a disciple(whose name was changed to Matthew) the Pharisees questioned what Jesus was doing. Jesus said, "I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." Mark 2:17.
Another conflict came when the Pharisees saw Jesus and his disciples not fasting on the Sabbath. Major offense! Jesus said his disciples couldn't fast while the bridegroom was with them. He said, "the day will come when the bridegroom will be taken away form them and on that day they will fast." Mark 2:20.
Jesus also challenged their view of what was right and wrong on the Sabbath. Jesus said, "the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." (Mark 2:27). If Jesus healed people, ate grain from the field, and told the story of David and his men eating temple bread on the Sabbath, then it shows that it is more important to obey the Spirit than the letter of the law.
At the end of this Bible text, we read that the Pharisees went out and started plotting to kill Jesus, along with the Herodians. They had had enough of Jesus' teaching, and wanted to end it. Why is it that even today, Christianity is the one belief that people find the most threatening? I believe it is because it is the only one that is completely true. Why is the name of our Lord and God usually the choice for taking in vain? I never hear people cursing with the name of Buddah or other gods.
Hide His word in your heart.... one thought I had while watching Survivor China this week was that if we are ever in a spot without our Bibles, it is so important that we know how to recite verses from the Bible. There is a Christian on Survivor right now, and I hope she goes far. She has already had her faith tested a couple times, one instant was on the first day when she got up and fled a Buddist temple because she said she would not put her face on the ground for anyone but Jesus Christ. Then this last week, she was just wishing for her Bible. She said through tears, "If I just had my Bible, then I could spend time reading it and praying for God's strength." Don't wait for Survivor!! Read it now. I am being challenged this year, both by this Bible study, and by the group of ladies at BSF on Thursday mornings. There is a difference between reading the Bible and studying the Bible. Studying it involves thinking and praying, and writing down your thoughts. This is when it comes alive and we remember it.
"Grace be with you all." Hebrews 13:25
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