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Son of GodA Bible Study for Women on the Gospel of Mark (Volume 2)

Mark 9:14–16:8

Keri Folmar

© 2018 by Keri Folmar. All Rights Reserved

CruciformPress.com | [email protected]

Praise for Keri Folmar’s Inductive Bible Studies for Women

“With simple clarity, Keri Folmar guides us in learning to study the Bible…Keri encourages us to read God’s Word carefully, to understand clearly, and to apply prayerfully…she encourages her readers first and foremost to listen well to God’s inspired Word.”

Kathleen Nielson is author of the Living Word Bible Studies; Director of Women’s Ini-tiatives, The Gospel Coalition; and wife of Niel, who served as President of Covenant College, 2002 to 2012.

“Keri’s Bible study will not only bring the truths of [Scripture] to bear upon your life, but will also train you up for better, more effective study of any book of the Bible with her consistent use of the three questions needed in all good Bible study: Observation, Interpretation, and Application.”

Connie Dever is author of The Praise Factory children’s ministry curriculum and wife of Mark, senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church and President of 9Marks.

“It is hard to imagine a better inductive Bible study tool than this one. So many study tools wander from the biblical text, but Keri Folmar’s study concentrates on what [the biblical author] says...unfolding its message with accuracy and clarity.”

Diane Schreiner, the wife of SBTS professor, author, and pastor Tom Schreiner and mother of four grown children, has led women’s Bible studies for more than 20 years.

“No clever stories, ancillary anecdotes, or emotional manipula-tion here. Keri takes us deeper into the text, deeper into the heart of [the biblical author], deeper into the mind of Christ, and deeper into our own hearts… a great study to do on your own or with others.”

Kristie Anyabwile is a North Carolina native and graduate of NC State University with a degree in history. Her husband, Thabiti, serves as a pastor in Washington, DC, and as a Council Member for The Gospel Coalition.

“Keri is convinced that God is God-centered and that for the sake of our joy, we should be, too…She skillfully created these rich resources—and not only that, she has put the tools in your hands so you can study God’s word for yourself…I highly recommend that you embark on these studies with some other ladies. Then you can all watch in amazement at how God gives you contentment in him.”

Gloria Furman is a pastor’s wife in the Middle East , and author of Glimpses of Grace, Treasuring Christ When Your Hands Are Full, and The Pastor’s Wife.

Table of Contents

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Week 1 Mark 9:14–41 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Week 2 Mark 9:42–10:27 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Week 3 Mark 10:28–52 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

Week 4 Mark 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

Week 5 Mark 12:1–34 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73

Week 6 Mark 12:35–13:13. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91

Week 7 Mark 13:14–37 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105

Week 8 Mark 14:1–26 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119

Week 9 Mark 14:27–72 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133

Week 10 Mark 15:1–32 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149

Week 11 Mark 15:33–6:8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .163

4

Son of God – A Bible Study for Women on the Gospel of Mark (Volume 2)

Print / PDF ISBN: 978-1-941114-82-7

Published by Cruciform Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Copyright © 2018 by Keri Folmar. All rights reserved. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from: The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Italics or bold text within Scripture quotations indicates emphasis added.

We offer several more Bible studies for women from Keri Folmar, including these...

JOY! A Bible Study on Philippians for Women bit.ly/JoyStudy

FAITH: A Bible Study on James for Women bit.ly/FaithStudy

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5Son of God, Volume 2

This Bible study workbook is designed to assist you in examining the second half of the Gospel of Mark in an inductive way. Inductive study means to read the passage in context and ask questions of the text with the purpose of deriving the meaning and significance from the text itself. We do this automatically every day when we read the newspaper, blogs, or even recipes. When we study the Bible inductively we are after the author’s original intent; i.e., what the author meant when he wrote the passage to his original audience. In this workbook, you will unpack the meaning by answering a series of questions about the text, paying close attention to the words and context of the passage. After discovering the meaning of the text, there will be questions to help you apply it to your life.

In the Gospel of Mark, you will immerse yourself in eyewitness accounts of Jesus and read about the wondrous things he said and did. We study the Bible to obtain true knowledge about God. We want to know who Jesus is and what he has done. Studying the Bible gives us head–knowledge but also heart–knowledge of Christ. We can know him truly through the Scriptures. As you read through the Gospel of Mark, may the Holy Spirit open your eyes to more deeply understand and rejoice in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

How to D o I nduct ive B i ble St udyStep 1 – Begin with prayer. “Open my eyes, that I may behold

wondrous things out of your law” (Psalm 119:18). Step 2 – Read the text.Step 3 – Observation. The goal of this step is to figure out

what the text is saying. These questions should be answered from the very words of the text.

Step 4 – Interpretation. The goal of this step is to figure out what the text meant to the original hearers. Your job in interpretation is to figure out the main point of the passage and understand the arguments that support the main point. Your interpretation should flow out of your

Introduction: Why Study the Bible?

6 Introduction

observations, so keep asking yourself, “Can I support this interpretation based on my observations?”

Step 5 – Application. Prayerfully apply the passage to your own life. The application should flow from the main point of the text.

Ke e p G o d ’s Re de mpt ive Pl a n i n M i ndWe study the Bible so that we can know Christ, repent, be forgiven, and proclaim him to the nations. We must keep Jesus in mind when we study Scripture. Adrienne Lawrence writes, “God has one overarching redemptive plan—to glorify himself by creating and redeeming a people for himself through Christ. Christ is at the center of God’s plan. All of Scripture in some way speaks to that plan. Keep this in mind as you are doing your study of Scripture.”

[Note: This “How to” has been adapted from Adrienne Lawrence’s pamphlet on Inductive Bible Study.]

Note sThere are three different types of questions in this study guide: observation, interpretation, and application questions. The questions were written based on language from the English Standard Version of the Bible. However, you are welcome to use any reliable translation to do the study.

To assist you in recognizing the different types of questions asked, the questions are set out with icons as indicated below.

Observation: Look closely in order to figure out what the text is saying. Get answers directly from the text, using the words of Scripture to answer the observation questions.

Interpretation: What is the “true north” for this verse? Determine the author’s intended meaning by figuring out what the text meant to its original hearers.

Application: Based on the author’s meaning of the text, apply the passage to your own heart and life.


Because Scripture interprets Scripture, many of the questions cite passages in addition to the one you are studying in Mark. If the question says, “Read…” you will need to read the additional verses cited to answer the question. If the question says, “See…” the verses help you answer the question but are not necessary. “See also…” signals you to read the verses if you would like to study the answer to the question further.

You only need your Bible to do this study of Mark, and, in fact, I highly recommend first answering the questions directly from your Bible before looking at any other materials. That said, it may be helpful for you to confirm your answers, especially if you are leading others in a group study. To check your answers or for further study, The Gospel According to Mark by James R. Edwards, Mark by R. Alan Cole or Mark by J.C. Ryle are all good commentaries to use.

For more general help in knowing how to study the Bible, I highly recommend Bible Study: Following the Ways of the Word by Kathleen Buswell Nielson and Dig Deeper! Tools to Unearth the Bible’s Treasure by Nigel Beynon and Andrew Sach, and Knowable Word: Helping Ordinary People Learn to Study the Bible, by Peter Krol.. Bible study teachers and students who want a closer look at New Testament theology that will also encourage your heart can read Thomas Schreiner’s, Magnifying God in Christ: A Summary of New Testament Theology. For information that explains why Christians base their life and doctrine on the Bible, see my book, The Good Portion: The Doctrine of Scripture for Every Woman.

Note s for L e ade r sThis Bible study can be done by individuals alone, but the best context for Bible study is in the local church. Studying the Bible together promotes unity and ignites spiritual growth within the church.

The study was designed for participants to complete five days of “homework,” and then come together to discuss their answers in a small group. If you are leading a small group, you will have some extra homework to do:

Before leading discussion, make sure you know the main

8 Introduction

points of the text by carefully studying the passage and checking yourself using a good commentary like one of those listed above. You may also find a Bible dictionary and concordance helpful. Second Timothy 3:16–17 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man [or woman] of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” Scripture is powerful. That power comes through truth. Scripture is not like a magical incantation where we say the words and see the effect. We must know what the text of Scripture means before we apply it and see its work of transformation in our lives. Your job as a discussion leader is not to directly teach, nor to simply facilitate discussion, but rather to lead women in finding the accurate meaning of the text and help them see how it is “profitable” and can make them “competent, equipped for every good work.”

Pray. Pray for the women in your group during the week while you prepare. Pray as you start your small group study, asking the Holy Spirit to illuminate the Scripture to your minds and apply it to your hearts. And encourage women to pray at the end of your small group based on what they studied.

Work to draw women into discussion and keep your discussion organized. Choose what you determine are the most important questions from the study guide, focusing the bulk of your discussion on the interpretation and application questions.

Keep your focus on the Bible. The Holy Spirit uses the Scriptures to change women’s hearts.

Explain the gospel clearly. In your prep time, ask yourself what the text has to do with the gospel and look for opportunities to ask questions to bring out the gospel.

Enjoy studying the Scriptures with your group. Your love and passion for the Word of God will be contagious, and you will have the great joy of watching your women catch it and rejoice in the Word with you.


M a rkMark, also called John Mark, was a close companion of several apostles and partnered with them in the spread of the gospel. He traveled with Paul and Barnabas at the beginning of their first missionary journey (Acts 12:25–13:13), visiting Antioch, Cyprus, Paphos and Perga. Mark then left Paul and Barnabas and returned to Jerusalem, later causing a “sharp disagreement” about whether to take Mark on a second journey with them. Barnabas ended up taking Mark with him to Cyprus, and Paul took Silas to Asia Minor. Paul was later reconciled to Mark and asked Timothy to bring Mark to visit him in jail because he considered Mark so useful to his ministry (2 Timothy 4:11; See also Colossians 4:10).

The apostle Peter goes so far as to call Mark his son (1 Peter 5:13). Peter would have known Mark from the earliest days of the church because the church met in the home of Mark’s mother. In fact, this home is probably where Peter went when an angel broke him out of Herod’s prison (Acts 12:12). Early church tradition is unanimous that Mark wrote his Gospel under the direction of the apostle Peter. Likely written shortly before or after Peter’s death in Rome (sometime in the mid 60s AD), Mark’s Gospel was probably the first Gospel and was recognized as canonical because of its connection to Peter. Papias, an early church father who knew the apostles, said that Mark wrote down everything he heard from Peter about Jesus and included nothing false in the accounts.

The Gospel that Mark wrote is all about Jesus, who he is and what he has done. Mark 1:1–9:13 is covered in Son of God, volume I. Mark 1:1 begins: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Son of God.” The Gospel then introduces us to John the Baptist, whose ministry prepared the way for Jesus, the Christ. Mark goes on to systematically show Jesus’ authority over men, demons, sickness, the forgiveness of sins, nature, and even death. “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:7). The turning point of the Gospel comes when Jesus’ disciple, Peter, confesses that Jesus is the Christ (Mark 8:29). Then Jesus begins to teach his disciples that he will suffer, die, and be raised from the dead and that his disciples will be called upon to take up their own cross and follow him. The Son of God, volume I ends in

10 Introduction

Mark 9:1–13, where Jesus is transfigured, providing a glimpse of his coming. This Volume II picks up after Jesus and his closest disciples have come down off the mountain to encounter a father whose boy has an unclean spirit.


Week 1 D ay 1 Mark 9:14–41

Pray this week to understand the Scriptures and to live more fully with Jesus as your king.

Pray, then read Mark 9:9–32.

Mark 9:14–29

1. What scene greets Jesus, Peter, James, and John after they come down the mountain?

2. What is the argument about?

3. How does Jesus respond to the father’s explanation?

4. What do you think causes Jesus to respond in this discouraged way? Who are the faithless ones in this situation?

5. How does this show Jesus’ compassion for the boy?

6. What happens when the boy is brought to Jesus?

12 Week 1

7. How long has the demon been tormenting this boy, and what is the demon trying to do?

8. What does the father say to beg Jesus to help them?

9. How does Jesus respond?

10. What does the father cry out in response to Jesus?

11. What does Jesus do next, and what is the immediate result?

12. What does Jesus then do as the boy lies there like a corpse, and how does the boy respond?

13. This father brings his boy to Jesus to get help, but then says to Jesus, “if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” What do you think would make the father doubt Jesus’ ability to help?

14. Jesus responds, “All things are possible for one who believes.” What do you think he is telling the father to believe?


15. Why is the father’s response to Jesus’ statement particularly appropriate?

16. In what ways are you like the father when you go to God for help? Are there circumstances where you doubt God’s ability or desire to help?

17. How does the father’s cry, “Help my unbelief!” give you hope in these circumstances?

18. When Jesus is alone with his disciples, they ask him why they couldn’t cast the demon out. How does Jesus answer?

19. Back in 6:7, we saw Jesus give his disciples authority over unclean spirits. But they could not cast out this unclean spirit. Jesus rebukes them (along with the entire generation) for their lack of faith, and then privately tells his disciples they needed to pray to cast out this demon. Whom does this suggest the disciples were relying upon to cast out the demon?

14 Week 1

20. What is it about prayer that would have changed the situation?

21. Are you facing trials that seem insurmountable? For example, are there people in your life who seem so hard hearted that they will never acknowledge Jesus as Lord, or is there some besetting sin in your life that you cannot overcome? How would you counsel yourself according to Jesus’ words in verse 29?

D ay 2


Mark 9:30–32

1. Why did Jesus not want anyone to know his whereabouts?

2. What was Jesus teaching his disciples?

3. How do the disciples respond to this teaching?

4. Jesus first taught the disciples about his death and resurrection after Peter confessed him to be the Christ. Then he repeated


this teaching to Peter, James, and John after the transfiguration. Why is this so important for Jesus to get across to his disciples?

5. Why is it important for us to read in this historical account of Mark that Jesus was teaching his disciples that he would die and rise again?

6. Why was it so hard for the disciples to believe?

7. Look back in verse 24 at the father’s response when Jesus tells him to believe. How does the disciples’ response in verse 32 contrast with the father’s response?

8. Describe a time in your life when you have found the promises of God or any of the Scriptures hard to believe. Were you fearful about bringing these doubts to God?

16 Week 1

9. Describe a time when you did bring your worries or doubts to the Lord. What was the result?

D ay 3


Mark 9:33–37

1. What does Jesus ask his disciples?

2. How do they answer, and why?

3. What does Jesus then say to his disciples?

4. How is the disciples’ argument consistent with their inability to understand Jesus’ teaching in verse 31?

5. How does Jesus’ statement show that he knew what was on the minds and hearts of his disciples?


6. How can Jesus’ statement, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all” make any sense?

7. What does being a servant of all have to do with being last and being first?

8. Jesus uses a child for an object lesson. What does he do with the child?

9. Write out Jesus’ statement in verse 37.

10. Whom do you think the child represents in this object lesson?

a. All children (probably under the age of 12 or 13)

b. Any human being

c. Any person who cannot pay us back for our kindness or anyone we serve without expecting anything in return

18 Week 1

11. What does receiving “one such child” have to do with being “last of all and servant of all”?

12. What does it mean to receive someone in Jesus’ name?

13. What does it mean to receive Jesus?

14. When one receives Jesus, whom else does one receive?

15. How does receiving Jesus and the Father relate to being “first”?

16. Mark was very intentional in choosing the accounts he included in his Gospel and placing them strategically to teach his readers. Why do you think this passage follows the


previous passage where Jesus teaches his disciples about his death and resurrection?

17. Write a statement that sums up the essence of what Jesus is teaching his disciples in 33–37:

18. In what ways do you see pride in your heart that desires to be “the greatest”?

19. Whom are you serving in life? Whom are you receiving in Jesus’ name? (Moms, your own children count!)

20. How can you better serve the needy and those who cannot repay you, particularly those in your church (Galatians 6:10)?

20 Week 1

D ay 4


Mark 9:38–41

1. What did the disciples see, what did they try to do, and why did they try to do it?

2. In whose name was the exorcist acting, and whom was he not following?

3. Whom does this suggest the exorcist was following?

4. How does John’s statement contradict the spirit of what Jesus taught about servanthood in the previous verses?

5. Why does Jesus tell the disciples not to stop the exorcist? Write the three statements that begin with “for”:

For

For


For

6. How does the first statement beginning with “for” relate to the second?

7. How does the second statement relate to the third?

8. What is the main point that Jesus is making in these statements?

9. How does this suggest we should treat one another in the church?

10. How should we deal with disagreements, not over who Jesus is (the exorcist was acting in Jesus’ name), but over secondary or tertiary issues in the universal church?

22 Week 1

11. What is your attitude toward others who disagree with you on secondary or tertiary theological matters? Can you partner with them in the gospel? If so, how?

12. What are some specific ways you have seen brothers and sisters in your church serving one another?

13. In what ways do you serve others in your church? In what ways do you serve people in other local churches?

14. How do you feel about being rewarded by God for even the smallest act of service toward your brother or sister in Christ? Does this motivate you to look for more ways to serve?

15. Notice that Jesus is teaching his disciples in verses 33–41 (and following) after teaching them about his death and resurrection. How do these passages on servanthood relate to the cross?


D ay 5

Pray.

Read 9:14–41.

1. What did Peter, James, and John witness before the incident with the demon possessed boy?

2. At the beginning of Mark, Jesus is baptized and declared by the Father to be his beloved Son; then he is confronted by Satan. At the end of Mark 4, Jesus calms the winds and the waves; and as soon as he arrives on shore, he is confronted by the man with the legion of demons. In Mark 9, Jesus is transfigured, comes down the mountain and is confronted with a demon possessed boy. What do these glimpses of glory followed by confrontations with evil tell you about Jesus and his mission?

3. Reread Mark 9:20–25 and look back at the account of the demoniac in chapter 5:3–5. What is the goal of demons in this world?

24 Week 1

4. There was an epic battle going on in the first century between Jesus, the king of heaven, and Satan, the ruler of this world (John 12:31). How do the demons fare against Jesus?

5. How does each of the passages that we studied this week illustrate the difference between the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of this world?

Verses 14–29

Verses 30–32

Verses 33–37

Verses 38–41


6. In what ways do you see Satan at work in this world?

7. How does your life show that you are no longer a citizen of this world but are a citizen of heaven?

8. How can you live more fully with Jesus as your king?

Notes

26 Week 1

Notes


Week 2 D ay 1 Mark 9:42–10:27

Pray to take sin in your life seriously and to know that salvation is only possible through Christ.


Mark 9:42–48

1. What does Jesus say will happen to someone who causes one of these little ones who believes in him to sin?

2. To whom do you think “these little ones” refers? Does the child in verse 36 symbolize a particular group of people?

3. A millstone was a huge, heavy stone that was pulled in a circle by oxen to crush grain into flour. A great millstone hung around a person’s neck would pull her quickly down, headlong, to the bottom of the sea. How could this be better than the consequences of causing a little one to sin? What is Jesus saying?

4. Are you careful to not cause other Christians to sin? Think about the movies you watch with others or the music you listen to or the places you hang out. Do you engage in worldly activities with your friends that might be dangerous to their

28 Week 2

souls? In what ways can you redirect your activities to encourage others around you?

5. Consider your conversations with other Christians. Do they ever deteriorate into complaining or gossip? Are your words causing others to sin?

6. What does Jesus tell his disciples to do if parts of their bodies cause them to sin?

Hand:

Foot:

Eye:

7. Why does Jesus say it is better to cut off these body parts?

8. Jesus is using hyperbole here. Hands, feet, and eyes don’t actually cause us to sin (Mark 7:20–23) so it would be futile for us to maim ourselves. What point is Jesus trying to get across to his disciples?


9. How seriously do you take sin? Are you willing to figuratively cut off your hand or foot or gouge out your eye to root sin out of your life?

10. What painful steps have you already taken to combat sin in your life?

11. What painful steps do you now need to take to combat your sin?

D ay 2


Mark 9:43–50

1. How does Jesus describe hell in these verses?

2. What sends people to hell?

30 Week 2

3. Some claim that there is no literal, eternal hell. Some say that everyone goes to heaven, while others argue that people who do not trust in Christ simply cease to exist when they die. What do Jesus’ statements about and descriptions of hell tell us about hell and the reality of its existence?

4. Everyone sins. How can we avoid going to hell?

5. What warning does Jesus give in verse 49?

6. What does fire do? Read Numbers 31:23 and Malachi 3:2.

7. Salt was used in Old Testament sacrifices (Leviticus 2:13 and Ezekiel 43:24) and symbolized God’s covenant with his people. What do you think Jesus means by “salted with fire”?


8. Why would Jesus warn of the seriousness of sin and then make this statement? What do the two things have to do with one another? See also Romans 12:1–2.

9. Notice that Jesus speaks of the fire of hell (v. 48) and being salted with fire (v. 49). How are these two fires different? See also 1 Peter 1:6–7.

10. Have you experienced purifying fire? What were the circumstances, and how were you purified?

11. Jesus says that salt is good, but what can happen to it?

12. What two commands does Jesus give at the end of this passage?

13. In the Old Testament, salt was used as a preservative and for flavor just like it is today. How do disciples of Jesus act as preservatives and flavor?

32 Week 2

14. How can they lose their saltiness?

15. What does saltiness have to do with being “at peace with one another”?

16. Are you salty? What are some ways you act as a preservative or flavor enhancer?

In the church:

In the world:

D ay 3

Pray, then read Mark 9:42–10:12.

Mark 10:1–12

1. As crowds again gather to Jesus, what does he do?


2. We have seen Jesus perform miracles, healings, and exorcisms, but what words in the last sentence of verse 1 suggest that teaching is Jesus’ priority?

3. What do the Pharisees ask Jesus, and why do they ask him the question?

4. Jesus asks the Pharisees about the command of Moses. How do they describe the command?

5. Deuteronomy 24:1–4 describes a situation where a man writes his wife a certificate of divorce “because he has found some indecency in her” (Deuteronomy 24:1). There was a contentious debate among the Jews of Jesus’ day about what “indecency” meant—whether it was sexual indecency or something more trivial. The Pharisees were posing the question to Jesus to see if he would misinterpret the law. What does Jesus give as the reason Moses allowed a certificate of divorce?

6. Instead of the Law of Moses (which was not actually giving a justification for divorce but was protecting women by requiring husbands to write out a reason for the divorce), where does Jesus point to argue against divorce?

34 Week 2

7. Read Genesis 1:27 and 2:24 and then write Jesus’ argument in Mark 10:6–8 in your own words:

8. What was God’s purpose for man and wife from the beginning? Read Genesis 1:26–28.

9. What does it mean for husband and wife to become one flesh?

10. How does the one-fleshness of marriage relate to God’s purpose for mankind?

11. Honoring one’s father and mother is one of the Ten Commandments. If a man is to leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, what does this say about the priority of the marriage relationship?


12. If you are married, in what areas have you struggled to “leave and cleave” to your husband? If you are not married or you haven’t struggled in this area, what kind of leaving and cleaving struggles have you seen in other marriages?

13. What is Jesus’ command in verse 9?

14. When Jesus’ disciples speak to him further about this matter, Jesus says it is adultery when a man or woman divorces one spouse and marries another (see Matthew 5:32 and 1 Corinthians 7:15 for possible exceptions to the absolute prohibition against divorce). Why is marriage so important to Jesus? Read Malachi 2:14–16 and Ephesians 5:31–32.

15. Jesus gives a clear command against divorce, but in our day and time we have easy “no-fault” divorce laws. If you are a Christian, what should you do if you feel you and your husband are “incompatible” or your marriage is in trouble? Is divorce for incompatibility a biblical option? Where can you seek help?

36 Week 2

16. How would you counsel a friend who is going through a difficult time in her marriage? How could you help her think about the true purpose of marriage?

17. The blood of Christ covers all of our sin. How would you comfort a friend who has gone through a divorce?

18. How would you use Mark 10:6–8 and other related passages to explain to a friend why homosexual “marriage” is not biblical?

D ay 4


Mark 10:13–16

1. For what were the disciples rebuking people?

2. How did Jesus feel about what the disciples were doing?

3. What does Jesus say to his disciples?


4. Then what does Jesus himself do?

5. In Mark we have read about many who opposed Jesus, but this is the first and only time Jesus is described as indignant. Why do you think Jesus feels so strongly about the disciples preventing children from coming to him?

6. Children are not innocent—they are born with sinful hearts (Psalm 51:5) as every parent has experienced when her child asserts his or her will from infancy. In addition, these children would not have been old enough to understand who Jesus was. (The Greek term for children used here means very young, like an infant.) Considering these things, what does Jesus mean when he says, “whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it”? What is required to enter the kingdom of God?

7. What does this have to do with the previous verse where Jesus says the kingdom of God belongs to such children?

38 Week 2

8. What do the words and actions of Jesus show us about the value of children?

9. Do you have children in your life? How are you taking them to Jesus?

10. Have you received the kingdom of God like a child? Do you go to Jesus with nothing to offer him, except your helplessness and sin? If so, how would you describe your state before Jesus? If not, what do you think you have to offer him?

D ay 5Pray, then read Mark 10:13–31.

Mark 10:17–27

1. What does the man ask Jesus as he kneels before him?

2. What is unusual about this question? (What does a person usually “do” to inherit?)


3. What does Jesus ask the man, and what is his reason for asking?

4. Why do you think Jesus says this to the man before answering his question?

5. In answer to the man’s question, Jesus asks the man if he has obeyed some of the Ten Commandments. Which Commandments does he leave out? Read Exodus 20:1–17.

6. Why do you think Jesus adds, “Do not defraud,” to the Commandments he mentions?

7. What do the Commandments that Jesus names have in common?

8. How does the man answer Jesus’ question about the Commandments?

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9. What do the Commandments that Jesus doesn’t name have in common?

10. What does Jesus tell the man to do?

11. With what attitude and emotion does Jesus speak to the man?

12. The man’s original question was about inheriting eternal life. What does Jesus tell the man he will have if he sells all he has and gives to the poor?

13. In telling this man to sell his things, give to the poor and follow him, what is Jesus implying that the man lacks? Does this have to do with the Commandments that Jesus hasn’t mentioned?

14. How does the man respond, and why?

15. We can tell from this account that Jesus knows this man’s heart idols. Because he “loved” the man, Jesus tells him how to be


rid of his idols and follow him. What does this tell you about Jesus’ attitude toward you and your idols?

16. Jesus gives the man a drastic but necessary solution to ending his dependence on idols. What kind of necessary but possibly drastic solutions do you need to implement to end your dependence on idols?

17. Do you struggle with greed or materialism? Jesus does not ask everyone to sell all they have to give to the poor, but he does ask all of his followers to rid their lives of idols. How can you fight against idolizing money or the security it brings?

18. After the man leaves, what does Jesus teach his disciples?

19. The disciples are “amazed” at Jesus’ words because the Jews of that time thought that wealth was evidence of God’s blessing for living a righteous life. But Jesus illustrates how difficult it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God with an analogy of the impossibility of a camel going through the eye of a needle. What about a rich man would make it so difficult for him to

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enter the kingdom of God? (Why is it difficult for a rich man to receive the kingdom like a child?)

20. The disciples are “exceedingly astonished” at the camel-and-needle analogy, and ask Jesus, “Then who can be saved?” How does Jesus answer them?

21. How is Jesus’ statement an answer to the question of who can be saved?

22. Do you recognize the impossibility of anyone entering the kingdom of God on her own merit? What are the implications of this in your life?

23. How does this affect how you share the gospel with others?


24. This week we have seen Jesus advocate harsh measures to deal with sin and idolatry. Pray for your own heart that you will take whatever measures are necessary to deal with your own sin and idolatry. Also pray for your church to lovingly spur one another on in their fights against sin.

Notes

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Notes

son of god - cruciform press...new testament theology that will also encourage your heart can read...

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