Discussion Prompts Mark 4.35-41

Community Building

• How are we doing on an externally focused activity? A couple of new ones seem to be developing: Habitat for Humanity is planning to build some homes here in Chico; and we may have opportunity to partner with an organization that does after school programs. More to come…

The Text: Mark 4.35-41, page 9.11-23

• This story begins a new section in Mark; before you read this section aloud to each other, take a couple of minutes to scan up to 6.6a, or page 12.21
• What impacted us from Lou’s second sermon on responsiveness and kingdom dynamics? 

Discussion Questions:

• Make a few observations on this story: who, what, when, where, contrasts, connections…
• How do the disciples get into this situation? How bad is the storm – what words describe the severity of the storm? Discuss the fact that at least some of the disciples were professional fisherman – they had the experience and equipment to meet this crisis.
• Why is Jesus asleep?
• Spend some time discussing the disciples fear: what do the fear, and why. Why is their fear of Jesus even greater than their fear of the storm? Are faith and fear really opposites? 

Application reflections

• Have we been, or are we now, in a situation that seems hopeless, beyond our resources? Can we identify with the disciples’ idea that Jesus may not care about us? What do we discoverer about ourselves, and Jesus, by encountering life’s great storms?
• Have we ever been terrified by Jesus? How? Why?
• Jesus seems to lead the disciples into this crisis – they are doing exactly what he asked of them: going to the other side. How does Jesus’ seeming willingness to bring us to crisis situations, beyond our control, impact our understanding of what it means to follow Jesus?
• How do we answer the disciples’ question: Who then is this?

Pray