Chapter 7.34-37, Page 17.3-26

The Text: Mark 7.24-37, Page 17.3-26

• Read the text aloud to each other

Discussion Questions:

• Spend a few minutes making observations: who, where, what…Pay special attention to where these stories take place, and to the contrast between the responses to Jesus in these two stories as compared to the previous story of the dispute with the Pharisees.
• Why is Jesus in the region of Tyre and Sidon? What do you make of this unusual conversation between Jesus and the woman? Why does Jesus speak to her in a parable? What impresses you about her response? Why does Jesus answer her prayer after her response?
• What happened the last time Jesus was in the Decapolis? (5.20). Where do you think this group of people ‘who brought to him a man’ came from? How does this man’s problem – no ears to hear, and inability to speak clearly – relate to the disciples’ development as Jesus’ apostles?
• Why do you think Mark highlights the responsiveness of these Gentiles as contrasted by the Pharisees’ questions and the disciples’ mixed responses to Jesus?

Application reflections

• Do we share Jesus’ priority of bringing the gospel to people in hard to reach places? What for us would be a hard to reach place – not only geographically, but emotionally or culturally?
• What is the role of asking questions of those interested in the blessings of the gospel?
• Have you ever had the experience of finding non-religious people to be more interested in Jesus and the gospel than the religious? Why do you think this is so?

Pray

 

7.24-37

Observations

• Who: Jesus, Gentile woman, deaf man and his friends, crowd
• Where: Region of Tyre and Sidon, Decapolis
• When: Just after the debate with the Pharisees, and explanation to the disciples
• What: an exorcism and a healing; recognition and praise from the crowds of Decapolis
• Contrasts: hidden/found; Pharisee’s questions/Decapolis praise; ‘clean’ Jewish area/’unclean’ Gentile areas
• Connections: the woman has ears to hear; what is hidden – Jesus – is made known
• Responses to Jesus:
• The woman seeks Jesus, understands his parable, and answers back with a parable
• The demon leaves the daughter
• They brought the deaf and dumb man to Jesus
• The man is healed
• The people of Decapolis praise Jesus

Interpretation

• Jesus intentionally enters Gentile regions. The disciples are not mentioned in these stories; it seems that Jesus is alone. It almost seems that Jesus specifically goes to Tyre and Sidon just to meet this woman.
• In spite of Jesus’ words – let the children be fed – Jesus intentionally enters Gentile areas with the good news of the kingdom. He breaks several social taboos in his encounter with the woman: Gentile; woman; possessed/unclean daughter. The interpretation of this? Jesus’ gospel is intended for all peoples. Israel’s purpose was to be a light to the nations, to initiate the rule and reign of God for all peoples. Israel failed in this mandate, instead becoming a people obsessed with nationalism and ritual purity (note the contrast with the Pharisees’ in the previous story and the praise and acceptance of the woman, and the people of Decapolis). This intentional trip into Gentile regions with the good news sets the stage for Jesus’ judgment and rejection of Jerusalem and Jewish nationalism that we will see in chapters 11-13.
• The woman speaks Jesus’ language of parable: she has ears to hear.
• The last time Jesus was in Decapolis he was asked to leave, and sent the healed Demoniac to proclaim how Jesus had saved him. This time Jesus finds people waiting for him, and asking him for help. It looks like the Demoniac’s testimony bore fruit: people are now looking for Jesus, rather than rejecting him. This is a living example of the parable of the mustard seed: the demoniac’s testimony seemed insignificant; yet it impacted people who were ready to come to Jesus.
• The Gentiles praise Jesus – he has done all things well: what a contrast to the rejection of the Pharisees, and Jesus’ condemnation of their hypocrisy.
• Some commentators thing Jesus prayer, with a sigh, and looking to heaven, may be a prayer to God to ‘open’ the Gentile region of Decapolis to the gospel. This could be further emphasis on Jesus’ inclusiveness, of his priority to give more to those who have…

Application

• Jesus intentionally puts himself where he can be found by those with ears to hear, eyes to see.
• The gospel is not constrained by any perceived ‘favored nation status’: Jesus’ kingdom is inclusive, for all the nations, for all peoples.
• Deaf ears, and dumb tongues, can only be opened by Jesus’ special touch.

 

Mark 7.1-23

Introduction

• Any thoughts this past week about the contrasts between the Kingdom of God and political kingdoms?

 The Text: Mark 7.1-23, Page 15.22-17.2

• Read the text aloud to each other.

Discussion Questions:

• Spend a bit of time on observations and interpretation (Corban was a bit like a trust account where money was pledged to God on death, but could be used by the owner in the meantime).
• Why is Jesus so angry with the Pharisees? Was there anything wrong with these traditions? What was Jesus’ point in these criticisms?
• Can you think of any ways that we allow human traditions to get in the way of true worship with God? How about any pet theological theories that get our focus off God’s intention to bless all nations?
• Talk about Jesus’ understanding about purity – something that comes from within, rather than something that comes from outside. Think about some other worldviews and discuss their view of humanity’s problems and the solution; for example communists, or capitalists, or naturalists…

Application reflections

• How does Jesus’ diagnosis of the source of evil impact our understanding of our own wickedness? Of societies proposed solutions to the problem of evil?
• Are we allowing our religious life to get in the way of our relational commitments – spending all our energy on religious activity, and neglecting family?
• How can we deal with the evil within?

Pray

OIA Mark 6.30-56

Observations

• Who: Jesus, the 12, 5000, crowds, sick
• Where: a desolate place, in a boat, on the lake, in the villages
• When: Upon the apostles return from their mission trip
• What: Jesus demonstrates compassion: feeds the crowds, brings order into chaos, walks on water, teaches the 12, and heals many
• Contrasts: apostles successful mission/spiritual blindness; sheep without a shepherd/sitting calmly being fed; painful headway/Jesus walking on water; terrified/do not be afraid;
• Connections: desolate place, thronging crowds, miraculous provision, Jesus’ self-revelation, spiritual blindness, terror and fear
• Responses to Jesus:
• The 12 accept Jesus’ invitation to withdraw, but are stumped by Jesus’ command to feed the crowds leading to the inability to recognize Jesus in person, terror, and fear; their hearts become calcified.
• The crowds are responsive to Jesus’ pastoral directions: they sit, are taught and fed, and sent home in a peaceful manner.
• The village crowds bring their sick to Jesus for healing. 

Interpretation

• Jesus displays profound prophetic power in these stories. Like Moses, Jesus provides food in the wilderness; like God, Jesus walks on the waves; again like God Jesus intends to pass by the disciples and show his glory (Elijah in the cleft rock), Jesus portrays David’s Good Shepherd. Mark portrays Jesus as one with the greatest prophets in Jewish history. And on the lake, Jesus says ‘take heart, I AM’. Truly this is the Son of God!
• The apostles, returning from an amazingly successful mission trip, none the less fail to understand and recognize Jesus. Like the people from his home town, and the people who say Jesus is John the Baptist reincarnated, or Elijah, of another prophet, like Herod who is interested but double-minded, and like the Pharisees in the next section – the disciples are victims of hardened hearts resulting in spiritual blindness: when they see Jesus on the lake, they take him for a ghost, and are terrified. Again we see that fear is the opposite of faith.
• What happened to the disciples? Apparently they took offense at Jesus when he told them to feed the crowds: he asked them, again, to do something that was, for them impossible; and rather than throwing themselves on Jesus’ power, they are insulted and cynical.
• Why does Jesus test the disciples in this way? Perhaps he is driving home several ministry lessons to the future leaders of his kingdom: they must depend on him; they will be asked to do things impossible for them, but possible for Jesus; they bear responsibility to care for those who respond to their preaching and healing; compassion outweighs practicality; people need good shepherds…

 Application

• Jesus, with God-like power and authority, is also the good shepherd of Psalms 23.
• Following Jesus is impossible; only in His grace are we able to serve him.
• When we cry out to Jesus in panic, even when we completely misperceive him, he is still a good shepherd to us: “Have courage, I am, do not be afraid”.

Mark 6.30-56 Discussion Prompts

Introduction

• Have you had any thoughts or insights this past week about the significance of John’s murder by Herod, and how this sets the stage for Mark’s readers for Jesus’ impending death?
• Any dreams or ideas of externally focused ministry for our group?

The Text: Mark 6.30-56, Page 14.5-15.22

• Read the text aloud to each other.

Discussion Questions:

• This is a very full text, so you will have to focus your discussion. Try to focus your observations in three categories: Jesus, the disciples, and kingdom impact.
• Jesus: discuss all you can learn about Jesus: his unbelievable power and authority, his miraculous power, his compassion, his learning plan for the disciples, Old Testament images that come to mind from this story; then come up with a short sentence or title that summarizes what Mark wants us to know about Jesus from these stories.
• Disciples: imagine yourself as one of the disciples, just returning from an amazing mission trip having seen the Lord accomplish amazing things through you, and then this unexpected encounter with Jesus: what were the disciple’s expectations when Jesus invited then on a retreat to rest? What happened instead? Where did this big crowd come from? Why do the disciples want to send this crowd away? What do you think the disciples felt when Jesus said ‘you feed them’? What is it the apostles did not understand, and so mistook Jesus for a ghost?
• Kingdom impact: compare and contrast Jesus’ banquet with Herod’s banquet.

Application reflections

• Spend a few minutes just acknowledging and praising Jesus for his gracious divine power and provision.
• Have you ever had an experience like that of the disciples – where Jesus asks too much from you, asks something impossible, something that irritates you? Who did you respond, and how did this affect you ability to see and understand Jesus and his purposes?
• Can you think of contrasts between current political leaders/kingdoms and the kingdom of God that mirror the contrasts between Jesus’ and Herod’s kingdoms? 

Pray

Mark 6.7-29 Discussion Prompts

Introduction

• Spend some time catching up after the Christmas holidays, maybe telling stories of how you saw the Lord come to life in your family celebrations.
• Spend a bit of time reflecting on Lou’s January 3 sermon and the Acts 1 vision for our church.

The Text: Mark 6.6b-26, Page 12.21-14.5

• Read the text aloud to each other. 

Discussion Questions:

• Spend a few minutes making observations: who, where, what, connections to previous passages, repeated words…Talk also about how these stories set the stage for the next couple of chapters.
• Why does Jesus send the 12 in this way at this time? Do you think the 12 are ready for this assignment? What are we to learn about Jesus and his kingdom from this story?
• Why is this story of Herod and John inserted in the middle of the 12’s mission?
• What is Herod’s motivation for his behavior in this despicable story?
• Contrast Herod’s kingdom with that of Jesus.

Application reflections

• Has the Lord ever given you an assignment similar to that he gave to the 12? What did you learn about Jesus and his kingdom from that experience?
• Why does God allow suffering and apparently meaningless death to come to his servants? 

Pray

• During your prayer time begin to ask the Lord about an externally focused ministry, along the lines of Lou’s Jan 3 sermon, that he might have in mind for your group.

OIA Mark 6.6-29

Observations

• Who: Jesus, the 12; John the Baptist, King Herod, his wife and step daughter, nobles and military leaders of Galilee, executioner, John’s disciples.
• Where: In the villages; in Herod’s palace
• When: After Jesus’ rejection by his home town; during the disciples’ mission.
• What: Jesus sends the 12 on their first ministry assignment with delegated authority including the command to demonstrate judgment; the mission is successful; Herod murders John.
• Contrasts: Jesus’/Herod’s authority; spiritual interest/social pressure.
• Connections: in the villages; preaching repentance; unclean spirits vanquished; spiritual power opposed;
• Responses to Jesus:
• The 12 are obedient and experience Jesus’ delegated power and authority 

Interpretation

• The sending to the 12 introduces a new section in Mark’s gospel. Jesus’ training of the 12 is one of the key themes of this section. In the coming stories Jesus will gradually open the eyes of the 12 to key elements of his kingdom: partnership in the kingdom under his delegated authority; suffering at the hands of political and religious leaders; responsibility for those impacted by their ministry; and inescapable dependence on Jesus’. This section culminates with Peter’s partial recognition of Jesus’ identity, immediately followed by Jesus’ teaching about suffering, death, rejection, and resurrection. Jesus clearly explains the difference between God’s ways and man’s ways. The first mission of the 12 contrasted by Herod’s temporal depravity sets the stage for this section.
• This section is another example of a Markan sandwich: the story of Herod’s depravity is set in the middle of the 12’s first mission and return, and flows immediately into the feeding of the 5000 which sets up a dramatic contrast between the chaos and callousness or Herod’s kingdom as compared to the compassion, provision, and calm order of Jesus’ rule and reign.
• Herod: this is not the Herod the Great (47 – 4 BC) who welcomed the Magi and murdered the male Bethlehem toddlers under two years of age. This Herod, Antipas (20BC – 39AD; Tetrarch of Galilee and Perea 4BC – 39AD), was Herod’s son by his fourth of ten wives, Malthace. Herod was considered by Rome to be an effective ruler. He built the major city of Sepphoris, the largest city in Galilee, and his capital for many years. Sepphoris is only about four miles from Nazareth, and it is likely both Joseph and Jesus might have worked in this city as carpenters. Herod Antipas left his first wife after falling in love with his half-brother Philips wife and her daughter during a stopover on his trip to Rome in 29AD. (Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels: IVP)

Application

• A disciples’ effectiveness for ministry is far more dependent on the call and equipping by Jesus than it is on the disciple’s ability to accomplish the task on his/her own abilities and merits.
• Herod’s banquet, based on willful confusion, political expediency, pride, and wanton disregard for life could have happened in any governmental venue in the world. Such power-based activities haunt the halls of power to this day.
• John’s role is described in Mark 1: prepare the way of the Lord. Even in his death – a senseless murder at the hands of power hungry and lust-besotted political rulers – John prepares the way for Jesus’ immanent lynching by the powers of Rome and Jerusalem. The greatest of all men born to women is sacrificed to a drunken boast; Jesus will die for human reasons not very different.