- 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?
- 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.
- 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?
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