By: K. Clyde
Bible Study, Mark Daily Study, ,

Week 1: Mark 1-2

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Does a particular question or verse stand out to you? Feel free to comment responses to any and all questions you think are particularly interesting or challenging! Also, if you have additional questions you think other’s would benefit from, feel free to add them in the comments.

Day 1: Mark 1:1-15

  1. Who was John preparing the way for?
  2. Read Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3
    • In Isaiah, notice the capitalization of LORD. What does this mean? (Outside Research)
    • What does this say about Jesus in the opening verses of Mark?
  3. Why was John baptizing people? (verse 4)
    • What prepares people to see Jesus?
  4. What is the difference between the way John offers the forgiveness of sins and the traditional way Jews would have pursued forgiveness at this time?
    • What’s missing? (Hebrews 9:22)
    • What is anticipated? (John 1:29, Hebrews 7:26-27)
  5. What does John say about himself compared to Christ? (verse 7)
    • What does Jesus say about John? (Matthew 11:11)
    • Is this because John devalues himself or because he rightly values Christ?
  6. What is the difference between the baptism of John and the baptism Jesus will offer? (verse 8)
  7. Why was Jesus baptized if he never sinned? (Matthew 3:13-15)
  8. What does it mean to “fulfill all righteousness?” A few possibilities to consider:
    • This the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and the handoff from John to Jesus (Luke 1:17)
    • This showed John that Jesus was the promised Messiah (John 1:32-33)
    • The Baptism of Jesus symbolized the coming crucifixion and resurrection (Mark 10:38-39, Luke 12:50, Romans 6:3-4)
  9. Could Jesus have sinned when Satan tempted him?
    • Did Jesus ever stop being God?
    • If Jesus could have sinned, what does that say about God?
  10. What did Jesus preach? (verse 15)

Day 2 : Mark 1:16-34

  1. Who is Simon? (Hint: Read John 1:42)
  2. Why were James and John repairing their nets? (Hint: Read Luke 5:5-11)
    • Note: This is an undesigned coincidence where one of the books unintentionally fills in a detail that another left unexplained. It is very characteristic of eyewitness testimony.
  3. Has God ever called you to do something and you did it immediately? Or did you delay?
  4. How was Jesus’ teaching different from the teachers of the law? (Verse 22)
  5. What did the demon call Jesus?
  6. What did Jesus do in response?
  7. Why did Jesus not allow the demons to speak? (Verses 25 and 34)
    • What happens later when people realize who Jesus is claiming to be? (John 6:15, Matthew 12:23-24, Acts 2:23)
  8. What town does Peter live in? (Archeologists have actually discovered this very house!)
  9. What woman did Jesus heal of the fever?
    • What can we infer about Peter’s marital status?

Day 3: Mark 1:35-45

  1. What did Jesus do at sunrise?
  2. What was it like for one living with leprosy (Leviticus 13:45-46)
  3. What does the man say to Jesus?
    • Where else do we see a similar posture in prayer? (Matthew 6:10, Luke 22:42)
    • What can we learn from this man’s posture toward Jesus?
  4. What does Jesus tell the man to do after he heals him?
    • What was the offering required by the law of Moses? (Hint: Read Leviticus 14:2-32)
    • Did Jesus support the sacrificial system?
  5. Why do you think Jesus told him to keep it a secret?
    • What happens when someone touches someone unclean?
    • What happens when the man tells people about what Jesus did? (verse 45)

Day 4: Mark 2:1-12

  1. Whose faith did Jesus respond to?
    • Does this automatically include or exclude the faith of the paralytic?
  2. What miracle does Jesus do first?
  3. What do the teachers of the religious law say?
    • Who do they say can forgive sins?
    • What does this imply about Jesus?
  4. What was the purpose of Jesus healing the man? (verse 10)
    • What does this say about the purpose of miracles?
  5. What title does Jesus use about himself in this passage?
  6. Is physical healing the main purpose of Jesus’ ministry or is the forgiveness of sins?

Day 5: Mark 2:13-22

Note: In verse 18, the Pharisees are not accusing the disciples of breaking the law, but of not following the additional tradition of regular fasting that they have added to the law. Pharisees had adopted the practice of fasting regularly throughout the week. (See Luke 18:12)

  1. Who did Jesus say in this section that he came to call?
  2. Read Luke 18:9-14. Who is juxtaposed in this passage?
    • Who is justified (made right) before God? Why?
    • Who is exalted and who is humbled?
  3. Read Romans 3:9-31. Who is righteous?
  4. Who is in the group of sick that Jesus came to call in Mark 2?
    • Who is not in that group?
  5. Is Jesus rebuking fasting or the timing of the fasting?
  6. What is the significance of calling himself the Bridegroom? (Isaiah 61:10, Isaiah 62:4-5, Hosea 2:14-20)
    • What is Jesus saying about Himself with this title?
  7. In the context of this passage, what is the new wine and new wineskin?
    • What is the old wine and the old wineskin?

Day 6: Mark 2:23 –28

Note: The Pharisees had taken the law of God and added a great deal to it. They added more restrictions in an effort to keep people from breaking the laws that God had given. In this section, they are accusing the disciples of harvesting/working on the sabbath by picking a few grains to eat as they walk. 

  1. What is the Sabbath? Why was it important? (Hint: Exodus 20:8-11)
  2. What did the Pharisees say they did that broke the Sabbath?
  3. Were the disciples stealing? (Deuteronomy 23:25)
  4. What is the purpose of the Sabbath according to Jesus?
  5. What does Jesus say he is Lord over?
    • Who else could make this claim?
    • What is Jesus saying about Himself here?