Week 2: Mark 3-4

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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 3:1-19

1. Why were the Pharisees watching Jesus closely?
   • What does this reveal about their hearts?
   • How are they responding to miracles taking place right in front of them?
2. How does Jesus respond to them?
   • From this question, what does Jesus seem to be equating inaction with?
3. What two feelings does Jesus have toward the Pharisees?
   • How can we balance those emotions in our own lives when people do wrong?
   • Is all anger sinful? (Ephesians 4:26, James 1:19-20)
4. Why does Jesus feel this way?
5. What does Jesus do?
6. How do the Pharisees respond?
7. How did Jesus respond to the demons calling him the “Son of God”?
8. Why would he want his identity to be a secret?
9. Read Luke 6:12-13. Why did Jesus go up to the mountain?
10. What was the job of the 12 disciples at this time?
11. Why did Jesus call James and John “Sons of Thunder?” (Luke 9:54, an undesigned coincidence indicative of good eyewitness testimony)

Day 2: Mark 3:20-35

1. What did Jesus’ family say about him?
   • Did his family believe he had power?
2. What did the Pharisees say about him?
   • Did the Pharisees believe he had power?
3. How does Jesus respond to the Pharisees?
4. Who here is in danger of committing the unforgivable sin?
5. Read Matthew 24:24 and Deuteronomy 13:1-3. Is saying a sign or a wonder or a prophet is not from God blaspheming the Holy Spirit?
6. Looking at the rest of Scripture, do we have any examples of people who have sinned too much to be forgiven by God?
7. What is the ministry of the Holy Spirit? (John 16:8, John 15:26)
8. Have the Pharisees seen enough evidence that they should believe Jesus is sent from God?
9. Looking at the context, what do you think Jesus is saying is the unforgivable sin?
   • Is it a sin that is too big or is it possibly a heart that has hardened itself against God and does not want to accept Christ as Lord?
10. Who does Jesus say are his true family?
11. Do the blood relatives of Jesus have special privileges to him other than witnessing his entire life?
12. What does it mean to you that we can be considered a part of God’s family?

Day 3: Mark 4:1-20

1. Why did Jesus teach in parables?
2. Who are the outsiders when Jesus says this?
3. Read Ezekiel 33:11, 1 Timothy 2:3-4. Who does God want to be saved?
4. Does Jesus use parables to blind people or because they are blind?
5. What sin did we just speak about in the section before?
   • If someone understands the parables perfectly and rejects them, is this worse than if they simply think it’s a neat story?
   • What, then, is the purpose of parables?
6. What advantage do we have today that the people of these crowds did not have? (John 16:7, Acts 2:4, Ephesians 2:22)
7. Who is the sower?
8. What are the four types of soil?
9. What does the soil represent?
   • What types of soil have you been in your life?
   • Can someone’s “type of soil” change?
10. What kills the seed planted on the rocky soil?
11. What keeps the seed in the thorns from producing fruit?
    • What things might keep you from producing fruit for God’s Kingdom?
12. What three things does the seed in the rich soil do?
13. Going back to verse 12, what soil do you think the person who hears but does not understand might be?

Day 4: Mark 4:21-25

1. What is our job in this parable?
   • Do we create the light or do we simply make sure we are putting the light in a place of prominence?
   • What is the purpose of the light?
2. Read John 1:1-9. What element does this bring to the parable in Mark?
3. Jesus speaks of something being hidden and brought out into the open. What is he referring to?
4. Read Romans 16:25-26 and Ephesians 1:9-10.
   • What was hidden and what reveals it?
5. Read Luke 24:26-27, John 5:39 and John 5:46-47
   • What parts of the Scriptures (The Old Testament) are about Jesus?
6. Do you take heed of what you hear? Are you careful what teachers you learn from?
7. When we hear, what is given?
   • Based on the context, is Jesus promising material blessings here or spiritual blessings?

Day 5: Mark 4:25-34

1. What do you think is the main idea that Jesus wants us to take away from the parable of the growing seed?
2. Who is the farmer? (Read Mark 4:14)
   • Apart from planting/watering, does he cause it to grow?
3. What is probably the meaning of the harvest? (Read Matthew 13:39)
4. What does the parable of the growing seed teach us about evangelism (telling people about Jesus)?
5. How is the Kingdom of God like a mustard seed?
6. How has the Kingdom of God and Christianity impacted our world today?
   • Is it a large impact or a small impact?
7. Why did Jesus teach in parables? (verse 33)

Research Question: Is the mustard seed the smallest seed in the world? Is this literal or hyperbolic language and does it change the meaning of the text?

Day 6: Mark 4:35-41

1. What did Jesus do to get away from the crowds?
2. What was he doing in the boat?
3. Why were the disciples afraid?
4. What did they ask Jesus?
   • Have you ever asked God the same question?
5. How did Jesus respond to them?
6. Why does Jesus controlling the weather freak the disciples out so much? (Read Psalm 65:5-11, Psalm 89:8-9)
   • Who is Jesus showing he is with this action?
7. Read Psalm 107:23-32
   • What do the sailors in need say?
   • How is this similar or different from what the disciples ask?
8. What did the disciples fail to believe?
   • Were they supposed to not wake Jesus up or was it something else?
9. Were the disciples more afraid or less afraid after Jesus calms the storm?
10. Did the disciples understand at this point who Jesus was?