By: K. Clyde
Bible Study, Mark Daily Study

Week 4: Mark 7-8

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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 7:1-23

  1. Did the disciples break the Jewish law given by God or the Jewish tradition given by man?
  2. How does Jesus respond to the Pharisee’s objection?
  3. How do the Pharisees void the Word of God?
  4. What things today do we make “requirements” of our faith that God has not commanded, much like the Pharisees did with the washing of hands? What traditions have some added to our faith that are treated like laws from God?
  5. Is your heart close to God or far from God?
  6. Can you do all the right outward things and still be far from God?
  7. Jesus declares all food good in the eyes of God. How is this different from the law?
  8. If the actual food was not the purpose of the food laws in the Old Testament, what was the purpose? (Galatians 3:19-25, Romans 3:20)
  9. Of the list in Mark 21-22, what do you struggle with the most?
    • Does anything on this list stand out to you?

Research Questions:

  1. Does Christianity have any food or drink restrictions?
  2. There is a group within Christianity called the Hebrew Roots Movement. This is a group that believes we should still honor the Old Testament law. Do a bit of research into their reasoning and scriptural reasons for or against their beliefs.
  3. What other religions/cults do you know of that have food or drink restrictions?

Day 2: Mark 7:24-30:

Note: This is a hard teaching to understand in our cultural context. We need to be careful to try to understand it from the context it was given in. This one takes a bit more reading to understand this context, but it’s well worth it!

  1. Who came and bowed at Jesus’ feet?
  2. Who are the dogs and who are the children in his response?
    • Did Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews) interact in this time? Why or why not?
  3. Why would Jesus respond to her in this way? We have three options:
    1. Jesus was being racist against Gentiles and sinned. He would therefore not able to be a perfect sacrifice and we’re still in our sins.
    2. Jesus was being racist and racism is not sinful.
    3. Something else is happening here.
  4. Before Jesus’ death on the cross, who did God have a covenant with?
    • What was the purpose of this covenant and the law?
    • Who was included in this covenant?
    • Were people excluded from this covenant because of their race? (Joshua 2:9, Joshua 6:25, Exodus 12:48-49, Ruth 1:4, Matthew 1:5)
  5. Who was Jesus’ ministry meant to be for during his life? (Matthew 15:24)
    • Does this change after his death and resurrection? (Read Matthew 28:18, Romans 9:25-26, Galatians 3:28-29, Ephesians 2:11-18)
  6. Was Tyre a Gentile area or a Jewish area? (Not in text, research required)
    • Why would Jesus travel to this area if he didn’t want to minister to the Gentiles?
  7. In light of the historical, cultural and biblical context, what is Jesus teaching in this passage? What is Jesus foreshadowing?
    • Does the relationship between Jews and Gentiles change after Jesus’ death and resurrection?
  8. Consider yesterday’s reading. Is there a theme consistent in these two day?
  9. What can we learn from the woman’s response?

Research Question: Would you like to dive deeper into this teaching to understand it better? I recommend a teaching on YouTube by Pastor Mike Winger “Why Jesus Called This Woman a Dog: The Mark Series part 24)

Day 3: Mark 7:31-37

  1. Why did Jesus lead the man away?
  2. Was he doing the healings for the crowd or for the man?
  3. How did Jesus heal this man?
    • What ways has he used in the past healings?
  4. Read Isaiah 35:4-7
    • What parts has Jesus fulfilled at this point?
  5. Why is Jesus healing this man so significant?
  6. Imagine this healing from this man’s perspective. He cannot speak and he cannot hear. What things would this man have been able to see and feel Jesus do?
    •  Do you think Jesus adjusted his method of healing to better meet this man where is was at?
  7. Should this man have been able to speak plainly if he has never spoken before?

Day 4: Mark 8:1-13

  1. How is this story similar and different from the one in Mark 6:3-44?
  2. What do the disciples ask him in verse 4?
  3. Why would Jesus repeat this miracle?
  4. Would the Pharisees have believed if Jesus had done a miracle? (verse 11)
  5. Why did they want him to do a miracle?
  6. Are the miracles the most important thing to Jesus?
    • What is?
    • If you don’t receive a miracle, will you still believe?

Day 5: Mark 8:14-21

  1. What do you think Jesus meant “the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod”?
    • What do the Pharisees and Herod have in common?
  2. How should we apply this in our lives?
  3. What are the disciples arguing about?
  4. Why is Jesus offended by this?
  5. What don’t the disciples understand? (Read Exodus 16:1-5 and John 6:47-51)
  6. Is Jesus’ main message about the physical bread or the spiritual bread?
  7. Do we understand?

Day 6: Mark 8:22-26

  1. How is this story like the story of the deaf and mute man in Mark 7:31-37?
  2. Do you think Jesus could have completely healed the man’s blindness the first time?
  3. Why did he do the healing in two parts?
    • What could he be teaching with this action?
  4. Read 1 Corinthians 13:8-12
    • Could this be what Jesus was foreshadowing with the two part healing?
    • When will the “time of perfection” come?
  5. Remember the prophecy in Isaiah 35:4-7. Has Jesus fulfilled each part regarding healing?

Day 7: Mark 8:27-38

  1. Who do people today say Jesus is?
  2. Who do you say he is?
  3. Who does Peter say he is?
  4. What does the title “Messiah” mean to a Jew in this time? 
  5. Read Isaiah 42:1, Isaiah 61:1-3, Psalm 16, and Daniel 9:20-28
    • What did the Jews expect the Messiah to look like?
  6. Is Jesus’ prediction in verse 31 consistent with the Old Testament prophecy about the Messiah?
    • What prophecies do you know of?
  7. Why would Peter rebuke/correct him?
  8. Do we see things with a human point of view or God’s?
  9. What does Jesus mean when he says if we give up our life we will save it?
  10. Do we value other things more than souls?
  11. Are we ashamed of the message of Jesus?

Research Question: Based on their understanding of the Old Testament, some Rabbis believed there would be two messiahs. The first, Messiah ben Joseph would come and suffer. The second, Messiah ben David, would come and conquer.

Do some research into these theories and what Scriptures led them to think this? What do we know in light of Jesus? How many times will Jesus come to earth and what are his missions each time?