Today’s passage: Mark 11:12-33

Helpful thoughts:

• Two accounts are told in conjunction with each other in today’s passage.  This suggests there is a connection between them
  • The cursing of the fig tree:
    • In the Old Testament, the fig tree was used as a metaphor for Israel (Jeremiah 8:13).
    • When the fig tree’s leaves come, it has the appearance of bearing fruit.  But no fruit was found.
  • The cleansing of the Temple and Jewish leaders’ response:
    • The Temple was called a house of prayer for the nations in Isaiah 56:7.
    • Because of the hypocrisy and greed of the leadership, the Temple had an appearance of godliness but it was not bearing fruit in keeping with repentance.
• The “moving of a mountain” was used as a metaphor in that culture.  Jesus was not challenging them to move literal mountains, but encouraging them to ask for what they would consider to be impossible.
• Jesus responded to the religious leaders’ “gotcha” question with a question of his own.  All of the religious leaders’ cleverness and safety in numbers could never had stood a chance against God and the truth.

Questions to consider:

1. What are the “leaves” of apparent godliness in our day and age (Or, in our church background)?  Meaning, are there some ways a person could be part of our church and appear godly without others ever knowing if they truly love the Lord?  How do we grow in sincerely encouraging one another in fruitfulness?
2. How does verse 25 (Along with James 4:3 and 1 John 5:14) help us as we think about our heart’s motives in prayer?  What are the kinds of mountains which God would delight to move in response to our prayers?  What should our heart be toward others and toward the Lord when we pray?
3. What can we learn from Jesus’ response in verses 27-33?  What were the religious leaders really living for?  Why did they fear to answer Jesus’ question?  How does the fear of the Lord and confidence in the truth repel the fear of man?

Today’s passage: Mark 11:1-11

Helpful thoughts:

• In Jesus’ Triumphal Entry, he is hailed as the promised Messiah in Jerusalem.
• In riding into Jerusalem on a young donkey, Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9.
• The people cried out words from Psalm 118:25-26.
  • The people are looking for freedom from the Romans, not from their sin.
  • The palm branches were a national symbol.  Jesus riding into the city at the beginning of Passover (Celebrating their freedom from Egypt) would have been equated with what they’d hoped he would do for Israel now that they were under the authority of Rome.

Questions to consider:

1. On this day, the Jews called Jesus their Messiah.  What would they do at the end of the week (Mark 15:12-14)?
2. In what way was Israel so close to understanding who Jesus was?  In what way were they so far away?  What was it they wanted?  Who did they want Jesus to be for them?
3. From what had Jesus come to save His people?  Why is it right to cry out, “Hosannah!” (Matthew 1:21)

Today’s passage: Mark 10:35-52

Helpful thoughts:

• James and John (And quite possibly the rest of the disciples) thought first of their position, their rank.  Jesus turns their attention to their actions.
• The Son of Man came to serve.  Christ served us by giving up His life, dying for our sin.
• Jesus’ role as servant is put on display in Jericho.  Jesus deserved to see everyone bow their knee.  Instead, the blind (Whom the world would have looked down upon) were calling on Him for service.

Questions to consider:

1. How does man often think about authority?  What does gaining authority actually result in?
2. What then does it look like to become more like Christ in this world?  Should we expect to be treated more regally?
3. If we are serving for the praise of man or to gain power, what frustrations will soon come?  What is the right motive to serve?  How can we keep that in mind when interacting with servant-leaders in our lives?  How could we be an encouragement to them?

Today’s passage: Mark 10:17-34

Helpful thoughts:

• A major contrast is given in this passage:
  • A man who is “rich” by the world’s standards who is not willing to give up his possessions to follow Jesus.
  •  A God who is “meek and lowly,” willing to leave His glory to make possible what would be impossible for mankind, the salvation of our souls. (Matthew 11:29, Philippians 2:5-8)
• The man’s reliance on his possessions is also contrasting with the previous passage concerning child-like faith.
• This rich young man was going to reject Jesus, but the offer was still presented.  We don’t know who will repent and put their faith in Christ, but our mission is still the same.  Preach the Gospel to everyone (Mark 16:15)

Questions to consider:

1. What is the answer to the quasi riddle given in verse 18?  Why is Jesus “good?”  What statement was Jesus making in this verse?
2. Why was this crowd “exceedingly astonished” in verse 26?  What had Jesus just told them?  What hope did they (Or any person) have of entering the kingdom based on what Jesus had just said?
3. Why is it impossible for man to enter the kingdom of God (On our own)?  What can’t we undo that already disqualifies us?  How has God made it possible for us to enter? (Romans 3:21-26)

Today’s passage: Mark 10:1-16

Helpful thoughts:

• When crowds gathered, Jesus taught (John 8:31-32).
• In response to this disingenuous question from the Pharisees (They had used the law as a permission to divorce at will, for any reason), Jesus not only reiterated God’s purpose for the permanence of marriage, but He also affirmed God’s design for gender, for heterosexual marriage, for the link between sexual intimacy and marriage, etc.
  • This is all from Genesis 1 and 2.
• Jesus was willing to serve children.  Caring for them is not beneath God, nor us.
• A child’s content and peace is rooted in the fact that without the leadership, love and provision of the adults that care for them, they wouldn’t survive.  They have to trust in others to provide for them entirely.  This is how we enter the kingdom of God (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Questions to consider:

1. Knowing what we also know from Matthew 19:9 and 1 Corinthians 7:15, what was the overall point Jesus was making when speaking about marriage and divorce in these verses?  If we are reading the Bible to find out what we can and can’t “get away with” what has gone wrong in our hearts already?  With what countenance should we approach God’s Word?
2. Why is it wrong for people to argue that Jesus never spoke about sexuality or anything pertaining to the LGBTQ movement?  How does this very passage speak to that?  What has Jesus affirmed?
3. What does it mean to have faith like a child?  Why isn’t it about being gullible or blissfully ignorant?  How does the description above point us to the truth of the Gospel and our need to wholly rely on God’s grace for our salvation?

Today’s passage: Mark 9:33-50

Helpful thoughts:

• Three major thoughts are presented in this passage:
  • The “greatest” in the kingdom of God is the servant of all.
  • The one who is not against us is for us.
  • Radical amputation (If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off).
• All three of these thoughts have been taught extensively independently, but they are being taught together here by Christ as one larger lesson.
• All three teachings are connected to how we relate to other people.
  • If we think too highly of ourselves, we won’t see those whom God has given us to serve.
  • If we think the only good ministry that exists has to come from us, we will thwart others (And ourselves).  God is the one at work, we are His vessels.
  • Our sin hurts others, damages peace in the church, and prevents us from being effective in the world.

Questions to consider:

1. In what way are these three passages different, and how are they the same?
2. What is the main application of these teaching from Jesus?  How are we to view ourselves in relation to others (Philippians 2:3-4)?
3. Why is a knowledge of how my sin hurts others and prevents effective ministry such a better motivation to seek repentance than seeing change as a personal achievement?  Which motivation is rooted in love and more like Christ?  How might you practically and specifically apply these thoughts to fight against sin in your own life?

Today’s passage: Mark 9:14-32

Helpful thoughts:

• While Jesus was away, the disciples struggled to represent Him accurately.  Though we do not perform miracles like the one in this passage today, the church continues to represent Jesus while we await His return.
• The power of prayer and the need of faith/belief are presented in these verses.
• The acknowledgement that faith and belief are a gracious gift from God is also acknowledged.  “I believe, help my unbelief.”
  • The struggle of the disciples to believe what Jesus taught them up to this point is emphasized.  It would take God’s grace to give them belief later after the resurrection.

Questions to consider:

1. If you had just come down from the Mount of Transfiguration and then immediately after saw religious people arguing with each other, what would you be thinking about?  How would your perspective be different?  How can you apply this to your relationships in the church today?
2. How are the people and the disciples treating physical miracles compared to the spiritual healing Jesus had come to bring?  How can this imbalance lead to further unbelief?  If we were to wrongly teach that more belief would cause healing from this passage, how would we fall into the very same trap?
3. What is the irony of the statement, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men…”?  How did God make a way of salvation from sin, through the sin of men?

Today’s passage: Mark 9:2-13

Helpful thoughts:

• What…a…moment!
  • Peter, James and John saw Christ in His glory.
  • They saw Moses and Elijah and they heard them talking to Jesus.
    • Remember, they wouldn’t have known what Moses and Elijah looked like any more than we would.  They had to have heard their conversation!
      • Luke 9:31 tells us what they talked about, which confirms the disciples heard it.
      • It is believed that Moses and Elijah also represented the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah).  Christ fulfilled the Law and the Prophets, they point to Him, and these men serve Him.
  • While they were still processing all of this, they were covered by a cloud/fog and God the Father audibly declared the identity of Christ and the command to listen to Him.
  • Then, the moment came to a sudden end.
• The disciples came down the mountain with two questions in mind.  They only asked one.  With His answer, Jesus addressed both.
• The promise of Elijah had come through the prophetic ministry of John the Baptist (Malachi 3:1, Luke 1:17).

Questions to consider:

1. Why is the “Mount of Transfiguration” moment so important?  What was accomplished in what we just read?  What was revealed?  Who is Jesus?
2. What does the disciples’ question in verse 11 teach us about their knowledge of the Scriptures?  Did they know everything before Jesus called them?  Were they taken up that mountain because of their impressive religious resumes?
3. How might this passage give us an insight to Heaven?  What will all those whose Lord is Christ one day see and hear?

Today’s passage: Mark 8:31-9:1

Helpful thoughts:

• After the spiritual high of claiming Jesus as the Christ, Peter now rebukes Jesus for thinking He would be killed and rise again.
• Peter was not possessed, by his thoughts and comments were like Satan’s.
  • When we do not think about God’s good design and will and instead care more about our own design and will (Which inevitably will result in our will contradicting God’s), we are mimicking the heart of Satan.
  • Our goal must be to delight in the Lord so that His will is our will (Psalm 37:4).  Losing “our life” for Christ’s sake and for the sake of the Gospel.
• It is believed that those who did not taste death until they saw the kingdom of God (9:1) would have been the disciples who saw Christ glorified at the Mount of Transfiguration (2 Peter 1:16-18).

Questions to consider:

1. Verse 34-38 can be so hard to read and meditate upon.  Why is that?  What makes these verses so powerful and often so difficult?
2. In what way would Peter have needed to repent specifically?  How does that event tie in to Jesus’ words in verses 34-38?
3. Our response to verse 38 might be a greater boldness, but what are we to be bold about?  What are some other things we might be prone to get bold about faster than we would the Gospel of Jesus Christ?