The Gospel of Mark #3 – Study Questions

Kyle Bartholic   -   January 18, 2024

Compassion & Truth – A Servant’s Calling

Mark 2:1-17 (CGS#3)

INTRODUCTION:  This next larger section of Mark (2:1-3:6) features a series of five controversies. The same pattern is present in each one: (1) Jesus does something surprising, (2) the scribes challenge it, and (3) Jesus responds in a way that silences the scribes. These conflicts build to a climax in which Jesus turns the tables on them. In the final conflict, Jesus confronts them with a direct question and becomes angry because they refuse to answer. They respond with a plot to murder him.[1] The portion we are looking at this week (2:1-17) will give us a front-row seat to two remarkable acts of faith and obedience. First, we meet four friends who do everything they can to get their paralyzed friend to Jesus. Why? Because there is something distinctively different about Jesus, and they are convinced that if they can just get to him, everything can be different. And they are right! Then, we meet Levi, who will become part of Jesus’ inner circle, be known to us as Matthew, and go on to write his own Gospel account. Levi is a tax collector. That is, he is a Jewish man living in a highly Jewish area and working for the Roman government. To say that he is unpopular is a gross understatement. Levi is seen as a traitor and a cheat. Yet, here is Jesus, and he invites Levi to follow him, and he does! Then, Jesus goes to his house for a BBQ with Levi’s outcast friends, and the religious leaders get all worked up over it.

There is so much for us to pay attention to with the characters and the setting of the scenes. It is all so rich. But why does Mark give us a front-row seat to these events? Simply, he wants us to examine the nature and character of Jesus. He is convinced that when we take a good look at Jesus, we, like him and many in these scenes, will see something distinctively different about Jesus. He is different from how we would intuitively react or respond. He is different than how their culture and our culture tell us to understand things. Jesus is, as John (Jn. 1:14) tells us and Mark shows us, the embodiment of truth and grace or truth and compassion perfectly together. He is the servant messiah, and in his example, we clearly see that servants regularly offer timely help and timeless truth. 

 

 

GETTING STARTED – As a group, take time to answer this question. Who was the first person in your life that you can remember actively wanting to be like? What was it about them that made you want to emulate them?

IN THE WORD –   Let’s dig back into the passage(s). It is important to strengthen our muscles in reading God’s Word. On Sunday, we walked through the passage in the sermon. Hopefully, that helped you to see the landmarks of the passage with fresh eyes. Now, with your group, go back through it and see what God is saying to you specifically.

First, before you read the passage, take a moment to ask God’s Spirit to quiet your mind and heart and to illuminate the text to you. Second, read the passage aloud to the group. Then, follow the simple method below. (O.P.A)

Observe: Make 8-10 observations from the passage. Pay close attention to observe and note repeated words and phrases, names, places, and themes.

 

 

Principles: From your list of observations, what patterns or big ideas do you see emerging? Can you distill it down into 2-4 big idea truths?

 

 

Apply: Moving from your list of principles, it is time to apply God’s Word. Remember, we believe that God’s Word is living and active and that it can change the way we live Monday- Friday. What is one tangible way to apply a truth from your list above?

 

Note: Another way to approach your time together is to talk through the following questions. [2]

  1. When you read this passage, what stands out to you about the scenes Mark invites us into, both with the paralytic and with Levi?
  2. When you consider yourself, are you more of a truth-lens person or a compassion-lens person? How does Jesus’ example encourage you and challenge you to grow in both truth and compassion?
  3. What do you think of the idea that compassion is not the absence of truth? Do you agree or disagree, and why? How does Jesus’ example inform your answer?
  4. Do you ever find yourself trying to be the savior for others instead of bringing them to the Savior? How can you be more like the friends (vv. 1-12)?
  5. How aware are you of your need for Jesus? How does the story of the paralyzed man help you?
  6. How does the way you see Jesus and yourself impact the way you view others? Where does our tendency to look down on others come from? Why is it so tempting to think we are better than others at times?

 

 

 

 

[1] Jason Meyer, Mark for You, ed. Carl Laferton, God’s Word for You (The Good Book Company, 2022), 41.

[2] Questions #4-6 are from – Jason Meyer, Mark for You, ed. Carl Laferton, God’s Word for You (The Good Book Company, 2022).