The Gospel of Mark – Study Questions #1

Kyle Bartholic   -   January 4, 2024

Good news of the servant Messiah.

Mark 1:1-13 (CGS#1)

INTRODUCTION:  This Sunday, we began our next teaching series, The Gospel of Mark. We will take a long, slow walk through Mark’s gospel account. Mark, or as he is also known, John Mark, is the author of this book. Mark and Peter were long ministry partners, and by the time this Gospel was written, they were living and working in Rome. According to church tradition, Mark writes down much of Peter’s sermon content as it pertains to Jesus. In fact, the vast majority of Mark’s gospel deals with the final portion of Jesus’ earthly life and ministry. Mark’s Gospel has been described as “a passion-narrative with an extended introduction.” The reason that almost half of Mark’s sixteen chapters describe the final period of Jesus’ ministry is that it is in his suffering, death and resurrection that the revelation of God in Christ is most clearly seen.[1]

The first 13 verses are like the opening of a symphony. A well-composed symphony will sound the note or theme that the rest of the musical score will develop and explore. Mark’s opening note is his own confession of faith: his belief that Jesus is the Son of God. But Mark is not content to sound this note in isolation. His introduction consists of four stunning testimonies announcing that Jesus is the divine Son of God. This method of sharing multiple testimonies creates an echo effect that builds in volume until it climaxes with the crescendo of God the Father’s testimony at the baptism of Christ. But the introduction also sounds a note of cosmic conflict and drama. Satan comes to tempt Jesus—and the Son of God cannot save sinners if he becomes a sinner.[2] In this way Mark helps us to see that Jesus is the servant Messiah. He (as we will see later in his Gospel) will lay his life down for humanity. And, when it comes to John the Baptist, Mark introduces us to a preacher with a prolific ministry. Yet, in John’s own words, he knows that he is only a servant of the one who is far greater than himself, Jesus. Both in Mark’s words and John’s example, we come to see that there is no greater news than that of the good news of Jesus.

 

GETTING STARTED – As a group, take time to share the first time you heard the gospel. Where was it? Who shared it? And how did it strike you? For me (Kyle), the first time I heard it was in 4th grade Sunday school from our pastor’s wife, Leslie. At the time, it struck me as wonderful that God loved me, but it wouldn’t be until my teenage years that I would respond in faith to the gospel message.

 

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. [3]

  1. When you look at the servant posture of both Jesus (servant Messiah) and John (servant proclaimer), what stands out to you about the importance of being a servant in the kingdom of God?
  2. In our cultural moment, we place a greater emphasis on being a leader than a servant. Why do you think it is upside down in the kingdom of God? What impact would it have on our families and neighbors if we modeled the call to servanthood for them?
  3. How do you think you would have responded if you had been part of the crowd at Jesus’ baptism?
  4. How would you sum up Mark’s message in these first eleven verses?
  5. How could these verses help you explain to a non-Christian friend what you believe about Jesus and why?

 

 

 

 

 

[1] William L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1974), 2.

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

[3] Questions #3-5 are from – Jason Meyer, Mark for You, ed. Carl Laferton, God’s Word for You (The Good Book Company, 2022), 20.