The Gospel of Mark #26 – Study Questions

Kyle Bartholic   -   July 11, 2024

The Death and Resurrection of Jesus

Mark 15:33 – 16:8 (CGS#26)

INTRODUCTION:  There is nothing more central to Christianity than the resurrection. The Apostle Paul even said so when he said, “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.  We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.  For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised.  And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.  Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Cor. 15:14-22) In Paul’s mind the resurrection is the most important thing about the life and ministry of Jesus. Peter and John felt the same way. Early in the book of Acts we see Peter and John facing real public pressure for needing to talk about “what they had seen and heard.” (Acts 4:20) And what had they “seen and heard?” The resurrection (Acts 4:2). The simple truth from the NT is that the resurrection demands a response. For the eye-witnesses, they had to talk about it. For those listening to them they needed to accept or reject it. There was no way to stay neutral about something so significant.

 

For Mark, the resurrection is the final period on the story of Jesus of Nazareth, the servant Messiah. We have been tracing Jesus’ life through Mark’s writing, and he has shown us time and time again that Jesus is unlike anyone else in history. Miracles that defy the very rules of nature. Teaching that confounds and silences the smartest and most accomplished religious scholars. Trials that are a sham, and even the most powerful politician in the region knows it. Mark has held up the diamond that is Jesus before us. And this thing of incalculable worth is something we must render our verdict. Is he who he says he is, or not? And then in a final statement, Mark succinctly and simply tells us, “He has risen; he is not here.” (Mk. 16:6) There it is. The most important reality about Jesus in one clear statement. He’s alive, the grave could not hold him, and death could not defeat him. If this is all true, it changes everything. And for Mark’s readers, it was radically different than any god in their religious frame of reference. And in true fashion for Mark, he tells them exactly what they need to know so that they can make a decision about this Jesus of Nazareth.

 

For generations to come, including ours, when we read Mark’s account, we are left in the same place as the original readers. We need to make a decision about this Jesus of Nazareth. All of the names in Mark’s account were direct references to people that lived in that time, and for us today, the names are markers of the validity of the text. Their names were included because they followed Jesus and were there. It wasn’t to their advantage to be included in this text. But here they are.

 

So what about you? What conclusion have you come to about Jesus? Is he who he claims to be or not? If he is, what does that mean for your life? What’s clear is that the resurrection requires a response.

 

 

GETTING STARTED – As a group, take time to answer this question. What has been a question, idea, or moment in your life that was so significant you had to respond to it? Maybe the day of an marriage engagement or a job offer. It could have been a decision about college or having to stand up for what was right in a difficult situation. Whatever it was, it required you to respond.

 

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.

  1. When you look at the responses of the various people in the text to both Jesus’ death and resurrection, what stands out to you? What makes the centurion (15:39) and Joseph of Arimathea’s (16:43) responses distinctly different than the others?
  2. How do you think you would have responded in those moments? What was the key thing that caused you to respond positively to the gospel?
  3. Over the ages, there have been many questions surrounding the resurrection. What do you think are some current questions that your neighbors and friends might have?
  4. Are you able to note specific changes in yourself over the years of following Jesus? That is, how has the gospel transformed you? Consider the Fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-24) as a rubric of transformation.
  5. How might your personal stories of growth and transformation speak to the questions of your neighbors on the resurrection?