The Gospel of Mark #8 – Study Questions

Kyle Bartholic   -   February 22, 2024

Too close to home.

Mark 6:1-29 (CGS#8)

 

INTRODUCTION:  Chapter six in Mark’s Gospel is a classic “Markan sandwich.” That is, he sandwiches two like events with an unlike event to draw a strong contrast and help us see Jesus clearly. The contrast between the stories of faith in Mark 5 and the story of unbelief that begins in Mark 6 could not be more different or more tragic. 6:1–6 tells the story of how the most famous alumnus of Nazareth was welcomed—or rather, not welcomed—home.[1] Moving into this chapter, we begin with the rejection of Jesus in his hometown of Nazareth. Jesus is described as “Mary’s son” and the “brother of” by those in the synagogue that day. They might be impressed with his ability to perform miracles, but they still only see him as the kid who grew up within an otherwise unimpressive family. Then, Mark moves us to the sending out of the disciples in pairs. We can flash forward to v.30 and see that while things certainly weren’t easy, they saw God do amazing things! To close this first section in chapter 6, Mark brings us back to Herod and his murdering of John the Baptist.

In this sandwich, we get two pictures of unfaithfulness and one of faithfulness. Those in Jesus’ hometown miss Jesus not because they didn’t get to see any miracles, no just the opposite, they saw them, but they only saw Jesus as the local kid. Herod has heard of Jesus (which is an understatement) and is concerned that he is John the Baptist resurrected and coming for vengeance. Herod himself has a complicated relationship with righteousness; he enjoys listening to the preaching of John, but in the end, he does not heed any of it. He misses righteousness and Jesus with it because of mixed loyalties. But then there are the disciples, and they are not perfect. Mark shows us the record of the disciples to date has not been reassuring. They have impeded Jesus’ mission (1:36–39), become exasperated with him (4:38; 5:31), and even opposed him (3:21). Their perception of Jesus has been—and will continue to be—marked by misunderstanding (8:14–21). [2] But in this moment, we see them respond faithfully. This entire section forces us to examine our own loyalty to Jesus. The motives we have when it comes to being faithful. And what presuppositions we bring with us when looking at Jesus. If we allow ourselves to sit in the text, we’ll see ourselves in each of the characters included. And we will be warned that we, too, can miss Jesus for a variety of reasons.

 

 

GETTING STARTED – As a group, take time to answer this question. What is something or someone in your life that you had a wrong perception of? What contributed to that wrong perception? This could be a funny or a serious example.

 

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 contrasts that Mark gives us in chapters 5 and 6, what stands out to you? How do those contrasts help you to understand yourself and Jesus better?
  2. Why do you think that those in Nazareth missed Jesus even though he had done so many miracles up to this point? Remember, we are in the third year of his ministry, and the majority of Jesus’ miracles occurred in the region of Galilee.
  3. What are some things in your life and our cultural moment that cause us to have a wrong perception of Jesus, his motives, and his mission?
  4. Consider Herod – Where does unbelief show up in your life—even in partial, not full-blown, ways? What areas of your life do you need to bring to Jesus in faith?
  5. Martin Luther said that the Christian life is not a single act of repentance but a life of repentance. Do you agree? What does ongoing repentance look like in your life?

 

 

 

 

 

[1] Jason Meyer, Mark for You, ed. Carl Laferton, God’s Word for You (The Good Book Company, 2022), 94.

[2] James R. Edwards, The Gospel according to Mark, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos, 2002), 177–178.

[3] Questions 4-5 are adapted from: Jason Meyer, Mark for You, ed. Carl Laferton, God’s Word for You (The Good Book Company, 2022).