========================

Verses 1-6  A Prophet Without Honor

========================

1Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples.

2When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing?

3Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

4Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.”

5He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.

6He was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.

----------------------------------------

 

Concerning a prophet without honor,

----------------------------------------

1)       Where did Jesus go after he left the place where he raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead?

o   Jesus went to his hometown.

 

2)       What was Jesus’ hometown?

o   Jesus’ hometown was Nazareth.

 

3)       What kind of miracle was raising a person from the dead?

o   It was the most awe-inspiring miracle of Jesus so far.

 

4)       Where did Jesus go after performing his most awe-inspiring miracle?

o   Jesus went to his hometown.

 

5)       Would people in Jesus’ hometown have heard of this miracle when Jesus made his first public appearance in the synagogue on the Sabbath and why?

o   Yes, because Jesus

§  Performed the miracle in Galilee not very far from his hometown.

§  Did not make a public appearance in his hometown until the Sabbath came.

 

6)       Who accompanied Jesus to his hometown?

o   Jesus’ disciples did.

 

7)       What did having disciples following Jesus around sound to people in Jesus’ hometown?

o   Jesus had become an outstanding rabbi that people wanted to follow and emulate.

 

8)       How do we characterize Jesus’ current situation in his hometown?

o   Jesus was a homecoming son who had made a name for himself.

 

9)       What was people’s response when they heard the teaching of the homecoming son?

o   Many who heard Jesus were amazed.

o   They questioned where he got these things.

o   They questioned the wisdom that had been given him.

o   They questioned the remarkable miracles that he was doing.

o   They said, “Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?”

o   They took offense at him.

 

10)   How did people characterize Jesus’ teaching?

o   Jesus’ teaching was wise.

 

11)   How did people characterize Jesus’ miracles that they heard he performed?

o   Jesus’ miracles were remarkable.

 

12)   What miracles did Jesus perform in his hometown on this homecoming?

o   Jesus

§  Could not do any miracles there.

§  Only laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them.

 

13)   Why could Jesus not work any miracles in his hometown on this occasion?

o   It was because people there lacked faith.

 

14)   What was Jesus’ attitude toward the people’s lack of faith?

o   Jesus was amazed.

 

15)   Why was Jesus amazed at the people’s lack of faith?

o   Jesus was amazed because they allowed prejudice to overrule the wisdom of his teaching and the power of his miracles.

 

16)   Did people in Jesus’ hometown watch him growing up?

o   Yes.

 

17)   Did Jesus ever teach or work miracles before in his hometown?

o   No.

 

18)   Why had people in Jesus’ hometown formed such an antagonistic attitude toward Jesus?

o   Familiarity breeds contempt.

o   The greater Jesus’ popularity elsewhere, the greater the contempt, it seems.

 

19)   When did Jesus start teaching and working miracles?

o   Jesus started teaching and working miracles after the Holy Spirit came upon him in the form of a dove while being baptized by John the Baptist in chapter 1.

 

20)   What did Jesus say to the people in response to their vehemently questioning what he was doing?

o   Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.”

 

21)   What role did Jesus intend to say that he played in his reply to people’s questioning?

o   Jesus intended to say that he played the role of a prophet in his reply.

 

22)   What had the people rejected in rejecting Jesus?

o   They had rejected a prophet.

 

23)   Was Jesus a prophet and why?

o   Yes, because Jesus was God’s spokesperson.

 

24)   Was Jesus rejected elsewhere according to his reply?

o   No.

 

25)   Was Jesus not rejected by people in the region of the Gerasenes when they told him to leave their region and why?

o   People in the region of the Gerasenes rejected the cost of Jesus’ deliverance of the demoniac from demon possession but not the deliverance itself that took care of their trouble.

o   In contrast people in Jesus’ hometown rejected Jesus even though they knew that what he taught and the miracles he did were good.

 

26)   Did what Jesus say about the rejection of a prophet in his hometown apply to himself only or to all prophets?

o   It applied to all prophets.

 

27)   What was Jesus’ profession before he started proclaiming the good news of God?

o   Jesus was a carpenter.

 

28)   Why was Jesus’ father not mentioned by the people?

o   Jesus’ father had already died.

----------------------------------------

 

·  Ask for a volunteer to summarize.

·  Ask for the rest of the participants to supplement the summary.

 

========================

Verses 1-6  A Prophet Without Honor

========================

 

 

 

 

========================

Verses 7-13  Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

========================

7Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.

8These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts.

9Wear sandals but not an extra shirt.

10Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town.

11And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”

12They went out and preached that people should repent.

13They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

----------------------------------------

 

Concerning Jesus sending out the Twelve,

----------------------------------------

29)   What did Jesus do after he left his hometown?

o   Jesus went around teaching from village to village.

 

30)   What was the G0 person, Jesus in this case, doing?

o   The G0 person, Jesus in this case, was sowing the word far and wide and indiscriminately.

 

31)   What demo did Jesus do in the previous chapter?

o   Jesus did a demo of how to go out to sow the word.

 

32)   What did Jesus do with the twelve disciples?

o   Jesus sent them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.

 

33)   What would the disciples, G0 disciples in this case, be doing?

o   The disciples, G0 disciples in this case, would be going out to sow the word far and wide and indiscriminately, emulating what they had seen Jesus do.

 

34)   What would the disciples be creating when they arrived in a new region?

o   They would be creating a new disciple generation tree for that region as the G0 disciples.

 

35)   What did it mean for Jesus to give the disciples authority over impure spirits?

o   They were able to drive out impure spirits in Jesus’ name.

 

36)   Why were the disciples given authority over impure spirits?

o   Driving out impure spirits would be part of sowing the word.

o   As G0 disciples they needed to tackle the territorial spirit in the region where they were trying to create the first disciple generation tree.

 

37)   Why were the disciples sent out two by two?

o   It was because going out to sow is team work.

 

38)   How does the disciples being sent out two by two inform us concerning how to organize a stable catechized bible study group of the gospel of Mark?

o   A stable catechized bible study group of the gospel of Mark should have two facilitators.

 

39)   What had Jesus been doing with the twelve disciples ever since he selected them in chapter 3?

o   Jesus had been training them by modeling for them what they were to do when they were sent out to sow the word as G0 disciples.

 

40)   Would the disciples be going from village to village and why?

o   Yes, because Jesus went around teaching from village to village.

 

41)   What might be the reason Jesus chose to go to his hometown just before sending out the twelve disciples?

o   Jesus was alerting the disciples to the reality that they might not be welcome in their hometown.

 

42)   Did the twelve disciples know the true identity of Jesus at the point of being sent out and why?

o   No, because they had not made the confession that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God.

 

43)   What instruction did Jesus give to the twelve disciples who were going out to sow the word as G0 disciples?

o   Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts.

o   Wear sandals but not an extra shirt.

o   Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town.

o   If any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them.

 

44)   What principles can be drawn from Jesus’ instruction?

o   Rely on God for provision.

o   Do not be burdened by what is not essential.

o   Focus on the relational network that is receptive to the word that is sown.

o   Do not waste time trying to convince people who are not receptive to the word that is sown.

 

45)   What did the twelve disciples do upon receiving the instruction from Jesus?

o   They went out and preached that people should repent.

o   They drove out many demons.

o   They anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

 

46)   What did driving out demons and healing the sick do for the message of the twelve disciples?

o   It validated their message that people should repent.

 

47)   What was the outcome of Jesus training the twelve disciples and then sending them out to sow the word?

o   The crop was multiplied many times in comparison to the situation where Jesus did the work all by himself.

 

48)   What did Jesus promise his disciples that he would do for them when they followed him?

o   Jesus promised them that he would send them out to fish for people in Mark 1:17.

 

49)   How did Jesus prepare for sending the twelve disciples out to fish for people?

o   All the teachings, miracles, healings and driving our demons done by Jesus up to the point of the disciples being sent out were for that purpose.

o   Jesus did a demo for the disciples in the region of the Gerasenes of how to go out to sow the word as G0 disciples.

 

50)   What did the disciples do to fish for people?

o   They

§  Went out to preach that people should repent.

§  Drove out demons.

§  Healed the sick.

----------------------------------------

 

·  Ask for a volunteer to summarize.

·  Ask for the rest of the participants to supplement the summary.

 

========================

Verses 7-13  Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

========================

 

 

 

 

========================

Verses 14-29  John the Baptist Beheaded

========================

14King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

15Others said, “He is Elijah.” And still others claimed, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.”

16But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!”

17For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married.

18For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

19So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to,

20because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him.

21Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.

22When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.”

23And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”

24She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” “The head of John the Baptist,” she answered.

25At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

26The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her.

27So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison,

28and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother.

29On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

----------------------------------------

 

Concerning what people were saying about Jesus,

----------------------------------------

51)   What happened as a result of the work that Jesus and his disciples did?

o   Jesus’ name had become well known that King Herod heard about it.

 

52)   In accordance with the context what could account for Jesus’ name becoming well known and why?

o   It could be accounted for by the multiplied effect of the work of the twelve disciples because it immediately follows the depiction of the twelve disciples being sent out to sow the word.

 

53)   Who was King Herod?

o   King Herod was a vassal of the Roman Empire who ruled over Galilee.

 

54)   What were people saying about Jesus?

o   Some were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

o   Others said, “He is Elijah.”

o   Still others claimed, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.”

 

55)   What was the reason people said that Jesus was John the Baptist raised from the dead?

o   It was because Jesus

§  Preached the same message John preached that people should repent.

§  Had the power to raise the dead as seen in the raising of Jairus’ daughter.

 

56)   Who is Elijah?

o   Elijah is a prophet in the Old Testament of the bible and lived about 900 years before Jesus’ time.

 

57)   What was the reason people said that Jesus was Elijah?

o   It was because

§  Jesus raised a girl from the dead in the previous chapter while Elijah raised a boy from the dead as recorded in 1 King 17:17-22.

§  Elijah did not die and was taken up to heaven as recorded in 2 King 2:11. 

§  Consequently some people thought that Elijah had come back as Jesus. 

 

·  Ask a volunteer to read out loud 1 King 17:17-22  that says,

+++++++++++++++++++++

17 Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing.

18 She said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?”

19 “Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed.

20 Then he cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?”

21 Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!”

22 The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived.

+++++++++++++++++++++

 

·  Ask a volunteer to read out loud 2 King 2:11 that says,

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

58)   Which assessment of Jesus did King Herod hold to be true?

o   King Herod concurred with the assessment that John the Baptist whom he beheaded had been raised from the dead as Jesus of Nazareth.

 

59)   Is any of the assessments of Jesus correct?

o   No.

 

60)   Who had the correct assessment of Jesus so far?

o   God the Father testified that that Jesus is the Son he loves.

o   Impure spirits cried out that Jesus is the Son of God.

----------------------------------------

 

 

Concerning John being put in prison,

----------------------------------------

61)   Who put John in prison?

o   Herod did.

 

62)   What was the reason Herod put John in prison?

o   Herod did this because

§  Of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married.

§  John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

 

63)   Who wanted to kill John?

o   Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him.

 

64)   Why was Herodias unable to kill John?

o   Herodias was unable to kill John because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man.

 

65)   What went through Herod’s mind when he heard John?

o   When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him.

----------------------------------------

 

 

Concerning the execution of John,

----------------------------------------

66)   What was the occasion when it was said that the opportune time came?

o   It was Herod’s birthday.

o   He gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.

 

67)   What did the daughter of Herodias do on the occasion?

o   She came in and danced and pleased Herod and his dinner guests.

 

68)   What did Herod say to the daughter of Herodias?

o   The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” 

o   And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”

 

69)   What did the daughter of Herodias do upon hearing the king’s promise?

o   She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?”

 

70)   What did her mother say to her in reply?

o   “The head of John the Baptist,” she answered.

 

71)   What did the daughter of Herodias do next?

o   At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

 

72)   What did the urgency of the girl’s request to the king suggest?

o   The girl considered John the Baptist her own adversary.

 

73)   What did the king do in response to the girl’s request?

o   The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. 

o   So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head.

 

74)   What happened to John?

o   The executioner went, beheaded John in the prison.

 

75)   What did John’s disciples do upon hearing of John’s death?

o   John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

 

76)   What phase of the work of Jesus accompanied the ending of the work of John the Baptist?

o   The expanding of the work of Jesus did.

 

77)   Did John complete his task of going ahead of and preparing the way for Jesus and why?

o   Yes, because Jesus had

§  Sent the twelve disciples out to sow the word.

§  Reproduced disciples who could eventually stand in his stead.

----------------------------------------

 

·  Ask for a volunteer to summarize.

·  Ask for the rest of the participants to supplement the summary.

 

========================

Verses 14-29  John the Baptist Beheaded

========================

 

 

 

 

========================

Verses 30-44  Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

========================

30The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.

31Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

32So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.

33But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.

34When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

35By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late.

36Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

37But he answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”

38“How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.”

39Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass.

40So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties.

41Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all.

42They all ate and were satisfied,

43and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish.

44The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

----------------------------------------------------------------

 

Concerning the disciples going with Jesus to a quiet place,

----------------------------------------------------------------

78)   What did the disciples do after they returned from their mission?

o   They gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.

 

79)   What was the purpose of the disciples’ report to Jesus of all they had done and taught?

o   They were held accountable by Jesus for what they did as they went out to sow the word.

 

80)   Was the sending out of the twelve disciples to sow the word and their being held accountable for what they did a milestone in the discipleship continuum and why?

o   Yes, because it indicated that Jesus had

§  Fulfilled his promise to send his disciples out to fish for people.

§  Successfully reproduced disciples who were able to continue his work after his departure. 

 

81)   Did the disciples’ being able to continue Jesus’ work after his departure necessarily translate into their being willing to do so?

o   No.

 

82)   What would ensure the disciples’ being willing to continue Jesus’ work after his departure?

o   Jesus would need to advance the disciples toward the next milestone in the discipleship continuum in what was to come.

 

83)   What would the next milestone in the discipleship continuum accomplish?

o   The next milestone in the discipleship continuum would accomplish the following:

§  The disciples confessed Jesus as the Christ.

§  The disciples dealt with the hard issues of discipleship:

Ø  Denying the flesh.

Ø  Abiding by the principle of servanthood in leadership governance.

 

84)   How busy were Jesus and his disciples in dealing with people around them?

o   They were so busy that they did not even have a chance to eat.

 

85)   What did Jesus suggest to his disciples that they should do?

o   He said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

 

86)   What did Jesus and his disciples end up doing?

o   They went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.

 

87)   What was the reason they went away in a boat?

o   Going away in a boat ensured that they would not be surrounded by people.

 

88)   How did their plan of going to a quiet solitary place pan out?

o   They were unable to get away from the crowd because many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.

 

89)   Why does it say that people ran on foot from all the towns?

o   People spread the news to the towns along the way as to where Jesus was heading so that large numbers of people came out from these towns.

 

90)   How could people tell where Jesus was heading?

o   Jesus and his disciples were sailing along the coastline because they just wanted to look for a quiet place to rest.

 

91)   How could people’s fascination with Jesus be accounted for?

o   People’s fascination with Jesus could be partly accounted for by the multiplied effect of the work of the twelve disciples.

 

92)   What did Jesus see when he landed?

o   Jesus saw a large crowd.

 

93)   What was Jesus’ reaction when he saw the crowd?

o   Jesus had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.  

 

94)   What did Jesus do with the crowd?

o   He began teaching them many things.

 

95)   What was it that fixated the crowd’s attention on Jesus?

o   It was Jesus’ teaching.

 

96)   What was Jesus like to the people?

o   Jesus was to the people like a shepherd was to his sheep.

----------------------------------------

 

 

Concerning Jesus feeding the five thousands,

----------------------------------------

97)   What time of the day was it when Jesus finished teaching the people?

o   It was late in the day.

 

98)   What did the disciples suggest to Jesus that he should do?

o   “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late.  Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

 

99)   Who identified the crowd’s need for food?

o   It was the disciples.

 

100)     Why did all these people end up in that remote place?

o   They were there because they followed Jesus to the solitary place he was heading for. 

o   It was not so solitary after the crowd followed him there.

 

101)     What was Jesus’ response to his disciples’ suggestion to send the people away?

o   He answered them, “You give them something to eat.”

 

102)     What did the disciples say?

o   They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”

 

103)     Did Jesus and the disciples have half a year’s wages in their possession?

o   No.

 

104)     What really was the disciples’ question?

o   “Even if we have that kind of money, are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”

 

105)     Was giving the crowd something to eat commensurate with the disciples’ responsibility and ability?

o   Giving the crowd something to eat was outside the disciples’ responsibility and beyond their ability.

 

106)     In what way did Jesus challenge the disciples to face their responsibility and ability when he told them to give the crowd something to eat?

o   Jesus challenged the disciples to look beyond their responsibility and ability in feeding the crowd.

 

107)     What did Jesus ask the disciples to do to find out about the stock of food they had?

o   Jesus asked them to find out how many loaves of bread they had with them.

 

108)     What did the disciples find?

o   The disciples found that they had five loaves of bread and two fish.

 

109)     What did Jesus tell the disciples to do?

o   Jesus directed the disciples to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass.

 

110)     What did the people do?

o   They sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties.

 

111)     Did the people anticipate food coming their way as they sat down?

o   Yes.

 

112)     What might be going through the disciples’ mind at this point?

o   The disciples might be getting anxious and not sure where the food would come from for feeding such a large crowd.

 

113)     Why would the disciples be anxious and not sure where the food would come from?

o   There had been occasions where Jesus and his disciples had gone without food as they traveled around, either because they ran out of money or they were at a remote place. 

o   Jesus never miraculously brought forth food on those occasions.

 

114)     What did Jesus do next?

o   Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, Jesus gave thanks and broke the loaves.

o   Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people.

o   He also divided the two fish among them all.

 

115)     To whom did Jesus give thanks for the five loaves and two fish?

o   Jesus looked up to heaven to give thanks to God the Father in prayer.

 

116)     Where did so much food come from for feeding such a large crowd?

o   The five loaves and two fish were multiplied in Jesus’ hands as he

§  Gave thanks to God the Father in prayer.

§  Broke them and distributed them to the people.

 

117)     How did Jesus distribute the food to the people?

o   Jesus handed the food to the disciples.

o   The disciples distributed it to the people.

 

118)     What was the function of the disciples in feeding the five thousand?

o   The disciples

§  Turned over the limited resources they had to Jesus.

§  Then served as the channel for distributing the multiplied resources to the people.

 

119)     When did the food stop getting multiplied?

o   The food stopped getting multiplied when

§  Everyone had enough.

§  Jesus stopped breaking the loaves and the fish.

 

120)     How much did the people have to eat?

o   They all ate and were satisfied.

 

121)     How much leftover was there?

o   The disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish.

 

122)     Was the leftover more than the five loaves and two fish they began with?

o   Yes.

 

123)     How did what the disciples got back compare with what they gave away?

o   The disciples got back more than the five loaves and two fish they gave away.

 

124)     How many men had eaten?

o   The number of men who had eaten was five thousand.

 

125)     What was the total number of people who had eaten?

o   The total number of people who had eaten was more than five thousand.

 

126)     What did the disciples learn in meeting the need of such a large crowd with such limited resources?

o   Whatever the disciples turned over to Jesus, however insignificant, would

§  Be multiplied many times over in Jesus’ hand.

§  Be sufficient.

 

127)     What was special about the nature of the help the whole crowd received from Jesus’ miracle on this occasion?

o   This was the first time that the whole crowd received material benefits from Jesus’ miracle.

 

128)     What was special about the nature of the help the disciples received from Jesus’ miracle on this occasion?

o   This was the first time that the disciples received material benefits from Jesus’ miracle.

 

129)     How did this episode of feeding five thousand begin to alter people’s idea of what they wanted to get from Jesus?

o   Previously people came to Jesus for his teaching, healing and the driving out of impure spirits. 

o   Only some people from the whole crowd received tangible benefits from Jesus’ ministry.  

o   But everyone in the crowd received material benefits from this episode of feeding five thousand. 

o   From this point on people had the additional incentive of coming to Jesus for material gains.

 

130)     How did this episode of feeding five thousand change the crowd’s expectation of Jesus?

o   It galvanized the crowd’s expectation of Jesus becoming their king.

----------------------------------------

 

·  Ask for a volunteer to summarize.

·  Ask for the rest of the participants to supplement the summary.

 

========================

Verses 30-44  Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

========================

 

 

 

 

========================

Verses 45-56  Jesus Walks on the Water

========================

45Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.

46After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.

47Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land.

48He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them,

49but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out,

50because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

51Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed,

52for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.

53When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there.

54As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus.

55They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.

----------------------------------------

 

Concerning Jesus dismissing the crowd,

----------------------------------------

131)     What did Jesus make the disciples do?

o   Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida. 

o   A map of Bethsaida is shown on the following page: https://bibleatlas.org/genneseret.htm

 

132)     What did Jesus do with the crowd?

o   He dismissed the crowd.

 

133)     What did Jesus do after he dismissed the crowd?

o   He went up on a mountainside to pray.

 

134)     What could be the reason that prompted Jesus to pray?

o   Jesus was concerned about

§  People’s motive of coming to him for the sake of material gains from that point on.

§  The impact the miracle had on the disciples.

----------------------------------------

 

 

Concerning Jesus walking on the lake,

----------------------------------------

135)     Where was Jesus that evening?

o   Jesus was alone on land.

 

136)     Where were the disciples?

o   The disciples were straining at the oars in the middle of the lake.

 

137)     What was the reason the disciples were straining at the oars?

o   It was because the wind was against them.

 

138)     Had the disciples gone far on the lake and why?

o   No, because Jesus could see them from the shore.

 

139)     What did Jesus do shortly before dawn?

o   Jesus went out to the disciples, walking on the lake.

 

140)     What was the reason Jesus could catch up with the disciples?

o   The wind slowed the disciples down enough that Jesus could catch up with them.

 

141)     What happened when Jesus was about to pass by the disciples?

o   The disciples

§  Saw Jesus walking on the lake.

§  Thought he was a ghost and cried out.

§  were terrified.

 

142)     What did Jesus do to calm the disciples down?

o   Immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

 

143)     What happened after the disciples recognized Jesus?

o   Jesus climbed into the boat with them.

 

144)     When did the wind die down?

o   The wind died down when Jesus climbed into the boat.

 

145)     What was the disciples’ reaction?

o   They were amazed.

 

146)     What were the disciples amazed at?

o   They were amazed at

§  Jesus walking on water.

§  The wind dying down upon Jesus climbing into the boat.

 

147)     Was there any thought accompanying the disciples’ amazement?

o   No.

 

148)     What was the thought accompanying the disciples’ terror at the end of chapter 4 when Jesus calmed the storm?

o   They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

 

149)     What was the focus of the disciples’ attention at the end of the incident of Jesus calming the storm in chapter 4?

o   The focus of their attention was on who Jesus was.

 

150)     What was the first miracle the disciples were participants and not just spectators of?

o   Jesus calming the storm at the end of chapter 4 was the first miracle the disciples were participants and not just spectators of.

 

151)     How were the disciples participants in the miracle of Jesus calming the storm?

o   Had Jesus not calmed the storm miraculously, the disciples would have drowned.

 

152)     What caused the disciples to focus their attention on who Jesus was at the end of the incident of Jesus calming the storm?

o   The disciples had their attention focused on who Jesus was by virtue of

§  Being participants and not just spectators in the miracle of Jesus calming the storm.

§  Having been delivered from a great peril through the miracle.

 

153)     Who was the person that was a participant in Jesus’ miracle and that had been delivered from a great peril through the miracle thus resulting in the person’s attention being focused on who Jesus was and the person’s desire to go with Jesus?

o   The person was the former demoniac who had the Legion driven out.

 

154)     Was the former demoniac eager to know who Jesus was after the Legion was driven out?

o   Yes. 

 

155)     How did the former demoniac find out about who Jesus was?

o   The former demoniac

§  Knew from the Legion’s declaration that Jesus is the Son of the Most High God.

§  Asked to go with Jesus so that he could get to know Jesus more.

 

156)     How do we compare the disciples and the former demoniac in terms of eagerness to follow Jesus?

o   The disciples were called to follow Jesus.

o   The former demoniac volunteered to follow Jesus.

 

157)     Between the disciples on the one hand and the former demoniac on the other, which party had the greater motivation to focus on who Jesus was and to get to know Jesus more?

o   The former demoniac did.

 

158)     Who got sent out to sow the word first, the disciples or the former demoniac?

o   The former demoniac got sent out to sow the word ahead of the disciples.

 

159)     How did the content of the word sown by the former demoniac on the one hand and by the disciples on the other contrast with one another?

o   The former demoniac proclaimed how Jesus, Son of the Most High God, had delivered him from the throes of torture in the hand of the Legion.

o   The disciples preached that people should repent, drove out demons and healed the sick.

 

160)     Did the personal testimony of the former demoniac likely include a message of repentance and why?

o   Yes, because the former demoniac likely confessed the sins he had fallen into such that thousands of demons went into him.

 

161)     Did the disciples proclaim the divine identity of Jesus and why?

o   No, because otherwise they would have received such condemnation from the religious leaders that they would not have gone very far.

 

162)     Why did the former demoniac not experience pushback from the Jewish religious leaders when he proclaimed that Jesus is the Son of the Most High God?

o   It was because the Decapolis where the former demoniac sowed the word was primarily a non-Jewish region.

 

163)     Can we say that the former demoniac turn out to be the first apostle to be sent out by Jesus to sow the word and why?

o   Yes, because the word ‘apostle’ means ‘sent one’.

 

164)     Were the disciples participants in the miracle of Jesus walking on water and calming the wind and why?

o   Yes, because they were straining at the oars until Jesus climbed into the boat and the wind died down.

 

165)     Did the disciples as participants in the miracle of Jesus walking on water and calming the wind focus their attention on who Jesus was?

o   No.

 

166)     What was the disciples’ reaction to Jesus walking on water and calming the wind?

o   They were completely amazed.

 

167)     Who would consistently exhibit the reaction of being amazed at Jesus’ miracles?

o   The spectator crowd consistently exhibited the reaction of being amazed at Jesus’ miracles but never asked the question of who Jesus was because they did not participate in the miracles. 

o   The following four verses were quoted from four different occasions where Jesus performed a miracle that amazed the spectator crowd.

 

·  Ask a volunteer to read out loud Mark 1:27 that says,

+++++++++++++++++++++

27The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.”

+++++++++++++++++++++

 

·  Ask a volunteer to read out loud Mark 2:12 that says,

+++++++++++++++++++++

12He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

+++++++++++++++++++++

 

·  Ask a volunteer to read out loud Mark 5:42 that says,

+++++++++++++++++++++

42Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished.

+++++++++++++++++++++

 

·  Ask a volunteer to read out loud Mark 7:37 that says,

+++++++++++++++++++++

37People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

+++++++++++++++++++++

 

168)     But didn’t the crowd express their opinion of who Jesus was?

o   Asking who Jesus was conveyed a sense of humility that was not seen in simply voicing one’s opinion of him.

 

169)     What did the disciples’ reaction of being completely amazed at Jesus walking on water and calming the wind without focusing their attention on who Jesus was suggest on the surface that was in reality not true?

o   The reaction of the disciples was as though they were spectators and did not participate in the miracle.

 

170)     What was the reason the disciples fail to focus their attention on who Jesus was at the end of the incident of Jesus walking on water and calming the wind even though they were participants in the miracle?

o   They failed because they had also been participants in the miracle of Jesus feeding five thousands prior to Jesus walking on water and calming the wind.

 

171)     Why would being participants in the miracle of Jesus feeding five thousands cause the disciples to fail to focus their attention on who Jesus was at the end of the miracle of Jesus walking on water and calming the wind?

o   When they participated in the miracle of feeding five thousands and received material benefits from it, the disciples became fixated on and were distracted by material gains from the miracle.

o   As a result they failed to focus their attention on who Jesus was at the end of the miracle of Jesus walking on water and calming the wind.

 

172)     What does verse 52 mean that says, ‘For they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened’?

o   Until they understood why Jesus would not work miracles for his personal gains, the disciples’ hearts toward spiritual matters would be hardened.

 

173)     In summary, until they understood why Jesus would not work miracles for his personal gains, what difficulties would the disciples encounter?

o   Until they understood why Jesus would not work miracles for his personal gains, the disciples would have difficulties

§  Understanding spiritual matters.

§  Focusing their attention on who Jesus is.

 

174)     Did the miracle of feeding five thousands and the miracle of Jesus walking on water and calming the wind together expose the disciples’ problem and why?

o   Yes, because Jesus was using these two miracles to diagnose the state of the disciples’ spiritual condition.

 

175)     Was the disciples’ problem another reason Jesus needed to go up on a mountainside to pray after feeding the five thousands?

o   Yes.

 

176)     How do we reconcile the fact that the disciples had gone out to sow the word by driving out demons and healing the sick and yet they had difficulties focusing on who Jesus was?

o   What the disciples did in going out to sow the word was not a predictor of the disciples’ heart condition whether they were inclined to focus on who Jesus was.

o   The disciples’ going out to sow the word belonged in the earlier phase of the discipleship continuum that had just been completed.

o   The disciples’ confessing Jesus as the Christ and denying their flesh was the next milestone to be reached.

 

177)     What specific challenges did the disciples’ failure to focus on who Jesus was present to their reaching the next milestone in the discipleship continuum?

o   We are going to see that as a result of their failure to focus on who Jesus was the disciples had difficulties reaching the next milestone in the discipleship continuum of

§  Confessing Jesus as the Christ.

§  Denying their flesh, which was one of the hard issues of discipleship.

----------------------------------------

 

 

Concerning what happened after Jesus and his disciples landed at Gennesaret,

----------------------------------------

178)     Where did Jesus and his disciples land after they crossed over the lake?

o   They landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. 

o   A map of Gennesaret is shown on the following page: https://bibleatlas.org/genneseret.htm

 

179)     Did Jesus and his disciples originally intend to go to Gennesaret and why?

o   No, because they were supposed to go to Bethsaida.

 

180)     Why did Jesus and his disciples end up in Gennesaret instead?

o   They went off course on the boat ride because of the wind.

 

181)     What happened as soon as Jesus and his disciples got out of the boat?

o   People recognized Jesus.

 

182)     What did people do when they recognized Jesus?

o   They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.

 

183)     How did people make arrangement for the sick to be healed by Jesus?

o   Wherever Jesus went — into villages, towns or countryside — people placed the sick in the marketplaces.  They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak.

o   Those who touched Jesus’ cloak were healed.

 

184)     Why did people believe that if sick people touched the edge of Jesus’ cloak, they would be healed?

o   People heard the story of the woman with a bleeding problem getting healed when she touched Jesus’ cloak.

----------------------------------------

 

·  Ask for a volunteer to summarize.

·  Ask for the rest of the participants to supplement the summary.

 

========================

Verses 45-56  Jesus Walks on the Water

========================