Week One: Mark 1 & 2
1. Mark opens his account with a reference to an Old Testament passage. Read Isaiah 40:3, and then compare it to Mark 1:1-4. What is Mark claiming about the identity of Jesus?
2. Mark introduces readers to several characters in 1:9-13. List the characters and give any brief description from the Bible you may know about them.
3. What is the significance of Mark including these scenes (the baptism and the temptation of Jesus) with so many supernatural forces at play?
4. Verses 14-15 include Mark's first recorded words of Jesus, which set the trajectory for the rest of the book. What authority is Jesus claiming, and how does this claim inform the way you are to read the rest of the story? (Read Colossians 1:15-20 for more help).
5. Why does Jesus say to repent AND believe instead of just believe?
6. What do you think Mark wants us as his readers to believe about Jesus through the response of the fishermen to Jesus' call?
2. Mark introduces readers to several characters in 1:9-13. List the characters and give any brief description from the Bible you may know about them.
3. What is the significance of Mark including these scenes (the baptism and the temptation of Jesus) with so many supernatural forces at play?
4. Verses 14-15 include Mark's first recorded words of Jesus, which set the trajectory for the rest of the book. What authority is Jesus claiming, and how does this claim inform the way you are to read the rest of the story? (Read Colossians 1:15-20 for more help).
5. Why does Jesus say to repent AND believe instead of just believe?
6. What do you think Mark wants us as his readers to believe about Jesus through the response of the fishermen to Jesus' call?