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Bible Study Week Three of Lent 2014

Bible Study Week Three of Lent 2014. Gospel of Mark. Mark 10:46-52: Bartimaeus The story about the healing of Bartimaeus is interesting for at least two reasons: Themes to Ponder: (Addressed during Sunday’s service)

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Bible Study Week Three of Lent 2014

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  1. Bible Study Week Three of Lent 2014 Gospel of Mark

  2. Mark 10:46-52: Bartimaeus • The story about the healing of Bartimaeus is interesting for at least two reasons: • Themes to Ponder: (Addressed during Sunday’s service) • This is the last positive miracle that Jesus performs in Mark’s Gospel. It occurs as Jesus is leaving Jericho and approaching Jerusalem. Jesus will not be coming back. It says something about the importance of timing. • It is a section that begins in the Eighth Chapter, which deals with the issue of blindness. In both of these episodes the man brought to Jesus who was blind and Lazarus who is also blind, the issue addressed is not so much with physical symptomatology, but spiritual perception. Here, Mark may be emphasizing the issue of the disciples. Perception, particularly as it relates to their understanding of His mission, mandate and destiny, (Mark 8:21; 33).

  3. Themes to Apply: • How important is ‘kairos’, the divine appointment of time in which something has to happen or it will never happen. • Does your understanding of Jesus rightly inform your understanding of the values of the Kingdom and the goals of discipleship.

  4. Mark 11:1-11: Palm Sunday Here Mark shares Jesus’ preparation for entering Jerusalem . There are some interesting parallels with the other Gospels and some interesting deviations, but I will reserve comment until Palm Sunday. One thing that merits consideration is that in Mark’s telling of the story, Jesus enters the Temple, looked around at everything. But since it was late in the day, He went out to Bethany with the twelve disciples. Perhaps this, too, speaks to the issue of timing. He does nothing because the time was not right, which leads to that which follows.

  5. Mark 11:12-14: The Fig Tree • Jesus is hungry and in the distance He sees a fig tree covered with leaves, but when He approaches , there is no fruit. (Mark lets us know that it had no fruit because it was not the season for figs.) Jesus then curses the fig tree. • Themes to Ponder: • Here is a demonstration of the anger of Jesus. • Is it reasonable for Jesus to expect fruit on this tree if it is not in season? • Points to Apply: • Is there ever an appropriate time for a believer to become angry? How should one deal with such anger? • Do you see a repetitive theme of timing? Does timing speak to any of the issues in your life?

  6. Mark 11:15-19: The Cleansing of The Temple This is Jesus’ second entry into the Temple. Unlike the first, this time He acts. He turns over the tables of the currency exchanges and the stools of those that sold the implements for sacrifice in worship. He then gives the reason, according to scripture, the Temple was to be a House of Prayer for all nations, but it had become a “den of thieves”. This created enormous hostility between Jesus and the “scribes”. It precipitates their efforts to kill Him. Themes to Ponder: Jesus specifically attacks activity in the Temple that deals with money. Even more revealing, He deals with those persons that service the poor. Everyone who had foreign currency had to exchange their money for coinage acceptable in the Temple. Pigeons were the standard sacrifice for the poor. Those with greater means sacrificed larger objects.

  7. Points to Apply: • Does Jesus’ actions suggest that He is opposed to all financial transactions, or do His actions reveal a deeper truth? • How often have we used the church for personal gratification? In what ways? • How does Jesus’ description of who was welcomed in the Temple affect your understanding of who is included in your religious sphere?

  8. Mark 11:20-25: The Lesson of the Fig Tree • When next the disciples see the fig tree that Jesus cursed, it was “dead…down to its roots.” • They then discuss it with Jesus. He uses it as opportunity to discuss the power of faith, the efficacy of prayer and the necessity of forgiveness. • Themes to Ponder: • The cursing of the fig tree is a destructive action and yet, Jesus uses this negative demonstration to teach on prayer and faith. • In Mark’s Gospel, He uses “couplets” to teach. These are two similar incidents which bracket one another to share a greater truth about the incident in the middle of sad couplets. The two stories about cursing the fig tree surround Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple. What is Mark teaching?

  9. Themes to Apply: • What does the fig tree teach about “Fruitlessness”, leaves, but no fruit, in short, that which appears promising but is actually unproductive? • Does prayer have to be positive to be productive? Are there times when prayer is best served by subtracting and not adding? • How is the cursing of the fig tree related to the cleansing of the Temple?

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