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All Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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FOLLOWING JESUS THROUGH MARKStonecroft Bible StudiesCopyright © 2013 by Stonecroft Ministries, Inc.Published by Harvest House PublishersEugene, Oregon 97402www.harvesthousepublishers.com

ISBN 978-0-7369-5571-3 (pbk.)ISBN 978-0-7369-5572-0 (eBook)

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

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Contents

Welcome to Stonecroft Bible Studies! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

1. God’s Servant Introduced

Mark 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

2. God’s Servant Working

Mark 2–3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

3. God’s Servant Conquering

Mark 4 –5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

4. Reaction to God’s Servant

Mark 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

5. Miraculous Ministry of God’s Servant

Mark 7:1–8:30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

6. God’s Servant Revealed

Mark 8:31–9:50 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

7. Profound Teaching of God’s Servant

Mark 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

8. God’s Servant Is Praised

Mark 11:1–12:27 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

9. God’s Servant Prepares His Disciples

Mark 12:28–13:37 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

10. God’s Servant Rejected

Mark 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177


11. God’s Suffering Servant

Mark 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

12. God’s Triumphant Servant

Mark 16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

Journal Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

Know God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227

Who is Stonecroft? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

Books for Further Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233

Stonecroft Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235

Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240

Acknowledgments

Stonecroft wishes to acknowledge and thank Janice Mayo Mathers for her dedication in serving the Lord through Stonecroft. Speaker, author, and member of the Board of Directors, Jan is the primary author of the revised Stonecroft Bible Studies. We appreciate her love for God’s Word and her love for people who need Him. Special thanks goes to the team who prayed for Jan, and those who edited, designed, and offered their creative input to make these studies accessible to all. Stonecroft is also grateful to Lucille Sollenberger, who is now with the Lord she loved and served, for the original develop-ment of this study.


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Welcome to Stonecroft Bible Studies!

It doesn’t matter where you’ve been or what you’ve done…God wants to be in relationship with you. And one place He tells you about Himself is in His Word—the Bible. Whether the Bible is

familiar or new to you, its contents will transform your life and bring answers to your biggest questions.

Gather with people in your communities—women, men, couples, young and old alike—and explore Mark’s account of the life of Jesus. You’ll see how Jesus, the greatest, became the least, serving every man and woman so He could bring them back to God. And you’ll find yourself changed as you discover how the greatest Servant now lives His life in us and through us.

Each chapter of Following Jesus Through Mark includes discussion questions to stir up meaningful conversation, specific Scripture verses to investigate, and time for prayer to connect with God and each other.

Discover more of God and His ways through this small-group exploration of the Bible.

Tips for Using This Study

This book has several features that make it easy to use and help-ful for your life:


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• The page number or numbers given after every Bible refer-ence are keyed to the page numbers in the Abundant Life Bible. This paperback Bible uses the New Living Transla-tion, a translation in straightforward, up-to-date language. We encourage you to obtain a copy through your group leader or at stonecroft.org.

• Each chapter ends with a section called “Thoughts, Notes, and Prayer Requests.” Use this space for notes or for thoughts that come to you during your group time or study, as well as prayer requests.

• In the back of the book you will find “Journal Pages”—a space available for writing down how the study is chang-ing your life or any other personal thoughts, reactions, and reflections.

• Please make this book and study your own. We encourage you to use it and mark it in any way that helps you grow in your relationship with God!

If you find this study helpful, you may want to investigate other resources from Stonecroft. Please take a look at “Stonecroft Resources” in the back of the book or online at stonecroft.org/store.

stonecroft.org


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1

God’s Servant IntroducedMark 1

Sitting inside his cell at San Quentin, Dale prayed, “God, please help me change—help me turn my life around.”

He knew his only hope was in breaking all ties with his past, so when he was released from prison he moved to a tiny one-room cabin deep in a forest of Central Oregon. He didn’t know how he would find work with his prison record and in such a remote area, but he knew this was where he needed to be.

Five days later he heard a piece of equipment starting up in the dis-tance. On a whim, he followed the sound to see if whoever was oper-ating it might need help.

Sitting at my table 17 years later, Dale wept as he reminded me of the day he met my husband. That very morning Steve and I had prayed for God to send us an assistant for our well-drilling business. Our son had returned to school and we had called everyone we could think of—to no avail. Finally Steve said, “I’m just going to drive to the job site and get ready. We’ve prayed, and now we have to trust God.”

The job site was in the middle of nowhere, miles from the nearest town. Steve pulled his truck in next to the drill rig, and even though he couldn’t drill without an assistant, he started up the engine. He was puttering around with the engine, tuning it up, when he noticed



a man walking toward him out of the forest. When the man drew near he extended his hand. “Hi, I’m Dale. I wonder if you need someone to work for you—”

I smiled at this man who has become such a dear friend. Dale no longer works for us except in emergencies because he is too busy work-ing for an organization that provides for the needs of underprivileged children, serving as chaplain for the local American Legion, and orga-nizing his community’s major fund-raising event.

“God never gave up on me,” Dale said. “He knew there was a dif-ferent person inside of me—the person He’d designed me to be—He just had to send me to your husband to find that person.”

dPrayer

God, thank you for loving me so much that you made a way for me to be in relationship with you through your one and only Son, and when I believe in Him, I will not perish but have eter-nal life. Thank you for not sending your Son into the world to judge me, but to save me through Him ( John 3:16 -17, page 811).

Imagine yourself in an airplane flying high above a large city. Auto-mobiles look like matchbox cars, and skyscrapers look so small you could hold them in your hand. It’s an intriguing view, but from such a high vantage point the picture you get of the city is rather one-dimensional. You can’t hear its varied sounds or feel its many textures. You can’t experience the architecture or explore the neighborhoods and meet the people living there. The only way for the city to spring to life is for you to actually set your feet on the ground and experience it on a personal level.


God’s Servant Introduced d 17

This is what we are going to do with the book of Mark. We’re going to set our feet on the ground where the events took place, wander the streets, and meet the people involved. We’re going to experience every-thing that happened as if we were there!

Jesus Introduced

The first chapter of Mark introduces Jesus to us through the words of several different people. Read Mark 1:1-3 (page 761).

What two titles did Mark use to describe Jesus in verse 1?

Mark quotes Isaiah. What title does Isaiah use to describe Jesus in verse 3?

Not only do these human voices tell us who Jesus Christ is, but the supernatural world speaks of Him as well. Who does God say Jesus is in Mark 1:9-11 (page 761)?



This is such a wonderful passage because it clearly shows us the three members of the Holy Trinity all together. Who are they?

Not only does God introduce Jesus as His Son in this passage, but He goes a step farther. What else does God the Father say to Jesus in verse 11?

These are such deeply relational words from a Father to a Son. Now read 1 John 3:1 (page 942). If we are named God’s chil-dren, what can we rely on from Mark 1:11?

God’s children are loved by Him and bring Him great joy! Take a minute to let this truth sink in, then through prayer voice your response to God.



Jesus Faces Temptation

There is another representative of the supernatural world present in this scene at the Jordan River. Read Mark 1:12-13 (page 761).

Who tempted Jesus in the wilderness?

Satan recognized that God’s purpose in coming to earth in the form of a man was to glorify Himself by breaking the power that sin and death had over humans, bringing redemption, and destroying evil. He saw that Jesus had chosen to limit Himself to a human body in order to die for us and identify with us. Satan attempted to cause Jesus to sin, hoping to destroy God’s plan to conquer sin. He failed miserably because even as limited as Jesus was by His human body, He still resisted every temptation Satan threw His way.

It is important to understand the method Jesus used to resist the temptations. The account is given in more detail in Matthew 4:1-11 (page 735).

What are the three ways Satan tempted Jesus?



How did Jesus resist the temptation each time?

Jesus quoted Scripture. There is magnificent power in God’s Word! It sustains and empowers us like nothing else can. One of the best gifts you can give yourself is to memorize Scripture so it is available to you even when your Bible is not. When your mind is filled with Scrip-ture, you are better prepared to resist the temptation to sin. Memo-rizing, meditating on, and repeating Scripture provide you with tools you need when you are tempted by thoughts and attitudes contrary to God’s will.

Here are some verses you could memorize. You might choose three to get started:

John 14:6 (page 823)Hebrews 13:5-6 (page 928)Ephesians 2:8-9 (page 896)Romans 8:38-39 (page 863)Psalm 37:4-5 (page 429)Philippians 4:13 (page 901)Proverbs 3:5-6 (page 482)

John 14:1-3 (page 823) 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (page 887)1 Peter 1:13-16 (page 934)Hebrews 12:1-2 (page 927)Romans 5:1-2 (page 860)Philippians 4:6-8 (page 901)

You may think you aren’t able to memorize Scripture, but God will help you. Ask Him for the ability and give it a try. Even if it seems you cannot retain what you are memorizing, you can be sure God’s pow-erful Word is there in your brain, and He will bring it to the surface when you need it!



Here are a few ideas that might be helpful in remembering Bible verses:

• Put a copy of the verses on your mirror, on the dashboard of the car, or on the refrigerator.

• Record yourself saying the verses, then play the recording back regularly.

• Repeat the verses out loud at least once a day.

• Record the verses on your phone, then listen and say them out loud as you do.

• Put the words of the verses to familiar music and sing them.

Jesus’ Purpose

In the next two verses, we read of two more significant events. As you can see, Mark keeps the information coming. Read Mark 1:14-15 (page 761).

What is the first event?

John the Baptist had criticized Herod Antipas, the ruler of Gal-ilee, for marrying his own brother’s wife. Herod did not appreciate the criticism and had John imprisoned. If you want to read the full story about Herod and John the Baptist, find it in Matthew 14:1-12 (page 745).



The second event Mark relates to us is the message of Jesus. As is typical, Mark doesn’t get lost in details. He sticks to the facts.

What are the key points of Jesus’ preaching?

This is so important! It is why Jesus Christ came to earth and sub-jected Himself to the limitations of humanity. The coming of the Mes-siah had been prophesied throughout the Old Testament. The Jews had been waiting for the arrival of the King of kings who would reign for-ever over the Kingdom of God. In His preaching, Jesus announced that the Kingdom of God was near. He also called everyone to repent of (turn away from) their sins and believe the Good News, which was the fact that He had come to pay the price for their sins so they could have eternal life with God in heaven. It was (and remains) a powerful message, and it sent shock waves throughout the country, as you will soon see.

One of the first things Jesus did as He began His ministry was to gather together a select group of men He would personally teach and train to carry on His ministry after He left earth. Read Mark 1:16-20 (page 761).

The word Christ is a Greek

translation of the Hebrew word

Messiah. Both refer to exactly the

same person: God’s “Anointed One”

or “Chosen One.”



Who were the first men Jesus chose, and what was their occupation?

Four ordinary fishermen! Wouldn’t you think that for such an important task—helping proclaim the Good News—Jesus would have looked for more powerful, influential men? Jesus called the ordi-nary to follow Him and made them extraordinary as they obeyed.

Revealing Jesus’ Divine Nature

In Mark 1:21-28 (page 761) another witness from the supernatural world enters the picture to testify to who Jesus is.

Who is it and what does he say?

How does Jesus respond to him?



Can you even imagine this scene? How do you think this man felt, whose body had been controlled by an evil spirit, when suddenly he was freed from its demonic influence?

What about the people who witnessed this event, saw the man convulsing, heard the demonic voice acknowledge Jesus as God, and then saw the man set free. How would you have responded as a witness to this scene?

We are only halfway through the first chapter and we’ve met human and supernatural witnesses who declared Jesus as the Son of God. It is interesting that no matter who they were, they recognized common threads regarding His mission on earth.

In the remainder of this chapter Mark records things Jesus did that revealed His divine nature.

What did Jesus do in each of the following passages?

Mark 1:25-28 (page 761)



Mark 1:29-31 (page 761)

Mark 1:32-34 (pages 761-762)

Mark 1:39 (page 762)

Mark 1:40-44 (page 762)

What was the result of Jesus’ miraculous activities in Mark 1:45 (page 762)?



Finding Quiet Time

In spite of asking people not to tell anyone what had happened, word spread like wildfire, and Jesus couldn’t escape the pressing crowds. Imagine the bone-numbing weariness He must have felt as people clamored after Him! Do you wonder how He kept going day after day? Where did His strength come from as He faced the relent-less, desperate needs of the people? Read Mark 1:35-38.

Who did Jesus go to for strength and renewal?

He chose a time of day when He knew He would not be disturbed, and He spent it praying—communing with His Father, letting Him refresh His spirit so He could continue.

Spending time alone with God is a great help in handling busy schedules and the sometimes brutal demands of daily life. You know how taking a shower refreshes your body and makes it feel good? That’s what time alone with God does for your soul! It refreshes your spirit and gets it ready for the day.

Choose a time each day when you know you will not be inter-rupted, and draw close to God. Listen to His words of encourage-ment and guidance from the Bible and through prayer, and let Him restore you.

Taking time each day to focus fully on God will always have a beneficial effect on your life. God will improve your perspective and keep your priorities in a healthy alignment. If this concept is new to you, do it as an experiment and see how it makes a difference in your life. Don’t be afraid to voice your doubts to God. Tell Him you’re not sure about this, but that you’re open to what He has for you.



During this quiet time, read in your Bible, talk to God, and then sit back and listen. It’s a good idea to have a notebook and pen nearby in case you want to write down any thoughts. In the next chapter we can share how these times with God are going for each of us.

Life Restored

As we come to end of this first chapter, it’s worth taking a closer look at the final miracle Mark wrote about—healing the man with leprosy. At the time, when someone was diagnosed with this dreaded and highly contagious disease, they became an instant outcast in soci-ety. They were forced to leave their families and livelihoods—their whole way of life—and live outside the city. If anyone came near a leper they had to shout, “Unclean! Unclean!” It was an awful thing to happen to a person—both physically and socially.

That this leper found the courage to approach Jesus and kneel in front of Him shows the extent of his desperation, but it also reveals his hope that Jesus could restore his life. Look again at verse 41.

How did Jesus respond to him?

Yes! Jesus was moved with compassion. And He healed him! He restored wholeness of life to his deteriorating body. Jesus came to restore life. That’s the Good News that Mark is writing about. Jesus willingly left the splendor of heaven and came to earth, taking on the limitations of humanity, so that we could have a restored relationship with God. Read Philippians 2:7-8 (page 900).



While people came to Jesus for physical healing, His deeper desire was to heal them spiritually. He came to erase the sin that scars our souls and prevents us from having a satisfying life in Him. “My pur-pose,” He said in John 10:10b (page 819), “is to give them a rich and sat-isfying life.” Reach out to Jesus just as the leper did, and God will make you spiritually whole and healthy. He will give you brand-new begin-nings for your life.

Personal Reflection and Application

From this chapter,

I see…

I believe…

I will…



dPrayer

Jesus, thank you for letting me hear your voice. Thank you for knowing me and helping me follow you. I know that you want to give me eternal life so I will never perish. Thank you that no one can snatch me away from you, for you are more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch me from the Father’s hand ( John 10:27-29, page 819).

Thoughts, Notes, and Prayer Requests




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Following Jesus Through Mark - HomeHarvest House