The Church of the Bible

Muscle and a Shovel by Michael Shank

Chapter 25 (Study 1 of 5 with Randall)

“What do you know about the church of the Bible?” asked Randall.

“Randall, until I met you I didn’t know anything about the church of the Bible,” said Mike. “Church, at least from what I remember, was always something that was secondary to salvation. I was taught that salvation and church membership were totally separate issues.”

“Were you taught that you had to be faithful to the church to go to Heaven?” asked Randall.

“No. I was saved when I was eight but didn’t join the Baptist church until I was thirteen. In most Baptist Churches it seems easier to get into Heaven than to get into the church because joining the Baptist Church requires you to go through a process. You have to relate your salvation experience and then the church takes a vote on you. If the vote is positive you’re given the opportunity to be baptized to become a member of the Baptist Church.”

“That’s why you believe that people from every denomination will go to Heaven?” Randall asked.

“I did, but after all that I’ve studied to this point I’m starting to wonder,” replied Mike.

“Alright. Now, let’s go back for a minute. In Matthew 16:18 Jesus told Peter that He would build His church, right?”

“Right,” I remembered from our previous study.

“Turn to Acts 2,” Randall said and we both turned to it.

“Acts 2:38 says:

Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Now, look at verse 41:

So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. 

“Mr. Mike, not all received what Peter said, did they?”

“Evidently not,” I answered.

“How many received his word?” Randall asked.

“About three thousand,” I replied after reading verse 41.

“Mr. Mike, do you realize that there would have been over a million Jews in Jerusalem at that time?” Randall asked.

“You’re kidding?” I responded.

“No man I’m not kidding. This was one of the primary holy events in the life of a Jew at that time. Almost every Jew would have attended the celebration of Pentecost. Now look at what Peter said here in Acts 2:36,” he said as he pointed at verse 36.

I followed along at verse 36. Randall read, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.” You see, Mr. Mike, Peter proclaimed Jesus Christ to the entire house of Israel. That’s the entire nation of Jews. But only about three thousand souls gladly received Peter’s words. Then those that gladly received his word did what?” he asked.

“They were baptized,” I said, looking at verse 41.

“Exactly. Now, do you see where it says there were added?” Randall pointed to the text using his index finger.

“Yeah,” I answered.

“Who added them?” Randall asked.

“I don’t know,” I responded.

Randall smiled. “That’s okay man. Look here at verse 47,” and he read the verse aloud:

praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

“The Lord added to the church,” I said.

“That’s correct. It is God who adds to the church,” Randall stated. “Who did God add to the church?”

“The people that gladly received Peter’s words,” I answered.

“And what did those people do to receive his words?” asked Randall.

“They repented and were baptized,” I answered while looking at the scripture.

“That’s right, Mr. Mike,” Randall replied, “and what were they called?” he asked while pointing to verse 47.

“It says “those who were being saved,” I replied. “They were called the saved.”

“That’s right. So God,” Randall went on, “added the saved to the church?”

“Yeah,” I responded. It was crystal clear.

“So, Mr. Mike, the church is made up of the saved and the saved make up the church.”

“That’s what it says,” I said. “But Randall, the Baptist Church votes on who gets into the Baptist Church.”

Randall didn’t respond. He didn’t have to. God’s Word was being revealed to me one piece at a time.

“Mike, the church was called many things. The body, the bride, the kingdom, the household of faith, the pillar and ground of truth, and a spiritual house. Let’s turn to Colossians 1.” Randall turned the pages and pushed on. “Look here at Colossians 1:18:

And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

Paul said that Christ is the Head of the body, the church. The body and church are one in the same,” said Randall.

“So God added the saved to the church and the church is the same thing as Christ’s body?” I asked.

“Absolutely,” Randall said. “Now look at Ephesians 4:4:

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;

Randall looked up at me. “Mr. Mike, how many bodies did Paul say there were?”

“One,” I replied.

Randall asked, “Now, if the church is the body and Paul said there’s only one body, how many churches are there?”

“One,” I answered his question as if I had just opened a treasure chest full of gold. “So, Randall,” I said as I looked at the words on the page, is this the reason for the bad rap?”

“What do you mean?” Randall was confused at my question.

“Kirk told me to stay away from you because your church believes that you’re the only ones going to Heaven. Is this where it comes from?”

“Unfortunately, yes. Good people like Kirk hear bits and pieces but they never want to take the time to sit down and find out exactly what the Bible teaches. They go off half-cocked and looking to pick a fight or they spread rumors and gossip, trying to stir as much trouble as possible.”

“Why?”

Randall thought about it for a second, then said, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter 5:8.” The Adversary was always present, always there trying to lead men away from the Truth. Peter warned Christians to be vigilant.

“Mr. Mike, people have no problem with the idea that there’s one God and one faith and one Holy Spirit and one Jesus Christ and one Heaven and one Hell and one Bible. But when you say there’s one church, as Paul said, they freak out!”

“Randall, it’s because it sounds so narrow. We’ve been told throughout our entire lives the exact opposite!” I responded.

“Yeah, Mr. Mike, I know that,” replied Randall.

“But, Randall, where does the Bible say that Jesus will save the church? I know you’ve mentioned it in the past, but I’d like to see it again.”

“Ephesians 5:23-25:

For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 

If Christ is the Savior of the body, the church, then it is impossible to be saved outside of the church because that’s the very thing that He is going to save,” Randall explained.

“So when people say join the church of your choice?” I asked.

Randall replied, “It’s a nice sounding phrase that seems to come from good intentions, but it’s rooted in ignorance of the Word. If those people knew what you know now, would they say that?”

“No, they wouldn’t,” I answered.

“Why?” Randall asked quickly.

“Well, the Bible seems to say that when people obey God’s instructions to be saved, they don’t choose the church of their choice. God adds them to the church of His Son.”

“You’ve got it man!”

“So,” I asked, “the name church of Christ is a Bible name?”

“It’s one of many Bible names used in the New Testament to describe the one body of Christ. Romans 16:16 says:

Greet one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ greet you.

A small ‘c’ is used in the word church because the church of Christ is not a proper name. It’s simply a description of Christ’s body, His blood-bought church. It’s a descriptive term of Christ’s church.”

“Randall, I’ve never seen Romans 16:16,” I said, surprised again.

“Mr. Mike, that’s alright. You see, you can’t find the Catholics, the Baptists, the Methodists, the Presbyterians, or the rest of them in the Bible. You can’t find any of those groups by name or by practice. That’s because they didn’t exist in the first century. But, you find the church of Christ in both name and practice. The church of Christ was born, as we see here in Acts 2, on the Day of Pentecost—”

“I’ve just never equated the church with salvation,” I interrupted.

“Most people don’t know that the church is essential to their salvation. The saved are members of the church and the church is made up of the saved. The two cannot be separated.”

“I’ve never thought of it that way,” I said as the words trailed off.

“Man,” Randall continued, “I’m going to show you how easy this is to understand.”

“Go ahead,” I said.

“God had Noah build a vessel of salvation, right?” he asked.

“Yeah. The ark.”

“Right. Now Noah said to get into the ark to be saved. Get into the vessel commissioned by God to have salvation. It’s your choice to get in the ark. Don’t get in if you don’t want to but if you don’t get in you won’t be saved,” Randall asked.

“Okay,” I replied.

“Mr. Mike, was salvation found outside of that ark?”

“Of course not,” I answered.

Randall said, “So you agree that no one was saved who was outside of the ark, right?”

“Right,” I replied.

“Now, Mr. Mike, God commissioned another soul-saving vessel. The perfect soul-saving vessel, Jesus Christ. The principle from the Old Testament was brought forth and fulfilled in Jesus Christ. You have the choice. Get into the vessel of Jesus Christ which is the body of Christ to be saved. You don’t have to get in if you don’t want to, but if you don’t get in you won’t be saved. Man, it’s just like the ark.” Randall paralleled the two.

“Mr. Mike, is salvation found outside of the ark of Christ,” asked Randall.

“It can’t be,” I answered.

“Okay, so you’d agree that no one can be saved outside of the ark of Christ?” he asked.

“I’d agree.”

“Mr. Mike, the ark of Christ is the body of Christ. The body of Christ is the church of Christ. That is why you must be in the church of Christ for salvation. It’s the soul-saving ark of God today just like the soul-saving ark of God during Noah’s day. The ark was the antitype of the church and Noah was the antitype of Christ,” said Randall.

It made perfect sense. The parallel was in complete biblical harmony. Actually, it was amazing.

“So you couldn’t possibly get saved one day then join a church on another day.” I was thinking it through, talking out loud.

“Peter didn’t teach you could get saved one day and join a church another day and he was being led by the Holy Spirit! People didn’t receive that during the first century because being saved one day and then joining a church days or even years later, like you, wasn’t taught by the Apostles. No one practiced anything like that in the Bible,” Randall replied.

“Randall,” I interrupted again. “I thought that the church of Christ was just another denomination, but you’ve always claimed that it’s not a denomination.”

“That’s right. It’s not a denomination. Denominations are divisions from the original. The church of Christ is the original that began on the Day of Pentecost around 33AD. Secondly, denominations have an earthly head, an association, a committee, a board of directors, conventions, etc. The churches of Christ have no earthly head of any kind!”

“Randall, are you telling me that the church of Christ has no associations or boards?” How is it held together? Who makes the rules?” I just couldn’t get my mind around it.

Randall smiled at my disbelief. “Mr. Mike, every congregation of the church of Christ is completely autonomous. Each congregation is self-governed by Elders as described in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. Deacons assist in the service of the church as instructed in 1 Timothy 3:8-12.”

I was listening.

“Christ is the only Head. He is seated at the right hand of God, Acts 2:33, and governs over His kingdom, the church. Jesus governs His kingdom at this very moment. That kingdom is His church, Colossians 1:18, and the idea is explained in Ephesians 1:20-23, which says:

which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,  far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

The church of Christ is the fullness of Christ. The common bond that binds one congregation to another is brotherly love and the Word of God. The Word unites us into one faith, Ephesians 4:3-6. We have no man-made statements of faith, no denominational creed-books, no associations, no conventions, and no board of directors. The Bible is our only rule of faith.”

Simple yet profound. Plain Bible teaching with no human opinions. Allowing the Bible to speak where it speaks. A people who demand the book, chapter, and verse for every belief and practice potentially prescribed to. Anything not found in the Word would be thrown aside as insufficient. The mystery of the Bible was unfolding before my eyes.

I was reminded of the Eunuch’s reply to Philip after Philip had asked him if he understood what he was reading. The Eunuch responded, “How can I unless someone guide me?” Someone was guiding me through the Word.

“But, Randall, how do you identify the church of Christ from every other church on the planet?”

“Excellent question Mike,” he said in his encouraging way,” and that’d be a good place to start tomorrow morning.”

Going Back to Jerusalem (part two)

by Kris Emerson

Only one way… by going back to Jerusalem! Going to the source, straight to God, to the Temple, to the Pattern, to the Law. If they had gone back to where they knew God approved, they would always be God approved. But they didn’t. They took a chance instead of a trip, and they failed.

With this, our modern religious climate has MUCH in common. Any time a new denomination was started, or some culturally supported new age movement, there is always a story.

1) Maybe the men at the previous church were sinning, so we started something new.

2) Maybe new ideas prevailed that would draw more people.

3) Maybe, and so often, a combination of Humanism (idolatry) and God was demanded.

Regardless, the questions must be asked: “How do I know if I am right here? How do I know if this church is right before God? How do I know if what we teach and are about is holy and accepted?”

After every explanation has been given. After every reason exhausted. After every defense has been stated and heard, the answer will always be the same: “We Must Go Back To Jerusalem!” It is NEVER too much or too far or out of reach to go Back to Jerusalem, back to the beginning, back to God and faith and Truth, to find out if we are living and worshipping in a way that is pleasing to God! (Back to the Text to prove an argument is RARE anymore)

Church leaders will tell you it is too much (not necessary). Religious friends will tell you things are fine as they are (culturally accepted). Your own conscience may even approve the choices (pride). But you can never know if you are right until you return to where it all began, where it was right: Jerusalem.

For the Israelites, that meant the city of Jerusalem. The Law of Moses found there. The Temple of God where the LORD connected with Israel. And the activities in that city that God demanded from 500 years before.

For us it means going back to Acts 1-15. The place, Jerusalem, where the Church (the Temple Christ built) began. The teachings upon which that church have been built. It is not too much to go back to Jerusalem.

And what do we find there?

Many wonderful, timeless, absolute truths. Here are a few the world’s forgotten

1) Inspiration must be Miraculously Proven! (Acts 1)

a. Power: Mark 16:16-20; Acts 1:4-8; 2:1-8; 2:43; 3:6-8; 5:12; 6:6-8; 8:14-19

b. Message: Acts 2; Acts 3; 5:27-32; 7:1-60

c. The Gospel, the Pattern, that saves souls started in Jerusalem. It extended outwardly by the Apostles and those who had miraculous power by their hands. Unique to all men, all churches, all organizations to come after, they stated the irrefutable Truth.

d. So not life, no conversion, no doctrine, no church, no idea is Christ-Centered Doctrinal Truth, unless we find it taught to us beginning in Jerusalem.

2) Salvation is through Repentance and Baptism! (Acts 2)

a. Truth: Mark 16:15-16; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:36-38; 8:35-38 (Philip from Jerusalem); Acts 22:16 (now outside of Jerusalem the Truth remains); I Peter 3:21

b. To say that salvation is found in God’s grace is correct! God’s mercy is found in the beginning of the church. But to say that our actions don’t access that grace, or that repentance and baptism are not essential to unite with Christ… well, you are believing men and modern ideas and maybe even what feels right, but you must go all the way back to Jerusalem!

3) We can know the One Truth on Any Matter of Faith! (Acts 15)

a. The Problem: Acts 15:1 – The Solution: Acts 15:2-6

b. The Method: 15:7-19 – Collect all data and make that the Pattern!

c. They first employed this approach, even in a case where God never shared a direct command. This harmony and study started with the Apostles in Jerusalem and must continue. The topic doesn’t matter: music, funds, work of the church, grace and works – when we go back to Jerusalem we learn to harmonize Scripture and let God give the answers and to unite in them.

Who you are / How you live / How you worship / What united you with Jesus – where did you find the Truth on those topics? If inside yourself, you’ve not gone far enough. If in a group or a man or in this culture, you’ve not gone far enough. Today, go back to the beginning, the Inspired Truth of the Apostles, the unchanging Pattern of right that is not affected by time or distance. Go back to Jerusalem and find Jesus there.

Going Back to Jerusalem (part one)

by Kris Emerson

Part One is the foundation of this lesson.

Part Two is the application for us. If you don’t want to wait until next Saturday for part two just let me know and I’ll send it to you!

Solomon was a great king and he did great things. He expanded the borders of Israel. He built extravagant and amazing structures. He shared heavenly wisdom with the people. He constructed the dwelling place of God among His people. The long term opportunity for Israel to be in fellowship with God was well established. But then, mistakes were made. Not by God of course, but by Solomon, and then Rehoboam.

I Kings 11:4-8 – Almost inconceivable, but he sought to still believe in God and have a relationship with God, while also to appease his wives with idol worship. This displeased God greatly.

I Kings 11:31-35 – So God selected Jeroboam to lead 10 tribes away from Solomon’s kingship.

I Kings 11:38 – The condition being, of course, that Jeroboam follow the will of God.

I Kings 11:40 – Solomon heard of this and sought to kill Jeroboam, so he fled.

I Kings 12:1-5 – Once Rehoboam was king, Jeroboam came back and sought to make peace. We know the story: the young king listened to his young friends and rejected Jeroboam’s plea.

I Kings 12:25 – So, Jeroboam left and established a new capital city in the North. The Northern kingdom of Israel was born on this day.

At this point, I don’t know how to feel about Jeroboam. It doesn’t seem like he has done anything sinful against God. It looks like Solomon and Rehoboam made the colossal mistakes. But then…

I Kings 12:26-27 – But then it occurred to him that the people would return to Jerusalem. They would clearly go back for the religious festivals. They would need to go back to keep the Law. They would need to go back to make sacrifices. They would all be there for the day of Atonement. And… they might fall in line with the South again and Jeroboam would be surely killed.

So, out of SELF-PRESERVATION, he needed a plan. He did not consult God. This was not about God. It was about HIMSELF. He needed to keep them from returning to the rightful place of worship.

I Kings 12:28-33 – He made the greatest appeal in all religious error: Thing about Yourself! He is effectively asking them to do what he is already doing. So he says: “It is too much FOR YOU to go up to Jerusalem.” The idea here is: “I know that’s what we’ve always done and that it is God’s will, but it is inconvenient and difficult and we can set up things here, closer, that will please God just as much.”

And what were his ideas:

1) We will set up 2 cities, one North and one South, to which you can go when you desire to make offerings.

2) In addition, we will set up “high places” all over so you can have a place close to home to worship.

3) Instead of it just being the Levites, we will open things for priests to be enlisted from other tribes.

4) While we still believe in the LORD, we will make our offerings to two golden calves. (Hard to comprehend). But just like Solomon, they still acknowledged God, these were just culturally accepted ways of worship they thought would not interrupt their fellowship with God.

5) We will even have a huge feast, just like in Jerusalem, except a month later and a different altar and priests and deliverer and such.

And… the people bought it! They were willing to be lead by this sinful man, who kept the people close to him by keeping them away from Jerusalem, where the Law and True Worship lived.

I Kings 14:7-12 – And the Lord was furious with Jeroboam and took him and his household out.

I Kings 14:15-16 – And for believing him and following him, all of Israel would suffer as well.

There is much we could discuss from this story. The sins of Solomon created the issue. The sins of Rehoboam kick started the division. The great sins of the evil Jeroboam were as devastating and selfish as any you can find in Scripture. But they are not our focus today. Our focus is on the people.

They made mistakes that affected themselves and their offspring for generations!

1) They believed a man. They listened to someone they respected, though they should not have.

2) They succumb to convenience. The idea of less travel and easier worship appealed to them.

3) They embraced new roles and leadership, like allowing for new priests. This found favor with many.

4) They wagered their souls that God would be okay w/ idol worship, so long as they still believed in Him.

And how could they know? How could they know if this was acceptable or not? Granted, there were things going on beyond their wisdom level – like God orchestrating the division. But how could they be sure that this form or religion and life would please God? Only one way… by going back to Jerusalem!

Part Two next Saturday.

The Application. Let’s put this understanding into action.

Victory Over Death

When we make new discoveries in life, whether it be finding an object or item that is going to benefit you greatly, understanding a new truth, getting to know someone in a new way, or making a new friend, how did that discovery affect you?

Read Mark 15:40-16:8.

What is significant about the people present for Jesus’ burial (15:40-47)?

What do verses 42-47 tell us about Joseph?

What risks does Joseph run by taking responsibility for Jesus’ burial?

Soon after Jesus’ burial (and even to this day) some have claimed that Jesus didn’t actually die. What details in this account confirm that He did die?

Middle Eastern burials of this era took place in two stages. First, the body was wrapped up, covered in spices to offset the smell and then laid on a shelf in a cave. Second, a year or two later when the flesh had decomposed, the bones were then gathered into a box called an ossuary and stored in the tomb, leaving room for the burial of another family member on the now empty shelf.

Mark finishes his account of the burial with a feeling of eager impatience. He has set everything in order for the next stage, but now it is the sabbath, and everything must rest, including the body of Jesus Himself.

What are the women expecting when they go to the tomb (16:1-3)?

Note what the women are not saying to themselves (as they might be if this story were a later pious fiction). They were not going to witness Jesus’ resurrection. They had no idea that any such thing was even thinkable. They were going to complete the primary burial. This was a sad task, but a necessary one, both for reverence’s sake, and to lessen the smell of decomposition as other bodies, in due course, might be buried in the same tomb over the coming year or so, prior to Jesus’ bones being collected and put into an ossuary (the secondary burial).

What do they do instead (16:4-5)?

How do they respond to what they see and hear (16:6-8)?

In the ancient world, women were regarded as worthless witnesses. Why does Mark’s mention of them here actually affirm the validity of this story rather than call the events into question?

What is the significance of Jesus’ resurrection for you?

Read Mark 16:9-20.

Some scholars believe Mark’s original ending is missing. Note here that God has given us what He has intended for us to have so it is no concern to me either way, but there are some good things to think about if this is true.

The reason some scholars believe as previously noted is that two of the most acclaimed manuscripts that they have, both from the fourth century, end with verse 8. The alternative endings as those scholars would call them are in their opinion later writings, added by copyists, who think that Mark couldn’t have meant to stop at verse 8, and so they determined in themselves to fill in the gap. Whether this is true or not I do not know as I mentioned previously it does not concern me. I trust that God has delivered to us what He wants us to have and it is certainly true that all the content in verses 9-20 is confirmed elsewhere in the New Testament without question or dispute.

However, if it is true about early Christians from the 4th century writing verses 9-20, then what do these verses tell us about how they saw the significance of these events?

What tasks has our risen Lord given you in order to take the gospel into all the world?

How would you evaluate your own discipleship, your commission from the risen Jesus?

Trent Dean

dean008@gmail.com

Condemned And Crucified

Sometimes words fail us. As. T.S. Eliot observed, they slip and slide and will not stay in place. We are too used to them, as many Christians are too used to the story of Jesus’ death. We need, regularly, to find ways of making the story strange again, unfamiliar, so we can hear it once more as though it were new. Indeed it is a strange story full of the unexpected, the ironic, the disturbing. - N.T. Wright

Can you think of a time words failed you or someone else in trying to express something important?

Read Mark 15:1-15.

The cross was a political symbol (Roman’s power of death) long before it became a religious symbol. Pilate knew, the crowds knew, the chief priests knew, and Jesus knew, what it meant. It was the ultimate symbol of Roman power. It said, “We are in charge here, and this is what happens to people who get in our way.”

How does Jesus respond to His accusers (vv. 1-5)?

Pilate wasn’t looking to crucify Jesus. What different motivations that Pilate has are revealed by his questions and actions (vv. 6-15)?

Pilate might have flogged an errant prophet if he was causing trouble. He would have dismissed a blasphemy case with a flick of his hand. But would-be kings spelled political trouble. This was the charge he had to take notice of, even though he knew Jesus wasn’t leading the normal sort of messianic revolt (He didn’t bother to round up any of His followers). Mark wants to be sure that we think of Jesus’ death in terms of His messiahship, confronting the power of Rome, built as it was on the power of death.

How does the Barabbas story help us understand some of the significance of Jesus’ crucifixion?

What is your reaction to God’s grace shown in this incident?

Read Mark 15:16-39.

Mark builds up the story of Jesus’ crucifixion through small pictures, one detail after another that together tell the story in a clipped sequence, moving swiftly from scene to scene. What short snapshots does Mark capture in verses 16-32?

What do they teach us about Jesus’ death?

What is ironic about the taunts people make to Jesus as He hangs on the cross?

The main theme that emerges over and over is that Jesus is crucified as the King of the Jews. It is because He is bearing the fate and destiny of Israel, as its anointed representative, that His death means what it means to Mark. Israel is where the world’s violence and wickedness seem to have concentrated itself; but the Messiah, the King, has already taken it upon Himself, and so has made a way of rescue, of ransom, for any who will follow Him.

If we were reading Mark for the first time, we might expect that, after the mocking of the crowds, all that would be left would be for Jesus to die. We might have imagined that this would take some time, since crucified people often hovered between life and death for days, and (as John’s Gospel informs us in 19:31-34) only the imminent arrival of the Jewish sabbath would make the soldiers finish off the job more quickly. But nothing could have prepared us for the bizarre events that Mark relates in this short account of Jesus’ last minutes.

What happens right before Jesus dies (vv. 33-39)?

How is Jesus’ cry in verse 34 the climax of His sufferings?

How does verse 38 tie in the previous four chapters of Mark?

While Son of Man has been the common title Jesus uses for Himself, another title has made a few appearances also. First, “God’s Son” is found in the opening line of Mark’s Gospel (1:1). Then the voice at Jesus’ baptism hails Him as God’s beloved Son (1:11). Evil spirits identified Him the same way (3:11; 5:7). So does the voice at the transfiguration (9:7). Then the high priest asked if He was God’s Son (14:61).

Why is it significant that a Roman soldier now gives Him this title?

What difference has Jesus’ death on the cross made in your life?

Trent Dean

dean008@gmail.com

Next Week: “Victory Over Death” Mark 15:40-16:20

Forsaken And Rejected

What do you do when the strong person in your life suddenly becomes weak? Children face this when the parent on whom they have relied for everything is suddenly struck down with illness or grief.

Read Mark 14:26-52.

We can only imagine the effect on the disciples of the sudden change that came over Jesus in Gethsemane. Until that moment he had been in control: planning, directing, teaching, guiding. He had always been ready with a word or action. What does Jesus predict His disciples will do in the near future (vv. 27-30)?

How does the response of the disciples to Jesus’ prediction contrast with their response to His call to stay with Him in prayer?

Why is prayer often so difficult for us, even with the best of intentions?

How would you describe Jesus’ emotional state in Gethsemane (vv. 32-40)?

Three times Jesus prays for rescue. Three times he appears to receive the answer , No (vv. 34-41). What can we learn if even Jesus received such a response to one of His most heartfelt prayers?

Why is Jesus surprised that people come armed with weapons to arrest Him?

Is there a person or group in this garden scene that you identify with most? Why?

.Read Mark 14:53-72.

How does Mark contrast Jesus and Peter (vv. 53-54, 61-62, 66-71)?

The detailed description of Peter’s failure highlights the solitariness of Jesus. Betrayed by one disciple, forsaken by ten more, and now publicly and bitterly renounced by, perhaps, his closest friend.; Jesus stands alone, defenseless, before the Jewish court, before the world. This too is important for the story Mark is telling: what Jesus has to do now, he has to do all by Himself. No one else can give their life as a ransom for many. If He is the Messiah, then the time to act solo has arrived.

What different charges are leveled against Jesus (vv. 55-64)?

What is indicated by the way Jesus was arrested and the way the trial was conducted?

The judges were aware that what Jesus had done and said constituted a veiled claim to royal authority. He was making moves that could only be explained if He thought He was the true King, the Messiah. Now there was nothing wrong, let alone blasphemous, with thinking oneself to be Messiah. It wasn’t a capital offense under Jewish law. Nevertheless the court knew, and Jesus knew they knew, that if someone claimed to be a king, and the Roman governor heard about it, there could only be one result. Crucifixion, though practiced widely in the Roman world for various offenses, was the standard treatment for would-be rebel leaders. Hence the chief priest’s key question, when Jesus remains silent about the temple: Are you the Messiah?

It isn’t that Jesus has, as it were, claimed simply to be divine. It is rather, that He drew on Psalm 110 and Daniel 7:13, which taken together, answer all the questions simultaneously, and add to them the assertion that Jesus will be vindicated, exalted to a place at God’s right hand. The answer says, in a tight-packed phrase: yes, I am a true prophet; yes, what I said about the temple will come true; yes, I am the Messiah; you will see Me vindicated; and My vindication will mean that I share the very throne of Israel’s God. At last the masks are off, the secrets are out, the cryptic sayings and parables are left behind. The Son of Man stands before the official ruler of Israel declaring that God will prove Him in the right and the court in the wrong.

How do Peter’s and Jesus’ actions and words illustrate Mark 8:35: “If you want to save your life, you’ll lose it; but if you lose your life because of Me and the Message you’ll save it”?

In what ways might you be called to lose your life for Jesus and the good news of the gospel?

Prepared For Death

It is a deep human instinct that we mark significant moments with significant meals. Sharing a meal, especially a festive one, binds together a family, a group of friends, a collection of colleagues. Such meals say more than we could ever put into words about who we are, how we feel about one another, and the hopes and joys that we share together. The meal not only feeds our bodies; it says something and it does something, actually changing us so that, after it, part of who we actually are is the people who shared that meal together, with all that it meant.

When was the last time you shared a meal with others that marked a significant moment?

Read Mark 14:1-11.

Perhaps the most significant meal in the Old Testament was Passover. It’s all about freedom. Every year, and still to the present day, the Jewish people tell the story of the exodus from Egypt, leaving the slavery of Pharaoh and coming through the Red Sea and the wilderness to the Land of Promise. Passover, in the midst of Roman occupation, is the setting Jesus chose for the final showdown with the temple and its hierarchy.

Why isn’t Passover time a good time for the Jewish authorities to arrest Jesus?

While the chief priests and lawyers are plotting against Jesus, an unnamed woman is anointing Him with valuable oil. How do the people present react to the woman’s worship of Jesus?

What is Jesus’ response to this woman?

What is Jesus saying about the poor in verse 7?

I don’t think it is entirely coincidence that held up here is an example of a woman getting it right while all around her men are getting it wrong.

This is a tough question to word just right and can easily be misconstrued or understand, but I will ask it because it is helpful to think about. How do we sometimes react when people seem to worship Jesus without inhibition—-pouring out their valuables, their stories, their singing—-in ways we haven’t or with passion we haven’t? Mind you I’m not referencing people who are worshiping in error.

Which group or individual do you identify with most in this scene and why?

Read Mark 14:12-25.

At Passover Jews not only told the story of how God liberated them but also ate a commemorative meal together. Celebrating Passover was a deeply religious act, and also, for the many centuries in which Jews have suffered oppression, a deeply political act. It says, loud and clear, despite appearances, we are God’s free people. It sustains loyalty; it encourages faith, hope, and love.

What do the disciples do to prepare for the Passover meal (vv. 12-16)?

Why does Jesus’ announcement upset the disciples (vv. 17-21)?

How does Jesus add new meaning to two of the Passover elements (vv. 22-25)?

This Passover-meal-with-a-difference is going to explain more deeply than words could ever do, what His action, and passion, the next day really meant; and, more than explaining it, it will enable Jesus’ followers, from that day to this, to make it their own, to draw life and strength fro m it. If we want to understand, and be nourished by, what happened on Calvary, this meal is the place to start.

How does this meal help us make sense of Jesus’ death and His kingdom?

This meal is described as the Lord’s Supper today, while others call it the Eucharist or Communion. How can your study of this chapter enrich your participation in it?

Trent Dean

dean008@gmail.com

Signs Of The End

Are you familiar with any examples in which something new and important happened after a period of significant struggle?

Read Mark 13:1-27.

In chapters 11 and 12, Jesus has demonstrated His authority over the temple, as well as the leaders of the temple, and affirmed that the two greatest commandments are more important than sacrifices in the temple.

How do the opening verses of chapter 13 indicate that the disciples still haven’t understood what He’s saying?

Many people have read Mark 13 as being mainly about “the end of the world,” which it certainly isn’t. Jesus is focused on the temple’s destruction. He is answering the disciple’s question. Further, if it were the end of the world, what would be the point of running away to the mountains as verse 14 suggests?

However, for most Jews at the time, it would indeed be almost equivalent to the end of the world for the temple (the center of their national life and identity) to be destroyed.

How did Jesus say His followers should act as they live through events that will lead up to the destruction of the temple (vv. 5-13)?

Jesus’ warnings to His followers are to be taken VERY SERIOUSLY by all who are working for the kingdom today. Many Christians today face persecution every bit as severe as the early church suffered; and those Christians today that do not suffer in that manner often face the temptation to stagnate, to become cynical, to suppose that nothing much is happening, that the kingdom of God is just a dream.

In verse 13 Jesus says we NEED PATIENCE to hold onto our faith in the midst of difficulties.

What specific situation in your life right now is requiring patience to endure?

How can we cultivate deeper stronger patience in our lives?

After the period of patience Jesus describes, what does He say will happen next (vv. 14-27)?

While Jesus encourages patience during the preliminary events leading up to the temple’s destruction, one particular sign will indicate that things have changed dramatically and that it is now time to run.

The sign is “the desolating abomination” (v. 14), an appalling object or person whose presence signifies imminent destruction. The text behind this is Daniel 11:31 and 12:11, which speaks of pagan armies invading Jerusalem, stopping the regular sacrifices in the temple and setting up what sounds like a pagan idol. When something like that happens, patience is no longer the proper response. It is time to escape. Run for the mountains!

Indeed that is exactly what happened in A.D. 70, within a generation, as Jesus predicted (see v. 30). The Romans conducted a siege of Jerusalem with terrible consequences for the population. Ultimately they set up their own symbols of power and authority in the temple before destroying it. The first-century historian Josephus tells us of many would-be messiahs, many prophets, during the Roman-Jewish war of A.D. 66-70. They were offering rescue, trying to gain following, promising signs and wonders. They all came to nothing.

Read Mark 13:28-37.

What warnings and admonitions does Jesus issue to His followers?

Jesus says even the Son doesn’t know the day or hour of these events (v. 32).

The concluding command in this chapter is not, “Sit down and work out a prophetic timetable,” but instead, “Be on the alert!” What does Jesus mean by this command, and how can we carry it out?

Trent Dean

dean008@gmail.com

Tragedy And Traps

What if you had to deliver bad news? And suppose you had to deliver it to the rulers of your country? And suppose the bad news wasn’t about a natural disaster or problems with the economy or a scandal in government or a war that was going badly? What if the bad news was that the leaders, the very people you were talking to, were the problem?

That is a lot of supposing. But unless we imagine ourselves in something like the situation Jesus faced, we will never understand passages like we find in Mark 12.

Read Mark 12:1-12.

What do the different characters in this parable represent?

How do the religious leaders react to this parable?

Read Isaiah 5. No happy ending to this story. As it stands, it is pure tragedy. All that is left is judgment.

In verses 10-11 Jesus quotes from Psalm 118, the same psalm that excited worshipers were using when singing their hosannas a few days before (see Mark 11:9). What is Jesus saying with this quotation?

Read Mark 12:13-27.

How could Jesus get in trouble (with different groups) by answering either way?

How does Jesus avoid being trapped?

A different group of religious leaders, the Sadducees, try another trap with Jesus by telling Him a story, which depended on a Law of Moses (Deuteronomy 25:5-10; Genesis 38:8). What is the trap this time?

How does Jesus turn this trap around?

Read Mark 12:28-44.

Now a lawyer approaches Jesus with another question. What does he want to know and how does Jesus answer him?

Jesus commends the lawyer for understanding that following these two commandments is worth more “than all burnt offerings and sacrifices” (vv. 32-34).

It was commonly understood from the Old Testament that the Messiah would come from the line of David. Now Jesus offers a riddle of his own in verses 35-37. How does Jesus expand their ideas about the Messiah?

Jesus commends the widow who gave what seemed to be a very small amount. How does the widow’s offering foreshadow Jesus’ own coming sacrifice?

Think through each of the parts of chapter 12 and consider their interconnectedness. What is Jesus teaching us?

Trent Dean

dean008@gmail.com

The Authority Of Jesus

Read Mark 11:1-25 again and now 27-33 with the previous context.

Consider the connection:

The fig tree bears no fruit / judged/condemned

The Jews’ improper activity in the temple / BEWARE OF JUDGMENT

Also, notice:

Even after Jesus is denouncing the system that has so deeply corrupted God’s intended purpose for Israel, His final word is a stern command to forgive (v. 25).

Although we must have the courage to act with Jesus’ authority against the injustice and wickedness of our own day, we must have a spirit and heart of peace and forgiveness. It is a challenging balance we must walk as disciples of Jesus.

When the religious leaders ask Jesus about His authority, he counters with His own question. Why can’t the chief priests answer Jesus’ question (vv. 27-33)?

The question of Jesus’ authority has come full circle.

In the early chapters of the Gospel, this was the thing that most impressed people in Galilee (1:22, 27; 2:10; 3:15). Now the authority with which He taught and healed was turned into explicit authority over the highest institution within Judaism. From here there is a straight line to the questions before the chief priest after Jesus’ arrest (14:55-64).

Trent Dean

dean008@gmail.com