March 5 and 6, 2016 Bible Study Questions Mark 14:1-11 The Heart Of A Disciple Questions by Pastoral Intern Rob Alcock

This Week’s Announcements:! 1. Coach's corner is on April 1st. Jenny will send out RSVP soon. Be sure to come and invite your co-leader, hosts, and potential leaders. 2. Please be sure to update your group management. 3. Spring small group starts again on the week of April 11th. 4. A special note from Pastor Andy: "Keep running the race well. Study the word, make disciples, serve others as you go into the spring season of small group.” We want to remind all of us that Easter is soon approaching. And as we remember that, we should all seek to be mindful about how we are called to live out the reality of Easter throughout our lives. As we come to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus, let’s prepare our hearts. Let’s confess our sins—to God and one another. Let’s seek out opportunities to be Jesus’ hands and feet. And let’s live in the freedom that Christ offers us through the life he gives. 1. The Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread were two separate feasts commemorating the same event in Israel’s past. Read Exodus 12:1-20. Why is this tradition so important for Israel? How does understanding the significance of this celebration affect the way you read the passion of the Christ (Mark 14:1-15:47)?

Perhaps some context is necessary for this question. I wrestle with how much of this passage in Exodus to include. I think most of us will be familiar with the story of the Exodus, but how the Passover ties in with all of that may be less clear. At this stage in the Exodus story God has sent all of the plagues except for the last one. This last plague is that God will strike down the first born in all of Egypt—people and animals. The LORD is going to pass over the land and kill the firstborn of all of Egypt. It is at this time that God tells Moses how to prepare for Passover; and it is those verses that I have given for your groups to read.

The preparation for the Passover was where the Israelites would kill a lamb, and put the blood of the lamb on their doors so that they would be spared when God passed through Egypt. In verse 11 Moses explains that they’re to eat with their belts fastened, their sandals on, and with their staff in hand. They’re supposed to be ready to go as soon as the time comes. The Passover is a time of preparation—anticipating that God will do what he promised.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread is also meant to commemorate the Exodus. Bread that is unleavened doesn’t rise, and therefore bakes significantly faster. Again, the main emphasis is on being prepared and ready for God’s action. Every year the people would celebrate these feasts and remember how God saved them from the hand of their oppressors. Every year Israelites from all around the Mediterranean would come to Jerusalem to celebrate this festival together. That would mean the population of Jerusalem would grow to three times its normal size. This celebration is important because it reminds them that their God has saved them before and he has promised to save them again.

As we consider the importance of this celebration in the history of Israel, we should recognize that Jerusalem during this week-long celebration would have been an emotionally charged place. There would have been a lot of people in close quarters; people are remembering all of the different ways that God has saved them in the past; they would have considered how the Roman occupation was similar to the oppression felt by the Egyptians. “Could God possibly save us again like he did in Egypt? Could this Passover be the time?” This celebration is so important for Israel because it reminds them who their God is and how he cares for them. And as we read on in the gospel of Mark we should keep all of this in mind. These people were coming together to celebrate what God had done in the past, and were waiting for the Messiah to come. They were waiting for God to save them from their oppressors. Let’s keep this in mind as we approach Easter. 2. What emotions do you experience as you read through this section of the gospel of Mark? Consider the roles played by the chief priests and scribes; Simon the leper; the woman; the disciples; and lastly, Judas. In what ways can you relate to each one of them?

In asking this question I want our groups to wrestle with the different ways we can relate to each of the different characters in this story. I’m sure that we all wish that we live like the woman, in adoration of Jesus, but if we are honest that’s probably not always the case. I’m sure that we can all think of times where we were closer to the priests and scribes, where we were looking for a way to trap a brother or sister. Perhaps we have been like the disciples and scoffed at someone’s act of worship. Maybe we are like Simon the Leper, who can praise God for healing a disease in our life. Get your group to probe deep into their hearts to discuss how each of these characters have relatable parts to us. 3. Notice the way Mark tells this story: he introduces the chief priests and scribes as opponents to God, and closes the scene with their conversation with Judas. Sandwiched in the middle of these scenes is the story of the woman’s faith. What is it about this order of events that is so discouraging? What about this order of events is encouraging?

I think that in this series of events Mark is trying to get us—the readers—to notice something. The chief priests and scribes should have known the Scriptures the best. It should have been them who should have understood how the Messiah was to come, or at least, they should have been ready to accept him once he came, even if it wasn’t clear through Scripture until Jesus revealed it. They should have been Jesus’ most faithful followers, but they rejected him. Seeing the religious leaders abandoning God is heart- wrenching and leaves a sour taste in the mouth.

As we read on, to the end of the section, we find that one of Jesus’ disciples is going to betray him into the hands of the religious leaders. Judas, a man who had been with Jesus and had sat under his teaching for three years is going to abandon his Lord for a sum of money. He is going to throw away the most important thing in the world for 30 silver coins. Reading these verses should leave us feeling like we have been punched in the stomach. How is it that those who should have understood how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament didn’t, and one who sat under Jesus’ teaching and followed him faithfully for three years could betray him to death?

Sandwiched between these two devastating scenes is a scene of complete surrender and worship of Jesus. A woman, who is unnamed here, but is named in the gospel of John as Mary, chooses to sacrifice her entire savings, retirement, value, etc. for Jesus. This act, and the fact that Mark spends more time on these verses should tell us something. Yes, it is terrible that those who should have recognized Jesus didn’t. Yes, even the disciples struggled to understand who Jesus was, and one of them was even willing to betray him. But in the midst of all of this upset, there is a moment of clarity. This woman chose to honour Jesus as Lord, and gave her most precious thing to him. This should be encouraging for us, and should remind us to offer up what we have for Jesus. All we have is his, and we should seek to live our lives in practical application of that fact. Let’s follow the pattern this woman set for us and offer all we have. 4. Just as the woman was willing to give her most valuable possession for Jesus, and as we remember that Jesus gave his very life for us, how must we respond? What specific things must you sacrifice for Jesus and his kingdom? What do you struggle to give to God?

This question is meant to be probing. I think the easy and obvious answer is that we are supposed to sacrifice all that we have, but I also think that it is sometimes difficult to understand what that looks like in our day-to-day lives. I encourage you and your group to think of some practical things you can do throughout your days to serve God with the blessings that he has given to you.

I would also encourage you to try to turn this into a group serve opportunity. This week I heard a story of a family that assembled backpacks full of different essentials, and then went and gave them to people on the street who looked like they needed them. This could be a great way to involve the children in your group (if you have children in your group), and to help them see that everything we have can be used for God’s kingdom.

Try to be vulnerable as leaders. Try to offer up ways that you struggle to give everything you have to God. As you share, and as others follow you, ask for ways that you can keep one another accountable to using what we have for kingdom purposes.