# STUDY QUESTIONS (WEEK 2) #### In the first chapter, Mark had claimed several times that Jesus was from Nazareth. Why did Mark say in Chapter 2, verse 1 that Jesus home is in Capernaum, whose house is he staying at? > [!bible]- • Jesus was from Nazareth o 1:9, 24; 10:47 “Jesus of Nazareth”, 14:67, 16:16. • Luke 4:16-31 - Jesus rejected at Nazareth Matthew 4:13 He leaves Nazareth and settled in Capernaum. • Matthew 8:14–16 and the context of Mark 1 suggests that it was the home of Peter that Jesus stayed. #### Recalling details from last week, Why was it so overcrowded already? > [!bible]- • Mk 1: Jesus does his first open teaching- cast out demon - healed Peter’s mother-in-law - then the whole town! He had to leave because of the Lepor. Then Mk 2:1 says “he came back to Capernaum several days afterward” • Jesus has done at least one circuit throughout Galilee #### In Verse 2, what does it mean that Jesus spoke the Word to them? > [!bible]- • The words of Jesus are on par with the word of God Using Verse 5-12, how is it an example of the Gospel • Trust in Jesus, he will forgive your sins and heal us! #### In the passage with the paralytic, why did Jesus “Son, your sins are forgiven”? > [!bible]- -How can Jesus forgive sins before the cross #### How do you think the paralytic felt when Jesus said that > [!bible]- • How about when Jesus heals him? #### How would you answer the question Jesus poses in verse 9? > [!bible]- • Spiritual healing is easier to fake than physical healing, but is harder to actually accomplish. • In fact, spiritual healing was provided only at the cost of the cross. So forgiveness is the • greater of the two miracles that Jesus performs for the paralytic. #### In what way does the healing address the doubts in the minds of the religious leaders? > [!bible]- • It demonstrated Jesus’ power. If he can heal the outer man, maybe he can heal the inner man too. • He really does have the power, because God would not let someone claim this? What are some practical ways we learn from the paralytic and his friends • (Hang with the unpopular, bring friends to Jesus, serve people together, and care for • people even if it proves difficult.) #### In chapter 1, we witness the shocking authority and humility of Jesus. In chapter 2, we see that the Pharisees have also taken notice. Skim the chapter to find the four lame complaints that the Pharisees spew. > [!bible]- • Jesus proclaimed forgiveness, • Ate with sinners • Did not direct his disciples to fast • allowed them to pick grain on the Sabbath. #### In verses 13-17 In what ways did Jesus do ministry differently from the Pharisees? How does this apply to us? (Who, How, or Where) > [!bible]- • (He went to the people, and befriended them—even sinners! • Where? Lakeside [v. 13], marketplace [v. 14], homes [v. 15], plus synagogue. • Who? ”Sinners” in addition to the religious. • How? Through friendship in addition to teaching.) #### Reread verse 17. What attitude should we have as we approach Jesus? > [!bible]- • (Humble, aware of our sins and weaknesses.) #### How should this verse direct us in our witness? > [!bible]- • (Be alert for people who are aware of their spiritual sickness.) #### Let’s read verses 18-20. After the feast of verse 15, observers complain because the disciples are feasting, not fasting. #### Do you understand Jesus’ reply about “the Bridegroom”? > [!bible]- • (A bridegroom is the center of celebration at a wedding feast.) #### How will Jesus “be taken”? > [!bible]- • (This refers to Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion, just as John the Baptist had been taken in 1:14.) #### Christ’s use of the bridegroom metaphor is understood even more fully when we realize that John the Baptist had previously referred to Jesus as “the bridegroom.” Someone read John 3:27-30 for us. Do you see what Jesus is doing? > [!bible]- • (Instead of being his own defender, he refers to John’s proclamation of Christ’s superiority.) #### Explain the physical dynamics of the metaphors. > [!bible]- • New cloth shrinks, pulling apart the stitching. Wine expands as it ferments, bursting stretched-out leather. #### What do the patch and wine metaphors have in common? > [!bible]- • The old can’t contain the new. What is Christ’s point in using these two illustrations? • Christ did not come to patch up an old religious system. It could not contain Jesus. He fulfilled the Law and superseded it, providing a new covenant. So, since Jesus is bringing a new way to relate to God, it should be no surprise that his actions break the religious and cultural norms. ## Now let’s read verses 23-28. Why do they complain about the grain? > [!bible]- • They adhered to scores of nit-picking, non-scriptural laws concerning the Sabbath, not to mention the fact that they were scrambling for dirt on Jesus. What does Jesus imply by his reply? • The Sabbath was meant to fulfill the human need for rest, so meeting the human need for food is consistent with keeping the Sabbath. It is meant to help us, not rule us. Jesus seems to have wanted this to play out? While called to obey the sabbath, it was a gift of rest and not to be a burden • The Heart of the law matters more than the rule of the Law. Hosea 6:6 and Matthew 9:13 • We can look at the teaching of the law, and then the real-life examples of how it played out for a fuller picture and theology. We can also do this with the NT with the Book of Acts or the personal letters of Paul #### What does he mean by calling himself “Lord of the Sabbath”? > [!bible]- • Who ordained, created, and ruled the Sabbath? (Exodus 20:8-11- Ezekiel 20:12). • Jesus is making a God claim • Jesus is the one that gives us rest, and bring us to God's rest just like the Sabbath • David’s action described in verses 25-26 also occurred on a Sabbath [The law about it is in Leviticus 24:8-9]. So in verses 27-28, Jesus says in effect: “If the Sabbath is a servant of man, specifically David, how much more is The Man Lord of it!”) #### Do we have any religious traditions that hurt instead of help us? > [!bible]- • Any man made things In chapters 1–2, how have Christ’s actions broken free from cultural norms? • He called disciples, avoided publicity, taught without a degree or permission, healed, delivered, touched a leper, forgave sin, ate with sinners, feasted instead of fasted, and picked grain on the Sabbath. #### As Christ’s followers, how are we to be countercultural?