Mark

{IN GALILEE}

[Click on Title to Open Study]

1. His Name is Jesus! - {PDF Copy} - (The name ‘Jesus’ means ‘Yahweh saves.’ In the Nazarene, the salvation promised to Israel has arrived in all its glory)
2. The Unexpected Messiah - {PDF Copy} - (The Son of Man is revealed and comprehended in his sufferings and self-sacrificial death for others, including his enemies)
3. Introduction to Mark - {PDF Copy} - (A brief overview of the history and structure of Mark's gospel account)
4. The Gospel Begins... - {PDF Copy} - (In the ministry of Jesus, the kingdom of God arrived, commencing with his baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist – Mark 1:1-3)
5. Voice in the Wilderness - {PDF Copy} - (John arrived in Judea to prepare the way of the Messiah and herald the Good News of the Kingdom, as predicted in Isaiah)
6. In Spirit and Fire - {PDF Copy} - (At his baptism, the Spirit of God descended on Jesus, equipping him for his messianic mission – He baptizes in the Spirit)
7. Son, Messiah, Servant - {PDF Copy} - (The Spirit of God and the voice from heaven confirmed the calling and identity of Jesus – the Son, Messiah, and the Servant of Yahweh)
8. Herald of the Kingdom - {PDF Copy} - (After his baptism, the Spirit drove Jesus into the Wilderness to be tested by the Devil. But he overcame and succeeded where Israel failed)
9. Servant or Caesar? - {PDF Copy} - (Satan offered Jesus unlimited political power to achieve his messianic mission if only he acknowledged the Devil as his overlord)
10. Adversity and Proclamation - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus commenced proclaiming the Kingdom following the arrest of John as opposition appeared even at the start of his mission – Mark 1:14-15)
11. Four Fishermen Summoned - {PDF Copy} - (In Galilee, Jesus summoned four fishermen to leave their livelihoods to become his disciples – Mark 1:16-20)
12. Authority over Satan - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus demonstrated his authority over Satan’s domain by driving his forces out of the children of Israel – Mark 1:21-28)
13. Authority over Disease - {PDF Copy} - (Neither social conventions nor purity regulations prevented Jesus from ministering to the physical needs of men and women)
14. Authority over Ritual Purity  - {PDF Copy} - (The touch of Jesus cleansed a leper, and the forbidden contact did not render him “unclean”)
15. The Son of Man - {PDF Copy} - (The one like a Son of Man in Daniel is the source of Christ’s self-designation as the Son of Man and his authority)
16. Authority to Forgive Sins - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus healed a paralytic, and by doing so, he demonstrated the authority of the Son of Man to discharge sins – Mark 2:1-12)
17. The Son of Man has Authority - {PDF Copy} - (He is the Son of Man foreseen by Daniel, the Messiah who has absolute authority from Yahweh over the Earth)
18. Tax Collector Summoned - {PDF Copy} - (Forgiveness links the call of the tax collector to the preceding story of the healing of the paralytic - the Son of Man’s authority to discharge sins – Mark 2:13-17)
19. Authority over the Sabbath - {PDF Copy} - (In response to the Jewish leaders that opposed him, Jesus demonstrated that he is Lord even of the Sabbath Day - Mark 2:23-3:6)
20. Crowds Press, Demons Confess - {PDF Copy} - (The crowds welcomed Jesus because of his miracles, but only demons recognized him as the Son of God)
21. Twelve Apostles Appointed - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 3:13-21 - Jesus departs to a mountain to summon his twelve disciples)
22. Unpardonable Sin - {PDF Copy} - (A line is crossed when the activities of God’s Spirit in the words and deeds of Jesus are attributed to Satan – Mark 3:22-35)
23. Sowing Gospel Seed - {PDF Copy} - (The Son of Man sows the seed of the Gospel in the world where it is growing into the Kingdom of God until the consummation of the age – Mark 4:1-20)
24. Kingdom Parables - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus taught several parables concerning the Kingdom of God, its paradoxical growth, and its status in the world - Mark 4:21-34)
25. Authority over Sea and Storm - {PDF Copy} - (Despite his tremendous miracle of calming a tempest on the Sea of Galilee, the disciples still did not recognize the Son of Man – Mark 4:35-41)
26. Who is this Man? - {PDF Copy} - (No one recognized who Jesus was except the demons cast out by him. Only in his sacrificial death can his identity be understood)
27. Jesus and the Demoniac - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus delivered a demonized Gentile while traveling through hostile territory, demonstrating his vast authority over Satan)
28. Two Women Restored - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 5:21-43 - Christ restores two afflicted women despite barriers raised by the Levitical purity codes)
29. Rejected in Nazareth - {PDF Copy} - (Despite his miraculous deeds, his hometown rejected his ministry and took offense at the humble origins of Jesus – Mark 6:1-6)
30. Opposition and Rejection - {PDF Copy} - (To be the disciple of Jesus one must take up the cross and follow in his footsteps, even if it results in rejection, impoverishment, or death - Mark 6:7-30)
31. Miraculous Witness to Israel - {PDF Copy} - (The feeding of 5,000 men was a spectacular witness to Israel, yet most Jews continued to reject Jesus as Israel’s Messiah)
32. Jesus and Tradition - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus undermined the religious rationale for dietary restrictions. With the Messiah’s arrival, the old rituals lost their relevance)
33. Spiritual Dullness - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 8:1-21 - Mark highlights the unbelief behind the inability of the disciples and Christ’s opponents to perceive who he is)
34. A Blind Man Saved - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 8:22-26 - A blind man’s eyes are opened along the way to Jerusalem)
35. On the Way - (On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus explains to his disciples just what it means to be the Messiah of Israel) -  {PDF Copy}

{TO JERUSALEM}

1. The Transfiguration - (The Transfiguration confirms his status as the Messiah and the necessity for Jesus to suffer before receiving glory) -  {PDF Copy}
2. Disciples Stumped by Unbelief - {PDF Copy} - (Unbelief hindered the ability of Jesus to heal some afflicted persons, not the lack of fasting or other ritualistic practices)
3. Discipleship - {PDF Copy} - (To be the disciple of Jesus means living a life of self-sacrificial service to others, especially to the weak and the insignificant)
4. Faithful or Saltless? - {PDF Copy} - (Faithful disciples will receive great rewards, but those who harm their weaker brethren run the risk of Gehenna)
5. Questions About Divorce - {PDF Copy} - (Opponents question Jesus about divorce to trap him, but he uses the issue to teach the higher ways of the Kingdom of God)
6. The Young Rich Man - {PDF Copy} - (To follow Jesus means surrendering one’s entire life and following wherever he leads, no questions asked)
7. His Imminent Death - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus explained that he was ON THE WAY to Jerusalem where he as the Son of Man would be arrested, tried, and executed – Mark 10:32-34)
8. Ransom for Many - {PDF Copy} - (His disciple is called to engage in self-sacrificial service for others just as Jesus gave his life as a ransom for many – Mark 10:35-45)
9. Blind Bar-Timaeus Saved - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 10:46-52 - Jesus restores the sight of a blind beggar while he is “on the way” to his death in Jerusalem)

{IN JERUSALEM}

1. His Triumphal Arrival - {PDF Copy} - (At the end of his journey, his destination was the Temple in the center of the city – Mark 11:1-11)
2. Fruitless Temple - {PDF Copy} - (The cursing of the barren fig tree by Jesus symbolized the coming destruction of the Temple and the fruitlessness of Israel - Mark 11:12-26)
3. Desolate Temple -  {PDF Copy} - (When he left the Temple for the last time, Jesus pronounced its coming desolation to his opponents, the Pharisees)
4. In the Temple - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus gave his last discourse on Olivet following his final and symbolic departure from the Temple – Mark 12:41-13:4)
5. Geographic Scope - {PDF Copy} - (The Olivet Discourse presents two key events linked to different geographic contexts, one regional, the other global)
6. Deceivers and Catastrophes - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus warned of coming deceivers who will mislead many and disseminate false information about the future and his return)
7. His Repeated Warning - {PDF Copy} - (On the Mount of Olives, Jesus reiterated key information that is necessary for his disciples to avoid deception by false prophets)
8. Sign of the End - {PDF Copy} - (According to Jesus. the End will not come until this Gospel of the Kingdom of God has been proclaimed to all nations – Matthew 24:14)
9. Abomination of Desolation - {PDF Copy} - (When disciples see the Abomination of Desolation standing where it ought not, they must flee Jerusalem without delay)
10. "This Generation" - {PDF Copy} - (The generation contemporary with Jesus witnessed the events predicted by him that culminated in the Temple’s destruction – Mark 13:28-31)
11. Coming on the Clouds - {PDF Copy} - (The whole earth will witness the Son of Man arriving on the clouds to gather his elect to himself)
12. The Budding Fig Tree - {PDF Copy} - (The parable of the budding fig tree points to the imminent destruction of the Temple predicted by Jesus)
13. Times and Seasons - {PDF Copy} - (Instead of calculating times and seasons, followers of Jesus must always be prepared for his sudden arrival - Acts 1:6-8)
14. The Definitive Sign - {PDF Copy} - (According to Jesus. the End will not come until this Gospel of the Kingdom of God has been proclaimed to all nations on the Earth – Matthew 24:14)