Getting to Know Jesus in the Gospel of Mark
Study Thirty-Two ~
Mark 6:45-52
45 Immediately he made his
disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida,
while he dismissed the crowd. 46 And
after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. 47 And when evening came, the boat was out on the
sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 And
he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them.
And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He
meant to pass by them, 49 but when they
saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But
immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it
is I. Do not be afraid.” 51 And he got
into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded,
52 for they did not understand about the
loaves, but their hearts were hardened. (Mark 6)
1. At this point,
the disciples do not yet understand the picture of Jesus as head of the church,
and themselves as the members of his body. What are some indicators of what it
should look like today for Jesus to operate as our head, and us as his body?
2. Since the head
is always working to coordinate the parts of the body with what the head is
thinking, what are some things we see here about Jesus that are lessons about us
as well?
3. What do you
think explains the differences between how Jesus experienced the journey across
the lake, and how the disciples experienced the journey?
4. The disciples had
one thought about Jesus based on their natural perceptions and fears. They
learned something different about Jesus by revelation, that is, that he told
them the truth about the situation. How does this illustrate the necessity of
the Bible as the revelation of God?
5. What happened to
the disciples that in only a few minutes they changed from “terrified” to “utterly
astounded”? What does this tell us about how to deal with our fears and
worries?
6. What is God’s
commentary on why the disciples could not progress beyond “utterly astounded” in their experience of Christ? What kinds of
things correspond to this in our own experience of growth in Christ?
7. How do the
Scriptures give us the same experience of Jesus Christ as the disciples had
with him on this and many other occasions? How well does your experience of the
Scriptures lead you into the same sense of relationship with Jesus?
Unless otherwise noted,
Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good
News Publishers.)
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