Book of Mark Study Packet

THE BEGINNING OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD

A STUDY THROUGH THE GOSPEL OF MARK

SPRING 2015

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Spring Bible Study, 2015 Page 1

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the

SON OF GOD A Study through the Gospel of Mark

Contents Part One: Weekly Study Guides

Introduction Procedure and Methodology

Tools and Tips

Part Two: The Gospel of Mark (ESV) Footnotes and Cross-references

Bible Study Schedule: Week One . Introduction & Book Survey

Week Two . Mark 1:1-20

Week Three . Mark 1:1-20

Week Four Mark 2:1-12

Week Five . Mark 4:1-20

Week Six . Mark 5:21-43

Week Seven ..Mark 6:30-52

Week Eight Mark 8:22 9:1

Week Nine Mark 9:2-13

Week Ten .Mark 10:17-45

Week Eleven .Mark 11:1-26

Week Twelve .Mark 14:12-31

Week Thirteen . Mark 14:50-72

Week Fourteen Mark 15:21-39

Week Fifteen Book Summary

Acknowledgements We are grateful to the contribution to the UNK ministry from Brandon Levering, pastor of Westgate Church in

Weston, MA, and formerly on staff at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This manual was written and compiled by Luke DeBoer, Brian Wachter, and Brandon Levering.

Spring 2015.

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Why Study the Gospel of Mark? The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (Mark 1:1) This opening line of Mark gives us insight into what the rest of the book is about Jesus identity as the Son of God. The identity of Jesus is a question which has divided many through the centuries, and how one answers it will have a significant impact not only on ones future, but also on ones eternity. Unlike the question of the existence of God, few today dispute the existence of Jesus of Nazareth. It is generally accepted as historical fact that Jesus was indeed a man who lived and walked the earth in Israel 2000 years ago. The debate begins with the discussion of His full identity was He divine? Most major religions today acknowledge that Jesus was a good teacher, or prophet, or godly and righteous man. The problem is that the Bible claims that He was much more than that that He was God Himself in the flesh.

C.S. Lewis, in his book Mere Christianity, writes the following: I am trying here to prevent anyone from saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him [Jesus Christ]: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunaticon a level with a man who says he is a poached eggor else he would be the Devil of hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that option open to us. He did not intend to.

The Gospel of Mark tackles this issue of the identity of Jesus head on indeed, this is one of the most significant themes of the book. The Pharisees, priests, and scribes (the religious leaders of the day) rejected Him. The demons bowed before him. The foreigners revered Him. And the disciples just seem confused. Will people understand and embrace Jesus as the Son of God? Much more importantly, will you?

As we watch the story unfold, we see Jesus identity slowly revealed. Reading this account of Jesus life leads us to ask other questions as well. What does it mean to have faith in Jesus? How do Jesus interactions and teachings tell us what He is like and what He values? What does Jesus ask of those who want to follow Him? What was His mission and purpose on earth? These are all questions well encounter during our study of the book of Mark, each of which will make time spent here worthwhile and rewarding.

For these reasons and many others, any time we give to listening to Gods voice in the book of Mark will be well spent. The entire Bible, including the book of Mark, is breathed out by God (2 Timothy 3:16) that is, it is an abiding theological witness, worthy of our greatest attention and necessary for accurate and complete knowledge of God and understanding of His message.

The Goals of our Study The purpose of this Bible study is first and foremost to intimately interact and commune with God in the study of His word approaching Him reverently, humbly, submissively, and attentively simply because He is worth that kind of attention. The first purpose of this Bible study is to worship God. Making time to listen and appropriately respond to what God has to say whether it be in song, study, or silence is to recognize and acknowledge His worthiness. This is worship.

The second purpose is to hear Gods voice in His Scripture and obey. The Bible is Gods special revelation, and we want to give our time to studying, hearing and responding appropriately to His word. James 1:22 says, But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. If we download information from the Bible without putting it into practice, we are fooling ourselves.

Week One: Introduction & Book Survey

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Third, we want to give you an opportunity to begin, develop, and fine-tune good habits and skills in Bible study. Our goal isnt just hearing the message of Mark. We want to help you learn how to read and study the Bible (specifically, Mark) now so that you can continue to study and observe the message of all other books of the Bible for the rest of your life.

Because there is a difference between studying the Bible and doing your Bible study, we must ask

What is Bible study? Simply put, Bible study is what it describes itself to be the study of the Bible. But what does that entail? Is it merely reading a few verses, jotting a couple of notes and moving on with the day? Is it setting the course to discover new territory little snippets that perhaps nobody else (at least in your study) has stumbled upon? Is it our daily dose of spirituality a spoonful in the morning to check off our religious daily duty? Is it merely something to help us feel better about ourselves? Is it just the addition of more facts and knowledge?

In reality, none of the above constitutes Bible study, because none of them are engaged in the study of the Bible. Studying the Bible means we give ourselves to understanding the message of the Bible, not simply finding out how it applies to our lives. It means that we must approach it on the Bibles terms, not on ours. It sets the course of our study not just our curiosity. We approach the Bible in accordance with its nature, and the nature of its Author.

Genuine Bible study is motivated by an abiding love for God, driven by the acknowledged need to know Him better, and under-girded by a sense of wonderment and marvel as we discover more of Who our God is. Genuine Bible study requires a spirit of humility, a contrite heart, an enduring posterior, and a mind enlightened and guided by the Holy Spirit. Genuine Bible study is an expression of worshipcareful attention to the divine words of our God and Savior, skillful listening to the voice of our Lord in His book. Genuine Bible study is engaged in the pursuit of nothing less than God Himself. (John Frese, Week in the Word, (Navigator Regional Retreat) (unpublished, 1999))

If we are going to be diligent in our task of Bible study, working hard to understand the meaning of Gods revelation, we must approach our study with great reverence for God and for His word. That means that we must acknowledge God for who He is and approach His Word for what it is. This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word (Isaiah 66:2b).

The Bible is Gods special revelation given to us in writing. He has moved in men to pen His words and His perspective on the events of history, in order that we the readers see things the way He desires us to and in turn understand His intended meaning His revelation. In Bible study, the object of study is the Bible itself and what we need to understand and interpret Gods intended meaning is in there.

The Gospel of Mark is a Narrative Because Mark fits into the genre of narrative, it is important to understand what a narrative is. Biblical narratives tell real historical stories, but are written to mediate Gods intended message to the reader. It does not teach its message in lists of principles, or necessarily in life examples, but the message is mediated in the story it tells. Narratives create a world within the text, with a way of seeing things a worldview that lives and dances across the page. The design and delight of a narrative is to enter into the story and see things the way God sees them from His perspective so that Gods worldview becomes our worldview. To hear Gods message in narrative, one must enter into the story and live there. The following are some features of biblical narrative tools it uses to tell a story.1 Keep these in mind as you read through Mark.

1 The features of Biblical Narrative from Notes on Hebrew Narrative: A Short Introduction to Reading Old Testament Narrative Texts.

Vern Steiner (Lincoln, NE: The MIQRA Institute, unpublished, 1999).

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Plot/Structure The way a narrative is crafted in terms of its shape or order, so as to convey meaning. Because narratives tell stories, the material is arranged so as to heighten the drama and suspense, or bring the story to a climax. Pay attention to plot features such as introduction, conflict and rising action, climax, and resolution. Note when other genres are worked into the narrative as well, such as poetry, genealogy, or prophecy. Pay attention to the structure of Mark, the crises introduced, and how the narrative is arranged to highlight or resolve these.

Point of View The perspective from which the story is told. Narratives are told from a certain perspective a privileged perspective2 the one God has selected from among all others in order to convey his meaning and message. Narratives dont tell us everything that happened, but only what the author deems necessary to get his point across. Each scene in a narrative is told from a specific point of view. Sometimes it is the narrators point of view, other times it is a certain characters. Pay attention to what effect this has on the story of Mark. Notice also what the author chose to leave out and the effect of these intentional omissions in the narrative.

Characters How characters in the story are presented to the reader. Authors develop characters (or leave some undeveloped) for the purpose of telling the story. This is different than doing a character study on some biblical person looking for a model to either emulate or avoid (i.e., be like David, or dont be a Jonah). This practice is legitimate only if the authors intended message presents the character as such a model (regardless of how popular this is). Our job in reading biblical narrative is to focus on how a certain characters description or role affects the story itself, because the message of the narrative is heard in the story.

Time/Space The narrative setting of a story and how the story is narrated. There are two aspects of time and space involved in narratives (1) the time that passes in the story and the space in which the story takes place, and (2) the time and space used to tell the story. For example, some passages may cover years in a few verses, and others may take entire chapters for just a few days. The time that passes in the story is one aspect of time, and the time and space used to tell that part of the story is another. Pay attention to both of these aspects. In terms of space or place names in a story, such as Capernaum, a concordance (an index of the Bible) is a much better tool for understanding the story than an atlas (i.e., focus on what we learn about certain places in a story from what other parts of the Bible tell us about them).

Style Literary devices or artistry used to tell the story. Some of the key literary devices used in the narrative of Mark include: Irony is when expectations in the story are reversed, often unbeknownst to the character but anticipated by the reader. Repetition or the piling up of words is often used to draw the readers attention to certain points in the story. Dialogue is a common feature, where the plot is advanced through the spoken word between characters in the story. Gapping is a favorite of biblical narrative. It refers to the temporary omission of details or a delay of resolution that moves the story along in curiosity, suspense, and surprise when the gap is finally closed (such as whether people will ever get who Jesus is). Sandwiching is prominent in Mark, where one passage is sandwiched by another (e.g., the bleeding woman interrupting the raising of Jairus daughter). Typically the center of the sandwich is the theological key to understanding the flanking halves.

2 This term comes from John H. Sailhamer; see Exegesis of the Old Testament as a Text, in A Tribute to Gleason Archer, ed. Walter C.

Kaiser, Jr., and Ronald F. Youngblood (Chicago: Moody, 1986).

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Approaching Bible Study Before beginning any Bible study, it is important to remind ourselves again of the nature of Bible study it is an act of worship. It is proper then to enter into it with an appropriate attitude and disposition:

Make Time. Good Bible study takes time. We must slow down and consider carefully the wonderful truths of Gods Word. We must approach the Scriptures patiently, worshipfully, submissively, reverently and consistently. God is worth it.

Check your Spiritual Disposition. Is there any sin between you and God that you need to deal with first? Are you approaching the God of the Word humbly and prayerfully, hopefully and submissively? Be careful that youre not just making another mark on your spiritual to-do list. He who would interpret Scripture aright, therefore, must be a man of a reverent, humble, prayerful, teachable and obedient spirit; otherwise, however tightly his mind may be stuffed with notions, he will never reach any understanding of spiritual realities (J.I. Packer, A Quest for Godliness, 1990).

Pray. Since our purpose is to seek God Himself (not master a passage), it follows that if we are to do our task well, God Himself ought to be involved in the process! As John Owen said, I supposethis may be fixed on as a common principle of Christianity; namely, that constant and fervent prayer for the divine assistance of the Holy Spirit, is such an indispensable means for the attaining the knowledge of the mind of God in the Scripture, as that without it all others will not be available [will not avail] (J.I. Packer, A Quest for Godliness, 1990). Acknowledge both your need for and dependence on Him, and begin your study with confidence in His faithfulness to meet you in answer to that prayer.

Assignment: Your assignment this first week is to do whats called a Book Survey of Mark. Before camping out in any book or passage to study it, we need to get familiar with the overall landscape. We need to have an idea about what the book is like and how it functions (how it tells its story), and what role it plays in the Old Testament and whole of the Bible. Follow these steps for your survey of Mark, chapters 1-16:

Prepare. It is always appropriate to spend some time in prayer with God before listening to His word (see Psalm 86:11; 119:18, 36). Remember that Bible study is reverent worship and fellowship with God.

Explore the book. Read Mark 3-5 times, using multiple translations if possible. Read slowly and attentively no speed-reading allowed! (Different translations are available at studylight.org and blueletterbible.org we recommend ESV, NIV or NASB.)

Make observations. Use a notebook or paper to list the major themes and recurring words/phrases that you observe. Give particular attention to these key themes in Mark: 1) The Identity of Jesus - what titles are used? How do others respond to Him? 2) The Authority of Jesus 3) Discipleship what does it mean to be a disciple? 4) Faith who has it and who doesnt? Watch also for the features of narrative listed above.

Make a tentative outline. This wont be your final outline, but try to get an idea for the overall flow of the book, trying to identify the main thought-units, or chunks. What sections or chapters seem to fit together? Mark is structured in a certain way for good reasons pay attention to structure!

Summarize the book. To the best of your ability, summarize what youve learned so far.

Review surrounding context. If time permits, it is helpful to read the surrounding Gospels (Matthew, Luke, & John). Seeing the differing emphases of the other Gospels can help to understand and appreciate the way Mark uniquely mediates God voice.

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Completing your Survey of Mark should have helped you become familiar with the overall landscape. Our next task is to dive in and wrestle around with smaller portions of text chapters or passages what we call Passage Analysis. Because all 16 chapters or Mark are more than what we can realistically study in a semester, each week you will be asked to read a full chapter or two, but only study one passage from that longer section (see title bar, above). When you finish your study of the assigned passage, feel free to expand it to the rest of the section, if you have time. For this study we will use a four-part procedure: OQIC (Observations, Questions, Investigation, and Completion). We will take the next three weeks to learn each of the four steps.

Observation: Seeing What the Text Says Making careful observations is the first step of good Bible study. It is to simply notice what has been written, not explaining what it means. Its observing the nature and content of a passage, its nuances and pervasive features. This step allows the Bible itself to be the object of our study, slowing us from making premature applications, wandering away from the text to look for meaning, or importing our own preconceived notions and ideas into the text. Its being a master of the obvious.

This step requires examining the text carefully and patiently to see what it says. The problem is that this step takes time, energy, patience, and persistence to do it well something not very appealing to people who are busy or who would rather relax than engage in careful listening to what God has to say. Another enemy of good observation skills is to assume that I already know what is in the text, especially if Ive read it before and am familiar with what it contains. But, if we fail to observe first what it actually says (as opposed to what we want it to say or think it says), the rest of our study will be in error.

Start by first reading the entire passage of Mark 1:1-45 once through. After you have read the entire passage, review what was said about Biblical narrative in last weeks section of the packet. Next, write down in your notebook observations you can make about verses 1-20 regarding

Plot/Structure. What elements of plot/structure do you see here? Can you make an outline? Point of View. What or whose perspective is God using to tell this story? Characters. What characters are present? What purpose do they serve in the story? Time/Space. How much time and what space/locations are covered in this section? How much

time/space is used to tell this part of the story? Style. What literary devices and artistry is being used to tell the story? For example

Repetitions. Note identical words or phrases, or similar ideas and themes that appear in the passage.

Contrasts. These are often easily identified by the use of but or rather. Cause/Effect. This is when one thing causes, affects, or changes another. Explanations. This is when the text itself gives us a definition, explanation, analysis, or statement

of purpose. General Particular. Identify where there is movement in the text from a broad idea or concept

to a specific one (or vice-versa). Interrogation. This involves any use of questions and/or answers within the text. Dialogue. Observe how the characters speech is used to advance the story. Descriptions. Take note of adjectives, adverbs, or any other modifiers that are used. Verbs. The verbs used in the text often provide insight into the action and/or characteristics of

the subject being discussed. Tracing the verbs is crucial to unpacking the texts meaning.

Week Two: Read Mark 1:1-45 Study Mark 1:1-20

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Pronouns. The use of pronouns is crucial to following the narrator and understanding the perspective inherent in the text.

Interchanges. This refers to any alternating or exchanging elements in the text, so that persons, events, or ideas end up being compared or contrasted, implicitly or explicitly.

Quotations. Identify where the text contains quotations of other passages of Scripture, or where this text is quoted or alluded to elsewhere in the Bible.

Irony. This is when expectations in the story are reversed, often unbeknownst to the character but anticipated by the reader.

Gapping. Look for any temporary omission of details or delay of resolution, creating curiosity, suspense, or surprise until the gap is finally closed.

Lastly, dont overlook the obvious take note of the plain and clear facts (as a journalist would).

As you make these observations of the text, you are unpacking and identifying what the text says so you can begin asking questions as to its meaning (which is the next step in Bible study). In fact, as you observe youll probably note that questions flow naturally from the text. Here is an example of what this might look like:

Mark 1 (ESV)


Son of God. 2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,

Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way,

3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness:

Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and

proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the

forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea

and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were

being baptized by him in the river Jordan,

v.1 - This seems to be an opening/intro line

v.1 - This is about the beginning of the gospel

v.1 - There is a gospel

v.1 - This gospel is about Jesus

v.1 - Jesus is identified as the Christ

v.1 - Jesus is IDd as the Son of God

v.2 - Mark references the OT to make a point

v.2 - This gospel of Jesus must begin in the OT

v.2 - It says this quote is from Isaiah

v.2 - God planned to send a messenger

v.2 - This messenger would prepare someones way

v.2 - He is a voice crying in the wilderness

Questions Searching for Significance After (or while) we have worked through making observations, the next step is to ask questions. Asking good questions is the heart of good Biblical interpretation. Therefore we need to let the questions arise from the text itself. The text itself should set the interpretive agenda whenever possible Far too frequently, the interpreter is too eager to speak to the text, or even into the text, rather than listen attentively to it (Hays & Holladay in Vern Steiner, Listening to the Text, 2000). As you go through the passage making observations, allow questions to arise from the text its designed to do this naturally (John Frese, Week in the Word, 1999). In other words, what questions naturally jump out of the text? What questions is the text wanting us to ask?

These questions that we ask now will be the ones that we will investigate later (well learn about that next week) in order to interpret and understand Gods message in this passage. The point now isnt to try to answer the questions (even if you think you know the answer!), but to let the text lead us where it wants us to go. We are primarily interested in questions of

Meaning: What does the text mean? Manner: How is the text saying what it is saying? Motive: Why is the text saying it this way? What is the purpose of communicating this?

Again, here is an example of what this might look like. In parentheses weve shown you what kind of question it is. Remember that nearly every observation can be turned into a question of meaning, manner, or motive.

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Mark 1 (ESV)


Son of God. 2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,

Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way,

3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness:

Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and

proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the

forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea

and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were

being baptized by him in the river Jordan,

v.1 - Does the beginning of the gospel refer to the

beginning of Mark, or the whole book? (meaning)

v.1 - What does gospel mean? What is the gospel of

Jesus? (meaning)

v.1 - Why is Jesus IDd as Christ? As the Son of God?

(meaning) v.1 - Why does Mark start with this line? (motive)

v.2-3 - Whats the importance quoting the OT here?

(manner) v.2-3 - Whats the meaning of this quote? (meaning)

v.4 - Who is John? Is he the messenger? (meaning)

v.4 Why does this gospel of Jesus start with what

John did/said? (manner)

Here are some questions that are worth asking of any passage (especially in light of the main themes of Mark):

Whats the big idea or main point of this passage? How does the structure point to this? How does this passage progress the storys theme of Jesus identity? His authority? His purpose? What does this passage show or tell me about the appropriate response to who Jesus is?

As you develop this skill, its likely that youll have far too many questions than youll have time to answer. Thats a great problem to have! Next week we will talk about what to do with all these questions, and how to investigate them.

Assignment: After reading all of Mark 1:1-45, write down in your own notebook your observations and questions of Mark 1:1-20. As a group, you may want to make yourselves a goal or challenge to see how many observations you can come up with for the entire passage. Feel free to make use of the text of Mark found in the second half of this packet. You can use this to circle, highlight, or underline the key concepts in the passage. Your notebook will probably look something like this:

Observations v.1 - This seems to be an opening/intro line

v.1 - This is about the beginning of the gospel

v.1 - There is a gospel

v.1 - This gospel is about Jesus

v.1 - Jesus is identified as the Christ

v.1 - Jesus is IDd as the Son of God

v.2 - Mark references the OT to make a point

v.2 - This gospel of Jesus must begin in the OT

v.2 - It says this quote is from Isaiah

v.2 - God planned to send a messenger

v.2 - This messenger would prepare someones way

v.2 - He is a voice crying in the wilderness

v.4 - John appeared, baptized, proclaimed

v.4 - John baptized in the wilderness

Questions v.1 - Does the beginning of the gospel refer to the

beginning of Mark, or the whole book?

v.1 - What does gospel mean? What is the gospel of

Jesus?

v.1 - Why is Jesus IDd as Christ? As the Son of

God?

v.1 - Why does Mark start with this line?

v.2-3 - Whats the importance quoting the OT here?

v.2-3 - Whats the meaning of this quote?

v.4 - Who is John? Is he the messenger?

v.4 - Why does this gospel of Jesus start with what

John did/said?

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Now that you have had time to make careful observations and ask questions of the text (the O & Q), our next step is to dive into investigation (I) to seek answers to the questions weve been led to ask through our careful observation of the text itself questions of meaning (What does the text mean?), manner (How is it saying what it is saying?), and motive (Why is it saying this? Whats the purpose?).

Generally, you will probably have time to truly investigate only 2-3 questions meaning you have many more questions than you will have time to investigate right now. This isnt a bad thing! Not only will you have a desire and focus when you return to that passage someday down the road, but theres a good chance someone else in your study may investigate some of the questions youre not able to. So how do I decide which questions to investigate? Use the following criteria:

(1) Does this question seem to deal with one of the themes of the passage Ive identified? (2) Does not knowing the answer to this question block my grasp of the entire passage? (3) Is the Spirit speaking to me and urging me to pursue this? (4) Is this one of the most important 3-4 questions I have?

Investigation Scripture Interpreting Scripture So how do we understand and interpret what has been written? How do we know that we correctly understand the authored meaning? What happens if someone else comes up with a different interpretation? Are both people right? Can there be more than one correct interpretation to a passage? If so, how about five? Or ten? Or a hundred?

Because meaning is what the author intends to communicate, then there can be only one correct interpretation. As readers, we are not at liberty to interpret a passage any way we like, nor are we allowed to read into it meaning that the author never intended. To interpret the Bible means to come to an understanding of the Authors meaning and intent in the text.

The way meaning is communicated and understood in writing is through context. Context is simply the setting in which a word, phrase, or sentence is found that gives meaning to that word, phrase, or sentence. Take the English word, run, for example. It could mean run as in a car engine, a sniffling nose, a sprinter, or a snag in ones pantyhose. But when a person makes the statement, I saw the baseball player run to first base, the specific meaning is clear. When an author uses that word in writing, that specific occurrence means only what the author intends it to mean. The way a reader discerns the specific meaning of a word (or sentence or passage) is through context.

If we are to grasp the Authors meaning and intent, we have to be clued into the context. For instance, one could say that the Bible says in Psalms 53:1, there is no God. Is this true? Well, in a sense, yes but is the correct meaning of this passage that there is no God? Absolutely not! While it is true that the phrase, there is no God, occurs in that verse, the context in which it occurs is what gives that phrase meaning (the fool says in his heart, there is no God.). So how does context work in the Bible?

Understanding Context When you read a verse of Scripture, perhaps the most important observation you can make is that in order to read it you had to open an entire book to get to it. Individual verses arent floating around by themselves, but are part of a larger collection of books the Bible. The Bible is the setting or context in which individual verses are found. Therefore, its the entire Bible that forms the context and gives meaning to individual verses (or passages or books). This means we must understand how context works in the Bible as a whole. The book of

Week Three: Read Mark 1:1-45 Study Mark 1:1-20

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Mark isnt just an ancient document out floating around, but is part of what we call the canon the collection of books recognized as belonging in the Bible.

Each passage only has context within its chapter, and each chapter only has context within its book, and each book within the Bible, like a series of concentric circles. Our investigation starts with the innermost part, and then we work our way out. Well look at three levels of context now.

1) Immediate Context (your verse or passage) If I have a question about a particular verse where do I start? The verse before it and the verse after it! This is the core of the concentric circles of context, and is where we begin our investigation. Many times the answers to our questions the text wants us to ask are found within the same passage we are already studying!

Looking at the immediate context again requires employing our observational skills to take note of the passages structure, key words and themes, and literary devices (see last weeks section on Observations) to see what the passage itself has to say about the question we are asking.

2) Compositional Context (the book) Compositional context is how a particular passage, such as chapter 1:1-20, relates to the overall book of Mark itself. The author didnt write lists of principles to apply or commands to obey, but an intelligently crafted book a composition with intricate features that help the reader to understand the authored message. Therefore, when studying a particular passage, examine how it relates to the chapters immediately surrounding it and to the rest of the book. How does it advance the thoughts of the passage before it? How do the chapters following it advance your passages message? How does this passage contribute to the overall structure of the book? This will give us helpful clues as we pursue our investigation.

To understand the compositional context, we must again consider several aspects of a composition, or book. Hopefully these are things you took note of while completing the Book Survey exercise:

Book Structure. How did God arrange it? Why? What themes does the structure highlight?

Themes & Concepts. What are the major themes of the book? Are certain words or concepts repeated? How do these themes inform the passage you are in? What is the message of the book? How does the passage youre studying serve to further these themes and messages?

Genre. Not all books are read the same way. One does not read a poem the same way that one reads a newspaper, nor does one read a newspaper the same way that one reads a childrens book. If we read Dr. Seuss the same way as the New York Times, then we would believe that the Cat in the Hat is a real being and that Sam I Am truly exists and enjoys green eggs and ham just like we believe the factual nature of a newspaper. Because Mark is narrative, we must read it as such. This is where the features of narrative mentioned in week one are important. Other genre include:

Poetry (e.g., Psalms)

Narrative (e.g., Genesis, Mark!)

Parable (e.g., Jesus teachings in the Gospels)

Wisdom writing (e.g., Proverbs)

Apocalyptic (e.g., Daniel, Revelation)

Genealogy (e.g., parts of Genesis, 1 Chron., & Matthew)

Epistle (e.g., Pauls letters)

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3) Canonical Context (the entire Bible) The canon is the whole collection of books recognized as belonging in the Bible. Canonical context shows how the setting of the whole Bible gives meaning to a particular book or passage. Where does the book of Mark fit into the Bible as a whole? What is its contribution to the whole fabric of Scripture?

One of the most amazing features of the Bible is its unified message of the Messiah, or Christ not just in the New Testament, but in the Old Testament as well. The story of the Bible could be summarized as the story of the promised blessing through the promised Seed of Abraham who will come forth in the Promised Land as the promised King/Savior to establish his promised Kingdom and advance it through his chosen people by means of the promised Holy Spirit until His promised return and the promised end of the age & subsequent glory (Vern Steiner). So how does Mark fit into that story? How does it pick up on these themes or pave the way for them to continue?

A key tool for grasping canonical context is cross-referencing. Here we have God interpreting God. Cross-references can lead to other Scripture passages that will help us understand the passage we are currently reading. A good approach to canonical context is to view Scripture prior to the book you are in as background; they form a foundation on which your book should be read. Scripture that follows our book serve kind of like commentary on our book. As Martin Luther said, the best interpreter of Scripture is other Scripture.

Our best tools are our cross-reference column in our Bibles, a substantial concordance, and if available, a Bible dictionary. You can find the cross-references for the ESV translation of Mark in the second half of this packet. A concordance lists every occurrence of a particular word in the Bible. A Bible dictionary gives word definitions, with references to show how that word is used in the Bible.

These tools can also be found online on several Bible study websites (blueletterbible.org or studylight.org) where you can find cross-references for multiple translations. These websites can also serve as a concordance by searching for particular words in the Bible. One last tool to mention (also found online) is The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, which gives exhaustive cross-reference options for nearly every verse of Scripture.

In Summary Putting these principles of context together, seek answers to your questions by

1. First looking at the immediate context (the verses and passage/chapter you are in) 2. Then the compositional context (the book you are in Mark) 3. Lastly, use cross-reference tools to search the canonical context to see what other places in Scripture

have to say about this same topic or idea.

As you begin your investigation, first write down the question you are seeking to answer. Then, as you search each of these levels of context, write down the verse references and what they say that is helpful in answering the question you are asking. Lastly, write a summary of your findings.

A key principle to remember when determining a passages interpretation is: Never say definitely when the evidence only leads you to probably. Never say probably when the evidence only leads you to possibly. And never say possibly if there is no evidence at all.

As a reminder, because Scripture interprets itself, everything that we need to understand the authored meaning of the Bible is recorded in the Bible. There is no reason to leave the Bible to interpret it (this goes for all Scripture, not just narrative). If our goal were to understand historical events, then it would be very helpful to consult archaeology, ancient culture, and the like. But if our goal is to understand Gods message, then we are best suited to stay in the Bible, because the Bible is the place of Gods special revelation.

Assignment: Complete an investigation of your 2-3 most important questions from Mark 1:1-20, and then try to summarize the main idea of the passage in a sentence or two.

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This week we will move forward to Mark 2:1-12. Hopefully you are beginning to get a grasp on the process of good Bible study making careful observations, asking questions the text wants us to ask, and investigating those questions in light of the principles of context. After you have done each of these steps for Mark 2:1-12, the last step to round out our OQIC is the Completion.

Completion Being the People of God Part of the wonder of Bible study is that not only are we responsible to work diligently to understand the intended meaning of a passage, but we are also responsible to respond to the purpose of that meaning the reason that it exists. We do not study the Bible merely to fill our head with notions but so that God would be glorified as our lives are transformed to reflect His image and glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). In other words, we study the Bible to grow, mature, and change. In this kind of transformation lies the completion of our study the reason Bible study exists. Think through these things in order to responsibly complete your Bible study:

Summary. After making observations and investigating your questions, write down what God has shown you from your time in this passage of His word. Dont just rephrase the text, but explain what it means and why it means that. Also try answer, How does this passage relate to the overall theme and story of Mark?

Obedience. Scripture exists to be obeyed, for as James 1:22 says, But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. We must respond to the message of the text with obedience. This response is often referred to as application, but the term obedience is preferable, for we should not be so concerned with how the Bible applies to our lives and where we are living as we should be with looking to see how we are to conform our lives in obedience to the Scriptures. We study the Bible not just to make our lives better and fuller (although the result of obedience is likely that), but to worship and glorify God.

Obedience to Gods message may involve bringing our behavior into line with Gods law. It might require repentance because we discover weve broken his command. Or it may involve changing the way we think so that we understand things more biblically. Sometimes Gods message is prescriptive a command to do or not to do something. But often times the message is revelatory it reveals to us more of whom God is and what Hes about. Regardless of what our application of Scripture happens to require, the goal of Bible study is not simply to gain biblical knowledge and to intellectually agree with Gods word, but to gain knowledge of Gods word in order to embody it in our daily lives. This is obedience.

Take time to journal and pray, considering who God is in light of what youve studied and what obedience to Him requires in your life. It is often in this meditative or contemplative prayer that God turns head knowledge into heart knowledge. Bible study ought to truly put us on our face before God.

Proclamation. Scripture has not completed its purpose until it has been both lived in and proclaimed out (John Frese, Week in the Word, 1999). Whether that proclamation comes from the pulpit, within your Bible study small group, or in conversation with a friend, it must be proclaimed. Think through your summary to help you proclaim the text. Sum up what you think is the main idea of this passage and what the purpose or intended effect of this passage should be in 1-2 sentences.

Because studying and obeying Gods Word is something to be done in community, be prepared to share not only your Observations, Questions, and Investigation, but also what God is teaching you and calling you to obey with your Bible Study group each week.

Assignment: Read all of Mark 2:1 3:6, and study Mark 2:1-12 using the OQIC procedure.

Week Four: Read Mark 2:1 3:6 Study Mark 2:1-12

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Lather, rinse, repeat. If followed literally, these instructions would send us into an endless cycle of shampooing until the bottle is empty. Maybe not the worst thing, but there are better ways to spend ones day. Now that youve had a chance to learn the OQIC method of Bible study, the rest of the semester boils down to repeating this procedure for each passage. The difference is that in engaging our minds and hearts, each run through the cycle will result in a deeper and fuller understanding of Gods Word, and a fresh encounter with God rather than just a head full of suds. In addition to repeating this procedure for doing a passage analysis, we will include helpful notes at various points that we hope will help you grow in skill and maturity as you listen to what God has to say to you in His Word. Enjoy!

Assignment: Read Mark 3:7 4:41, and study 4:1-20 using the OQIC procedure. Because we are encountering a new kind of text here (parable), reading the notes below will help you understand how to make sense of it.

Understanding Parables Parables are found primarily within the Gospel narratives. Though a parable isnt necessarily its own genre, it still has distinct functions within the text. They are tools to further the story or exhort the message of the narrative, and must not be read independently of their larger context. What is the purpose of a parable? Mark 4:10-12 (from this weeks passage) and Luke 8:10 give us insight here.

Parables both conceal and reveal. For those on the outside, the parables of Jesus seem to punish unbelief. But for believers, parables are designed to cut to the heart upon understanding. See, for example, the parable Nathan the prophet tells King David in 2 Samuel 12:1-15. The story of a rich man stealing the cherished lamb of a poor man makes David angry. But when Nathan says, You are the man! David understands and admits his sin. The point of the parable will be found in the intended response of the reader/hearer.

Parables use physical realities to illustrate spiritual principles. But they are not allegories, where each element of the story means something quite foreign to the story itself. Sometimes details of a parable refer to something else, and sometimes they dont. Some details in parables are nothing more than that details. For example, in Mark 4 when Jesus says some seeds are sown by the path, and then doesnt give us any interpretation of the path, then Hes probably just talking about a path.

Because they work a little different than other texts, we want to offer some suggestions that will help you to understand them:

Identify the audience & context. Parables are found within the context of the story, and often we can get good clues into what a parable means by paying attention to the crowd or situation to which Jesus speaks.

Find the points of reference. What parts of the parable connect to what is going on in the story (e.g., seed = the word, soil = the hearers, etc.)? These points of reference help us understand the point of the parable.

Dont allegorize, adding or inventing meaning that the text doesnt suggest. If Jesus gives us the interpretation, then take it. If not, then check the context and surrounding passages for clues. Dont try to come up with your own interpretation if it isnt warranted by the text.

Dont base doctrine on parables alone. Parables are not to be made first sources of doctrine. Doctrines otherwise grounded may be illustrated, or even further confirmed by them; but it is not allowable to constitute doctrines first by their aid (R.C. Trench, Notes of the Parables of Our Lord, 17).

Lastly, dont assume that you are on the good end of the parable. Far too often we approach a parable as an opportunity to learn about what other people are like, or to look down upon them. You may not be the Good Samaritan, the thankful leper, or the justified tax collector (Luke 10, 17, & 18) or the good soil. Approach any parables with a humble, teachable heart.

Week Five: Read Mark 3:7 4:41 Study Mark 4:1-20

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Assignment: Read Mark 5:1 6:6 and study Mark 5:21-43 using the OQIC procedure. This weeks passage contains a literary device called the Sandwich technique (getting hungry?). Read the notes below for help.

The Sandwich Technique The Gospel of Mark frequently interrupts a story or passage by inserting a second, seemingly unrelated, story into it. This weeks passage is a prime example (other sandwiches include: 3:20-35; 4:1-20; 6:7-30; 11:12-21; 14:1-11; 14:17-31; 14:53-72; 15:40 16:8). Sandwiches are literary conventions with theological purposes. Each sandwich unit consist of an A1-B-A2 sequence, with the B-component functioning as the theological key to the flanking halves. In reading and understanding these passages, pay close attention to how the meat of the sandwich (the center) serves to highlight the main theme or idea of the whole. (J.R. Edwards, The Gospel According to Mark, 11-12)

Assignment: Read Mark 6:7 7:23, and study 6:30-52 using the OQIC procedure. As part of your investigation, try doing a word study of the word heart found in Mark 6:52 using the procedure below. While this isnt the first use of this term in Mark, it keeps popping up, and understanding what means will be key to understanding this passage and others.

Doing a Key Word Study Now that you are familiar with the basic steps of Bible study (OQIC), lets talk about another type of investigation: word studies.

A word study is an in-depth study of a key word from the passage in order to find what it actually means and how we should understand its usage in the passage. This is especially important in light of the fact that the Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic, not English. It is also incredibly helpful because all words have a range of possible meaning. For instance, the English word lift could mean an elevator, to raise something higher, or to ride in a car. Studying and understanding the meaning and usage of key words throughout the passage is crucial to our task of correctly handling the Word of truth.

How do I know when to do a word study? Here are some guidelines:

Difficult words (where the meaning is unclear) Ambiguous words (could mean more than one thing) Rare words Prominent words (repeated in a book or passage) Determinative words (words that appear to carry significant weight in the argument) Theologically loaded words (like grace, justify, or propitiation) First-use words (the first use of words that eventually grow to carry a lot of semantic weight)

There are two main steps: 1) Determine the possible meanings of the word; 2) Determine the precise meaning of the word.

Step One: Determine the Possible Meanings of the word. This is referred to as the words semantic range. There are several tools for determining the possible meanings of a word.

A. Consult other English versions and see how the same word is rendered or translated. It is helpful to pick a few different translations such as the ESV, NIV, NASB, or NLT.

Week Seven: Read Mark 6:7 7:23 Study Mark 6:30-52

Week Six: Read Mark 5:1 6:6 Study Mark 5:21-43

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B. Consult a Biblical dictionary one that gives the definitions of the original Greek, Hebrew or Aramaic words. Modern English dictionaries can be somewhat helpful, but should be used with much discernment because they may not accurately define or adequately address the meaning of the word in its original language. We recommend Vines Expository Dictionary (available on blueletterbible.org and studylight.org).

C. Observe how the word and other related words are used other places in Scripture. A word study in its truest sense is one that is engaged in the pursuit of understanding a word in the original language. Many online resources have made this a much more doable task for those of us who dont speak the original languages; however it is important for us to recognize the limits of our capabilities in doing so.

For example, lets do a key word study on the word heart in Mark 6:52. Go to blueletterbible.org. Type Mark 6 in the search bar, choose the translation you are using, and press enter. To the left of verse 52, click on Tools.

Under the Interlinear tab, you will see each Greek word and what it was translated into (the interlinear tab only uses KJV or NASB). Next to the phrase heart you will see the Greek word it was translated from, kardia. Between the English and the Hebrew for each word you will see a number in our example, G2588. Click on it (this is a Strongs concordance number that represents the Greek word).

You will see on this new page the etymology (where the word comes from) and Outline of Biblical Usage (this is its range of possible meaning as used in Scripture). Below that is a list of all of the places that this Greek word appears in the New Testament, and the different ways it was translated. Use these to help you determine the precise meaning of the word.

Step Two: Determine the Precise Meaning of the Word. Like the rest of Bible study, this requires time and practice. Context is key in practice, and humility is key in attitude. To determine the precise meaning of a word we do so in accordance with the concentric circles of context (see diagram in Week Three of this packet). To do this, ask the following questions:

A. How is it used in Mark 6? (Remember that even if a word is used multiple times in one passage, it may not have the same precise meaning each time). Follow the line of thought through the passage; the context wherein you find the precise word that you are trying to define will lead you to the precise meaning of the word.

B. How is it used in the book of Mark? In our case, start with Mark 6:7 7:23, then look at the rest of the book.

C. How is it used elsewhere in Scripture? Be sure to read each occurrence in its own context. How are the words used there? What are some of the characteristics of their meaning? Are there similar contexts or characteristics with our passage and occurrence? What have we seen about the use of the word prior to our passage in Scripture?

Finish by writing out your understanding of the precise meaning of this word in the text and how that helps you to understand the meaning of the passage.

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Assignment: Read Mark 7:24 9:1 and study 8:22 9:1 using the OQIC method. Then read the notes below.

The Importance of Community As you are learning and growing in skill in being able to rightly handle and study Gods Word, we would be missing the point if we got the techniques, principles, and truths right, but had no change in our lives. Faithful reading and understanding Gods Word depends as much on who we are as what we do. To faithfully handle Gods Word we must become faithful people, seeking not just to know but to embody Gods message. This happens best in fellowship and community with other believers.

Most, if not all, of the mission God calls us to be involved in as disciples of Jesus requires involvement in the community of believers around us. For example, how can I obey Gods command to love one another if Im not around other believers with whom we can grow in love for one another? The goal is not simply to integrate principles from the Bible into my life which is already formed and influenced by many other things, but for my life to be transformed by inhabiting Gods narrative and worldview, bringing all of life under the authority of God and the lordship of Jesus Christ. This requires accountability.

Accountability As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Prov 27:17) First, we need accountability from one another to correct, restrain, and rebuke one another in our interpretive endeavors, to guard one another from arriving at misinformed or misguided conclusions. We must submit our reading of Scripture to one another out of reverence for Christ (Eph 5:21), acknowledging that I need the accountability of others who are also seeking to be faithful to God and His Word. Lone rangers need not apply here! It is individualistic, independent, untested conclusions that too often lead to ignorance at best, and heresy at worst.

Second, we need the accountability of other believers to be consistent in our obedience to God and His Word. Accountability is a discipline and a tremendous blessing. It can take a great deal of trust and vulnerability to open up to others and to ask them to encourage you and ask you honest questions about how you are, but it is essential and worthwhile. How do we do this?

In light of what God is leading you to obey from your time in His Word, what changes need to happen? Specific behavior changes? Repentance in a particular area? A change in what you have believed? Be honest about these with the group.

Be open with the group about how you are doing in this area right now, and confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. (Js 5:16). Bringing our sin into the light is necessary for. (1 Jn 1:5-7)

What specific, practical, achievable, or measurable (SPAM) changes can be made this week? Who will help me throughout the week to see if Ive followed through? Two are better than one,

because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! (Ecc 4:9-10) Tell this person exactly what you plan to do, and ask them to pray for you and check in to see how you are doing.

Your standard for accountability must be Gods Word, the Bible. Do not lower the standard because everyone is doing it. Accountability ought to be a positive, encouraging time, not a shame session. Positive accountability happens when you ask the group to hold you accountable for things that they feel God wants in their life, giving the group permission to ask about certain areas. Other things you can ask accountability for are: quiet times, Scripture memory, personal prayer time, morality issues like lust or sex, finances, drinking, exercise, going to class, eating habits or other health issues. Anything you need encouragement in can be something to ask to be held accountable for.

Week Eight: Read Mark 7:24 9:1 Study Mark 8:22 9:1

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Assignment: Read Mark 9:2-50 and study Mark 9:2-13 using the OQIC procedure. Whether youve used a Bible commentary dozens of times, or have never seen one, this can be a helpful tool for hearing what God wants to say in the text, if used appropriately. Read the notes below for guidance on this.

A Note on the Usage of Commentaries One more Bible study tool we want to address is the Bible commentary. A Bible commentary is essentially the fruit of another persons study who has spent a considerable amount of time in the passage you are studying his or her notes, thoughts, and conclusions. In one sense, this can be a way of engaging with the community of other believers around you.

Thoughtful interaction with specialized tools, commentaries, and fellow students of the Bible, for example, can sharpen our exegetical skills. Neither irresponsible dependence (relying on others to tell us what a text is saying) nor overconfident independence (relying on ourselves, irrespective of what others believe a text is saying) presents a desirable virtue in the noble task of biblical exegesis. One is as much an affront to the Holy Spirits ministry as the other. C.H. Spurgeon said it best: It seems odd, that certain men who talk so much of what the Holy Spirit reveals to themselves, should think so little of what he revealed to others (Vern Steiner, Listening to the Text, 2000; C.H. Spurgeon, Commenting on Commentaries, 1981 (reprint of 1876 ed.))

Some Thoughts on Commentaries

Live in the passage first (and when we say live, we mean live!).

Be thoughtful in your choice of commentaries! What will this volume add to my study? How will it help me interact with Gods word better?

Always read the preface and introduction of a commentary this should show you the commentarys interpretive grid, which allows you to thoughtfully interact with it.

Dont rely 100% on what the preface says, either. At times commentary series have hoops that authors must jump through whats on the other side isnt always accurately reflected by the preface.

Commentaries are in a sense a written form of fellowship. Its not much different than asking a friend. And we can learn from some of the greats if we dont simply focus on what their conclusion on a matter is, but how they wrestled with the text and arrived at that conclusion.

Assignment: For weeks 10-14, read the chapter(s) assigned, and then use the various tools youve learned throughout this Bible study to work through the OQIC procedure the selected passages.

Week Fourteen: Read Mark 15:1 16:8 Study Mark 15:21-39

Week Thirteen: Read Mark 14:32-72 Study Mark 14:51-72

Week Twelve: Read Mark 13:1 14:31 Study Mark 14:12-31

Week Eleven: Read Mark 11:1 12:44 Study Mark 11:1-26

Week Ten: Read Mark 10:1-52 Study Mark 10:17-45

Week Nine: Read Mark 9:2-50 Study Mark 9:2-13

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Assignment: Follow the guide below for completing your Book Summary of the Gospel of Mark.

Book Summary Upon completing our OQIC passage analysis of each passage, were ready to wrap up our study of Mark with a Book Summary. The big idea of a Book Summary is to do something very similar to the Completion of the OQIC, but for a larger section or an entire book of the Bible instead of just one passage.

Review your study. Reread the chapters several times and reread the study notes youve made along the way. After having gone through the book passage by passage, you may now have other observations or questions as you better see how the pieces all fit together. This is a good time to take note of those. If you have time, you may also wrap up any investigations that you didnt have time to finish along the way.

Compile a book outline. Using your initial book outline and your passage outlines, compile a summary outline for the whole section. Dont necessarily limit yourself to chapter or verse divisions these were added much after the writing of the text and are not considered to be part of inspired God-breath.

Respond. Take time to reflect, pray and journal on what youve learned from your time in Mark. We must obey Gods voice. What in His message ought you conform your life to, and what steps will you take to see that happen? When we live in Gods word, we begin to see things the way God sees them and evaluate them likewise. If youve lived in the book of Mark, it will continue to bear fruit for years down the road.

Proclaim. Again, the goal here is similar to that under the Completion section. Write out a summary of how you would explain the book to someone else, using whatever creative tools youd like. Perhaps give your summary a title to concisely describe the book that youve studied and its message. In addition, attempt to sum up what you think is the main idea (or ideas) of the Gospel of Mark, and what you think the purpose or intended effect of this book should be on its readers in 1-2 sentences.

Pray. As it is appropriate to begin every study with prayer, so it is to conclude in prayer as well. Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works (Psalms 145:3-5).

In concluding our time in Gods word, it is helpful to once again reflect on the nature of the task of Bible study. J.I. Packer puts it quite eloquently in his book about the Puritan vision of the Christian life: To the Puritan the Bible was in truth the most precious possession that this world affords. His deepest conviction was that reverence for God means reverence for Scripture, and serving God means obeying Scripture. To his mind, therefore, no greater insult could be offered to the Creator than to neglect his written word; and, conversely, there could be no truer act of homage to him than to prize it and pore over it, and then to live out and give out its teaching (J.I. Packer, A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life, 1990).

Week Fifteen: Book Summary

The Gospel of Mark (ESV)

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1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.[a]

2

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,[b]

Behold, I send my messenger before your face,

who will prepare your way, 3

the voice of one crying in the wilderness:

Prepare[c]

the way of the Lord,

make his paths straight. 4

John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5

And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river

Jordan, confessing their sins. 6

Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist

and ate locusts and wild honey. 7

And he preached, saying, After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of

whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8

I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you

with the Holy Spirit. 9

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10

And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit

descending on him like a dove. 11

And a voice came from heaven, You are my beloved Son;[d]

with you I am well

pleased. 12

The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13

And he was in the wilderness forty days,

being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him. 14

Now after

John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15

and saying, The time is fulfilled, and

the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel. 16

Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw

Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17

And Jesus said to

them, Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.[e]

18

And immediately they left their nets and

followed him. 19

And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in

their boat mending the nets. 20

And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with

the hired servants and followed him. 21

And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he

entered the synagogue and was teaching. 22

And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one

who had authority, and not as the scribes. 23

And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean

spirit. And he cried out, 24

What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know

who you arethe Holy One of God. 25

But Jesus rebuked him, saying, Be silent, and come out of him! 26

And the

unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. 27

And they were all amazed, so

that they questioned among themselves, saying, What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even

the unclean spirits, and they obey him. 28

And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding

region of Galilee. 29

And immediately he[f]

left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with

James and John. 30

Now Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31

And

he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them. 32

That

evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. 33

And the whole city was

gathered together at the door. 34

And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many

demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. 35

And rising very early in the

morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. 36

And Simon

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and those who were with him searched for him, 37

and they found him and said to him, Everyone is looking for

you. 38

And he said to them, Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came

out. 39

And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons. 40

And a leper[g]

came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, If you will, you can make me clean. 41

Moved with pity, he

stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, I will; be clean. 42

And immediately the leprosy left him,

and he was made clean. 43

And Jesus[h]

sternly charged him and sent him away at once, 44

and said to him, See that

you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses

commanded, for a proof to them. 45

But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so

that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him

from every quarter. 2 And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2

And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching

the word to them. 3

And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4

And when they could not get

near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let

down the bed on which the paralytic lay. 5

And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, Son, your sins

are forgiven. 6

Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7

Why does this man speak

like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone? 8

And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit

that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9

Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Rise, take up your bed and walk? 10

But

that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sinshe said to the paralytic 11

I say

to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home. 12

And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out

before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, We never saw anything like this! 13

He

went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. 14

And as he

passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, Follow me. And he rose

and followed him. 15

And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with

Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16

And the scribes of[a]

the Pharisees, when they

saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, Why does he eat[b]

with tax collectors

and sinners? 17

And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, Those who are well have no need of a physician, but

those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners. 18

Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were

fasting. And people came and said to him, Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your

disciples do not fast? 19

And Jesus said to them, Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?

As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20

The days will come when the bridegroom is

taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. 21

No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old

garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. 22

And no one

puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skinsand the wine is destroyed, and so are

the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.[c]

23

One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they

made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24

And the Pharisees were saying to him, Look, why

are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath? 25

And he said to them, Have you never read what David did,

when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: 26

how he entered the house of God, in

the time of[d]

Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the

Chapters 1-2


Page 21

priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him? 27

And he said to them, The Sabbath was made for

man, not man for the Sabbath. 28

So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath. 3 Again he entered the

synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. 2

And they watched Jesus,[a]

to see whether he would heal

him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3

And he said to the man with the withered hand, Come

here. 4

And he said to them, Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill? But they

were silent. 5

And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man,

Stretch out your hand. He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6

The Pharisees went out and immediately

held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him. 7

Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea,

and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea 8

and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and

from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him. 9

And he told

his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, 10

for he had healed many, so

that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him. 11

And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell

down before him and cried out, You are the Son of God. 12

And he strictly ordered them not to make him known. 13

And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. 14

And he

appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to

preach 15

and have authority to cast out demons. 16

He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name

Peter); 17

James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is,

Sons of Thunder); 18

Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of

Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot,[b]

19

and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 20

Then he went home,

and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. 21

And when his family heard it, they went out to

seize him, for they were saying, He is out of his mind. 22

And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were

saying, He is possessed by Beelzebul, and by the prince of demons he casts out the demons. 23

And he called

them to him and said to them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? 24

If a kingdom is divided against itself,

that kingdom cannot stand. 25

And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26

And if

Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27

But no one can enter

a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his

house. 28

Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, 29

but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin 30

for they

were saying, He has an unclean spirit. 31

And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to

him and called him. 32

And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, Your mother and your brothers[c]

are outside, seeking you. 33

And he answered them, Who are my mother and my brothers? 34

And looking about

at those who sat around him, he said, Here are my mother and my brothers! 35

For whoever does the will of God,

he is my brother and sister and mother. 4 Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd

gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on

the land. 2

And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3

Listen!

Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4

And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and

devoured it. 5

Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since

it had no depth of soil. 6

And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 7

Other

seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8

And other seeds fell into

Chapters 3-4


Page 22

good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold. 9

And he said, He who has ears to hear, let him hear. 10

And when he was alone, those around him with the

twelve asked him about the parables. 11

And he said to them, To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of

God, but for those outside everything is in parables, 12

so that

they may indeed see but not perceive,

and may indeed hear but not understand,

lest they should turn and be forgiven. 13

And he said to them, Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14

The

sower sows the word. 15

And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan

immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16

And these are the ones sown on rocky

ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17

And they have no root in

themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word,

immediately they fall away.[a]

18

And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19

but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the

word, and it proves unfruitful. 20

But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and

accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold. 21

And he said to them, Is a lamp brought in to

be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? 22

For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest;

nor is anything secret except to come to light. 23

If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear. 24

And he said to them,

Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be

added to you. 25

For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will

be taken away. 26

And he said, The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. 27

He sleeps

and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. 28

The earth produces by itself, first

the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29

But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle,

because the harvest has come. 30

And he said, With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable

shall we use for it? 31

It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the

seeds on earth, 32

yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large

branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade. 33

With many such parables he spoke the word

to them, as they were able to hear it. 34

He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own

disciples he explained everything. 35

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, Let us go across to the

other side. 36

And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were

with him. 37

And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already

filling. 38

But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, Teacher, do you not

care that we are perishing? 39

And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Peace! Be still! And the

wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40

He said to them, Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith? 41

And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea

obey him? 5 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes.[a]

2

And when Jesus[b]

had

stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. 3

He lived

among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, 4

for he had often been bound with

shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the

Chapters 4-5


Page 23

strength to subdue him. 5

Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and

cutting himself with stones. 6

And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. 7

And crying out

with a loud voice, he said, What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God,

do not torment me. 8

For he was saying to him, Come out of the man, you unclean spirit! 9

And Jesus asked him,

What is your name? He replied, My name is Legion, for we are many. 10

And he begged him earnestly not to

send them out of the country. 11

Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, 12

and they begged him,

saying, Send us to the pigs; let us enter them. 13

So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out

and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and

drowned in the sea. 14

The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it

was that had happened. 15

And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed[c]

man, the one who had had the

legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 16

And those who had seen it described to

them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. 17

And they began to beg Jesus[d]

to depart

from their region. 18

As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him

that he might be with him. 19

And he did not permit him but said to him, Go home to your friends and tell them

how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you. 20

And he went away and began to

proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled. 21

And when Jesus had

crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea. 22

Then

came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet 23

and implored him

earnestly, saying, My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be

made well and live. 24

And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. 25

And

there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, 26

and who had suffered much under many

physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. 27

She had heard the reports

about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28

For she said, If I touch even his

garments, I will be made well. 29

And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was

healed of her disease. 30

And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned

about in the crowd and said, Who touched my garments? 31

And his disciples said to him, You see the crowd

pressing around you, and yet you say, Who touched me? 32

And he looked around to see who had done it. 33

But

the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told

him the whole truth. 34

And he said to her, Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of

your disease. 35

While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said, Your daughter is

dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further? 36

But overhearing[e]

what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the

synagogue, Do not fear, only believe. 37

And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John

the brother of James. 38

They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus[f]

saw a commotion,

people weeping and wailing loudly. 39

And when he had entered, he said to them, Why are you making a

commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping. 40

Documents

Book of Mark Study Packet