Following Jesus Through Mark: A Guide to Faith in Action

By Stonecroft Ministries

Many people want to be praised and recognized, but few imagine that the route to greatness lies in service. As readers acquaint themselves with the life of Jesus Christ as reported by Mark, their perspective will be radically and refreshingly altered. Jesus, the greatest, became the least, serving every man and woman so He could bring them back to God.

This study guides readers through selected Bible passages, presents straightforward explanations and applications, and provides open-ended discussion questions. Participants will find themselves changed as they see how the greatest Servant now lives His life in us and through us.

About This Series: Stonecroft Bible Studies encourage people to know God and grow in His love through exploration of His life-transforming Word, the Bible. Each book is designed for both seekers and new believers and includes easy-to-understand explanations and applications of Bible passages and study questions.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
• Release date: Aug 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9780736955720

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Introduction

In this study, we explore the second Gospel—the Gospel of Mark—which reveals Jesus as a servant. You will see Him serving others in one act of mercy after another. You will also find Mark to be a book of action—so much so that the word immediately or instantly, and other similar words, are found more than 40 times!

In Mark we see Jesus set the example of how to walk in harmony with God and how to live in harmony with people. We will discover how His first concern was never for Himself; rather, it was always for others.

The Four Gospels

The first four books of the New Testament—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—are referred to as the Gospels. Each of the four authors of the Gospels wrote about the events of Jesus’ life on earth, selecting incidents from His life that portray His character and heart from different perspectives. Through their writings we see the motivation behind the remarkable things He did while living on earth. Each author emphasized different aspects of Jesus, and when combined we have a stunning portrait of the man by whom all time is measured.

• Matthew, one of Jesus’ disciples, wrote to Jews and included many Old Testament Scripture references. He presented Jesus as the Messiah, the sovereign King, and frequently called Him the Son of David and the Son of God.

• Luke, a physician, showed Jesus as our compassionate Savior and Teacher. Luke is the only Gentile (non-Jewish) author of a Gospel, and although he was not an eyewitness to the life of Jesus as Matthew was, he researched everything thoroughly and experienced the same spiritual transformation that Matthew experienced.

• John, another disciple of Jesus, presented Jesus as the divine Son of God, who showed us the heart of God. John knew Jesus very well; in fact, he is described as the disciple Jesus loved.

• Mark wrote his Gospel to the Romans around him and focused on showing Christ as God’s servant sent from heaven to earth to complete God’s perfect will.

Mark, the Author and Man

To get started, let’s fill in some important background information. Mark was written some 2000 years ago by a man named—no surprise here—Mark. It is the shortest of the four Gospels, and Mark must have written it with busy people in mind because he plunges right into his account and never slows down.

We speak of Mark as the one who wrote this book, but let’s see what the Bible says about the real author. Read the following passages and note what they say about the Bible’s authors:

2 Peter 1:20-21 (page 938)

2 Timothy 3:16 (page 915)

Although it was Mark’s hand that put the words on paper, it was God who inspired his writing. The Bible is God’s Word in tangible form—an infallible, inexhaustible resource He makes accessible to us.

Interspersed in the New Testament are some references to Mark that give us some insight into the kind of man he was. The first possible reference is in the book of Mark itself, but as you will see, it leaves room for question. The described occurrence takes place late at night in the Garden of Gethsemane when soldiers come to arrest Jesus just prior to His crucifixion.

You can imagine the extreme emotions surrounding these tense moments—anguish, outrage, and disbelief mingle together as the disciples discover there is a traitor among them. Ultimately, fear overtakes them all, scattering them into the night, leaving Jesus alone with His captors. And that’s when we come to the following passage.

Read Mark 14:51-52 (page 776).

Because Mark is the only Gospel writer who records this incident, some Bible scholars believe he was writing about himself as the one young man who found it easier to run than to stand up for a man he knew to be innocent. There is no way to know for sure who this young man was, but it is easy to understand his terror.

Have you ever found yourself in a position where you were afraid or hesitant to defend your beliefs? How did you respond?

Mark’s Later Life

After Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, there is a brief mention of Mark joining Paul and Barnabas on a mission trip. Read Acts 12:25 (page 841).

As it turned out, things didn’t go well for Mark on that trip and, just like the night of Jesus’ arrest, he again left. It seems as though Mark had a character flaw—an unwillingness or inability to see things through. But we can thank God that He amazingly uses our flaws to show His purity and strength. The things we can never do in our own strength, He can accomplish through us in spite of our weaknesses. After all, this flawed man was used by God to write this very important book.

In what areas of your life can you depend on God’s strength instead of your own?

Write out your thoughts about your weakness and then give it to God. As you pray, tell God you are depending on His ability and not your own. Note the thoughts of hope God puts in your mind.

Just as we get discouraged by our inability to overcome areas of weakness, can’t you imagine how disappointed Mark must have been with himself? This may have increased when the opportunity to go on another mission trip came along. Read about this in Acts 15:36-39 (page 844).

Paul and Barnabas had worked well together and shared the Good News about Jesus with many; however, now because of their differing opinions of Mark they were splitting up!

How would you feel if you were the cause of breaking up a successful partnership?

Certainly Paul’s feelings were justified, but how wonderful for Mark that Barnabas was able to look beyond Mark’s past failures and see his future potential in Christ!

Has there been someone in your life who believed in your potential?

Is there someone you know who needs you to be to them what Barnabas was to Mark? Does someone need you to look beyond their past failures and trust in their potential?

Now let’s look at the result of Barnabas’ willingness to give Mark another chance. Read the following verses:

2 Timothy 4:11 (page 916)

Mark had proven he had changed on his mission trip with Barnabas, and now Paul believed in him too! They were friends and valued co-workers for Jesus!

1 Peter 5:13 (page 937)

Mark became a disciple/assistant of Peter and a valued part of Peter’s ministry as well, so much so that he referred to him as my son.

Isn’t it interesting to see that God chose Mark, someone who had struggled with dependability, to write about the absolute dependability of Jesus Christ? A poor beginning does not lock us into a poor ending! When we open our lives to Jesus and His transforming power, He will redeem our lives and use our struggles and failures to enhance His Kingdom.

Read Romans 8:28-29 (page 863).

Why is this passage so significant for Christians?

We are so glad you decided to be a part of this exploration of the Gospel of Mark. We believe you will find it both enlightening and inspirational, as you step back in history to the time when Jesus lived on earth. More importantly, you will find answers to some of the questions you have been asking about life. Some of the answers might surprise you. But as God works in your heart to follow Jesus, you will not be disappointed about where the answers take you!

1

God’s Servant Introduced

Mark 1

Sitting inside his cell at San Quentin, Dale prayed, God, please help me change—help me turn my life around.

He knew his only hope was in breaking all ties with his past, so when he was released from prison he moved to a tiny one-room cabin deep in a forest of Central Oregon. He didn’t know how he would find work with his prison record and in such a remote area, but he knew this was where he needed to be.

Five days later he heard a piece of equipment starting up in the distance. On a whim, he followed the sound to see if whoever was operating it might need help.

Sitting at my table 17 years later, Dale wept as he reminded me of the day he met my husband. That very morning Steve and I had prayed for God to send us an assistant for our well-drilling business. Our son had returned to school and we had called everyone we could think of—to no avail. Finally Steve said, I’m just going to drive to the job site and get ready. We’ve prayed, and now we have to trust God.

The job site was in the middle of nowhere, miles from the nearest town. Steve pulled his truck in next to the drill rig, and even though he couldn’t drill without an assistant, he started up the engine. He was puttering around with the engine, tuning it up, when he noticed a man walking toward him out of the forest. When the man drew near he extended his hand. Hi, I’m Dale. I wonder if you need someone to work for you—

I smiled at this man who has become such a dear friend. Dale no longer works for us except in emergencies because he is too busy working for an organization that provides for the needs of underprivileged children, serving as chaplain for the local American Legion, and organizing his community’s major fund-raising event.

God never gave up on me, Dale said. He knew there was a different person inside of me—the person He’d designed me to be—He just had to send me to your husband to find that person.

Prayer

God, thank you for loving me so much that you made a way for me to be in relationship with you through your one and only Son, and when I believe in Him, I will not perish but have eternal life. Thank you for not sending your Son into the world to judge me, but to save me through Him (John 3:16-17, page 811).

Imagine yourself in an airplane flying high above a large city. Automobiles look like matchbox cars, and skyscrapers look so small you could hold them in your hand. It’s an intriguing view, but from such a high vantage point the picture you get of the city is rather one-dimensional. You can’t hear its varied sounds or feel its many textures. You can’t experience the architecture or explore the neighborhoods and meet the people living there. The only way for the city to spring to life is for you to actually set your feet on the ground and experience it on a personal level.

This is what we are going to do with the book of Mark. We’re going to set our feet on the ground where the events took place, wander the streets, and meet the people involved. We’re going to experience everything that happened as if we were there!

Jesus Introduced

The first chapter of Mark introduces Jesus to us through the words of several different people. Read Mark 1:1-3 (page 761).

What two titles did Mark use to describe Jesus in verse 1?

Mark quotes Isaiah. What title does Isaiah use to describe Jesus in verse 3?

Not only do these human voices tell us who Jesus Christ is, but the supernatural world speaks of Him as well. Who does God say Jesus is in Mark 1:9-11 (page 761)?

This is such a wonderful passage because it clearly shows us the three members of the Holy Trinity all together. Who are they?

Not only does God introduce Jesus as His Son in this passage, but He goes a step farther. What else does God the Father say to Jesus in verse 11?

These are such deeply relational words from