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Community Group Discussion Guide
Mark 8:1-10- The Feeding of the 4,000 Icebreakers: 1. What is the hungriest moment you have had in you in your entire life? After hiking, working etc. What was the first meal that you ate after that experience, and is it one of your favorite meals to this day? 2. What importance does God put on feeding the poor and needy? Scripture: In those days, when there was again a large crowd and they had nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples and said to them, 2“I feel compassion for the people because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3“If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way; and some of them have come from a great distance.” 4And His disciples answered Him, “Where will anyone be able to find enough bread here in this desolate place to satisfy these people?” 5And He was asking them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.” 6And He directed the people to sit down on the ground; and taking the seven loaves, He gave thanks and broke them, and started giving them to His disciples to serve to them, and they served them to the people. 7They also had a few small fish; and after He had blessed them, He ordered these to be served as well. 8And they ate and were satisfied; and they picked up seven large baskets full of what was left over of the broken pieces. 9About four thousand were there; and He sent them away. 10And immediately He entered the boat with His disciples and came to the district of Dalmanutha. Mark 8:1-10 NASB Read Verses 1-2: In those days, when there was again a large crowd and they had nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples and said to them, 2“I feel compassion for the people because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat. 1. Why had these people stayed with Jesus for 3 days? Read Matthew 15:29-31 for reference. Why would the people stay with Jesus after receiving healing? 2. Jesus uses the words "remained with me" in verse 2. These three words are actually one word in Greek. The word means to “remain in place, with a person, persevere in, abide, be with, cleave unto, and remain faithful to.” They are fulfilling the words of Jesus from John 15 where Jesus tells us to "abide in Him". What can we learn from these people in regards to experiencing Christ and abiding with Christ? Read Verses 3-4: 3“If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way; and some of them have come from a great distance.” 4And His disciples answered Him, “Where will anyone be able to find enough bread here in this desolate place to satisfy these people?” 1. Jesus tells His disciples what He is feeling in this passage. One of the unique times where Jesus Himself actually reveals His emotions. Why do you think He does this? 2. Jesus tells His disciples that the people will faint on their way home if they do not get something to eat. They have experienced healing and transformation for these 3 days with Jesus, but that is not good enough to keep them from fainting on their way home. Christ is more concerned with how they finish not how they start. What can we learn from this in our own lives (Read Galatians 6:9 for reference). Read Verses 4-5: 4And His disciples answered Him, “Where will anyone be able to find enough bread here in this desolate place to satisfy these people?” 5And He was asking them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.” 1. The disciples are looking at where they are and coming up with a conclusion based upon that information. They are looking at the place they are at, instead of to the One with them in that desolate place. How often do we look at the place we are in instead of the One with us? 2. The disciples see what they lack, Christ sees what they have. They had 7 loaves which they saw as being not enough for 4,000 people. Yet, Christ saw differently. Do you see what you lack as a blessing or a curse? Read Verses 6-7: 6And He directed the people to sit down on the ground; and taking the seven loaves, He gave thanks and broke them, and started giving them to His disciples to serve to them, and they served them to the people. 7They also had a few small fish; and after He had blessed them, He ordered these to be served as well. 1. Jesus gave the bread and fish to the disciples to serve the people. Why didn’t Jesus serve the people Himself? Why have the disciples serve the people when Jesus, being God could have easily done it Himself? What is He trying to teach the disciples, and us today? 2. Why did Jesus have to break the bread before serving it to the people? 3. Think on the saying: "Anything that God uses must first be broken". Do you agree or disagree with that statement? What does brokenness look like in our lives today? Read Verses 8-10: 8And they ate and were satisfied; and they picked up seven large baskets full of what was left over of the broken pieces. 9About four thousand were there; and He sent them away. 10And immediately He entered the boat with His disciples and came to the district of Dalmanutha 1. What do you think the significance of the 12 full baskets from the feeding of the 5,000 (Mark 6:33-44) and the 7 full baskets from this story? 2. This particular feeding is taking place in a predominantly Gentile region, while the feeding of the 5,000 took place amongst predominantly Jewish people. Read Deuteronomy 7:1 and Acts 13:19 to see the significance of the "seven" Gentile nations that occupied the Promised Land before God gave it to His people. What is Jesus trying to show us in regards to who He came to save in the feeding of the 4,000. 3. Read Ephesians 2:11-13 and Isaiah 49:6. Talk amongst your group about your thankfulness that you have that you have been brought close to God through Christ.
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Community Group Discussion Guide
Mark 7:31-37- The Healing of the Deaf and Mute Man Icebreakers: 1. Have you ever had a close friend or friends that were deaf or unable to speak? How did you find a way to communicate with them? 2. What is one of the weirdest miracles or supernatural events that you have personally witnessed? Scripture: Again He went out from the region of Tyre, and came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, within the region of Decapolis. 32They brought to Him one who was deaf and spoke with difficulty, and they implored Him to lay His hand on him. 33Jesus took him aside from the crowd, by himself, and put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting, He touched his tongue with the saliva; 34and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!” 35And his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was removed, and he began speaking plainly. 36And He gave them orders not to tell anyone; but the more He ordered them, the more widely they continued to proclaim it. 37They were utterly astonished, saying, “He has done all things well; He makes even the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.” Mark 7:31-37 NASB Read Verses 31-32: Again He went out from the region of Tyre, and came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, within the region of Decapolis. 32They brought to Him one who was deaf and spoke with difficulty, and they implored Him to lay His hand on him. 1. Jesus finds Himself in the Decapolis where He had previously delivered the demon-possessed man in Mark 5. The people asked Jesus to leave the first time but now they are bringing to Him those who are in need of healing. What role do you believe the demon-possessed man from Mark 5:20 played in what is about to take place? 2. How important is it that we fulfill our individual callings or ministry? What is God calling you to do, or walk in right now? 3. They asked Jesus to lay hands on this man, But Jesus is going to do something else. Do you ever feel like we put God into a box of what we think it should look like when He moves? Read Verses 33-34: 33Jesus took him aside from the crowd, by himself, and put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting, He touched his tongue with the saliva; 34and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!” 1. Why do you think Jesus pulled this man aside from the rest of the crowd? 2. Jesus is touching this man's ears and this man's mouth. Both are where this man's primary issue lies. Talk about specific areas that God has touched in your life to bring about healing. 3. What are some reasons why Jesus healed this man in such a unique way? Read Verse 35: 35And his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was removed, and he began speaking plainly. 1. This is an instantaneous healing done by the hands of Jesus. If the man would have been able to speak after this, that would have been amazing in and of itself. But it says he could speak plainly. In John 10:10 Jesus says that He came to give life abundantly, not just life itself. What does it look like to live the abundant life of Christ in our lives? Read Verses 36-37: 36And He gave them orders not to tell anyone; but the more He ordered them, the more widely they continued to proclaim it. 37They were utterly astonished, saying, “He has done all things well; He makes even the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.” 1. The news of Jesus could not be contained inside of these people. Have you ever experienced a time where you just HAD to speak what the Lord was showing or speaking to you? Read Jeremiah 20:1-9 for reference of hat is happening internally when that takes place. 2. The people declared "He has done all things well". What are some things that you are thankful for that Jesus has "done well" in your life? 3. How can you and I encourage others that do not fully believe that Jesus does "all things well". Read Isaiah 35:4-8: Say to those with anxious heart, “Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.” 5Then the eyes of the blind will be opened And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. 6Then the lame will leap like a deer, And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness And streams in the Arabah. 7The scorched land will become a pool And the thirsty ground springs of water; In the haunt of jackals, its resting place, Grass becomes reeds and rushes. 8A highway will be there, a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of Holiness. Isaiah 35:4-8 NASB 1. This prophecy was written hundreds of years before the life of Jesus to foretell the Messianic age that was coming. How can we take comfort from this prophecy while living during a time of gloom and destruction? Community Group Discussion Guide
Mark 7:14-23- The Heart of Man Icebreakers:
Scripture: After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: 15 there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man. 16[“If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”] 17 When he had left the crowd and entered the house, His disciples questioned Him about the parable. 18 And He said to them, “Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, 19because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?” (Thus He declared all foods clean.) 20And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. 21“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. 23“All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.” Mark 7:14-23 NASB Read Verses 14-16: After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: 15 there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man. 16[“If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”] 1. Jesus is confronting a popular religious and cultural concept by these statements He is making about how what we put into our physical bodies does not defile us. How important is it that the church address issues that are confronting the culture of today? 2. In verse 16, Jesus uses a phrase the He used often "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear". What do you think this means and why does Jesus use it so often? Read Verses 17-19: 17 When he had left the crowd and entered the house, His disciples questioned Him about the parable. 18 And He said to them, “Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, 19because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?” (Thus He declared all foods clean.) 1. Jesus provided the whole crowd with the principle that what comes from the heart is more important than what goes into the body. But now He is alone with His disciples and is providing the revelation of what those words fully meant. Why is it important for us as disciples to know the principles and teachings of Christ, but also have the revelation behind the principles? 2. How important is it that we just not "know" things but "experientially know" things? Use 2 Timothy 3:6-7 as an example/reference: For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, 7always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 3. Mark adds that Jesus was declaring all foods clean by these statements. Why is this a big deal for a Jewish community that Jesus is speaking to? Read Acts 10:9-16 where God confirms the same thing to Peter in a vision. Read Verses 20-23: 20And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. 21“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. 23“All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.” 1. Jesus says that what comes out of the heart of man is the primary issue. What does Jesus mean by our "heart"? What makes up our heart? Our heart is the descriptor of our souls; who we are and the "seat of affection". Our heart is the connecting point of our soul and our spirit. Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life. Proverbs 4:23 2. Jesus starts by saying that the first thing that comes from the heart of man is evil thoughts. Why does Jesus go from evil thoughts to very extreme cases of outward sins like theft and murder? What is Jesus teaching us hear about the power of our thougthlife? |
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