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.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Community Plan
AuthorsBC Teaching Elders Archives
October 2022
Categories
All
|