Friday, September 18, 2026
Pray: "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law."
Intro to Mark:
The book of Mark is unique because John Mark was not one of the 12 disciples. He was a relative of Barnabas and traveled with Barnabas and Paul on their first missionary journey. He also spent much of his time traveling with and listening to Peter as he preached. Therefore, scholars believe the writing of the gospel of Mark was based on the eyewitness accounts of Peter. The book of Mark was primarily written to Gentile Christians, encouraging them to be servants of God as He was, and to share the gospel. He stated in Mark 1:15, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." However, aligning with Christ and sharing the gospel would come at a cost; suffering and persecution would be inevitable. So, Mark also emphasizes the humanity of Jesus, the Son of God. Fully God, fully man. In His humanity, He became the model for us to follow to live faithfully in our suffering and persecution on this earth. Jesus is the suffering servant of Isaiah 53, the One who "came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).
- 1
What do you learn about God (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) from this chapter? His thoughts, ways, or actions toward us, as His creation? How can you respond to God in prayer and praise?
- 2
Mark begins his book with a quotation from Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3 to authenticate his ministry and Jesus. According to verses 1-8, what did John proclaim as he baptized people? As the people were being baptized, what did they do? John baptized people with water. When Jesus comes, what will He do?
- 3
In verses 9-15, as soon as Jesus came out of the water, what did the Spirit and the Father ("voice") do? Who drove Jesus to the wilderness? What did he endure for 40 days? After John was arrested, as Jesus was announcing the beginning of His ministry, what did Jesus call people to do?
- 4
In verses 16-20, Jesus calls 4 of his 12 disciples. What did He call them to do? How quickly did they respond?
- 5
In verses 21-22, why were the people present in the synagogue astonished at Jesus teaching? In verses 23-28, a man within the synagogue who had an unclean spirit (demon) cried out to Jesus. Who did he declare Jesus to be? How did Jesus respond to his cries? How did the other people in the synagogue respond? For more insight: https://www.gotquestions.org/demons-quiet-silent.html.
- 6
In verses 29-45, how many miracles did Jesus perform? When He healed the leper, why did He want him to go and show himself to the priests? In verse 45, what was the result of the leper disobeying Jesus' command?
- 7
Look back at verses 35-39: after healing many the day before, what did Jesus do? When His disciples finally found Him, what did He tell them was the reason He came?
- 8
Ponder: The purpose of Jesus' miracles was to authenticate His message (repent and believe) and His ministry. Through His miracles, He demonstrated to all the people His power over demons and sickness. Even in all His power, Jesus modeled to us His human dependency on the Father. Jesus, who is God, in His humanness, prayed to the Father. If Jesus needed to pray, how much more do we? How's your prayer life? A life that is not dependent on prayer is a life that depends on self rather than God. How does this lead you to pray?
