The Gospel of Mark

Mark 1

Mark 2

Mark 3

Mark 4

Mark 5

Mark 6

Mark 7

Mark 8

Mark 9

Mark 10

Mark 11

Mark 12

Mark 13

Mark 14

Mark 15

Mark 16

Follows Verse:	Ques #	Question or Commentary
Read before 12:1	Biblical Comment	Isaiah 5 (The Book of Isaiah was written about 700 B.C) ¹ I will sing for the one I love a song about His vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. ² He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit. ³ "Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. ⁴ What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad? ⁵ Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. ⁶ I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it." ⁷ The vineyard of the LORD Almighty is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the garden of his delight. And He looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.
Read before 12:1	Comment	The Pharisees and other Jewish religious leaders of Jesus’ time would have known these words of Isaiah.
Read before 12:1	Comment	God used Isaiah to tell the story of the “vineyard” to rebuke the Jewish religious leaders of Isaiah’s time. God had “planted [the vineyard] with the choicest vines” expecting it to produce succulent fruit. Alas, it produced only “bad”. The nation of Israel was “God’s chosen nation and it was to bear fruit – to carry out His work and to uphold justice.” [Life Application Study Bible]
12:1	1	What is a parable?
12:1	2	Why did Jesus use parables? Why didn’t He just speak the Truth?
12:1	3	Does the “vineyard” represent anything?
12:1	4	Who might the “man” represent?
12:1	5	Who might the “farmers” represent?
12:1	6	What would the owner of the vineyard expect from the “farmers”?
12:2	7	To eliminate any ambiguity, who does “he” represent: the owner or the farmers?
12:2	8	Who does “the tenants” represent: the owner or the farmers?
12:2	9	Who might the “servant” represent?
12:2	10	Does the owner’s request seem reasonable?
12:5	11	If you were the owner, what would you have done?
12:6	12	Who might the “son” represent?
12:10	Comment	The cornerstone was laid first in the corner of the foundation and from it the walls of the foundation extended outward.
12:10	Comment	Peter the uneducated common fisherman later took these words of Christ Jesus and rebuked the Jewish religious leaders.
12:10	Biblical Comment	Acts 4 ⁵The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. ⁶Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and the other men of the high priest's family. ⁷They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what name did you do this [healed a crippled beggar]?" ⁸Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! ⁹If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, ¹⁰then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. ¹¹He is "`the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. ' ¹²Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
12:12	13	If the religious leaders truly believed that they were doing God’s will, wouldn’t they have acted on that sure-knowledge and arrested Jesus despite their fear “of the crowd”?
12:12	14	What additional thoughts did you have as we looked at this passage, that did not come out in our discussion?
Read Before 12:13	15	Who are the Pharisees?
Read Before 12:13	16	Think about the name; what can you infer about the Herodians? (I think it could be summed up this way: “It’s better to join ‘em, than fight ‘em”.)
Read Before 12:13	17	What can be said about the Sadducees?
Read Before 12:13	Comment	The politics of the Pharisees and Herodians were incompatible. It is remarkable that they joined forces; therefore, they clearly viewed Jesus as a common enemy.
12:13	18	Why did the Jewish religious leaders come to Jesus? To learn from Him?
12:14	Comment	If He said “Yes”, the Pharisees could accuse Him of supporting Rome, which might just destroy His ministry. They were searching for ways to turn the remarkable ministry of Jesus away from the people. The people regarded Jesus as one of the finest prophets of God (most of them were not quite there, yet) and quite possibly the “military” Messiah, who would militarily lead the Jewish people out from under the onerous (oppressive) Roman rule.
12:14	19	What was Rome to Israel at this time in history?
12:14	20	What kind of lifestyle do you think the Romans followed?
12:14	21	Do you think the Jewish people considered paying taxes to Rome a good thing or bad?
12:14	Comment	If Jesus said “No”, the Herodians could accuse Him of treason and subversion against Rome.
12:14	Comment	A denarius was equal to about day’s wages for a laborer.
12:17	22	Why did Jesus need the coin?
12:17	Comment	His answers were perfect. They still didn’t get it - that Jesus might be actually be who He said He was.
12:18	23	What does “no resurrection” mean to you?
12:18	Comment	The Sadducees believed unequivocally in the Pentateuch – the first 5 books of the Old Testament (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy); and through their study of the books, they could not find any direct references to “resurrection”; therefore, they concluded that there is “no resurrection”.
12:19	24	Why would God through Moses have instituted this provision? (See Deuteronomy 25:5-10, esp. v. 6)
12:19	Comment	The Jewish culture was so ingrained with the driving desire to preserve familial heritage. It was so important to have a son to maintain the family name and to permit the orderly disposition of the father’s inheritance.
12:23	25	If the Sadducees believed in “no resurrection”, why did they ask this question of Jesus?
12:23	26	Have you ever experienced or imagined a joyous homecoming? What was it like?
12:23	27	What happens to us when we die? And how do you know?
12:23	28	Is there something that we must do?
12:23	29	Do you think that if we are happily married in this life that our marriage to our spouse will continue in Heaven?
12:24	30	If you had been a Sadducee, how would you have reacted to Jesus’ statement? Why?
12:25	31	What / Who are angels?
12:25	Biblical Comment	Hebrews 1 ¹³To which of the angels did God ever say, "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? [Psalm 110:1] ¹⁴Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
12:25	Biblical Comment	Hebrews 13 ¹Keep on loving each other as brothers. ²Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.
12:26	32	What does the statement referring to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob mean about the “dead rising”?
12:27	Comment	The Sadducees had successfully used their question in past arguments with the Pharisees. Yet, Jesus was able to use Scripture – specifically, a passage from the Pentateuch – to refute the core belief of the Sadducees! And yet, they refused to believe. We are so fortunate to have God’s Word. PRAISE BE TO GOD ! ! ! WHO WAS, AND IS, AND IS TO COME ! ! ! (Rev. 4:8)
12:28	33	Do you think the teacher of the law was still trying to challenge Jesus’ teaching with his question?
12:30	Comment	Jesus went directly to Scripture to provide His answer. He quoted from Deuteronomy, which is one of the first five books, which were written by Moses. The Jewish people had spent hundreds of years as slaves in Egypt. Then, God introduced Himself to Moses at the “burning bush” and conscripted him to lead the Jewish people out of Egypt into the Promised Land.
12:30	Biblical Comment	Deuteronomy 6 ⁴Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. ⁵Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. (For you with children, please review verses 1-9, esp. vs. 7)
12:30	34	The Jews believe that this verse (and others) state that there is one and only one God (monotheism). Therefore, Christianity is wrong because a Christian worships three Gods (polytheism). How would you argue that issue with a Jew?
12:30	Biblical Comment	John 14 – Jesus one with The Father ¹¹Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.
12:30	Biblical Comment	John 17 – Jesus one with The Father ^11BHoly Father, protect them by the power of your name--the name you gave me--so that they may be one as we are one.
12:30	Biblical Comment	John 17 – Jesus one with The Father ²²I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one:
12:30	Biblical Comment	John 15 – the Holy Spirit ²⁶"When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.
12:33	Comment	Jesus is speaking with a man who has spent his entire life studying the Old Testament Scriptures and the 600-plus man-made laws that the Jews had developed to “supplement” God’s Scripture.
12:33	35	Do you think that the “teacher of the law” considered Jesus the Messiah, a peer – another teacher, or someone like a self-taught itinerant preacher?
12:33	36	What was the attitude of the “teacher of the law”? Condescending? Eagerly teaching about God’s law?
12:34	37	What did Jesus mean by “You are not far from the kingdom of God”?
12:34	38	Why did they not dare to ask Jesus “any more questions”?
Precedes 12:35	Comment	King David was a great king of Israel. He is known, too, because of his adultery with another man’s wife Bathsheba. David also wrote many of the Psalms.
12:35	39	What does “Christ is the son of David” mean? Does it mean a true son in the literal sense?
12:35	40	Do you think that the Jewish leaders were listening to Jesus’ teachings? Why?
12:35	41	Why would Jesus provoke the Jewish leaders? Here He was on their turf (the temple). Shouldn’t He be watching what He said?
12:35	Biblical Comment	John 6:47 I tell you the truth, he who believes [in me] has everlasting life.
12:35	Biblical Comment	John 8:32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
12:35	Biblical Comment	John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
12:35	42	Jesus said He is the “Truth”. Could He ever “not quite tell the truth” (lie)? After all, He was here in human form.
12:35	43	Is “truth” black-and-white or is it shades-of-gray? Is there such a thing as absolute truth?
12:35	44	Is there a lesson here for us about telling the Truth about Christ Jesus?
12:37	45	Why was the crowd “delighted”?
12:37	46	How would you explain Psalm 110:1?
12:40	47	Isn’t this just normal human nature? Why did Jesus single-out the Jewish leaders?
12:41	48	According to Scripture it was unusual to find Jesus sitting down to watch people offer money to the temple. Why do you think He chose this moment to sit?
12:44	49	Scripture says that we are to tithe. What does “tithe” mean?
12:44	50	Are we also supposed to give “all [that we have] to live on”?

Ques #

Question or Commentary

Acts 4