The Gospel of Mark, Chapter 8
You can listen to Mark 8 with us below. You can also read the passage in the New Living Translation here.
“Jesus and his disciples left Galilee and went up to the villages near Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”
“Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other prophets.”
Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”
Peter replied, “You are the Messiah.”
But Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead. As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things.
Jesus turned around and looked at his disciples, then reprimanded Peter. “Get away from me, Satan!” he said. “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”
Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.””
Thank you for joining us in listening to Mark 8! You can also find a written copy of Mark 8 in the NLT here.
Below are some questions that made us think. Feel free to journal your answers to one or all of them!
Discussion Questions
1. After Jesus miraculously multiplied seven loaves and a few fish, He gave them to His disciples. Together, they fed a crowd of over 4,000 people!
-What has God given you to provide for the needs of others?
-How has God used other people to provide for your needs?
-How has God miraculously taken care of you in difficult circumstances?
2. When Jesus arrived in Dalmanutha, some Pharisees started to argue with Jesus. They demanded that He perform a miracle to prove His authority.
- It is good for us to be honest with God about how we are feeling...but the Pharisees show us an unacceptable way of relating to Jesus. There were more than enough witnesses of Jesus' miracles...more than enough proof that He had the authority to say all He said. The Pharisees' willful disbelief and demand for yet another sign was prideful. When are you tempted to come to God with a disrespectful attitude and demands rather than requests?
-Have you ever asked for more proof of who Jesus is or what He wants you to do in order to ignore what He has already revealed to you?
3. Jesus healed a man who had blindness in Bethsaida, but not all at once. The healing process started with Jesus bringing the man outside of the village and partially healing him. It wasn't until Jesus placed his hands on the man's eyes a second time that the man could see completely.
- Has Jesus ever healed you physically, emotionally or spiritually? What was that like? Were you healed all at once or gradually?
-Are you in the middle of a healing process right now? How have you experienced God in the process?
4. Jesus asked His disciples who people said He was. They had various answers. Then He asked, "Who do you say I am?" Peter said, "You are the Messiah." Messiah means "the anointed one" or Savior. The Old Testament prophets prophesied that the Messiah would come and bring salvation and rescue.
- Who do people say Jesus is?
-Who do you believe Jesus is? Why?
5. After Peter said Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus began to tell His disciples what was going to happen to Him—how He would be rejected and suffer, that He would be killed, but three days later rise from the dead. Peter couldn't handle it. His idea of what would happen when the Messiah came was not in line with the truth. Jesus rebuked him and said that Peter was seeing things from a human point of view rather than God's point of view.
- Why do we sometimes have wrong ideas about God?
-Why can it be hard to accept God's plan?
-Is there a truth about God that is hard for you to accept?
6. Jesus called the crowd to join his twelve disciples. He said that all who wanted to be His followers should count the cost. He said they must:
-Give up their own way
-Take up their cross
-Follow Him
Jesus said that all who give up their lives for His sake and the sake of the Good News will save their lives.
- Take some time to imagine you are in the crowd of people Jesus is talking to. Have you counted the cost of following Jesus? When He says, "Give up your own way, take up your cross, follow Me" is there anything in your way? Are you willing to sacrifice whatever is in the way so you can follow Him?
-What are/were some of the specific costs of following Jesus in your life? Why is following Jesus worth the cost?
-How have you experienced life and salvation in Christ?
