4.2.22 - Mark 8 & 9: Who Does JESUS Say He Is? (Dante Griffin)
SCRIPTURE: Mark 8:22-9:29
“Jesus didn’t come to be a social revolutionary, although he continues to upend societal norms and structures. He did not come to reveal a more ethical and moral way to live, although that can be a consequence of following him. He did not come to be the greatest teacher of all time, or the greatest prophet, although he is all that and more. Jesus came to suffer, die and rise from the dead. His words: not mine, nor anyone else’s. To miss this point is to miss the reason Jesus came to earth in the first place.”
REFLECTION/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Mark 8:22-26: How do you feel about Jesus healing the blind man in stages rather than instantly? Do you see this as some kind of sign of limitation on God’s power?
Mark 9:14-29: Have you ever struggled with your faith regarding a specific event? Would you be willing to share? Is there a difference between unbelief and doubt? How can the two play a combined role in actually strengthening faith?
Mark 9:2-13: Place yourself in the sandals of the disciples. How would you have reacted to Jesus’s transformation? The Bible talks about Jesus being both man and God–how does Jesus’s divinity affect your everyday life?
What is your answer to Jesus’s question, “Who do you say that I am?”
What’s your reaction to Jesus’s emphasizing his suffering, death, and resurrection?
Has God ever done something that made you want to yell at him?