Bible Study: Gospel of Mark

The Bible study group decided to go through the book of Mark for their next study. We will be using the study of Mark by Pastor Phil Steiger of Living Hope Church in Colorado Springs, CO, as our base for learning and discussion.

For our fist evening discussing Mark, we read through Pastor Steiger's introduction to the book (read the notes here: http://hccbiblestudy.blogspot.com/2007/06/mark-jesus-servant-savior-sovereign.html). This gospel emphasizes Jesus as Servant, Savior, and Sovereign. The verse that perhaps best captures the primary theme of this gospel is Mark 10:45 : “For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
 
Pastor Steiger's thoughts on the primary themes and message of this gospel end with this:
"The cross is not a moment of failure for Jesus, but the defining event of his sovereignty. Even that level of hatred and suffering does not diminish the power of a savior who came to serve and give his life so that I might live."


John, Jesus, and the Wilderness: Mark 1:4-13

We then went through Mark's account of John the Baptist calling people to repentance, Jesus coming to be baptized, and then the Spirit leading Jesus out into the wilderness. Read the sermon notes on this passage here:

http://hccbiblestudy.blogspot.com/2007/07/john-jesus-and-wilderness-mark-1.html

What really struck us from the study notes was the amazing symbolism of God calling His people to repentance in the wilderness, the very place that symbolizes their “lowest point” of rebellion against God, the place of greatest brokenness. And Jesus comes to this place of our greatest failure and sin, and conquers it…triumphs over the “wilderness” for us, to set the example, and to set us free from our sin and failings!

In the words of Pastor Steiger, “That thing that overwhelms me 100% of the time, that nature that is constantly at my side separating me from my God, has been defeated by the Messiah. In Christ, the wilderness no longer needs to break me.”  Hallelujah!