By Michael C. Mack
1. Did you “preach the gospel” or talk to someone about Jesus and his resurrection over the past week? If so, how did that go?
2. What would you expect to happen today if you held a party, invited both Christian and non-Christian friends, and Jesus showed up?
Ask two people to read aloud Mark 2:1-17 one after the other, preferably from different Bible versions. Then ask a third person to summarize the passage briefly.
3. Discuss each group of people, below, separately. How would you describe the people in each group and what they did?
- Jesus and his disciples
- The four men and the paralytic man
- Teachers of the law
- Levi and his friends
4. The teachers asked, “Why does this fellow talk like that? . . . Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Using Jesus’ response as a guide, how would you answer that same question if someone asked the question about Jesus today?
5. If someone asked you, “Why did Jesus hang out and eat with traitors and sinners?” how would you answer in your own words?
6. What do you learn about Jesus from this passage?
- What do you learn about forgiveness for sins and repentance?
7. What do you learn about yourself?
8. In what specific way will you make it a point this week to hang out with (and perhaps eat with) one or more people who are still far away from God?
9. Based on our study and discussion, complete the sentence: “I will . . .”
10. What do you need most from God to love people who are far from God? More compassion or empathy? Boldness? More margin in your time? Something else?
For Next Week: Read and reflect on Mark 7:24-37. You can also read next week’s supplemental texts as well as the Study and Application sections as part of your personal study.
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