Lesson 14 - “The Servant Savior” - Mark 10:32-52
ID:
Inductive Questions (Asking the text questions like who, what, where, when,
why, & how?”)
CR: Cross
References (Comparing Scripture to Scripture, understanding the vague by the
clear.)
WS: Word
Study (Understanding definition, theological meaning, and usages in other
passages.)
The WORD: What does the Bible say?
Context: Read Mark 10:28-11:6
to help understand the context of this passage.
Read Mark 10:32-52 in a more literal
or more dynamic translation
than you usually use. This passage
focuses on two themes in a key verse for Mark by presenting Jesus as the
serving Savior.
1. ID: (10:32-34) What specific eight things did Jesus
foretell would happen? (Compare with Mark
8:31; 9:31). Which of those do Mark
record (Mark 14:43-45, 63-64; 15:1, 15-20, 37-39; 16:9-11)?
2. ID/CR: (10:35-41) What did James and John want from Jesus?
(cf. Matt.
20:20–28) What was the “cup” (Mark
14:36; Martyrdom
of Polycarp 14:2)” and “baptism”
(Luke
12:50) Jesus spoke of? What did the other
disciples’ response reveal about their hearts?
3. ID: (10:42-45) List all the differences between gentile
rulers and Christ’s model of leadership?
5. ID/CR: (10:47-48) What title did Bartimeaus
use for Jesus? What does that title teach
us about Jesus? (Trivia: Which Gospel
does not use that title and which one uses it most?)
6. ID/WS: (10:47-52) Contrast the crowd’s responses to Bartimaeus
before and after Jesus called to him? What
made
Bartimeaus well?
The WALK: What should I do?
1. Why do you think the disciples were so preoccupied with
being the greatest? Why is this still a
problem for us today?
2. What did you learn about leadership from this passage? How can you implement these principles in
your church, family, and workplace relationships?
3. What do we learn about our purpose of earth from what Christ
said His purpose was?
4. What would you answer if Jesus asked you, “What do you
want Me to do for you?”
Going
Beyond: 1. Memorize Mark 10:45.
2. What areas of theology are touched on in this passage?
□ The Bible □ God □ God the Father □ Jesus
Christ □ The Holy Spirit □ Man
□ Salvation □ The Church □ Angels & Satan □ Future Things
Question:
Did Jesus heal two
blind men (Matthew 20:29-34) or one blind man (Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43)?
Answer: In spite of apparent discrepancies, these three passages do refer to the same incident. The Matthew account cites two men healed as Jesus left Jericho. Mark and Luke refer to only one blind man healed, but Luke says it happened as Jesus was entering Jericho while Mark records it happening as He left Jericho. There are legitimate explanations for the apparent discrepancies. Let’s look at them rather than deciding this is a contradiction and the Bible is in error.
That this is the same incident is seen in the
similarity of the accounts, beginning with the two beggars sitting on the
roadside. They call out to Jesus, referring to Him as “Son of David” (Matthew 20:30; Mark 10:48;
Luke 18:38), and in all three accounts, they are rebuked by
those nearby and told to be quiet but continue to shout out to Jesus (Matthew 20:31; Mark 10:48;
Luke 18:39). The three accounts describe nearly identical
conversations between Jesus and the beggars and the conclusions of the stories
are also identical. The beggars receive their sight immediately and follow
Jesus.
Only Mark and Luke chose to identify one of the
beggars as Bartimeus, perhaps because he was the main character in the story
and was therefore the sole focus of Mark’s and Luke’s accounts. Perhaps it was
because Bartimeus was known to them as the son of Timeus, but the other man was
a stranger to them. In any case, the fact that only one man of the two is
recorded as speaking does not mean there was only one man. It simply means Mark
and Luke identified only one man speaking, Bartimeus. Matthew refers to both of
them calling out to Jesus, clearly indicating there were two men.
The other issue in question is whether Jesus was
entering Jericho or leaving it. Bible commentators cite the fact that at that
time there were two Jerichos—one the mound of the ancient city (still existing
today) and the other the inhabited city of Jericho. Therefore, Jesus could have
healed the two men as He was leaving the ancient city of Jericho and entering
the new city of Jericho.
In any case, to focus on these minor details to the
exclusion of all else is to miss the point of the story—Jesus healed the blind
men, proving that He was indeed the Son of God with powers beyond anything a
mortal man could have. Unlike the Pharisees who refused to see what was before
their eyes, our response to Jesus should be the same as that of the blind
men—call on Him to give us eyes to see spiritual truth, recognize Him for who
He is, and follow Him.
© Copyright 2002-2016 http://www.gotquestions.org/one-two-blind-men.html
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Random thought:
“Think of the Spiritual
Disciplines as ways we can place ourselves in the path of God’s grace and seek
Him much as Bartimaeus and Zaccheaus placed themselves in Jesus’ path and
sought him. As with these two seekers,
we will find Him willing to have mercy on us and to have communion with
us. And in the course of time we will be
transformed by him from one level of Christlikeness to another (2 Corinthians
3:18).”
Whitney, Donald S. Spiritual
Disciplines for the Christian Life. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress,
1997. (p. 19)
Lesson
14: Mark 10:32-52
WORD
1. It is
noteworthy that in spite of repeated teaching on this it didn’t seem to have
“sunk in” for the disciples.
2. We are
not suggesting that the Martyrdom of Polycarp is on par with the Scripture, but
Polycarp is recorded as having referred to the “cup” in the same sense Jesus
referred to in here.
3. Take some
time to let the men talk and express understanding of Christ’s model for
leadership.
4. Encourage
you men to memorize this verse.
5. The links in
“title” and “teach” take you to articles that help with the background.
WALK
1. I have heard
that some people constantly compare themselves with others and always try come
out on top. It would be worthwhile to explore how this attitude affects
our teachability, authenticity, and focus on Christ.
3. We can be
tools God uses to accomplish his saving work in individuals. We should
keep serving as a defining motive for us. This is part of what it means
to be like Jesus (Christ like).
EXTRA
This article on
the apparent discrepancy between Matthew, Mark, and Luke will help in this
specific passage and demonstrate principles for harmonizing the
different accounts.
The bit at the
bottom is a random application of this passage that I have found to be a
motivation.
