GRACE BIBLE FELLOWSHIP | 恩道堂

Scripture Reading        : Mark 10:32-52

Theme                            : Jesus Foretells His Death & Resurrection III

1. The Prediction of Death. For a third time, Jesus foretold His death and resurrection, His real mission for becoming man. However, the disciples were still dull in their understanding, with James and John asking Jesus for places of prominence.

2. The Pride of the Disciples. James and John came to Jesus in pride, even wanting Jesus to promise them whatever they want. When Jesus asked them if they were “able to drink the cup”, they were quick to answer in the affirmative. Jesus predicted that they would also drink the same cup, which meant that they too will suffer and be martyred for Christ (Acts 12:2), but that in itself would not earn them the honors they desired.

3. The Paradox of Discipleship. The Gentile (non-Jews) rulers would exercise their authority over their subjects, but such is not the same in God’s economy. Jesus demonstrated through His own example that if one desires to be great, he must humble himself and become the lowest of slaves.

Praying the Scripture

1. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the heart of the Gospel. Let us pray that we will not grow tired of hearing and proclaiming the message of the Gospel.

2. We may be serving God in many different areas, but that does not give us the right to ask God for anything. Luke 17:10 “So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’” Let us humble ourselves before God and not boast in our works.

3. God’s economy is not the same as our economy. God desires that we humble ourselves and serve others. If we are not serving actively in church, pray that God will give us willing hearts to serve.

经文：马可福音10:32-52

主题：耶稣预言自己的死与复活（三）

Scripture Reading        : Mark 10:1-31

Theme                            : How to Receive the Kingdom of God

1. Testing of Jesus. The Pharisees came and tested Jesus regarding divorce. Because of their pride, they did not genuinely want to hear or obey Jesus. The Jews taught that a man could divorce his wife for any reason, including spoiling his dinner! It was a society where women had no rights. Jesus rebuked them for their hardness of heart and taught that divorce is not permissible.

2. Touching the Children. Jesus did not consider the children to be unimportant. In fact, He had just taught the disciples that they must “receive one such child in my name” (Mark 9:37). Because of the disciples’ pride, they rebuked those who brought the children to Jesus. Jesus taught them a spiritual truth using the children as an object-lesson: to enter the Kingdom of God, we must recognize our weakness and dependence (like little children) on God.

3. Trusting in Riches. The rich young man had an idol in his heart – He trusted in earthly riches. Jesus was not prescribing that everyone must sell all their possessions, but He was directly addressing the rich young man’s idol. Again, Jesus used hyperbole (camel going through the eye of a needle) to teach the spiritual truth that it is impossible for a man to be saved through his own means. Salvation is the total work of God.

Praying the Scripture

经文：马可福音10:1-31

主题：如何领受神的国

Scripture Reading        : Mark 9:30-50

Theme                            : Jesus Foretells His Death & Resurrection II

1. The Prediction of Death. Jesus predicted His death and resurrection for the second time. Again, the disciples did not understand clearly His mission to die on the cross to save sinners, but because of their pride, they did not want to ask Jesus what He meant. It was clearly due to their pride, because they were not afraid to ask Jesus to explain the parables (Mark 4:10) or the reason they failed in casting out a demon (Mark 8:28).

2. The Pride of the Disciples. The disciples clearly demonstrated their pride when they argued about who was the greatest. They also showed their pride when they tried to stop another person simply because the person was not in their inner circle. Jesus taught them that they must be servants if they want to be first. This again shows that God is pleased with humility.

3. The Price of Discipleship. Jesus is not saying that there will be lame or blind people in heaven, since believers will receive a glorious body during the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:42-43). Jesus is using hyperbole (exaggeration) to teach that His true followers will deal with sin seriously.

Praying the Scripture

1. Some people may think that they already know everything because they have been going to church for many years. Let us not be proud, and pray that we will submit to the teachings of the Pastor using the Word of God, not relying on our own wisdom or what we have heard before.

2. Our church may focus on expository preaching of the Bible, but we are not the only ones doing so. There are like-minded churches in other parts of the world that is also faithfully preaching God’s Word. Let us pray that God will also work in the hearts of man through the preaching of these faithful pastors.

3. There is no such thing as a “carnal Christian” (a Christian who still loves the world). Whoever is a friend of the world is an enemy of God (James 4:4). Let us pray that we will deal seriously with sin and not believe in the lie that we can continue to love the world but still enter the Kingdom of God.

经文：马可福音9:30-50

主题：耶稣预言自己的死与复活（二）

Scripture Reading        : Mark 9:2-29

Theme                            : What We Need – Humility

1. Special Revelation. After predicting His death and resurrection, Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James and John. Such special revelation was given to the disciples in order to strengthen their faith for the upcoming events of Jesus’ crucifixion.

2. Special Resurrection. Even though Peter, James and John had special revelation from God, they were commanded not to tell anyone about it. Only after Jesus’ resurrection will people believe the disciples’ message. At this stage, talking about seeing Moses and Elijah would only attract unnecessary attention that might hinder Jesus’ mission to die on the cross.

3. Special Reliance. The disciples thought that they had already been given the authority to cast out demons. They became proud and stopped relying on God through prayer. This is not a special formula for casting out certain kinds of demons, as taught in some circles, but Jesus rebuking the disciples for not relying on God.

Praying the Scripture

1. Abraham told the rich man who went to hell, “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” (Luke 16:31) God has given us His special revelation in His written Word (the Bible). The Bible is more precious than miracles of healing. Let us thank God for His revelation to us.

2. Jesus told Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29) There is a place for personal testimony, but only the Gospel of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection will save someone. Instead of focusing on personal experiences or amazing testimonies of others, we should focus on the message of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Let us pray that we will not be led astray by stories of personal experiences, but remain faithful to the Word of God.

3. Psalm 127:1 “Unless the Lord builds the house,those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” Let us pray that we will not rely on our own strength and wisdom when we serve God (or do anything!), but constantly rely on God through prayer. Let us pray that we will pray!

经文：马可福音9:2-29

主题：我们需要的——谦卑        

Scripture Reading        : Mark 8:22-9:1

Theme                            : Jesus Foretells His Death & Resurrection I         

1. The Perception of the Disciples. The healing of the blind man was a miracle that served as an illustration for the upcoming question Jesus had for the disciples. Just as the blind man could not see clearly at the beginning, many people did not recognize Jesus as the Christ. “Christ” means “Anointed One”, whom the Jews understood to refer to the coming Saviour. On the other hand, the disciples knew and confessed Jesus as the Christ, just like how the blind man “saw everything clearly” (Mark 8:25) after he was healed.

2. The Prediction of Death. This is the first time Jesus predicted His death and resurrection. Even though the disciples recognized Jesus as the Christ, they did not understand clearly His mission to die on the cross to save sinners. Jesus did not mean that Peter was possessed by Satan. Jesus meant that anyone who does not set their minds “on the things of God, but on the things of man”, would not be serving God and His purpose. After His crucifixion, Jesus would be resurrected again.

3. The Price of Discipleship. Taking up the cross in those days meant crucifixion by death. Therefore, true followers of Jesus will make sacrifices for God, to the extent of being willing to die.

Praying the Scripture

1. We must thank God for sending Jesus to die on the cross for us. But Jesus did not die and remain buried. He was also resurrected. Thank God that He has promised to resurrect all believers in the future.

2. Anyone who does not serve God will inevitably be slaves to sin (Romans 6:16). Jesus died on the cross in order to free us from sin (Romans 6:5-11). Let us pray that we will not set our minds on the things of man, but on the things of God, so that we will be God’s slaves and not slaves to sin.

3. There is no such thing as a secret Christian (or “me-and-my-Jesus”). Jesus commanded us to share the Gospel and not be ashamed of His words. Let us pray for boldness to share the Gospel with unbelievers.

经文：马可福音8:22-9:1

主题：耶稣预言自己的死与复活（一）           

Scripture Reading        : Mark 8:1-21

Theme                            : Bread and Leaven

1. The Feeding of the People. Mark recorded a second feeding of a great crowd. This is not a repetition of Mark 6:30-44 because the number of loaves was different (5 vs. 7), the number of men was different (5000 vs. 4000) and the number of baskets left over was also different (12 vs. 7). Again Jesus had compassion on those who were following and listening to Him, and He supplied their physical need.

2. The Demand of the Pharisees. Even after showing many miracles, the Pharisees were still full of unbelief, and they wanted “a sign from heaven” (Mark 8:11). They were not satisfied with all the signs that they had already seen, because of their hardness of hearts.

3. The Leaven of the Pharisees. Jesus warned the disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. This meant the wrong teachings and influence of the Pharisees (and false teachers). The disciples were dull in their understanding and thought that Jesus was rebuking them for forgetting to bring bread. Jesus reminded them that He could have fed them even if they did not bring enough bread. Jesus ended with a question in Mark 8:21. Mark could have done so in order to challenge the reader of the Gospel with the same question. Matthew 16:12 shows us that the disciples understood Jesus’ point.

Praying the Scripture

1. Thank God that He is a God of compassion and He will supply our physical need (not our wants!). May we trust that God will provide for our needs.

2. Luke 16:31 – “He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’” The purpose of miracles is not to produce faith in people. As we can see from the Pharisees, no matter what Jesus did, they did not believe because of their hardness of hearts. Many churches today teach that people must see miracles before they will believe, so they hold healing services, miracle services, etc. Such teaching is erroneous. Let us pray that our hearts will not be hardened like the Pharisees, demanding to see miracles from God.

3. The disciples were dull in their faith and in their understanding. They witnessed Jesus feeding more than 5000 people (including women and children), but immediately forgot about it and asked how they could feed the 4000 now. Very often, we also testify to God’s faithfulness in the past, but quickly forget it when faced with new problems. Let us pray that we will not be forgetful but remember that God is faithful.

经文：马可福音8:1-21

主题：饼和酵

Scripture Reading        : Mark 7:24-37

Theme                            : Ministry to the Gentiles

Mark included these two healing events after Jesus denounced the Pharisees’ oral tradition for the specific purpose of showing Jesus’ consistency in teaching and behavior.

1. Association with the Gentiles. The Pharisees were very concerned about ritual cleanliness and would not associate with Gentiles for fear of being defiled, since Gentiles did not observe any of the Jewish dietary laws. After Jesus rebuked the Pharisees, He went into Gentile territory (Tyre and Sidon) and healed a Gentile woman’s daughter. He continued to another Gentile city (in the region of the Decapolis) and healed a deaf man. Through this, Jesus showed His willingness to associate with Gentiles, further showing by action of God’s disapproval of Jewish oral tradition.

2. Mission to the Gentiles. When Jesus answered, “Let the children be fed first,” (v.27) it meant that the Gospel would be first proclaimed to Israel, but it is in God’s plan that salvation is not limited to Israel, and will eventually come to the Gentiles. However, at this time, it was not Jesus’ intention to have a public ministry to the Gentiles.

3. Humility of the Gentiles. The Gentile woman humbly accepted the figurative description of “dogs”. According to the Old Testament, dogs are unclean animals; Jews regarded Gentiles as unclean and would thus describe them as “dogs”. Jesus did not mean to insult the woman; it is likely that He was testing her faith and humility. In fact, this is the only time when Jesus is addressed as “Lord” in the whole Gospel of Mark. We can also see the humility of the people in Decapolis, for they came to Jesus and “begged Him to lay His hand” (Mark 7:32) on the deaf man.

Praying the Scripture

1. 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. Let us thank God that He is willing to associate with sinners.

2. We too are Gentiles (as long as we are not Jews/Israelites). Had God not have mercy on Gentiles, we would never have heard the Gospel and have opportunity to be saved. Let us thank God that He did not limit His grace to the Jews only, but also to us who are Gentiles.

3. When we come before God, we are but wretched sinners. Let us pray that we will be humble like the Gentile woman, and accept our lowliness before God. Let us truly acknowledge Jesus as our “Lord”.

经文：马可福音7:24-37

主题：向外邦人的事工

马可在耶稣谴责法利赛人的用餐习俗后加入了两幅医治情景，为要凸显耶稣在教导与行为上的一致。

Scripture Reading        : Mark 7:1-23

Theme                            : External vs. Internal

1. External Behaviour. The Pharisees focused on external behavior, rituals and human tradition, thinking that by so doing, it made them right before God. However, external behavior not resulting from an inward regeneration of the heart is the same as hypocrisy (Mark 7:6). The Pharisees were guilty of making such legalistic teachings higher than God’s Word.

2. Internal Defilement. Jesus spoke yet another parable about what truly defiles a person, extending the judgment against His hearers, because speaking in parables was an act of judgment (Mark 4:11-12). Jesus explained to the disciples that it is from the heart that sin arises, and a person does not commit any sin due to eating any food.

Praying the Scripture

1. Pray that we will not just focus on external behavior, but truly ask God to cleanse our hearts of all unrighteousness.

2. Do we abstain from eating certain food (e.g. blood of animals) and teach others to do the same, quoting Scripture to prove our point? According to the Bible in this passage, such teachings are legalistic traditions of man that displeases God. Let us pray that God strengthen our conscience to accept eating all kinds of food.

经文：马可福音7:1-23

主题：外在与内在

Scripture Reading        : Mark 6:30-56

Theme                            : The Compassion of the Perfect Servant

1. Compassion on the Twelve I. After Jesus sent the Twelve to preach the Gospel, they returned to Him and reported to Him all that they did. Jesus had compassion on the Twelve and wanted them to retreat to a quiet place to rest (Mark 6:31).

2. Compassion on the People I. The crowd knew about where Jesus and the Apostles were headed, and they followed Jesus. Even though Jesus intended to have a retreat with the Apostles, He had compassion on the people when He saw them. In the end, He did another miracle and fed more than 5000 people (plus women and children) with five loaves and two fish.

3. Compassion on the Twelve II. After feeding the people, Jesus did not forget His original intention of letting the Apostles rest, so He sent them away without Him, but He stayed to dismiss the crowd. Jesus knew that if He had gone with the Apostles, the people would certainly follow them again, denying the Apostles rest.

4. Compassion on the People II. When they came to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, the people there (a different group) also came to Him. Again, Jesus had compassion on them and ministered to them instead of resting.

Praying the Scripture

1. Charles Spurgeon once said, “Let me remark that being ‘led by the Spirit of God’ is a remarkable expression. It does not say, ‘As many as are driven by the Spirit of God.’ No, the devil is a driver, and when he enters either into men or into hogs he drives them furiously.” Not so with Jesus. He had compassion on His disciples and desired that they rest. Let us pray that we will not be drivers, but have compassion on others, just like our Lord.

2. Some Christians think of God as a slave-driver, a cosmic kill-joy, who is out to torture His people. This is far from the truth. Let us thank God for His compassion on sinners like us.

经文：马可福音6:30-56

主题：完美仆人的怜悯

Scripture Reading        : Mark 6:1-29

Theme                            : Three Responses

1. Response to Unbelief. The people of Nazareth did not accept or believe that Jesus is God. They knew Jesus and probably watched Him grow up (Mark 6:3). As a result, Jesus did not do many miracles in Nazareth. Many people interpret this passage wrongly, by saying that it requires faith to be healed. They think that because the people of Nazareth did not have faith, so Jesus could not exercise His power. Such a view is flawed because it has a very low view of God – that God’s power could be limited by human will.

           The real purpose of miracles is to authenticate Jesus as God. But since the people were already presumptuous and rejected             Jesus, there was no need for the miracles anymore. In fact, if Jesus had performed more miracles in Nazareth, it would have             made their judgment more severe (Matthew 11:20-24).

2. Response to Unwelcome. Jesus sent the Twelve Apostles out to preach the Gospel, and gave them instructions on how they should respond if they were not welcomed. Again, Matthew 10:15 shows us that those who did not welcome Jesus’ messengers face a greater judgment.

3. Response to Unrepentance. The narrative changes scene to John the Baptist. John was a very faithful servant of God, who did not shrink from declaring the message that God had given to him. By proclaiming the truth and rebuking Herod, John was imprisoned. Herod was unrepentant, but John did not change his message. John’s response to unrepentance was to continue preaching the truth and rebuking those who sinned.

Praying the Scripture

1. Who do we say that Jesus is? If, after reading the Bible about Jesus and His mighty works, we still reject Him, a much greater judgment than that faced by Sodom and Gomorrah awaits us in hell. Let us repent from unbelief and beg Jesus to save us from eternal judgment in hell.

2. Do we welcome messengers sent by Jesus? This includes missionaries, preachers, and most importantly, the pastor of our local church, who proclaims God’s Word to us. If we failed to heed their message, we are in danger of judgment. Let us pray for willing hearts to welcome God’s messengers and their message.

3. Let us pray for our pastor, that he will have the boldness to proclaim God’s Word faithfully, even when facing death. Pray that we too might be courageous to proclaim God’s Word in face of death.

经文：马可福音6:1-29

主题：三种反应