GodSpeak Readings: Week 78/March 7-12

March 7-12
Mark 9-15

GodSpeak readings for each day are listed below. Click the link to read the section and/or listen online. A discussion question is listed below for you to use in your GodSpeak group session or for discussion with others who are reading along.

Monday, March 7    Mark 9   Read & Listen Online (Click “Audio” link to listen)
1. Mark 9 is filled with helpless people. List them and explain why they were helpless. What does this chapter reveal about Jesus’ willingness and ability to help the helpless (Mark 9:25, 31, 35)?When do we help the helpless in His name (Mark 9:29, 37, 41, 50)?

Tuesday, March 8   Mark 10   Read & Listen Online (Click “Audio” link to listen)
2. Helplessness and fear go hand-in-hand. The people in Mark 10, like those in Mark 9, were both helpless and, as a result, fearful. Some of their helplessness and fear is not obvious at first. Think carefully and describe the fears of the people in Mark 10. How are their fears like our own? What comfort does Jesus offer?

Wednesday, March 9    Mark 11   Read & Listen Online (Click “Audio” link to listen)
3. Following His entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, Jesus, it seems, set out to cleanse the whole temple area (Mark 11:15-19). In view of this context, what would be the implications of Jesus’ not allowing “anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts” (Mark 11:16)? Do any people today use the church on their way to somewhere else? Have you used the church that way? What is Jesus really trying to accomplish by cleansing the temple courts? Consult these passages for help as you consider this question: Mark 11:17; 25; Acts 3:19; 2 Chronicles 6:20; Matthew 21:28-32.

Thursday, March 10    Mark 12-13   Read & Listen Online Mark 12    Read & Listen Online Mark 13  (Click “Audio” link to listen)
4. The parable of the tenants (Mark 12:1-11) is an interesting parable. Read it carefully and explain its meaning in your group. Who is the owner and who is the son? What is the point? One item that doesn’t seem to fit with many interpretations is the reaction of the owner (Mark 12:9). Why would the owner react in this way? Does God react this way? What is marvelous in our eyes (Mark 12:11)?

Friday, March 11   Mark 14   Read & Listen Online (Click “Audio” link to listen)
5. The woman who poured perfume on Jesus (Mark 14:3-9) can help us meditate on our own life of sanctification. Who was she? Why was what she did a great way to honor Jesus? What does it mean for us to live a sanctified life in our culture? Pray for the Spirit’s strength to live a sanctified life.

Saturday, March 12   Mark 15   Read & Listen Online (Click “Audio” link to listen)
6. The crucifixion and death of Jesus, together with His resurrection, is the focal point of the Christian faith. In several respects the statements of ridicule hurled at Jesus when He was on the cross echo the temptations that the devil used to attack Jesus. What similarities do you see between the statements at the cross (Mark 15:29-32) and the devil’s temptations (Matthew 4:1-11)? Then praise God that Jesus conquered all these temptations as He suffered on the cross, conquering the devil for us and assuring that the punishment for our sins would be complete.

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