Study 6: The Challenge of Jesus

What are the most important things in your life?

Read Mark 10:17-45

Words:

Eternal Life: The time in the future when God judges evil and puts everything right.

Romans: The Roman Empire ruled over Israel.

Ransom: The price you paid to set a slave free.

Good News: This was a way of talking about someone becoming king.

Kingdom of God: The Kingly rule of God which is full of justice and peace. To say that the kingdom of God was arriving was to say that God is about to put things right and put an end to evil and injustice. 

Son of Man: Jesus’ way of talking about himself.

Messiah: A special king or leader who the Jews believed would rescue them from the Romans and restore Israel.

Son of God: This is another name for the king of Israel (or Messiah). Son of God also was used to speak about how Jesus is divine.

Baptism: Being dunked in water publicly to show that you are going to live your life in a different way. 

1. What did the rich man want to know?

2. What commandments had the man kept?

3. What did Jesus ask the man to do?

4. Why was this so important?

5. How did Jesus’ followers feel about going to Jerusalem?

6. What did Jesus say would happen once they got there?

7. What did James and John want from Jesus?

8. How did Jesus respond?

9. What does Jesus tell his followers about how they are to live?

10. How is this different from the people around them?

11. How would things be different if everyone lived like this?

Homework: read Mark 11:1-33, 14:1-72

Mark 10:17-45 (New Living Translation)

The Rich Man

 17 As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

 18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. 19 But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’”

 20 “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”

 21 Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

 22 At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

 23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” 24 This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God. 25 In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”

 26 The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.

 27 Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”

 28 Then Peter began to speak up. “We’ve given up everything to follow you,” he said.

 29 “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, 30 will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. 31 But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.”

Jesus Again Predicts His Death

 32 They were now on the way up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were filled with awe, and the people following behind were overwhelmed with fear. Taking the twelve disciples aside, Jesus once more began to describe everything that was about to happen to him. 33 “Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die and hand him over to the Romans. 34 They will mock him, spit on him, flog him with a whip, and kill him, but after three days he will rise again.”

Jesus Teaches about Serving Others

 35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do us a favor.”

 36 “What is your request?” he asked.

 37 They replied, “When you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.”

 38 But Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must be baptized with?”

 39 “Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!”

   Then Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup and be baptized with my baptism of suffering. 40 But I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. God has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen.”

 41 When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. 42 So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 43 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”