When are looking for something we want it can cloud our ability to see reality because of what we want to see. How can we ensure that we are looking for the real Jesus, rather than the Jesus we want him to be as we study the Gospel of Mark?
Read Mark 1:29-45
In the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law we see a pattern that will be repeated in most of Jesus’ healing miracles:
Touch of the healer / Immediate cure / Action by the cured person demonstrating they are well.
Why is this pattern important?
At the conclusion of the Sabbath, people flock to Jesus for healing.
How are these healings and casting out of demons representative of how Jesus came to restore a broken world?
The people come for physical healing from Jesus, what do you come to Jesus for today?
In Mark 1:35-39, we find Jesus praying. This is the first of three times in the book of Mark that we find Jesus praying (Mark 6:46, Mark 14:35-36).
What do we learn about the significance of prayer to Jesus from these three instances
that Mark gives us?
Why do you think it important to prioritize time with God, and how can we make this a habit in
our daily lives?
What prevents you from spending regular time with God?
We see Jesus prioritize the time, escape the noise, and reorient his priorities to align with God’s ways through prayer. He is motivated by a relationship, not a religious obligation.
What motivates your time with God?
Simon finally finds Jesus and declares “Everyone is looking for you!”
How are you “looking for Jesus” today?
Jesus heals a leper, but the request is not just for healing, but to be “clean.”
Why was this so important?
We, like the leper, are “unclean” before God without Jesus. Sin separates us from God and impacts all aspects of our life.
How have you experienced the effect of sin separating you from relationships?
Jesus told the leper not to tell anyone, but he did anyway. As a result, chapter 1 ends with Jesus out in the desolate places and the leper back in the city. Jesus took our place by carrying our sins so that we could be made clean.
How is this encounter with the leper pointing us to what Jesus would later do on the cross?
