Bible guides – Mark 8:22-9:1 - 27 January 2010 |
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A blind man is healed in an unusual way. The first half of Mark’s Gospel reaches a climax as Peter declares that Jesus is the Christ, and Jesus then explains the kind of ministry that he will have in the chapters that follow.
- What is unusual about the way that Jesus heals the blind man (verses 22–26)?
- What different ideas do people have about Jesus’ identity (verses 27–28)? What does Peter think (verses 29–30)?
It’s possible that the two-stage healing in verses 22–26 is intended to illustrate Peter’s two-stages understanding of Jesus’ mission. Like the man after the first stage of his healing, Peter could see, but not very clearly. Peter understands (sees) that Jesus is the Christ; but he doesn’t yet see that Jesus must suffer.
- Jesus now begins to teach something that we’ve not yet heard much about in Mark’s Gospel. What is it? How does Peter respond (verses 31–33)?
- How does Jesus’ explanation in verses 34–38 address Peter’s initial reaction?
Why might Peter have said what he did in verse 32? Do you ever find yourself thinking the same way? How might verses 34–38 be relevant to you?
Posted by Steve Jeffery · Topics: Bible, Bible guides, Bible guides - Mark, Minister's Blog