Bible Study - Sabbath School Podcast

Read  Mark 15:15–20 . What did the soldiers do to Jesus, and what is its significance? The Romans utilized a severe form of beating to prepare prisoners for execution. The victim was stripped of his clothes, tied to a pole, and then lashed with leather whips to which pieces of bone, glass, stones, and nails were tied. After Jesus was whipped, the soldiers tasked with His execution continued His hu...

Read  Mark 15:1–15 . What kind of ironic situations occur here? Pontius Pilate was the governor of Judea from A.D. 26–A.D. 36. He was not a kind leader, and a number of his actions caused consternation among the inhabitants of the land (compare with  Luke 13:1 ). The Jewish trial of Jesus resulted in a death sentence for blasphemy. But under Roman rule, the Jews could not execute people in most ca...

Read for This Week’s Study Mark 15, Luke 13:1, Ps. 22:18, John 20:24–29, John 1:1–3, Dan. 9:24–27 . Memory Text: Mark 15  is the heart of the Passion Narrative. It presents the trial of Jesus, His condemnation, the mockery by the soldiers, His crucifixion, and then His death and burial. The events in this chapter are presented in stark, crisp detail, likely because the author let the facts speak f...

Read Ellen G. White, “Before Annas and the Court of Caiaphas,” pp. 698–715; “Judas,” pp. 716–722, in  The Desire of Ages . “While the degrading oaths were fresh upon Peter’s lips, and the shrill crowing of the cock was still ringing in his ears, the Saviour turned from the frowning judges, and looked full upon His poor disciple. At the same time Peter’s eyes were drawn to his Master. In that gentl...

Read  Mark 14:60–72 . Compare how Jesus responded to events in contrast to how Peter did. What lessons can we learn from the differences? Mark 14:53–59  describes Jesus being brought to the Sanhedrin and the first part of the trial. It is an exercise in frustration. Again and again, the leaders try to make their accusation against Jesus stick. The Gospel writer notes how the testimony was false an...

Read  Mark 14:43–52 . What happens here that is so crucial to the plan of salvation? It is shocking that one of Jesus’ closest associates betrayed Him to His enemies. The Gospels do not go into great detail about Judas’s motivation. But Ellen G. White writes: “Judas had naturally a strong love for money; but he had not always been corrupt enough to do such a deed as this. He had fostered the evil...

Read  Mark 14:32–42 . What did Jesus pray in Gethsemane, and how was the prayer answered? Leaving the walled city of Jerusalem where they ate the Passover meal, Jesus and His disciples go across the Kidron Valley to a garden on the slopes of the Mount of Olives. The name Gethsemane means oil press, suggesting that there was an olive oil processing press in the vicinity. The exact location is unkno...

Read  Mark 14:22–31 and Exodus 24:8 . What great significance to the Christian faith is found in this account? Mark 14:12  notes that this is the first day of unleavened bread, when the Passover lamb was sacrificed. The meal was on Thursday evening. At the Last Supper, Jesus institutes a new memorial service. It is a transition from the Jewish Passover celebration and is directly linked to Israel’...

Read  Mark 14:1–11 . What two stories are intertwined here, and how do they play off of one another? Mark 14:1  indicates that the Passover was two days away. This meeting probably occurred on either Tuesday night or Wednesday of that week. The religious leaders have a plan and timing. They just need a means to accomplish their goal. It will come from a surprising quarter. This passage is the fift...

Read for This Week’s Study Mark 12:41–44, Mark 13:1–32, Dan. 9:24–27, Dan. 7:25, 1 Thess. 4:13–18 . Memory Text: This week’s lesson starts with a very brief story at the end of  Mark 12 , where Jesus makes a profound statement about a small act by a widow. The main portion of this week’s lesson, however, deals with  Mark 13 , a striking prophecy about the fate of the Jerusalem temple and more. Thi...

Read Ellen G. White, “On the Mount of Olives,” pp. 627–636, in  The Desire of Ages . Many things are happening in the world that are very disturbing. People truly are frightened about what is unfolding. How can we, as Seventh-day Adventists, with a kind of “inside track” on events, use these things to point people to the hope we have in Jesus and the promise of His coming? “Because we know not the...

Read  Mark 13:24–32 . What great event is described here? The great event described in  Mark 13:24–32  is none other than the return of Jesus Christ in glory, preceded by signs in the sun, moon, and stars. The New Testament is full of prophecies pointing toward this wonderful event. The apostle Paul describes it in detail in  1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 , where he speaks of those who have fallen aslee...

Jesus’ Claims The miracle by the Pool of Bethesda provided an excellent opportunity for John to emphasize who Jesus is. John takes nine verses to describe the miracle and about 40 verses (see below) to describe the One who performed the miracle. Read John 5:16–18. Why was Jesus persecuted for His action on the Sabbath? ________________________________________________________ ______________________...

Read  Mark 13:19 . What does this verse refer to? Mark 13:14 , regarding the abomination of desolation, is the fulcrum around which the chapter pivots (see Tuesday’s study).  Mark 13:19  marks a transition point, as well. It refers to a great tribulation that does not have an equal since the creation of the world. This portends a greater or more extensive persecution than had occurred at the fall...

Read  Mark 13:14–18 . What clue does Jesus give in figuring out what the “abomination of desolation” refers to? Jesus comes to the central point about the fall of Jerusalem in  Mark 13:14 . He refers to “_the abomination of desolation._” The Lord says that the reader should understand. With these words, Jesus is pointing the disciples to the book of Daniel. This terminology appears in  Daniel 9:27...

Read  Mark 13:1–13 . How did the disciples respond to Jesus’ statement about the temple, and what is the significance of Jesus’ answer to them? As we have noted, the temple complex was a truly amazing structure. Josephus notes that the Royal Portico on the south side of the complex had 162 pillars, each of which three men clasping hands could reach around ( Antiquities , 15.11.5 §§413–414). Jesus...

Read  Mark 12:41–44 . How much did the widow give, and what did Jesus have to say about that? The Jerusalem temple was an amazingly beautiful structure. The temple mount dominated the city, and the massive stones involved in its construction are a marvel to this day, some weighing hundreds of tons. The remodeling and expansion of the temple and the temple mount began under Herod the Great around 2...

Read for This Week’s Study Mark 12:41–44, Mark 13:1–32, Dan. 9:24–27, Dan. 7:25, 1 Thess. 4:13–18 . Memory Text: This week’s lesson starts with a very brief story at the end of  Mark 12 , where Jesus makes a profound statement about a small act by a widow. The main portion of this week’s lesson, however, deals with  Mark 13 , a striking prophecy about the fate of the Jerusalem temple and more. Thi...

Read Ellen G. White, “A Doomed People,” pp. 580–588; “The Temple Cleansed Again,” pp. 589–600; “Controversy,” pp. 601–609, in  The Desire of Ages . “Christ’s act in cursing the tree which His own power had created stands as a warning to all churches and to all Christians. No one can live the law of God without ministering to others. But there are many who do not live out Christ’s merciful, unselfi...

Read  Mark 12:28–34 . What deep question did the friendly scribe ask, and what double response did Jesus give? Up to this point in the Gospel of Mark, most of the religious leaders, with few exceptions, are antagonistic to Jesus. This is particularly true in Jerusalem, where Jesus has confronted the leadership over temple worship—that which stands at the heart of Judaism. Thus, for a scribe to lis...

Read  Mark 12:13–27 . What is going on here, and what truths does Jesus teach? The religious leaders were trying to catch Jesus in something they could use to condemn Him, either to the Roman governor or to the people. In this controversy, it was the question of paying taxes. In this time and place, refusing to pay taxes could be taken as rebellion against the Roman government, a serious offense....

Read  Mark 11:27–33 . What challenge did the religious leaders bring to Jesus, and how did He respond? The day after Jesus cleanses the temple, the religious leaders confront Him in the temple courts, asking by what authority He acted the day before. They are not seeking truth but seeking to trap Him. If He says that His authority is from God, they will deny that a simple country carpenter could h...

Read  Mark 11:12–26 . What is the significance of the events depicted here? In the morning, coming from Bethany, only about two miles (a little more than three kilometers) from Jerusalem, Jesus was hungry. Seeing a fig tree in leaf, He went to it to find perhaps some early fruit. This action would not be considered stealing since according to Old Testament law, one could eat food from a neighbor’s...

Read  Mark 11:1–11 and Zechariah 9:9, 10 . What’s happening here? Half of this story involves Jesus sending two disciples to a nearby village to retrieve a donkey for Him to ride on into Jerusalem. Why is so much time spent on this account? The answer is twofold. First, it demonstrates Jesus’ prophetic powers, enhancing the dignity of His arrival and linking it to the will of God. Second, this asp...

Read for This Week’s Study Mark 11; 1 Kings 1:32–48; Zech. 9:9, 10; Isa. 56:7; Jer. 7:11; Mark 12:1–34 . Memory Text: A series of five controversies between Jesus and the religious leaders are recorded in  Mark 2 and 3  (see lesson 3). In this week’s lesson, when Jesus arrives in Jerusalem, He has a series of six controversies with the religious leaders. The two sets of controversies are like book...