Bible Study - Sabbath School Podcast

Read Mark 5:1–20. What can we learn about the great controversy from this amazing account and, again, about the power of Jesus? ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ If the night before on the lake was unforgettable, the arrival at the Gadarenes the next morning was just as impressive. The history of the demon-possessed ma...

Read Mark 4:35–41. What happens in this story, and what lessons can we take from it about who Jesus is? ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ At the beginning of Mark 4, Jesus steps into a boat to teach the crowd on the shore. In Mark 4:10–12, it seems He may have go...

Read for This Week’s Study: Mark 4:35–41, Ps. 104:1–9, Mark 5:1–43, Num. 27:17. Memory Text: “However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, ‘Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you’ ” (Mark 5:19, NKJV). J esus’ ministry was largely focused in Galilee, especially in and around the Sea of Galilee, a lake approxima...

Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “ ‘The Sower Went Forth to Sow,’ ” pp. 33–61, in Christ’s Object Lessons. “True holiness is wholeness in the service of God. This is the condition of true Christian living. Christ asks for an unreserved consecration, for undivided service. He demands the heart, the mind, the soul, the strength. Self is not to be cherished. He who lives to himself is not a Chri...

Read Mark 4:26–29. What is the primary focus of this parable? ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Most of the Gospel of Mark has parallels in either Matthew or Luke or both. But that is not the case with this parable. It is unique to Mark. The focus of this brief parable is the growing process. Jesus indicates that this...

Lamp and Measuring Basket Read Mark 4:21–23. What is Jesus’ special emphasis in the parable of the lamp? ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Houses in that part of the world in Jesus’ day varied in size and construction, all depending on location and wealth. The ho...

Read Mark 4:10–12. Why did Jesus teach in parables? ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ A surface reading of these verses gives the impression that Jesus taught in parables to keep outsiders in the dark. But such a perspective does not fit with Jesus’ actions elsewhere in Mark. In Mark 3:5, 6, Jesus is grieved by the har...

Jesus was done with the parable and gave no immediate explanation. According to the text (Mark 4:1), Jesus spoke it before “a great multitude.” Only later, with a smaller group (Mark 4:10), did He explain what the parable meant. Read Mark 4:13–20. How did Jesus interpret the parable of the sower? ________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________...

The Parable of the Sower Read Mark 4:1–9. What are the different soils like, and what happens to the seed that falls on them? ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ When reading the parables of Jesus in the Gospels, people often want to jump quickly to the interpretat...

Read for This Week’s Study: Mark 4:1–34, James 1:21, Isa. 6:1–13, Ps. 104:12, Dan. 4:10–12. Memory Text: “Then He said to them, ‘Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him’ ” (Mark 4:24, 25, NKJV). This...

Read Ellen G. White, “Levi-Matthew,” pp. 272–280; “The Sabbath,” pp. 281–289, in The Desire of Ages.“When questioned, ‘Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath days?’ Jesus answered, ‘What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the Sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful t...

Read Mark 3:20, 21. What experience led Jesus’ family to consider Him out of His mind? A charge of mental instability is quite serious. Typically this arises from experiences where a person is a threat to his or her own safety. Jesus’ family felt this way about Him because He was so busy that He did not take time to stop to eat. They set out to take charge of Him, and that is where the outer story...

Read Mark 3:20–35. What connection do you see between the two stories intertwined in this passage? This passage is the first “sandwich story” in Mark, where one story is begun and then is interrupted by another story, with the first story completed only afterward. The outer story is about Jesus’ relatives setting out to take charge of Him because they think He is out of His mind (Mark 3:21). The i...

Episode 2093 Lesson 3 Tuesday July 16: The Lord of the Sabbath

Episode 2092 Lesson 3 Monday July 15: Calling Levi and the question of fasting

Episode 2091 Lesson 3 Sunday July 14: Healing a paralytic

Read for This Week’s StudyMark 2:1–3:6, Micah 6:6–8, 1 Sam. 21:1–6, Mark 3:20–35, Luke 12:53, Luke 14:26.Memory Text:“And He said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath’ ” (Mark 2:27, 28, NKJV).Mark 2:1–3:6 contains five stories that illustrate Jesus’ teaching in contrast to the teaching of the religious leaders. Th...

Read Ellen G. White, “At Capernaum,” pp. 252–261; “Thou Canst Make Me Clean,” pp. 262–266, in The Desire of Ages. What picture of Jesus does Mark 1 present? Jesus has authority to call disciples, and they respond. He is holy in contrast to unclean spirits under Satan. A great battle is going on between good and evil, and Jesus has more power than the demons. Jesus has compassion for sick people an...

Read Mark 1:40–45. What does this teach us about Jesus and how He related to the marginalized in society? Leprosy as described in this passage, and throughout the Old Testament as well, did not refer only to what is known today as Hansen’s disease (bona fide leprosy). The biblical terminology would be better translated as a “dreaded skin disease” and could include other epidermic ailments, as well...

The "best" Bible translation can be subjective and depends on what you are looking for in a translation. Here are a few popular ones, each with its own strengths: 1. **New International Version (NIV)**: Known for its balance between readability and accuracy. It's widely used in many churches and for personal study. 2. **English Standard Version (ESV)**: Highly regarded for its accuracy and literar...

Read Mark 1:35–39. What important lessons can be taken from what Jesus did here? Jesus arose before sunrise and went out to a quiet, deserted location to pray. Mark 1:35 emphasizes prayer as the focus of Jesus’ action. All the other verbal forms in the sentence are in summary form—He got up, went out, and departed (all in the aorist tense in Greek, signifying completeness). But the verb “to pray”...

Read Mark 1:29–34. How did Jesus help Peter’s family, and what spiritual lessons can we draw from this account? After the amazing synagogue service, Jesus retires with His small band of disciples (Peter, Andrew, James, and John) to Peter’s home, evidently to spend the rest of the Sabbath day in a friendly meal and fellowship. But a note of concern overshadows the scene: Peter’s mother-in-law is il...

Read Mark 1:21–28. What unforgettable experience happened in the Capernaum synagogue, and what spiritual truths can we take from this account? Most Christians have some unforgettable moments in their Christian walk—the decision to follow Jesus; the day of their baptism; a powerful sermon during which they deeply felt the presence of God. Some of these moments might not only be unforgettable but be...

Read Mark 1:16–20. Who were the men Jesus called as disciples, and what was their response? Mark 1 does not have many of Jesus’ words recorded. However, Mark 1:17 does have His words to two fishermen, Simon, who will later be called “Peter,” and his brother, Andrew. The two men are standing on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, casting a net. There is no mention of a boat or other fishing parapherna...

Read for This Week’s StudyMark 1:16–45, John 1:29–45, Mark 5:41, Luke 6:12, Leviticus 13.Memory Text:“Then Jesus said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men’ ” (Mark 1:17, NKJV).Each Gospel introduces the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in a particular way. Matthew presents Jesus as calling disciples and then preaching the Sermon on the Mount. Luke tells the story of Jesus’ in...