Dealing with Unbelief – Pt 2

, leading up to Sunday, February 28th.

Mark continues his recording of events where Jesus dealt with the unbelief of the people. In chapter 6, verses 30-56, Jesus deals with the unbelief of His chosen Apostles. That’s right, those who believed enough to begin following Jesus had yet more to believe. Be encouraged to believe more about Jesus!

Bible Reading: Mark 6:30-56

Consider and discuss these questions:

1. In 6:30-32, Jesus calls the disciples to, “Come away with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” What are some things that make people tired? What were some things that had been happening to make Jesus and the Apostles tired? Jesus recognized the need for rest and lead the disciples into it. What are some things we can do to rest? Read Genesis 2:1-3 and then Exodus 20:8-11. In your own words, describe what the Bible says about God’s direction for His people to rest.
2. In verses 32-34, Jesus had compassion on them, which means He did something to meet their need. What did He do? How was teaching them many things compassionate? Can sharing the truth of the Bible be an act of compassion? What is one thing someone could tell someone else from the Bible that would meet a need in their life, thus demonstrating compassion?
3. In verses 35-44, Jesus meets another need in the lives of the people. What was that need? How did Jesus do this? What do you think the Apostles learned from this experience about Jesus?
4. Many of the Bible translations place a heading on this passage and title it something like, “Jesus Feeds Five thousand.” Read verse 44 again. Is the title most often used correctly? If not, how do you know?
5. In verses 45-50, what did Jesus do that was unexpected? Why is this unusual? Would this be a miracle? We read in verses 49-50, the disciples were terrified. Explain what you might have felt if you saw Jesus as He was walking on the water in the middle of the night.
6. It appears from verses 51-52 that the disciples needed to have their faith boosted. How would this miracle have done that? Is your faith in Jesus growing as you read about Him?