Mark 14:53-65
Sermon Discussion Guide As the discussion leader, there are a few things to keep in mind for your Life Group: Pray for your group discussion time! Review your notes from the Sunday sermon and familiarize yourself with the discussion questions prior to your group meeting. Choose a few questions from the guide which you feel will generate the most discussion in your group. For questions with multiple parts, find an answer to the first part before you read the next part to the group. These types of questions are designed to build on the answer of the previous part before moving on.
Getting to Know Me:
What’s your favorite activity to do outside with your friends or family? If you had a chance to take a trip to outer space, would you do it? Explain. What was the most significant thing you learned from the message today?
Text: Mark 14:53-65 Discussion Questions: 1.
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Read vv. 53-59. Jesus is brought before the Council to find a way to put him to death, but they were not able to come up with a valid reason to do so. The Council tried to use things that Jesus said or did against Him to justify their cause. Has there been a time the enemy tried to use your words or deeds against you? How did that make you feel about yourself as you were going through it? Were there certain passages of scripture that encouraged you during those times? We read throughout this passage of scripture that many came to share false testimony against Jesus. Revelation 12:10 tells us that Satan is our accuser, bringing false witness against us, hoping to discourage us and derail our walk with Christ. In what ways has Satan falsely accused you? Did you choose to believe those things were true? Why or why not? In what ways did God reveal Himself to you in order to show you the truth? In v. 54 we see that Peter is following the crowd from a distance because he wants to see what is going on, yet he doesn’t want to get too close, for fear of being associated with Jesus. Some of us, before we began walking with the Lord, were like Peter, standing on the outside, fearing that people would associate us with Jesus. What factors kept you from fully committing your life to Christ? How did the influence of others help shape the path of your life? What ultimately made you decide to surrender your life to the will of God? It’s amazing to see Jesus standing before the crowd, without reaction, while they yelled and brought false accusations against Him. In v. 61 it says “but He remained silent and made no answer”. He could have defended Himself or done something to bring all of it to an end, but instead He chose to absorb it all. What kind of self-control do you have when facing times of adversity? When have you faced adversity without self-control? What were the results? How do we learn to gain more self-control? Read vv. 61-62. The High Priest asks Jesus if He is, “the Christ, the Son of the Blessed” and Jesus responds “I am”. It was this response from Jesus that ultimately condemned Him to die. It was God’s will that Jesus die on the cross for us, even if the accusations and lies were not worthy enough to condemn Him. How have you seen God’s will play out for your life? Were there circumstances that seemed difficult at the time, but God was able to use for your good later on? How did going through this strengthen your walk with the Lord? We read in v. 65 that as Jesus was taken away, He was spit on, mocked by those around Him, and that the guards received Him with blows. It’s hard for us to imagine that Jesus, the Savior of the world, was so mistreated and ridiculed in this way. Most of us will never face physical persecution, but may face verbal ridicule for the sake of Christ. How are we to handle abuse of any kind for the sake of Christ? What can we learn about ourselves as we face this type of persecution? How does this shape the way we should follow Christ on a daily basis? Scholars tell us that the trial of Jesus took place at night so it could be done in secret and would limit the possibility of a riot. Jesus' trial was unjust and humiliating for our Savior, but Jesus loved us so much that He bore the shame, guilt and pain of the cross in our place! What does it mean to you that Christ loved us that much? How have you seen Christ’s love displayed in your life? In what ways can we model that love to others?
Getting to Know Me:
What’s your favorite activity to do outside with your friends or family? If you had a chance to take a trip to outer space, would you do it? Explain. What was the most significant thing you learned from the message today?
Text: Mark 14:53-65 Discussion Questions: 1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Read vv. 53-59. Jesus is brought before the Council to find a way to put him to death, but they were not able to come up with a valid reason to do so. The Council tried to use things that Jesus said or did against Him to justify their cause. Has there been a time the enemy tried to use your words or deeds against you? How did that make you feel about yourself as you were going through it? Were there certain passages of scripture that encouraged you during those times? We read throughout this passage of scripture that many came to share false testimony against Jesus. Revelation 12:10 tells us that Satan is our accuser, bringing false witness against us, hoping to discourage us and derail our walk with Christ. In what ways has Satan falsely accused you? Did you choose to believe those things were true? Why or why not? In what ways did God reveal Himself to you in order to show you the truth? In v. 54 we see that Peter is following the crowd from a distance because he wants to see what is going on, yet he doesn’t want to get too close, for fear of being associated with Jesus. Some of us, before we began walking with the Lord, were like Peter, standing on the outside, fearing that people would associate us with Jesus. What factors kept you from fully committing your life to Christ? How did the influence of others help shape the path of your life? What ultimately made you decide to surrender your life to the will of God? It’s amazing to see Jesus standing before the crowd, without reaction, while they yelled and brought false accusations against Him. In v. 61 it says “but He remained silent and made no answer”. He could have defended Himself or done something to bring all of it to an end, but instead He chose to absorb it all. What kind of self-control do you have when facing times of adversity? When have you faced adversity without self-control? What were the results? How do we learn to gain more self-control? Read vv. 61-62. The High Priest asks Jesus if He is, “the Christ, the Son of the Blessed” and Jesus responds “I am”. It was this response from Jesus that ultimately condemned Him to die. It was God’s will that Jesus die on the cross for us, even if the accusations and lies were not worthy enough to condemn Him. How have you seen God’s will play out for your life? Were there circumstances that seemed difficult at the time, but God was able to use for your good later on? How did going through this strengthen your walk with the Lord? We read in v. 65 that as Jesus was taken away, He was spit on, mocked by those around Him, and that the guards received Him with blows. It’s hard for us to imagine that Jesus, the Savior of the world, was so mistreated and ridiculed in this way. Most of us will never face physical persecution, but may face verbal ridicule for the sake of Christ. How are we to handle abuse of any kind for the sake of Christ? What can we learn about ourselves as we face this type of persecution? How does this shape the way we should follow Christ on a daily basis? Scholars tell us that the trial of Jesus took place at night so it could be done in secret and would limit the possibility of a riot. Jesus' trial was unjust and humiliating for our Savior, but Jesus loved us so much that He bore the shame, guilt and pain of the cross in our place! What does it mean to you that Christ loved us that much? How have you seen Christ’s love displayed in your life? In what ways can we model that love to others?
