Study/review questions:

1-We began the sermon this Sunday by talking about the presence of “What is true” and “What to do” in God’s word. How do these two types of statements relate to each other, and why is it important to keep them in the right relationship to each other?

2-This passage talks about drawing near to God? What gets in the way of our doing this, and why is this an issue?

3-Verse 20 says that Jesus allows us to enter into the holy places “by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh.” What does it mean that he has done this “through his flesh?”

4-In what sense does Jesus serve as a sacrifice, and in what ways does he differ from the sacrifices of the Old Testament?

5-What are the duties of a priest, and how exactly does Jesus serve as our high priest? How does he differ from the priests of the Old Testament?

6-We are called in verse 22 to have the “full assurance of faith,” and in verse 23 to “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering.” What exactly is the source of such confidence, and how/why can we experience it?

7-Verse 24 commands us to “consider to stir one another to good works.” How is it that “not neglecting to meet together” (v. 25) is such a key component of this?

Sermon review/study questions:

1-What reasons do we have to believe that the scribe’s question in this passage is not a trap like those of others who have recently confronted Jesus? (Hint: What is different about both the way he comes asking and the way Jesus responds?)

2-In answering, Jesus first references the Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4-5. How does the first part of the Shema (“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”) relate to the second part (“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”)?

3-After this, Jesus quotes Leviticus 19:8 in pointing out a second great command (“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”). How does this second command relate to the first?

4-When the scribe concurs with Jesus, he points out that true love of God and true love of neighbor are more important than all the religious activity we might be involved in. What might you do to make love of God and love of neighbor more central to your life?

5-Jesus says to the scribe, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” What can we know about the scribe from this? What can we infer about Jesus?

6-At Calvary, our Mission Statement (why we exist) is: “We exist to know, worship, serve, and enjoy the one true God.” Our Vision Statement (how we carry out our mission) is: “We seek to love God completely, love others selflessly, and to everywhere proclaim Christ: crucified, risen, and reigning forever.” How does today’s text inform these statements?

Sermon Review/Study Questions:

1) It is easy to point to the Saduccees s the “bad guys,” but what are some specific ways that we act just like them? For help, remember the three points in the sermon:

• We try to make God answer us on our terms

• We fail to submit to God’s Word

• We think only what we can imagine is possible

2) Jesus cites Exodus 3:6… “And he said, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’” This is a formula used over 20x in the Pentateuch alone (the very part of the Scriptures that the Saduccees accepted). What are some of the reasons that it is important that he used this passage?

3) Of course the Saduccees didn’t have the New Testament (and would have no doubt rejected it if they did), but what does Paul say about the importance of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:1-19?

4) What are the implications of the following point which C.S. Lewis makes in his book, The Weight of Glory?

“It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree helping each other to one or the other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all of our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.”

5) How does the fact that God will resurrect our bodies impact the way that we think about our bodies now?

6) The thing many of us most fear, and perhaps the most powerful enemy we face, is death. If God’s power is indeed greater than the power of death, how can this change our perspective on the way we live?

Study/Review Questions:

1-Mark uses his common “sandwich” structure in placing the story of the fig tree surrounding the story of Jesus cleansing the Temple. What are the connections between the two stories?

2-What kind of fruit specifically was Jesus looking for from Israel?

3-Why specifically is Jesus so angry at the money-changers and those selling pigeons?

4-The cursing of the fig tree cursing (and, by extension, the cleansing of the Temple) is not just about historical Israel. It is also about us as the people of God. How so?

5-Some people think that simply being “religious” will be sufficient to avoid the judgment of God. What does this passage have to say to us about that?

6-Others think that just being a part of the Church is sufficient. What does this passage teach us about that perception (see also Hosea 2:12 and Micah 7:1-6)?

7-Why do you think Jesus pivots to teaching on prayer toward the end of this passage?

8-Are there people in your life who have wronged you that you need to forgive? This can sometimes be incredibly difficult. In such a situation, what could possibly motivate and empower you to actually forgive them?