Lesson Sixteen Praise and Fear Mark 11:1 33 Men s Inductive Study Knowing the Scriptures Studies in the Gospel of Mark Inductively Speaking: Context

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1 Lesson Sixteen Praise and Fear Mark 11:1 33 Men s Inductive Study Knowing the Scriptures Studies in the Gospel of Mark Inductively Speaking: Context is the essential tool by which all forms or genre of writing are kept in balance. Applying context to Biblical Scripture is asking this: What has come before and after the passage of God s Word under study? Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Revelation 22:21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. NKJV These two verses and all of God s Word that is recorded between them must be balanced together in what is called context. Countless numbers of men and women have attempted to interpret what we know as the inspired, inerrant living Word of God. Many, knowingly or unknowingly, have for one reason or another managed to blaspheme, misrepresent and malign God s Word. For most, there is a lack of experience at organizing the facts of God s Word in their minds. Not keeping the balance of context leads them to misunderstanding or misinterpretation of the Scriptures. For some it is a matter of gain or of power over those that have been unknowing but now are seeking understanding of His inspired, inerrant, living Word. To gain a clear understanding of Genesis 1:1, the natural instinct of a good Bible student is to ask: What comes after this verse? This contextual process repeats itself all the way to the last verse in Revelation 22:21, when sound students of Scripture must ask what came before this verse to give it its meaning. In short, the Bible has been written in the form of 66 segments we call books, all related to one another as it pertains to God and His will for His people. Remember, God s Word is to be understood in its entirety in order to keep the balance of interpretation for what God has actually said instead of what we may want God to say. All Scripture is interconnected so that what comes before is as important as what comes after. Context is the connectivity of the Scriptures, allowing us to interpret their meanings in order to apply them to our lives. There are five separations of context for our purposes of understanding God s Word. First, there is the literary context. As we have just said, each verse is a part of each chapter and each chapter is a part of each book which is a part of the whole of what we know as the Bible. Historical context is correctly placing in time and place the story that was told. For example: When was this taking place? Where does the passage fit in history? What else was taking place in the world at that time? What were the social, political and technological happenings of that time affecting the people? A very powerful influence on the people of Biblical times was the cultural context that the writer was speaking to, i.e., different forms of communication or language. The better we understand ancient cultures the better will be our understanding of the meaning of the text. Geographical context is another important part of Bible study. Where was it that all these stories, battles, kingdoms, missions and Christ s birth, death and resurrection took place? What was the location s relevance to the story told? Finally, what was the theological context? What did the writer know about God? That is, where were he and the people in their understanding of God? God s Word was written over a period of several thousand years. God gradually revealed small segments of Himself to the people: one verse at a time, one chapter at a time, one book at a time, all of it culminating in the last book of the Bible, Revelation. In this book, Jesus through John ties the whole of God s Word together from Genesis to Revelation, declaring Himself as the author and finisher not only of the Bible itself but of all who call Him Lord. Memory Verse: Proverbs 13:6 Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless, But wickedness overthrows the sinner. NKJV Day One

2 Text: Begin this week s lesson by reading the passage. Hint: Read the passage repeatedly, prayerfully, thoughtfully, meditatively and patiently. Mark 11: Now when they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; 2 and He said to them, "Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it. 3 And if anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord has need of it,' and immediately he will send it here." 4 So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it. 5 But some of those who stood there said to them, "What are you doing, loosing the colt?" 6 And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded. So they let them go. 7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it. 8 And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' 10 Blessed is the kingdom of our father David That comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" 11 And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve. 12 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. 13 And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again." And His disciples heard it. 15 So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 16 And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. 17 Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'" 18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching. 19 When evening had come, He went out of the city. 20 Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21 And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away." 22 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. 25 "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses." 27 Then they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him. 28 And they said to Him, "By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?" 29 But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things: 30 The baptism of John was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me." 31 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?' 32 But if we say, 'From men'" they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed. 33 So they answered and said to Jesus, "We do not know." And Jesus answered and said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things." NKJV Day Two 1. Observations: Finding the literal facts or most obvious details of the passage. Hint: Begin observation by asking the questions who, what, where, when, why, and how.

3 Verses 1 11 II. Interpretation: Discovering the lessons or meaning of God's instruction to His people. Hint: Try to place yourself with these people, in their circumstances, at this time of Bible history. Verses 1 11 III. Applications: Applying the lessons and meaning of God's instructions to His people. Hint: Apply the lesson or lessons you found in the interpretation section in the form of a question. Verses 1 11 _

4 Day Three 1. Observations: Finding the literal facts or most obvious details of the passage. Hint: Begin observation by asking the questions who, what, where, when, why, and how. Verses II. Interpretation: Discovering the lessons or meaning of God's instruction to His people. Hint: Try to place yourself with these people, in their circumstances, at this time of Bible history. Verses III. Applications: Applying the lessons and meaning of God's instructions to His people. Hint: Apply the lesson or lessons you found in the interpretation section in the form of a question. Verses 12 24

5 Day Four 1. Observations: Finding the literal facts or most obvious details of the passage. Hint: Begin observation by asking the questions who, what, where, when, why, and how. Verses II. Interpretation: Discovering the lessons or meaning of God's instruction to His people. Hint: Try to place yourself with these people, in their circumstances, at this time of Bible history. Verses III. Applications: Applying the lessons and meaning of God's instructions to His people. Hint: Apply the lesson or lessons you found in the interpretation section in the form of a question. Verses 25 33

6 Day Five Word Studies: In this portion of the lesson we will take a closer look at one or two key words in the chapter. You will need to have your tools or resources at hand. (Such as: more than one Bible translation, a dictionary or Bible dictionary, concordance, atlas, and encyclopedia) If you don t have all of these, simply use what you do have to enrich your learning. To do some digging on your own, start with your dictionary (or Bible dictionary) and then look up the references to add to your understanding. If you have additional resources, you may want to keep digging. (You may want to make notes in the Comparative Commentary section.) After you ve completed the investigative process, write a definition in your own words. Your investigation in today s lesson will lay the groundwork for deeper discoveries in subsequent lessons, so be as thorough as you can. Chief priests: Mark 11:18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him NKJV Dictionary definition: What does the Bible have to say? Matthew 21:15 Luke 19:47 John 11:47

7 Write your own definition: Day Six Summation Sentence: A simple personal statement about what God has shown you from this passage. Comparative Commentary: Notes and insights from Matthew, Luke and John. Mark 11:1 11(Matthew 21:1 11; Luke 19:28 40; John 12:12 19) NKJV Mark 11:12 24(Matthew 21:18,19) (Matthew 21:12 17; Luke 19:45 48; John 2:13 22) (Matthew 21:20 22) NKJV Mark 11:25 33(Matthew 6:14,15) (Matthew 21:23 27; Luke 20:1 8) NKJV

8 Prayer Requests: Lecture Notes:

9 2006 Harvest Christian ellowship; all rights reserved. Written by D. Vance and C. Thomas for Men s Bible Fellowship. F