We begin this month with a testimony from Sue as she shares what following God looks like in her left

 Watch Marian share some insights from Mark 14-15:39 before you think thrrough the Questions

Questions for discussion

In your groups go through the passage Mark 14:1 – 15:39 and ask these questions.

Q1     What people do we encounter in this passage? 

How did they respond to Jesus in this time of crisis? 

How did their response fit with how they had responded to Jesus earlier in His life?  Think back over the previous chapters of Mark that we have studied.  Are their responses consistent with how they had responded to Jesus before?  If they are different, why is this? 

Why is it significant that the only people to recognise Jesus for who He is was a woman and a Roman soldier? 

List some of the words that describe some of the responses to Jesus.  What does this tell us about how they saw Him? 

Q2     What can we learn from Jesus as He faces his trial and death?  What other passages can tell us of His attitude?  How was this seen by the woman who anointed Jesus and the Roman centurion who watched Him die?   

Q3       How does the number three feature in this passage?

            What does this tell us about God ?

How can we be encouraged by this?

Q4     Look back over the last year, as we have seen our own time of crisis, on what and on whom have you relied as a Christian?  Is it God and His word?  Is the church and its structures?  Is it other people and their teaching?  Is it ourselves and our own efforts?  Is it the world and all it offers?  Is it a combination of all of these? 

How much refining do we need?  What sort of silver and gold does the Lord look for?  What does it look like in our lives? 

Q5     How can we help each other bear the ‘refiners fire’?  How can we encourage each other not to stumble in a time of crisis?  How can we be prepared?

Pray for each other in the light of these responses and ask for the Lord to refine us into gold.