Bible Study for February 25, 2024
Opening Prayer:
Creator of all, we thank you for the opportunity to gather in study. Open our minds and hearts. By the power of the Holy Spirit, unite us in faith, hope, and love. Help us to be faithful to the gospel and to walk humbly with you. Grant us your peace as we grow in wisdom and understanding. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Mark 8:31-38 Self-fulfillment and self-gratification are central values in our culture. How do these values fit with Christian discipleship? How does each set of values shape our lives?
Three times in Mark’s Gospel we learn how difficult it can be to understand the nature of Jesus as Messiah and the challenges and character of “true discipleship”. Jesus’ mission would redefine all concepts of greatness and precedence, indeed all definitions of being a success and enjoying quality of life. What it means to “take up cross” and “deny one’s self” is clarified in the latter two teachings on discipleship. It means renouncing attempts to better one’s position, as the world sees betterment, and taking up the role of a servant to all.
Genesis 17:1-7,5-6 Sarah was named a co-parent. What do you think it meant for the writer, who lived in a patriarchal society, to provide Sarah such high social status?
Our Genesis reading resembles ancient Near Eastern documents in which a king made a grant of land to a loyal vassal and his descendants, often in perpetuity. God specifically named Sarai a co-parent of the chosen people and gave her a new name—Sarah, which means “princess.” Earlier in Genesis 16, Abraham had produced an heir by Hagar, but now learned he would have another son, through God’s blessing of his wife, Sarah, who also would be ancestor to rulers and nations. The promise to Abraham and Sarah included Israel’s neighbors—the Ishmaelites and Edomites back then and the Arabs today—all of whom trace their lineage back to Abraham.
Romans 4:13-25 How does the level of our trust in God enable or limit our discipleship?
Paul’s letter aimed to resolve the tensions that had arisen between Jewish and Gentile Christians, arguing that both must welcome each other as full and honored members of God’s family. By placing “works” and “trust” in opposition to each other, Paul expressed his conviction that a trusting response to the generous and faithful God, rather than the work of circumcision, makes one apart of God’s people and heir of God’s promises.
Closing Prayer
God of Sarah and Abraham, | Strengthen us in faith, |
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