3.12.22 - Mark 2 & 3: Redefining Our "Circle" (Kenny Camacho)

SCRIPTURE: Mark 2:23-3:35


“Do we really believe Jesus is most interested in those of us who are still in the midst of sin, of rebellion against God and against him? Or do we think, ‘yes, he loves those people…but he most loves me because I pray and read my Bible and go to church every week’? The Bible tells us that Jesus is the kind of shepherd who leaves the 99 sheep in order to go find the 1: from the perspective of those 99, is this really good shepherding? And if you believe that you are really a Jesus follower…do you spend your own time and invest your own passions in the same way? Do you spend more time with the sick or the well? My hunch is that we are more like the Pharisees than we think we are, and that’s a bigger problem than we think it is. This is our topic for tonight: what’s the real danger of staying inside the religious bubble we tend to create for ourselves? What does it cost?”

REFLECTION/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

  1. The Pharisees in this week’s passage continue to be perplexed by Jesus’s apparent willingness to break the religious laws about the Sabbath in order to feed people or work miracles. Put yourself in their shoes: why is what Jesus is doing so frustrating for them?

  2. Jesus says, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." How do you interpret this statement? How might it challenge you, as it challenged the Pharisees?

  3. Kenny said that although Jesus is clear about his willingness to seek out the one lost sheep, even if it means leaving the ninety-nine!, we don’t often think about this from the perspective of the sheep who are “safe.” How does it feel to know that Jesus is most interested in those who are not already following him? When have you been the “lost” sheep? When have you been one of the ones who are safe? 

  4. The point of the intercalation section of Mark 3 seems to be that our “family” is actually stronger when the boundaries we use to define it are left open. Wrestle with this idea a bit: do you think this is true? How can it apply to your life? To our church?

  5. What are some ways you can work to “expand your circle” this week?

Kenny Camacho