Оглавление
Dottie Escobedo-Frank. Converge Bible Studies: Our Common Sins
INTRODUCTION
1. DENIAL. LIVING UNFAITHFULLY. SCRIPTURE. MARK 14:27-31, 66-72
INSIGHT AND IDEAS
QUESTIONS
2. SLEEPING THROUGH. IMPORTANCE. FAILING TO BE THERE. SCRIPTURE. MARK 14:32-42
INSIGHT AND IDEAS
QUESTIONS
3. TELLING LIES. AVOIDING THE TRUTH. SCRIPTURE. MARK 14:53-65
INSIGHT AND IDEAS
QUESTIONS
4. BETRAYAL. THE SIN THAT CUTS DEEPEST. SCRIPTURE. MARK 14:10-11, 43-49
INSIGHT AND IDEAS
QUESTIONS
CONVERGE. Bible Studies
CONTENTS
ABOUT THE SERIES
HOW TO USE THESE STUDIES
ONLINE EXTRAS
EPILOGUE
Отрывок из книги
They loved him. Jesus had become more than their guide; he was now their friend. He had changed from an associate to the one they would give their life for. Jesus had wormed his way into their hearts so much that their lives were no longer the same. And he loved them. He loved them when they didn’t understand who he was. He loved them when they denied him, when they slept through crucial times, when they lied, and when they betrayed him.
Nothing, no-thing, stopped Jesus from loving them; and so they came to love him in return.
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Mark has two endings. The first ending is the one found in the oldest texts, and the second ending was perhaps added later. Although we tend to like the second ending better, the first ending is important: Jesus’ followers have lost their nerve and are running away from the empty tomb, both terrified and silenced. While they’re told to “Go, tell his disciples . . .” (Mark 16:7a), they instead say nothing to anyone, because they’re afraid. The first ending is remarkably candid. Death and unexpected empty tombs scare the bejeebers out of us. The first ending shadows much of our reactions to surprise—even to good news. Because good news doesn’t always come in pretty and predictable packages, and because good news often has a sprinkle of bad news in it, “Jesus has risen!” comes with the soul-rattling “Jesus died.” We often don’t know what to make of the things that challenge our ordinary living and thinking.
The disciples had to learn this over and over. They failed often, even when their teacher was standing right there with them to guide them. They made their mistakes in front of the Master, the one they loved dearly. Most of us want to impress our teachers, so we quickly learn to keep our mouths shut rather than say something stupid in class that will be corrected in front of all of our friends. Most students become experts at not failing, which means we become novices at risk-taking boldness. But these disciples failed over and over in front of Jesus, in front of one another, and in front of the whole world—even spanning thousands of years as we’re still reading about their mistakes. The thing is, not many in the world are making fun of them. Their mistakes and failings make us uncomfortable and cause us to squirm in our seats, because, well . . . because they hit so close to home. We can’t laugh at someone else if we would’ve done the exact same thing or worse.
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