Questions for Personal Reflection and Group Discussion
Read Mark 14:26-42 (ESV):
And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 27 And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 29 Peter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.” 30 And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” 31 But he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same. 32 And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. 34 And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” 35 And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” 37 And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? 38 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. 40 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him. 41 And he came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”
- Have you ever had a situation where someone, whose opinion deeply mattered to you, said something about you that was hard for you to hear? If so, share about that with your group – how it felt, why they said it, and what you learned from the experience.
- What was Jesus’s reason for telling his disciples ahead of time that they were all going to fall away?
- Why did Jesus, in the context of predicting their failure, add the statement, “But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee”? What was he communicating here? What does this mean for us? How can you apply this to your own life?
- Walker Percy said: “We love those who know the worst of us and don’t turn their face away.” If you have a person like this in your life, what impact has this relationship had on you? How does it impact you to know that God is like this?
- What does Peter’s response in v.29 reveal about his view of himself and his view of others?
- What did Jesus mean when he said, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” How have you experienced this in your own life?
- Describe what sin is and why it’s such a big deal that it required Jesus to die the way he did.
- Describe what Jesus experienced in Gethsemane and at his crucifixion. What was the “cup” that Jesus asked God to remove from him if possible?
- Why did Jesus willingly take this cup on himself, when he had the opportunity to avoid it?
- Jesus implored his Father to find another way to save people. What are the implications of the fact that God did not change his plan, even though Jesus asked him to?
- What did you sense God saying to you through this passage and this message?
