SAMPLE STUDY QUESTIONS: Here are some thought-provoking study questions from Chapter 8.

Feeding the Four Thousand, Signs, and Yeast
1. In Chapter 8, we have another feeding miracle. Why do you think Mark includes two stories that are so much alike?

2. How do the two stories differ?

3. People want Jesus to show them signs from heaven. Why are signs so important to some people? Do signs matter to you? Why or why not?

4. What is the purpose of yeast in baking bread? Why does Jesus use yeast as a teaching metaphor?

5. What do you think Jesus wants the twelve to understand about "the yeast of the Pharisees?"

A Blind Man Is Healed 
6. The blind man literally receives his sight. How can you understand this healing as a metaphor? Explain what you mean and why it matters.

7. Tell of a moment when your eyes were suddenly opened and you saw something with fresh eyes.

You Are the Messiah 
8. Jesus asks, "Who do people say that I am?" What does it mean to be the Messiah? In other words, who is the Messiah meant to be and what is he meant to do for the Jewish people?

9. Why do you think Jesus insists that the disciples keep it secret that he is the Messiah?

10. What do you think of when you hear the phrase "Son of Man?" How is Jesus the Son of Man? How does this differ from Son of God?

11. Jesus rebukes Peter by saying, "Get behind me Satan!" How do you think Peter represents Satan here? Be specific.

12. Jesus says, "For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it." This is an oxymoron. What do you think Jesus means, and why does he use an oxymoron to teach this idea?