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Introduction to the Course
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Week 1: Popularity Breeds Contempt
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Week 2: What Kind of Kingdom?
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Week 3: Jesus, Thou Art All Compassion
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Week 4: Dense Disciples
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Week 5: Who is He? Who are We?
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Week 6: A Healthy Insomnia
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Week 7: A Soldier's Epiphany
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Week 8: The Empty Tomb Effect
A Soldier’s Epiphany – Discussion Questions
Interpretation Questions:
- Christian theology tries to define “atonement,” which explains how and why Christ’s death saves. Mark does not provide a doctrine of the atonement directly. Are there any indirect ideas about atonement in Mark’s Gospel?
- Where does Mark use irony throughout the Gospel? To what effect?
- Neither Peter nor Judas stand by Jesus when he meets his end. Why do we judge Judas so much more harshly?
Application Questions:
- At the foot of the cross, the Centurion is converted. He cries, “‘Truly this man was God’s Son!'” (15:39b). What moments, extreme or mundane, have you had in your life that have helped you believe in Jesus?
- Scholars draw a connection between Psalm 22 and Mark’s narration of Jesus’ death. Does this change your understanding of Jesus’ last words in Mark’s Gospel?