Chapter Four
1. What is the one key idea of this chapter? Pay attention to the title of the chapter!

In chapter four we are being called to be compassionate. Mark's Gospel focuses a lot on the disciples of Jesus and as followers today we need to become disciples ourselves. The disciples were called by Jesus to love one another but they did not totally understand Jesus' messages or even his true mission as a Messiah. Today we learn that being compassionate can cause less suffering for ourselves and the people around us through our lives. Answering this call from Jesus will help us avoid the need for material wealth, blindness towards life and sickness in our souls. Faith, hope and trust will instead fill our lives and help us come closer to understanding the message of Jesus.


2. Write about two major ideas you want to remember. Write a short paragraph on each clearly stating the idea and then telling why you want to remember it.

One major idea I want to take from this chapter is that there are many metaphors in the Bible. In Mark's Gospel and this chapter I realized some metaphors that I did not realize were metaphors, or I realized their true meaning. Jesus healed many of the possessed, sick, blind and helped the wealthy become more humble. In this chapter I realized that the healing of the blind, sick and wealthy are metaphors used to describe how Jesus will teach people to see as he sees so they are no longer ignorant and blind, to heal those whose souls are sick and help them repent and also to teach his followers to be humble and not want material wealth. For me this is really important because I had not realized it before and it shows how Jesus could have performed miracles that, to me at least, seem more realistic and help me find more faith in the Gospels.

The second major idea I want to take away from this chapter is the meaning of messianic secret. The messianic secret mean that while Jesus preaches, heals and teaches his people he is revealed as the promised Messiah. I believe this is important because this is the center of many sections of the Gospels. Through Jesus' baptism, discussions with his disciples, trial and then death the people start to realize who Jesus' is. In baptism God acknowledges Jesus as his son, in discussion the disciples realize Jesus is the Messiah even though they do not fully understand, in the trial he tells the Jewish authorities he is the Messiah and at his death everyone around him realizes he is the Son of God. The messianic secret is valuable in learning about Jesus and his life.


3. One image that captures the chapter for you.


4. One significant question you have from this chapter. It can be intellectual or personal.

What are the evangelists trying to show by having just the women and the gentile soldier being at the cross to take Jesus down?

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