The following outline and discussion questions have been prepared to accompany the sermon on September 30/October 1,“Where Did This Man Get These Things?” (Mark 6:1–6). The questions can be used for discussion in small groups or for personal reflection.

Outline

• What Jesus Does (vv. 1–2a)
• How His Hometown Responds (vv. 2b–3)
• How Jesus Responds (vv. 4–6)

Main Point: Unbelief is the stubborn refusal to see Jesus’ wisdom and power as pointers to his divine identity as the Son of God.

Discussion Questions

• Why did Jesus’ hometown respond with offense against him? What did they miss?
• Why did Jesus not do many miracles in Nazareth?
• How is the wisdom and power of God in Jesus on display in Mark 1–5? How is the wisdom of power of God on display in Mark 15–16?

Application Questions

• This passage strongly warns against the folly of unbelief. What is unbelief? Can you put it into your own words? Name some of the symptoms of an “evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12). Where does unbelief show up in your life—even in partial, not full-blown, ways?
• How do the stories of faith in Mark 5 compare and contrast to the response in Jesus’ hometown? What areas in your life do you need to bring to Jesus in faith that he is wise, powerful, and merciful?
• Are you trusting Jesus as Savior and Lord? Does that trust feel small to you, or does it feel like an indescribable miracle? Are there people that you have identified who need to hear the gospel of God’s saving power and wisdom in Christ? Do you have a strategy of when and how to share it?

Prayer Focus
Pray for a grace to see and savor the power and wisdom of Christ—especially in the cross of Christ.