Lesson Five

LESSON 5: JESUS IS THE MESSIAH

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE: MARK 8:27-9:13

13:37

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LESSON OBJECTIVES

Students will recall that Jesus is the Messiah.

Students will discuss what it means to carry their cross and follow Jesus.

SCRIPTURE BACKGROUND & CONTEXT

Peter’s Confession:

Mark 8:27-30 serves as the ending of the first part of the Gospel. Peter confesses Jesus to be the Messiah. Jesus tells his disciples not to tell anyone, which is his usual approach when someone recognises him (see Mark 3:11-12). The Jews of Jesus’ day expected that when the Messiah came, he would lead Israel into military victory over her enemies. But here, Jesus explains to his disciples alone what is going to happen to him. He will suffer and be killed, but he will come back to life. Jesus explains that he is both the Son of Man of Daniel 7 and the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53. This is counterintuitive to what anyone expected. Victory comes through death. God’s kingdom comes through sacrifice.

INSTRUCTION

WELCOME & REVIEW

Welcome! It has been a wonderful time learning from the book of Mark. So far, we have covered Good News about God’s Kingdom, Jesus is God, The Parable of the Sower, and Jesus is Unrivaled in Power.

Before we look at today’s lesson on “Jesus is the Messiah,” let us share some thoughts from what we have already covered.

What stood out to you from any of our previous lessons?
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(Allow students to respond. Unless someone gives a response that requires correction, move swiftly so that many students are able to share.)

Those were great answers! I am so proud of you all. Today, we shall look at “Jesus is the Messiah” from Mark 8:27-9:13.

INTRODUCTION

Ask the person next to you the following question: “Who are you?”

(After a few minutes, ask some students to describe their friends using the answers they gave when answering the question above.)

Today’s lesson revolves around the question, “Who is Jesus Christ?”

VIDEO CLIP

Let us watch the video clip entitled “Jesus is the Messiah.” Listen intently to Peter’s answer to Jesus’ question.

(After the video clip, release the students to sit together in their small groups for group discussion.)

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360p, 189 MB

SMALL GROUPS

Read Mark 8:27-30. How did some of the people quoted by the disciples describe Jesus?
(Allow students to respond: Answers: They said he was John the Baptist, Elijah, and one of the prophets.)

How did Peter respond to Jesus’ question and what was the meaning of the answer he gave? (Hint: look at Mark 8:29 for help.)
(Allow students to respond. Answer: Peter called Jesus the Messiah or Christ. The Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean the “Anointed One” and the “Chosen One”.)

In giving that answer, Peter demonstrated a deeper understanding of Jesus’ identity and purpose. The Jews were waiting for the promised Messiah to arrive. Although the Jews expected a militant Messiah to save them from the oppression of the Romans, Jesus was chosen for a different mission. He was the anointed one who would deliver people from the oppression of Satan. He came into the world to save people from sin, so that they could enter God’s kingdom.

As we said last week, Jesus is more powerful than all the superheroes put together. In Mark 8:31, what do you think was going on in the disciples’ minds as they listened to such a powerful man describe how the elders, chief priests, and teachers of the law would reject and kill him?

(Allow students to answer. Possible answers: Confused, worried, unbelieving, hopeless, or thought that he was joking or pretending.)

Jesus expects his followers to take up their crosses daily and follow him. What does that mean?

(Allow students to respond. Possible answers: Follow him daily, pray daily, follow his teachings, take problems to him, love him, tell others about him, endure ridicule or persecution from friends because of their belief in Jesus, and face opposition from family members.)

Let us look at that part again, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Mark 8:34) Denying yourself means giving your life fully to the Lord. Taking up the cross means having him as Lord over everything in your life. That means we subject all our lives, thoughts, feelings, desires, ideas, and plans to him. We surrender to him fully and allow him to rule every area of our lives. In God’s kingdom, we gain life by losing it. This is an upside-down way of life in God’s kingdom.

How do you gain life by losing it? (Hint: look at Mark 8:35-36 for help.)
(Allow students to respond. Possible answers: In the kingdom of God, losing your life and carrying your cross is the path to salvation. To really gain the life God offers to us, we must surrender fully to his ways. He has to be king in all areas of our lives.)

What happened at the mountain where Jesus took Peter, James, and John? (Hint: look at Mark 9:2-8 for help.)
(Allow students to respond. Answer: Jesus was transfigured. His clothes became dazzlingly white. Moses and Elijah appeared and spoke with him. A voice came from heaven and proclaimed Jesus as the beloved Son who was to be worshipped and obeyed. Peter offered to put up three shelters for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah.)

Have you surrendered all your desires, feelings, and thoughts to Jesus Christ? Are there some areas that you do not want him to touch?
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‍(These are rhetorical questions. Students do not need to answer them in class.)

Thank you for all your responses. Let us join the other groups so that we can conclude together.

APPLICATION

We learnt that Jesus is the Messiah. We are required to take up our crosses daily and follow him. This means, every day, we must make a commitment to surrender everything to him and let him be Lord over all. Jesus does not tell us that we must be perfect. However, he asks us to daily make a commitment to remain in him.

In God’s kingdom, this is an upside-down way of life. We gain life by losing it. It does not mean that we are less, empty, or at a loss. In God, we gain more than we would ever achieve by our own effort.

REFLECTION

Jesus Christ, the Messiah, expects us to commit all things to him. Take sometime this week and think about feelings, desires, and thoughts that you are yet to surrender to Jesus. What is keeping you from surrendering them fully to the Lord?

(This is a reflection question that students should write in their notebooks. Read it out or write it on the board and ask the students to copy it down in their notebooks.)

PRAYER

(Select a volunteer to pray that the students will allow Jesus to influence their thoughts, actions, and behaviours every day.)

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Introduction

Alexis: Hey everyone, it's Alexis. Last session, Eli talked about how Jesus gave his life to restore us to God. But he did more than that. Jesus established a kingdom that is still going today. And that's what I'm talking about, the Kingdom of Heaven in the Here and Now. After Jesus rose from the dead, he spent about 40 days with his followers. After that, he gathered his closest friends and said this to them before ascending back into heaven:

Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20)

Jesus’ final words to his followers are what we know today as the “Great Commission”. With those words, the followers of Jesus knew exactly what to do, and they went straight to work. Just kidding. No, they didn't. They kinda just stood there looking up. Take a minute to put yourself in their shoes - What would you do? God shows up and does something amazing; now it's your turn. What is your first reaction? Are you excited? Scared? A little bit of both? Describe how you think you might feel.

Empowered by the Spirit for Kingdom Living

I think one question Jesus' followers asked was, "What are we supposed to do?" Which is fair. It might be a question you’re asking. Maybe you're wrestling with something God’s doing in you, and you can't quite figure out what to do next. You're in good company. Jesus' followers went back to the place where they had been staying, and they waited for days. Imagine how that felt. Waiting on God can be tricky. It’s hard to tell if you're waiting in faith or hiding in fear. I'm sure many followers have prayed for God to give them a sign. Well, they got one. Listen to this:

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:2-4)

The Holy Spirit came and filled the people in that room, and crowds from all over came running. And what happened next is really cool. The followers of Jesus emerged and began speaking to people from every nation in their heart language. In Acts 2, we read that about 3000 people joined God's kingdom that day!

So what does it look like to live in God's kingdom on Earth? Well, it means following the way of Jesus, our King. Think about that for a moment. Read Galatians 5:16-26. What does it mean to walk by the Spirit? Can you relate to the tension between your flesh and the Spirit that this passage describes? How do you see the Holy Spirit working in your life to produce the fruits listed in verses 22-23? Write down your thoughts.

Being the Church

Living in this freedom to follow Jesus, we are able to be what Jesus called “His Church.” The Church is the embodiment of God’s kingdom on Earth. Imperfect, but becoming more like Jesus every day. The Church isn’t a building or institution - it’s millions of followers of Jesus who, through the power of the Holy Spirit, do two things: They love God, and they love others. That’s simple to say, difficult to do, trust me. But we’re not alone. The Holy Spirit is working through us to build God’s kingdom on Earth and make us more like Jesus every day. I trust in God’s big mission, and I hope you do too. See you next time.

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