Sample Inductive Bible Study
Michael R. Cosby

Initial preparation work on a passage might include something like the following:

Mark 2:1-12

 v. 1
When was he last in Capernaum? (See 1:21- arrives; 1:35-39 - leaves)
Some translations say "at home"; others say "in a house." If he is from Nazareth, why would it say "at home"?  What would this mean?

 2:2 

  1. How big would the house be?
  2. What number of people is Mark talking about?
  3. What was the content of “the word” that Jesus is speaking to them?
 2:3-4
  1. What word best describes the 4 men who bring the paralytic to Jesus?
  2. What kind of roof construction does the house seem to have?
  3. Why didn’t the 4 men wait until Jesus was done teaching?  The paralytic's life wasn't in danger.
  4. Why did they damage the roof?
  5. Did dirt fall on Jesus' head?
  6. How would I respond to such an intrusion?
 2:5
  1. Why does it say "when Jesus saw their faith"?  Why not the paralytic's faith?  Will Jesus heal someone on the basis of other people's faith?  Or is the paralytic included when Mark says "their faith"?
  2. Why does Jesus call the paralytic "son"?
  3. Why does he forgive his sins instead of healing him?
  4. Did people make a connection between sin and sickness?
  5. Would the paralytic hear Jesus as saying "you are obviously sinful, because you are paralyzed"?
 2:6-7
  1. Who are the scribes, and what do they believe?
  2. Why do they get so upset at what Jesus says?
2:8 Was it obvious from the scribes' faces what they thought, or did Jesus read their minds?

2:9 What is the meaning of "which is easier"?  Is he getting at the # of words to speak, or something else?

2:10

  1. Why does he call himself "Son of Man"?
  2. How does healing the paralytic prove that Jesus can forgive sins? (Some OT prophets did miracles too.)
2:11-12
  1. The crowd wouldn't let him in, but they sure let him out.  What does this reveal about crowds?
  2. Who receives the praise: Jesus or God the Father?
  3. How would the man's physical appearance alter as he was enabled to walk?
Possible areas of Focus:
  1. Your faith can make others well.
  2. How much is it worth to get a friend to Jesus?
  3. Zeal for helping others by bringing them to Jesus.
  4. Jesus has authority on earth; bring friends to him.
Final Form of a Bible Study might look like the following:
 
Home Bible Study on Mark 2:1-12
  1. Try to envision the scene in 2:1-2.  What would it be like in the house where Jesus is teaching? (sights, smells, what you would hear and feel.  Read a short description of ancient Jewish home construction to the group)
  2. What word(s) would you use to describe the four men who bring the paralytic to Jesus.  Explain.
  3. Imagine you are the paralytic.  What would go through your mind as they carry you up on the roof?  as they lower you through the roof?
  4. Put yourself in Jesus' place, teaching people in a room packed to capacity.  How would you respond to such an intrusion?
  5. If you were the owner of the house, how would you feel as you observe the four men digging through your roof?
  6. How do you think the paralytic felt when he heard Jesus' words in 2:5?  Why?
  7. [Give information about scribes]  Do you think Jesus would need to read their minds to know what they are thinking, or would it be obvious on their faces?
  8. What does Jesus' question in 2:9 really mean?
  9. What does this story reveal about Jesus?
  10. What does it reveal about faith?
  11. Think for a moment about people you know who, like the paralytic, need to be brought to Jesus.  When you think about them, how does your faith compare with that of the four men who brought the paralytic to Jesus?
  12. As a group, pray for friends who need to know Jesus.