Receiving Heaven’s Bread
Exodus 16:1-5 - New International Version (NIV)
1 The whole
Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is
between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had
come out of Egypt. 2 In the desert the whole community grumbled
against Moses and Aaron. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If
only we had died by the Lord’s
hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted,
but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to
death.”
4 Then the Lord said to
Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out
each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see
whether they will follow my instructions. 5 On the sixth day
they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they
gather on the other days.”
Where did the “whole
Israelite community” come to (verse 1)?
What did the “whole
community” do (verse 2)?
In your
opinion, why did the Israelites say “if only we had died by the Lord’s hand
in Egypt” (verse 3)?
What did the
Lord tell Moses would rain down from heaven (verse 4)?
In your
opinion, how will this rain be a test (verse 4)?
What are they
to do on the sixth day (verse 5)?
In your
opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?
Mark 8:1-13 - New
International Version (NIV)
1 During
those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus
called his disciples to him and said, 2 “I have compassion for
these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to
eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the
way, because some of them have come a long distance.”
4 His disciples answered, “But where in this remote place can anyone
get enough bread to feed them?”
5 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.
“Seven,” they replied.
6 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the
seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to
distribute to the people, and they did so. 7 They had a few
small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to
distribute them. 8 The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward
the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 9 About
four thousand were present. After he had sent them away, 10 he
got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.
11 The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they
asked him for a sign from heaven. 12 He sighed deeply and said,
“Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be
given to it.” 13 Then he left them, got back into the boat and
crossed to the other side.
In your
opinion, what is the main difference between this large crowd and the large
crowd of Mark 6:34?
Who did Jesus
call to Him (verse 1)?
What does Jesus
have (verse 2)?
Why will
people collapse if Jesus sends them home (verse 3)?
In your
opinion, why would the disciples ask the question where “can anyone get
enough bread to feed them” (verse 4)?
How many
loaves did they have (verse 5)?
What did Jesus
do before he broke the loaves (verse 6)?
Who did Jesus
have distribute the “few small fish” (verse 7)?
How many
basketfuls of broken pieces were left over (verse 8)?
How many were
present (verse 9)?
Where did
Jesus and His disciples go (verse10)?
Who ask Jesus
for a sign (verse 11)?
What will not
be given to “this generation” (verse 12)?
Where did Jesus and His disciples then go (verse 13)?
In your opinion, why, in Mark 8:1-13, are the
Pharisees more like the grumbling Israelites of Exodus 16:1-5 than the Gentiles
who gathered in the remote place with Jesus and had not eaten for three days?
42 They devoted themselves to the
apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe
at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were
together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and
possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to
meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate
together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying
the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who
were being saved.
What did the early church devote themselves to (verse
42)?
Why were they filled
with awe (verse 43)?
What did they have in common (verse 44)?
How did they provide for those in need (verse 45)?
Where did they meet daily (verse 46)?
In your opinion, why\at does it mean to break bread and eat
together with “glad and sincere hearts” (verse 46)?
Who did the Lord add to their number (verse 47)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?
In your opinion, why did the Israelites in Exodus 16:1-5 grumble
against Moses and Aaron while the Christians in Acts 2:42-47 expressed awe of
the apostles?
In your opinion, what did the believers in Acts 2:42-47
receive that was greater than the sign that the Pharisees in Mark 8:1-13 wanted
but did not receive?
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The
Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you
drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For
whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death
until he comes.
When did Jesus take the bread (verse 23)?
When did Jesus
break the bread (verse 24)?
In your
opinion, what does breaking bread have to do with remembering Jesus (verse 24)?
When did Jesus
take the cup (verse 25)?
What is the
cup (verse 25)?
How do we “proclaim
the Lord’s death until he comes” (verse 26)?
In your
opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?
In your opinion, how is the bread that satisfied the four
thousand in Mark 8:1-14 different from the bread that Jesus broke in 1
Corinthians 11:23-26?
In your
opinion, how much of the growth in the early church in Acts 2:42-47 do you
think was related to their breaking of bread and prayer together in the manner Paul
says in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 proclaims “the Lord’s death”?
In your
opinion, what do these passages from Exodus, Mark, Acts and 1 Corinthians teach
us about the compassion that the Lord has for all people?
In your
opinion, how should we respond to the Lord’s compassion and His raining on us
the true “bread from heaven”?
(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)
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