Rooting Path · New Testament Survey · Lesson 2: Toward Jerusalem: The Cross
This lesson in one sentence: The road Christ walked was the road of the cross: he came to serve, and to give his life.
Timing (about 60 minutes)
- Opening5 min
- Read Together10 min
- Practice Together15 min
- Discussion20 min
- This Week5 min
- Pray for One Another5 min
Opening
Has anyone ever paid a great price for you?
Read Together
29He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.” 31He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
Mark 8:29, 31 · WEB
45For the Son of Man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:45 · WEB
30When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
John 19:30 · WEB
For the Son of Man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Mark 10:45 · WEB
Practice Together
Write the five events of the second half of ‘The Life of Jesus’ on five slips of paper: Peter’s confession and the Transfiguration, the raising of Lazarus, riding into Jerusalem, the Last Supper, the crucifixion. Shuffle them, have the group put them in order, then check against the timeline. For each event, the group says one sentence about ‘what Jesus did’ and one about ‘how the disciples were doing’.
Discussion
- “But who do you say that I am?” (Mark 8:29) Peter gave the right answer, yet tried to stop Jesus from suffering. Might we also ‘get the answer right’ and yet not want to walk that road?
- “the Son of Man also came not to be served but to serve” (Mark 10:45)—this week, where could you serve someone, instead of waiting to be served?
- On the cross Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Is there someone you would find it very hard to pray for like this? Speak only about your own part.
This Week
This week, read Mark 14–15, ideally in one sitting; it takes about twenty minutes. Afterward write one sentence: which moment in these two chapters made you stop the most?
Each person says when they read Mark 14–15 this week.
Closing
Read Mark 10:45 together, keep a minute of silence, and the leader prays a prayer of thanks.
Tips for the leader
- Treat the Last Supper only as the text does: ‘in memory’. On the meaning of the Lord’s Supper and how it is kept, use the lesson’s standard wording—ask your own church—and don’t discuss the views of different traditions in the group.
- When Peter’s three denials come up, someone may think of their own failures; don’t press for details. Next time we will read how the risen Lord brought Peter back.
- Don’t turn the cross into an accusation of ‘who killed Jesus’. The lesson’s answer is: “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8).
General principles for leaders
- The leader is not a teacher but someone who walks alongside everyone.
- Give everyone a chance to speak; with someone who talks a lot, you can gently say, ‘Let’s also hear from friends who haven’t spoken yet.’
- Don’t rush to give answers. If someone is silent, wait a few more seconds.
- For a question you can’t answer, you can say, ‘I don’t know either; let’s look it up together,’ and note it down for next time.
- What is said in the group stays in the group.
- At the opening, the leader can give their own answer first, showing that it can be simple and honest.