Summary
Out-of-the-Box Qs
Opener: The Perfect Answer
Exchange: Rigidity & Loyalty
Challenge: Courage Behind Jesus
Further Reading & Resources
Q&A
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**1. Why does Mark’s account leave out the "You are the Rock" blessing
found in Matthew 16?**
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This is likely due to the source of the text. Early church tradition, specifically Papias, identifies Mark as the interpreter of Peter’s eyewitness testimony. This is Peter telling his own story. In his humility, and with the clarity of hindsight, Peter omits his own "promotion" to highlight his failure. He wants us to see that having the highest status ("The Rock") means nothing if you refuse the way of the Cross.
- Theological Connection: The Belgic Confession (Article 29) reminds us that the true church is not defined by human hierarchy or titles, but by the pure preaching of the gospel and the practice of discipline. Mark strips away the institutional glory to focus on the dangerous reality that we can have the right answer and still be oblivious to God's mission.
- For further study: Jesus and the Eyewitnesses by Richard Bauckham; 1 Peter 5:1-6; Belgic Confession Art. 29.
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2. The sermon linked "stubbornness" to "idolatry." How does that work?
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We often think idolatry requires a statue. But 1 Samuel 15:23 equates stubbornness with idolatry because both are acts of false allegiance. When we are stubborn, or when we refuse to let God update our understanding or heal our trauma, we are declaring that we know better than God. We are worshipping our own will.
- Theological Connection: The Heidelberg Catechism (Q&A 95) defines idolatry as "having or inventing something in which to put our trust instead of, or in addition to, the only true God." Stubbornness fits this perfectly. When we cling to our rigid definitions of safety or justice over Jesus' call to suffer or forgive, we are trusting our own judgment "in place of" God. Stubbornness is simply idolatry that has learned to cross its arms instead of bowing its knees.
- For further study: 1 Samuel 15:22-23; Isaiah 48:4; Romans 2:4-5; Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 95.