Telling Your Story
We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and
heard. Acts 4:20 (NLT)
Mark 8:27-30
HEAR and EXPERIENCE Jesus’ Story
Imagine you are one of Jesus’ disciples. You are travelling
with him, and you have just witnessed him restore the sight of
a blind man outside the village of Bethsaida. You are thinking
about why Jesus told the man to go directly home without passing through the village. While
you are walking, you experience the following conversation: (Mark 8:27-30)
Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his
disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others,
Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone
about him.
The gospel of Mark is full of imagery about hearing and seeing. The secondary characters seem
to see Jesus for who he is, but it takes the disciples a little longer. Not everyone has ears that
hear and eyes that see that provoke a wholehearted faith. Jesus asks them these questions, and it
seems to me he’s testing them in their authenticity. Jesus wants us to be authentic in our faith.
We should not borrow others’ words about Jesus, but instead, having been transformed in some
way by Jesus, we will have our own, intentional and authentic story about Jesus. Some apostles
will make a rational, logical case for Jesus by building upon the stories of the prophets and
following the signs, but is that how we really know Jesus in our hearts? That may get us an
audience, but to encourage discipleship, we have to give ourselves over to the intentional pursuit
of that irrational calling of Jesus that says, “Follow me.” The challenge is to articulate that wild
passion for Jesus through a story that captivates others and shows them the authentic power of
Jesus in our lives.
HEAR Other People’s Story of Jesus in Their Lives
“Who do people say that I am?”
At your table, or in small groups, discuss the ways you hear other people talk about Jesus. Do
you hear people talk about Jesus on television shows or movies? What do they say? What about
televangelists? What about your friends, acquaintances, and family members? Who taught you
about Jesus, and what words affected you? Did their description of Jesus inform your
perception of Jesus?
2013 Bible Study
Mark 8:27-30
DISCOVER Our Story and LEARN How to TELL It
If Jesus asked you, “Who do you say I am,” how would you answer the question? Did you
discover Jesus through someone else’s description? Through scripture? What are some
metaphors for Jesus that help you describe who Jesus is to you, and how do they work? For
example, if Jesus is the bread of life, what does that really mean? What does that look like?
When we begin to articulate who Jesus is, we are putting our faith into action. We move from
being passive believers to disciples with an embodied faith. People who speak nice phrases and
familiar words may catch the attention of some people, but people who have an embodied,
intentional faith live lives of authenticity, displaying their faith to all who come into contact with
them. When we deepen our relationship with Christ, we have to be intentional about it. The
descriptive phrases about Jesus: master, teacher, provider, savior, messiah, etc., have to look and
feel like something. It’s one thing to wear a t-shirt that says, “Jesus is my teacher;” it is quite
another to have a casual observer look at you and say, “Jesus is her teacher.” To get from point
A to point B, we have to do the hard work of examining the difference between words we’ve
memorized and words that transform how we live and move through the world.
REFLECT and TELL Jesus’ Story to the World
Now that you’ve thought a bit about what you’ve learned and what you know, what do you need
in order to articulate your authentic faith as you tell your story? Pay special attention to what
you see and what you hear, as these are dominant themes in Mark’s gospel. Using language of
the senses makes for a great story. Imagine walking down a street early in the morning and
passing a local bakery. Can you smell the bread baking? You have a physical reaction to this
smell, don’t you? Your stomach talks to you about it, you may have memories of Grandma’s
kitchen, or the communion table at church, or Thanksgiving dinner, or another special time and
place. You feel a need, an urge, and if you are unable to get your hands on that bread, you go
away feeling somehow deprived, empty. If we describe Jesus as the bread of life, some of this
physical and emotional response must accompany our desire for Jesus’ words. If we tell our
story with this imagery, we leave people with this hunger that will only be satiated with Jesus the
Christ. Our story is the bakery…are we making our own bread or just distributing what we get
from another baker?
Closing Prayer
God we thank you for sending Jesus to point us toward an authentic faith. Help us engage in the
struggle to sort out which parts of our faith are memorized and which parts are truly vital to who
we are. Help us tell our stories to others so they may hunger for you, and help us encourage
others to tell their own stories of your work in their lives. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear
that we may always be aware of you. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.
2013 Bible Study
Mark 8:27-30