24-30 August 2026 (Genesis, Mark, Psalms)

Bible Reading Plan

Monday: Genesis 35:1-37:1
Tuesday: Genesis 37:2-36
Wednesday: Genesis 38:1-30
Thursday: Mark 6:7-8:30
Friday: Mark 8:31-9:50

Fluid (fit in any time): Psalm 9:1-20

Reflection and Discussion Questions

Monday (Day 1): Genesis 35:1-37:1

• Was polytheism previously tolerated in Jacob’s household? Did God tell Jacob to get rid of the idols?

• Appreciating God’s instructions, what does Jacob instruct and do to prepare his household and those with him for the journey to Bethel?

  • Bethel, formerly called Luz, was about 12 miles north of Jerusalem and the place where Jacob dreamed of a ladder into heaven (cf. Gen 28:10-22)   

• Do you think the principle of purification is important in Scripture? Does Moses instruct his people to consecrate themselves and wash their clothes before formally entering a covenant with Yahweh at Mount Sinai (cf. Exod 19:10, 14)?

• After the massacre of the Shechemites, we have Jacob preparing his people to follow God’s instructions and go to Bethel, where God blesses Jacob, and tells him again that his name shall be Israel. Do you see any correlations between the narrative of these passages and the Exodus?

• Was Deborah, the nurse of Rebekah (Gen 35:8) the same Deborah we see later in the book of Judges?

• How many sons did Jacob/Israel have? Who were they? Do we later find there 12 or 13 tribes of Israel?

• From who do the Edomites descend?

• Where did Esau go and why did he leave (cf. Gen 36:6-8)?

• Did Edom have kings before Israel?

• Do genealogies appear important to the Jews? Why do you think this is?

  • If confused by the two lists of Edomite chiefs (cf. Gen 36:15-19, 40-43), Kissling (2009) states, “Most likely the two lists come from either different time periods in the history of Edom and/or from different social spheres. They remind the canonical (and perhaps also the original) audience that the descendants of Esau did become a significant nation. Whatever the conflicts which the descendants of Jacob had with the Edomites, the Edomites played a significant role in the history of the chosen nation. That fact should not be disregarded” (p. 415)

• Did Jacob live in Canaan?

Tuesday (Day 2): Genesis 37:2-36

• Does Joseph appear initially to be a bit of a tattletale?

• Who was Jacob’s/Israel’s favourite son? Why? What did he give his favourite son? Did the other sons appreciate that he loved one son more than the others?

• How did Joseph ‘pour fuel on the fire’ with his brothers? What was his father’s response to Joseph’s dreams?

• The brothers went to pasture the flock in Shechem. Do you see any similarities between the Dinah episode with Jacob’s sons and the Shechemites in Gen 34 and here?

• What brother intended to rescue Joseph? Who suggested to trade him?

• From what nation were the traders who purchased Joseph? Where did they bring Joseph?

• What did Reuben’s tearing of his clothes in Gen 37:29 signal?

• What did the brothers do to convince their father that Joseph was dead? How would you feel and react if you were Jacob/Israel receiving this news?

• Who did the traders sell Joseph to?

Wednesday (Day 3): Genesis 38:1-30

• Was it appropriate for Judah to sleep with (and marry) a Canaanite woman in Gen 38:2? (cf. Gen 24:3; 28:1)

• Who were Judah’s sons? Who was Tamar?

• Do you think Jacob’s family seems to be able to maintain solid ethics and a healthy cohesion with a commitment to Yahweh and righteous behaviour?

• What happened to Judah’s sons? What happened to Tamar? Was this fair?

• Some contemporary readers may struggle to see that Yahweh has the right to take someone’s life because they were wicked. What do you think? Does God have the right to do this?

• Do you think what Tamar did was wrong? How about Judah’s response?

• What do you think would have been a more righteous and ethical way for Judah to have behaved throughout this chapter? Why do you think the author did not record it this way?

Interlude: Some thoughts to consider about Genesis 38

• Judah begins his venture with brashness, rebellion, and a cunning neglect of ethics and responsibility. From the low point of abandoning Tamar, and then condemning her, we see a transformational moment in Gen 38:26 where Judah acknowledges guilt. Judah’s change here highlights the family trait. It is valuable to see that Joseph changes too! However, the challenge remains to acknowledge our sins and flaws as soon as possible, looking for the right heart and changing ways before it is too late. Most importantly, look to have a heart that is faithful to God, not the nature of man! Just my thoughts.

• It appears that everything starts to fall apart after the Dinah’s rape and her brother’s revenge, as Joseph is sold, and then Judah gives in to temptation and marries a Canaanite! This ends up with all his sons dying, and intriguingly, Judah remains one of the more prominent tribes of Israel. It is from the tribe of Judah that David comes from, and through this lineage that Christ comes from. It is interesting that attention is now drawn to a good leader in Joseph, who leads with righteousness and humility, and God is with him and rewards him.

• While Gen 38 may appear as an interruption to the Joseph narrative, Kissling (2009) states that this conclusion “fails to account for the many ways in which this chapter echoes the rest of the Joseph narrative and is echoed there” (pp. 437-438). He makes the following observations:

  • The same verb (יָרַד, yārad) is used of Joseph who was “forced to go down” to Egypt (39:1) and of Judah who voluntarily “went down” from his brothers (38:1).

  • The same verbal construction (הַכֶּר־נַא, hakkerna’) is used of the brothers who ask Jacob to please identify Joseph’s bloodied robe (37:32) and of Tamar who asks Judah to please identify Judah’s personal items (38:25b).

  • The same verb is used to confirm that they did identify the items requested. Jacob refused to be “consoled” at the death of Joseph (37:35) while Judah, by contrast, was “consoled” over the death of his wife (38:12).1

  • Joseph’s response to the temptation of a sexual liaison with a foreign woman is in marked contrast to Judah’s. Joseph refuses to be seduced after repeated attempts by a superior while Judah initiates a relationship with a prostitute.2

  • The presence of this story in Genesis argues strongly against the idea that the book is a postexilic fiction as is often presumed in historical-critical approaches. The Judean exiles would have no good reason to invent such a story about the forefather and many reasons to suppress it.3 (p. 438)

Thursday (Day 4): Mark 6:7-8:30

• Did Jesus in Mark 6:7 send out The Twelve individually or in sets of two? Why do you think Jesus might have chosen to do it this way?

• Did Jesus give authority over unclean spirits to The Twelve, and what were they allowed to take with them? Were they able to heal people? (cf. Mk 6:7-13)

• Do you see any correlation between Mark 6:8-9 and Exodus 12:11?

• Who was King Herod in Mark 6:14-29? Was this Herod the Great or Herod Antipas?

• Why were people suggesting that Jesus was Elijah? (cf. Mk 6:15)

• Was Herod happy about his order to have John the Baptist executed? (cf. Mk 6:26)

• Mark 6:30 states that the Apostles regathered to Jesus. Do you agree with Edwards comments on this verse? Edwards (2002) writes:

  30 Mark follows the martyrdom of the Baptizer with a one-sentence summary of the mission of the Twelve: “The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.” Mark normally refers to Jesus’ followers as “disciples” rather than as “apostles,” which he does only here and at 3:14. “Apostles” may be accounted for in the present context as a specific link to the Twelve (apostles, so 3:14) who have returned from the mission of 6:6a–13. The report of their return, which one would expect after v. 13, has been placed following the death of John, producing an A1-B-A2 sandwich construction. What does Mark intend by bracketing the martyrdom of the Baptizer by the mission of the Twelve? The sandwich structure draws mission and martyrdom, discipleship and death, into an inseparable relationship. This is precisely what Jesus will teach in 8:34, “ ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’ ” There, as here, both words are addressed to disciples. Whoever would follow Jesus must first reckon with the fate of John. John’s martyrdom not only prefigures Jesus’ death, but it also prefigures the death of anyone who would follow him (p. 189)

• The feeding of 5000 (and this is men, not including women and children cf. Matt. 14:21) is a miracle recorded in each of the four Gospels. Is there any other miracle that is recorded in all the Gospels?

• What do verses 31-32 of chapter six suggest to you?

• If you were one of the disciples, do you think you would have been scared to see Jesus walking on the sea? Edwards (2002) makes the important point that “in the OT only God can walk on water” (Job 9:8; 38:16; Ps 77:19; Isa 43:16; Sir 24:5–6, Odes Sol. 39:10) (p. 198).[1]How do you think this would contribute to your feelings?

• What do the brackets in Mark 7:3-4 suggest about the audience of the Gospel?

• Do you think what Isaiah prophesied (Mk 7:6-7; cf. Is 29:13) is still a problem for us in the church today? Why or how? Is it summarised in v. 8?

• How can we look to change or limit the dilemma we face of defilement from within? (cf. Mk 7:14-23)

• Do you think Jesus was ‘mean’ or intentionally derogatory in his interaction with the Syrophoenician lady? Why would he have referred to her as dogs rather than children?

• Why do you think Jesus ordered silence from the Gentiles in Mark 7:36?

• What are some key differences between the feeding of the 4000 (Mk 8:1-9) and the feeding of the 5000 (Mk 6:30-44)?

• Does the word “test” in Mark 8:11 infer an objective test to discover the merit of something, or an obstacle or stumbling block to discredit Jesus?

• Who is the first of the Twelve Disciples to acknowledge Jesus as the Christ? Where in Mark does this occur? Do you think this is significant? Why? Do you think this is relevant to the Gospels focus changing towards the journey to Jerusalem? Why or why not?

• Lane (1974) notes a structural parallel between 6:31-8:30. He states:

In Ch. 8:1–30 Mark presents a sequence of events which is parallel in structural arrangement and motif to Chs. 6:31–7:37. He intends for intends for this parallel to be recognized, for the tradition he records in Ch. 8:17–21 points back to the crucial importance of the two feeding narratives. The extent of the structural parallel is evident from the following table:

Mk. 6:31–44 Feeding of the Multitude 8:1–9

6:45–56 Crossing of the Sea and Landing 8:10

7:1–23 Conflict with the Pharisees 8:11–13

7:24–30 Conversation about Bread 8:14–21

7:31–36 Healing 8:22–26

7:37 Confession of Faith 8:27–30

…. By skillful arrangement of the material Mark indicates that it was necessary for the Lord to repeat the sequence of acts and teaching a second time before their significance dawned upon the disciples. Their ears remained deaf to Jesus’ teaching and their eyes blind to his glory (Ch. 8:18). In this respect the incidents which conclude the two cycles are significant. The opening of the ears of one who was deaf (Ch. 7:31–36) and of the eyes of one who was blind (Ch. 8:22–26) prefigure the unstopping of the deaf ears of the disciples and the opening of their eyes. This was the necessary prelude to the confession of the messianic dignity of Jesus (Ch. 8:27–30). (p. 269)

• What significance do you see in this table of parallels? What relevance do you think it might have had to the original audience, and what relevance is it to us today?

Friday (Day 5): Mark 8:31-9:50

• When rebuking Jesus, and then being rebuked by Jesus (Mk 8:32-33), do you think Peter was aware that it was God’s intention to provide salvation to humanity through a suffering Saviour who would be ‘the Lamb of God’? Looking at v. 30 was Peter setting his mind on the things of God or the things of people? Do we need to be aware of focusing on the agendas of people rather than God? What do we as individuals and/or as congregations need to address or focus on? 

• Lane states “The close association of Ch. 8:31–33 with the declaration of Ch. 8:29 indicates that confession in itself is insufficient to establish Christian faith. Jesus had to lead the disciples beyond messianic confession to an awareness of the dimensions of messiahship as defined by the revealed will of God” (p. 296) Do you think baptism is enough, or is there still a need for discipleship? Is this an area where the church all too often neglects?

• Lane (1974) states that the primary purpose of 8:1-10:52 section “is to explain what it means for Jesus to be the Messiah and what it requires to be identified with him” (pp. 292-293). Do you find any of today’s passages particularly moving or valuable? Please explain or share.

• Write or type out the rest of verses 34-38, starting with “If anyone….

• What is the meaning of taking up one’s cross to follow Jesus?

• What is the meaning of what is proclaimed by Jesus in Mark 9:1?

• What happened at the Transfiguration?

• Does the “high mountain” (Mk 9:2) allude to Mt Sinai? If so, why would the author want to allude to Mount Sinai?

• Edwards comments, “The first passion prediction (8:31) has thrown the disciples into a tailspin of bewilderment. What transpires on the Mount of Transfiguration is both a divine assurance in the midst of their consternation and a divine ratification of Jesus’ way to the cross” (p. 262) Do you agree?

• Are the words of Malachi 4:5-6 connected to the expectation of scribes that Elijah must come first (Mk 9:11)?  

• Regarding the subject of faith in Mark 9:21-24, Edwards (2002) comments,

  True faith is always aware how small and inadequate it is. The father becomes a believer not when he amasses a sufficient quantum of faith but when he risks everything on what little faith he has, when he yields his insufficiency to the true sufficiency of Jesus, “ ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’ ” The risk of faith is more costly to the father than bringing his son to Jesus, for he can talk about his son but he must “cry out” (Gk. krazein) for faith.103 True faith takes no confidence in itself, nor does it judge Jesus by the weakness of his followers. It looks to the More Powerful One (1:7) who stands in the place of God, whose authoritative word restores life from chaos. True faith is unconditional openness to God, a decision in the face of all to the contrary that Jesus is able. (p. 280)

  • Present an illustration or testimony of how true faith might look for us in society today.

• On Mark 9:28-29, Edwards comments:

  The present passage also introduces prayer in the context of faith, connecting it with spiritual power. Grundmann correctly notes that “prayer is faith turned to God.”107Prayer is the focusing and directing of faith in specific requests to God. Both faith and prayer testify that spiritual power is not in oneself but in God alone, and both wait in trust upon his promise to save.

  A recurrent theme in this passage is the inadequacy of the disciples in ministry with Jesus. Service in fellowship with Christ is characterized by constant awareness of the inadequacy of the servant. As this story illustrates, Jesus calls disciples to tasks beyond their abilities, and the fact that the tasks surpass their abilities is evidence that the ministry is Christ’s, not theirs. The inadequacy of disciples is not their fault, nor should it have the effect of impairing either their faith or fellowship with Christ. Rather, inadequacy drives the disciples to prayer, which is God’s gift to them and another form of fellowship with Jesus as their Lord. (p. 281)

• Do we need God in our everyday lives today? How? Where? When? Why?

• Did the Disciples struggle with any vices (e.g. Gal 5:19-21) in today’s reading?

Psalm 9

• Are the psalm of praise (Psalms 9) and lament (Psalm 10) connected?

• What are acrostic Psalms? Are Psalms 9-10 considered acrostic?

• What did you find interesting about Psalm 9?

References

Edwards, J. R. (2002). The Gospel according to Mark. Eerdmans; Apollos.

Hamilton, V. P. (1995). The Book of Genesis, Chapters 18–50. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Lane, W. L. (1974). The Gospel of Mark. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Wenham, G. J. (1994). Genesis 16–50 (Vol. 2). Word, Incorporated.

20Longacre, Joseph, p. 151.

[1] In the full paragraph, Edwards notes “In their distress Jesus comes to them at “the fourth watch of the night,” that is, between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. In dividing the night into four watches Mark follows the Roman custom rather than the threefold Jewish division, ostensibly for the benefit of his Roman readers [Footnote (FN) Str-B 1.688–89. Mark names the four watches evening, midnight, cock crow, and dawn (13:35).]. Jesus now looks on the disciples with the same compassion with which he earlier looked on the hungry crowds (6:34). Like Yahweh in the OT, Jesus comes to deliver his people in need, and the deliverance becomes a self-revelation. The centerpiece of the story is the description of his “walking on the lake … about to pass by them.” There is no possibility of translating “walking on the lake” in any other way. The Greek preposition epi (tēs thalassēs) means “on,” “upon,” or “on top of” the water (just as the Gk. epi tēs gēs in v. 47 means “on land”). The phrase cannot be retranslated to avoid the problem of open water sustaining a human body. If such an attempt is made, the point of the story is forfeited, for in the OT only God can walk on water [cf. Job 9:8; 38:16; Ps 77:19; Isa 43:16; Sir 24:5–6, Odes Sol. 39:10]. In walking on the water toward the disciples, Jesus walks where only God can walk. As in the forgiveness of sins (2:10) and in his power over nature (4:39), walking on the lake identifies Jesus unmistakably with God. This identification is reinforced when Jesus says, “ ‘Take courage! It is I.’ ” In Greek, “ ‘It is I’ ” (egō eimi) is identical with God’s self-disclosure to Moses [FN Especially Exod 3:14, but also Exod 6:6; Isa 41:4; 43:10–11; 48:12].  Thus Jesus not only walks in God’s stead, but he also takes his name.”

103 The NIV’s “exclaimed” is insufficiently emphatic. Krazein appears eleven times in Mark, and in no instance can it be translated with less emphasis than “shout” or “cry out.” According to several later manuscripts, the father “cried out with tears,” thus heightening his emotional outburst. The addition is probably not original, however, for there is no adequate reason to explain why a copyist would delete it. See Metzger, TCGNT, 100.

107 Grundmann, Das Evangelium nach Markus, 256.