Book of Mark Quiz

1. Unlike Matthew and Luke, how does Mark's Gospel begin?

1. Abruptly — with the ministry of John the Baptist, skipping Jesus' birth entirely
2. With a genealogy tracing Jesus back to Abraham
3. With a prologue about the Word becoming flesh
4. With the Sermon on the Mount

2. Mark is noted for its fast pace. Which word does Mark use repeatedly to move quickly from one event to the next?

1. 'After this'
2. 'At once'
3. 'Immediately'
4. 'Then'

3. After Jesus was baptised by John, where did the Spirit immediately send him?

1. Into the wilderness
2. To Galilee to begin preaching
3. To Nazareth to visit his family
4. To the temple in Jerusalem

4. What were Simon and Andrew doing when Jesus called them to follow him?

1. Casting a net into the Sea of Galilee
2. Mending their fishing nets by the shore
3. Repairing their boat after a storm
4. Selling fish at the market in Capernaum

5. In the Capernaum synagogue, an evil spirit cried out at Jesus. What did the spirit call Jesus?

1. 'Jesus of Nazareth — the Holy One of God'
2. 'Prophet and teacher of the Most High'
3. 'Son of David, King of Israel'
4. 'The Messiah and Anointed One of the Lord'

6. Mark 1 describes a busy day in Capernaum. After healing at the synagogue, where did Jesus go and what did he do?

1. He walked to the shore and addressed the crowds from a boat
2. He went to Simon and Andrew's home and healed Simon's mother-in-law of a fever
3. He went to the temple and taught the priests
4. He withdrew to a hilltop and prayed through the night

7. After a busy day of ministry, what did Jesus do very early the next morning while it was still dark?

1. He began teaching in the synagogue again
2. He set out toward the next town to preach
3. He walked on water alone before the disciples woke
4. He went to a solitary place and prayed

8. In Mark 2, Jesus healed a paralysed man whose friends lowered him through a roof. Jesus first said 'Your sins are forgiven.' Why did the teachers of the law object silently?

1. They believed healing on a weekday was forbidden
2. They felt the man had not truly repented
3. They thought only God could forgive sins, so Jesus was blaspheming
4. They were jealous of the crowd's admiration of Jesus

9. Jesus was criticised for letting his disciples pick grain on the Sabbath. He referred to King David who ate consecrated bread when hungry. What was Jesus' conclusion about the Sabbath?

1. 'God desires mercy, not sacrifice'
2. 'The law is fulfilled in acts of love'
3. 'The Sabbath is holy and must be kept above all other laws'
4. 'The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath'

10. In Mark 3, what nickname did Jesus give to James and John, the sons of Zebedee?

1. 'Brothers of Fire'
2. 'Pillars of the Church'
3. 'Sons of the Kingdom'
4. 'Sons of Thunder'

11. In Mark 4, Jesus explained why he spoke in parables. What would happen to outsiders who heard but did not understand?

1. They would be excluded from the kingdom completely
2. They would be judged more harshly at the last day
3. They would have no further opportunity to receive the truth
4. They would see but not perceive, hear but not understand, otherwise they might turn and be forgiven

12. In Mark 5, after Jesus healed the Gerasene demoniac, the man wanted to go with Jesus. What did Jesus tell him to do instead?

1. 'Follow me and proclaim the kingdom of God'
2. 'Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you'
3. 'Go to the temple in Jerusalem and be certified clean by a priest'
4. 'Stay here and prepare for the others I will send to you'

13. In Mark 6, Jesus was rejected in Nazareth and could do very few miracles there. Why?

1. Because of their lack of faith
2. His disciples did not pray enough for the healings to take place
3. The people were ritually unclean and he could not touch them
4. The Pharisees had warned the people not to approach him

14. In Mark 6, Herod had John the Baptist beheaded. What prompted Herodias's daughter to ask for John's head on a platter?

1. Herod demanded a death as a symbol of his authority at the feast
2. Herodias had planned this in advance and instructed her daughter to ask
3. The girl consulted her mother Herodias after Herod offered her anything she wanted, and Herodias told her to ask for John's head
4. The girl was angry at John for rebuking her father

15. In Mark 7, Jesus declared all foods clean. Who was he responding to when he said this?

1. A crowd of Gentile converts who were confused about what they could eat
2. A Gentile centurion who asked about Jewish dietary restrictions
3. His disciples, who were struggling with Jewish food laws
4. The Pharisees and teachers of the law who criticised his disciples for eating with unwashed hands

16. In Mark 7, Jesus healed a deaf-mute man. What unusual thing did Jesus do in healing him?

1. He made mud with saliva and applied it to the man's ears
2. He put his fingers in the man's ears, spat and touched the man's tongue, then said 'Ephphatha' (Be opened)
3. He simply spoke the word from a distance and the man was healed
4. He touched the man's eyes and commanded him to hear

17. Mark 8 records a second miraculous feeding. How many people were fed and how many loaves and fish were used?

1. 3,000 people with 5 loaves and 5 fish
2. 4,000 people with 7 loaves and a few small fish
3. 5,000 people with 5 loaves and 2 fish
4. 7,000 people with 10 loaves and 3 fish

18. In Mark 8, Jesus healed a blind man at Bethsaida in two stages. What did the man see after the first stage of healing?

1. 'I see people; they look like trees walking around'
2. Colours, but everything was blurred
3. Light and shadows, but no shapes
4. Nothing — the healing took full effect only in the second stage

19. At Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked his disciples 'Who do people say I am?' Which answer did NOT appear in their responses?

1. Elijah
2. John the Baptist
3. Moses
4. One of the prophets

20. After Peter's confession at Caesarea Philippi, Jesus taught about the cost of discipleship. What did he say about saving your life?

1. 'Life is only found in giving it away for the sake of others'
2. 'Those who save their life will live long, but those who lose it for me will live forever'
3. 'True life is found only in obedience to my commands'
4. 'Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it'

21. At the Transfiguration in Mark 9, God spoke from a cloud. What did he say?

1. 'Arise, Son — fulfil the purpose for which you were sent'
2. 'I am well pleased with my Son — follow him'
3. 'This is my Son, whom I love; listen to him!'
4. 'This is the Messiah of Israel — worship him'

22. After coming down from the Transfiguration, Jesus healed a boy with an evil spirit that the disciples could not cast out. What did Jesus say was required for this kind of healing?

1. Anointing the person with oil
2. Calling on the name of the Lord aloud three times
3. Fasting and prayer
4. Greater faith among all the disciples together

23. In Mark 9, the disciples argued about who was the greatest. What did Jesus say the first must be?

1. The most faithful in prayer
2. The most learned in the scriptures
3. The one who gave the most to the poor
4. The servant of all

24. What strong metaphor did Jesus use in Mark 9 to describe how seriously believers should deal with things that cause them to sin?

1. Cut off your hand or foot, or pluck out your eye — it is better to enter life maimed than to go to hell
2. Fast and pray until the temptation passes
3. Flee from sin as from a roaring lion
4. Tear your garments and weep bitterly before God

25. In Mark 10, Pharisees asked Jesus about divorce. What did Jesus say God had joined together?

1. A husband and wife as one flesh under the law
2. Man and woman in covenant before witnesses
3. What God has joined together, let no one separate
4. What he joined through love, let no person divide

26. In Mark 10, what did James and John ask of Jesus privately before entering Jerusalem?

1. To be given authority over the other ten disciples
2. To be protected from the coming persecution
3. To explain privately what would happen in Jerusalem
4. To grant them the seats at his right and left in his glory

27. Blind Bartimaeus called out to Jesus as he passed through Jericho. What did the crowd tell Bartimaeus to do?

1. Be quiet — Jesus was too busy for him
2. Come forward and present himself humbly
3. Follow along at the back and hope to be noticed
4. Wait until Jesus finished speaking, then approach quietly

28. When Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple, Mark notes he looked around at everything but then did something unexpected. What did he do?

1. He healed many blind and lame people in the temple courts
2. He immediately drove out the money changers
3. He looked around at everything and then left — since it was already late, he went to Bethany
4. He taught in the temple courts for the rest of the day

29. When a poor widow put two small coins into the temple treasury in Mark 12, what did Jesus say about her gift?

1. 'God sees the heart — her gift is acceptable before him'
2. 'Her offering, though small, honours the Lord equally with the great gifts'
3. 'She has put more into the treasury than all the others — out of her poverty she put in everything'
4. 'The smallest gifts often contain the greatest faith'

30. In the Olivet Discourse (Mark 13), what sign did Jesus say would immediately precede his coming?

1. Earthquakes and plagues across the whole earth
2. Seven years of tribulation on the whole world
3. The sun darkened, the moon not giving light, stars falling from the sky
4. The temple rebuilt in Jerusalem

31. At the Last Supper in Mark 14, what did Jesus say the cup represented?

1. The blood of the new covenant
2. The covenant of peace between God and humanity
3. The cup of God's wrath that he would drink alone
4. The tears of God's people throughout history

32. When Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane, all the disciples fled. Mark records one detail found in no other Gospel — a young man who fled naked. What happened to him?

1. A young man following Jesus was seized but fled naked, leaving his garment behind
2. He hid in the garden and watched the arrest from a distance
3. He wept at the roadside until he was found by the disciples
4. The soldiers caught him and imprisoned him

33. Before the high priest, Jesus was asked directly 'Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?' How did he answer?

1. 'I am — and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven'
2. 'I will not answer — if I tell you, you will not believe me'
3. 'That is what you are saying — but judge for yourself'
4. 'You say that I am'

34. Mark's account of the crucifixion records that Jesus cried out in Aramaic. What did he say?

1. 'Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?' — 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'
2. 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing'
3. 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit'
4. 'It is finished'

35. What did the Roman centurion at the cross say after Jesus died?

1. 'Forgive us — we did not know who he was'
2. 'Surely this man was the Son of God!'
3. 'Surely this was a righteous man'
4. 'This man was truly innocent'

36. Who was Simon of Cyrene, mentioned in Mark's crucifixion account?

1. A follower of Jesus who wept on the road to Golgotha
2. A Jewish leader who pitied Jesus
3. A man passing by who was forced to carry Jesus' cross
4. A Roman soldier who refused to strike Jesus

37. On the morning of the resurrection, which women went to the tomb to anoint Jesus' body?

1. Mary Magdalene alone
2. Mary Magdalene and Jesus' mother Mary
3. Mary Magdalene and Joanna
4. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome

38. When the women arrived at the tomb, they were worried about one practical problem. What was it?

1. The body might already be decomposing
2. The Roman guards would not let them approach
3. They did not know which tomb was Jesus'
4. Who would roll the stone away from the entrance

39. In the tomb, the women encountered a young man dressed in white. What did he tell them?

1. 'Do not be afraid — touch the place where he lay, then go and tell his disciples'
2. 'He is not here — he has risen! Go and tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead to Galilee'
3. 'He is risen — go and proclaim this to all nations'
4. 'Wait here — he will appear to you shortly'

40. How does the original ending of Mark's Gospel conclude, at chapter 16 verse 8?

1. Abruptly — the women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, and said nothing to anyone because they were afraid
2. With Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene and then to the Eleven
3. With Jesus ascending to heaven and the disciples worshipping him
4. With the Great Commission — 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel'