Part 34 of the Sermon Series: On the Road with Jesus | A Study in the Gospel of Mark Community Group Questions: 1. In verses 1&2 we are told that Jesus went into the region of Judea, beyond the Jordan. This is the same region that Herod Antipas, who had taken his brother's wife Herodias, and she in turn, asked for John the Baptist's head because John had said openly that it was not lawful for him to marry his brother's wife. (Mark 6: 14-29) With this as the setting for tonight's passage, what do you think the motive of the Pharisees was in asking Jesus their question? 2. What else do you notice about the phrasing of the Pharisees' question? 3. In asking the question from the perspective of a man divorcing his wife, what does this tell us both about the cultural climate of the day and the condition of their hearts? 4. Talk about times when you have been more concerned with the boundaries of right and wrong and what you could get away with rather than the heart of God in the command. 5. In the sermon, Jeremiah used the illustration of focussing on the guardrails vs. being in the center of the road to describe questioning the boundaries vs. delighting in God's design. In Jesus's description of God's plan for marriage, (v. 6-9) what do you find beautiful and compelling? Or what do you struggle with? 6. In verses 10-12 (as well as verse 6) what do you notice is different in Jesus's approach from the Pharisees view of men and women?