Session 9
20 Early in the morning, as they were passing by, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. 21 Then Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22 Jesus replied to them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, everything you pray and ask for — believe that you have received it and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you your wrongdoing.”
Invite a volunteer to read Mark 11:20-25.
Explain the background of the fig tree.
Encourage the group to talk about the symbolism of the fig tree.
Share that the tree illustrated how religious corruption was like having leaves with no fruit— people may look good on the outside, but they have no substance.
Read Mark 11:22-25 again.
Encourage adults to summarize the main teaching of these verses into one word.
If it is not mentioned, suggest “faith.”
Review these points from this week’s Bible passage:
Identify actions you can take to make prayer a significant part of the group experience.
Share ways you can pray for one another.
Invite the group to remain in their groups and pray for one another based on the requests spoken.
After a few minutes, close the session in prayer.
Remind the group to use the Daily Exploration on pages 81-83
to dig deeper into God’s Word this week.
Reinforce the session by examining your own life and determining what distracts you from spending time in prayer. Consider adjustments to your schedule that would allow more time for Bible study and prayer. Contact the group through email or text, reminding them that seeking God daily helps us keep our focus on Jesus.