The Rescue

 

Mark dedicated himself to showing Jesus’ ministry and, through that, revealing who Jesus is. In this section of his gospel, he used a chiasm. A chiasm is a literary learning technique. Mark used it to reveal Jesus’ power and authority over each part of life. These stories show how Jesus’ authority is greater than that of the Jewish leaders’ authorities. As Mark progressed in the telling of these encounters Jesus had with the Jews, he relayed Jesus’ power and authority more fully. Prior to this chiasm, the religious leaders had not confronted Jesus openly. The chiasm shows how their anger and hatred of Him increased from internal musings and questionings to outright, confrontational questioning. They challenged Jesus about who He thought He was. The religious leaders questioned Him about His power and authority to heal, forgive, cast out demons, set aside religious laws, and forgive sins.

How did Mark get us to the point of this chiasm? Mark told us about Jesus in the first two chapters. Jesus walked to the Jordan River to be baptized by John, His cousin. After that, God’s voice boomed from heaven, saying, “This is My Son, with whom I am well pleased.” People heard this, and yet, Jesus still had to prove who He is. As Mark continued in chapter one, Jesus called four men to follow Him and taught in the Capernaum synagogue with power and authority. He healed Simon’s mother-in-law and the leper. Jesus cast out demons. He told the four men He must go to more villages, because He came for all people. Each of these, Jesus did to give freedom from human maladies and, thus, prove He can free people from sin and death.

With Mark chapter two, Jesus encountered opposition. At first, He faced silent opposition, but He knew what was in the hearts and minds of the people who watched and listened to Him. When Jesus healed the paralyzed man, the scribes internally challenged Him about who can forgive sins except God alone. Jesus proved continually He is the Son of Man, like He stated. He affirmed He came to eat with sinners. To the Pharisees, Jesus said He came to those who are sick, not to those who are well. He taught that religious ritual is not what He seeks, but those whose lives have been transformed. New life in Christ should not be a new patch of cloth on an old life, Jesus taught, but be a completely new cloth a saved person wears. New Life in Jesus should be His pouring of the Holy Spirit into new wineskin. Religious ritual should not forbid what the Lord allows, like fasting when the Bridegroom is with the disciples. After this, Mark relayed a story from Jesus’ ministry of the Pharisees challenging Him about His disciples working—plucking grain heads—on the Sabbath. Jesus explained He is Lord of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is not lord of Him, nor of any person. The purpose of the sabbath day is to focus on God and serve Him. Sometimes serving God means serving people. Sabbath day rituals should not forbid helping someone who has a need, like hunger, illness, homelessness, etc. God permits good. He is good, always. As Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus taught meeting human needs is paramount over the sabbath day laws. By saying and proving with authority He is Lord of the Sabbath, for any learned religious leader, that would have meant He is the Son of Man—the Messiah. Son of Man refers to Daniel 7:13-14. Jesus said, using this title, He has all dominion, authority, glory, and power over all created things. Jesus has authority to forgive sins, heal, cast out demons, and teach. He is Lord of all. The Jews should have realized Jesus, as the Son of Man, is Lord of the Sabbath.

The Setting

He (Jesus) entered a synagogue again and a man was there whose hand was withered. (Mark 3:1 [NASB])

In the six verses of this story, the readers and hearers learn three things. These things are as follows. Jesus healed a man. He taught what is right and good to do on the sabbath day. The Pharisees and their followers had hard hearts. These religious leaders wanted to hurt or kill Jesus.

Mark jumps immediately into this story from Jesus’ ministry with no preamble. He disclosed the setting. In a synagogue, Jesus noticed a man who had a withered (shriveled) hand. Why was a withered hand a big issue? The man’s predicament was a big problem for him. Jesus wanted to help the man, and by it, prove further that He is the Son of Man, the Messiah.

Jesus, as a good Jew and the Son of God (Son of Man), walked to the synagogue. Up to this time, most Jews did not recognize Him as the Messiah. Jesus continued teaching and performing miracles. Some people believed in Him. Jesus did more than go to the synagogue. He entered there with a purpose. Like most Jews, He went to the synagogue because it was religious practice to worship God together. It was part of the laws God gave—to focus on and worship Him only. Jesus explained in Mark 2 that God set aside the Sabbath to focus on and serve Him. In the Old Testament, God told His people to come together on the sabbath day in His tabernacle/synagogue/temple. Jesus obeyed these spiritual laws. He entered the synagogue with the purpose of joining other Jews to worship and focus on Yahweh.

Jesus entered to the synagogue for a second purpose, too. He knew a certain man who needed Him would be there. Jesus realized this man with the withered hand. He expected the religious leaders would be in the synagogue. Jesus discerned this would be a prime time to teach the Pharisees, scribes, rabbis and the attending Jews again about who He is. Jesus did not come to earth just for one group of people. He came for all people. The synagogue was the place to meet a mixture of Jewish people.

Did the Pharisees set up this meeting by making sure the man with the withered hand was in the synagogue? Mark does not say this. The man with the withered hand, as an observant Jew, probably went to the synagogue out of faithfulness to God. What we know, from the first two chapters of Mark’s Gospel, is the Pharisees and other religious leaders wanted to trap Jesus into breaking any religious laws. They had attempted to trap Jesus when His disciples plucked heads of grain while following Jesus on the sabbath day. At that time, Jesus told the religious leaders He was not made for the Sabbath. He is Lord of the Sabbath. He taught the sabbath laws were subordinate to the needs of humanity, like the disciples’ hunger. Moral laws were more important than ceremonial laws.

What would this mean for Jesus’ appointment with the man with the withered hand? Would Jesus do something else the laws forbade? Can you hear the pin drop in the synagogue? Can you see the Pharisees holding their breath as they waited for Jesus to say or do something they considered unlawful?

The Sly

And they (Pharisees) were watching Him closely to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. (Mark 3:2 [NASB])

Mark explained what the Pharisees did in their hope of catching Jesus doing “wrong,” according to them. They watched Jesus with evil intentions. These men secretly hoped to remove Jesus’ allure for His followers. They sneakily and purposefully watched Jesus so they might harm Him. They resolved to harm Jesus if He continued to proclaim Himself the Son of Man, gain followers, and usurp their role and authority over the Israelites. These religious leaders did not care about the Jewish man’s useless hand. They did not have the concerns of God for the impoverished and the hurting people in their country. The Pharisees sought their own desires.

The Pharisees, put in their positions by God’s decree as declared by Moses, legally could accuse someone of breaking religious laws. They watched every little thing Jesus did. The Pharisees dissected everything Jesus said because they wanted to accuse Him of breaking their sacred-to-them laws. They had little concern for the people. The religious leaders’ intentions were to highlight other people’s sins. With Jesus in the picture and considering what He was doing and saying, the Pharisees scrupulously watched Him. Their focus was not on God, even on that Sabbath day. The Pharisees’ focus was not on the physically challenged man. To them, this man’s hand was not a life-or-death emergency and should not be dealt with on the sabbath day. They had enacted a law allowing a doctor to work on a sabbath day if the patient was in a life-or-death situation. This occurrence was not that.

The Command

He (Jesus) said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” (Mark 3:3 [NASB])

Jesus acknowledged this particular man in the synagogue. He focused His attention on him. Jesus commanded the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!”

This may have been an unusual command for the man. According to Jewish teaching, a person who was sick, physically or mentally challenged, or demon-possessed was a sinner and unclean. This man was unclean to the Jews and should not have been in the synagogue. Because of this, he might have wanted to go unnoticed. This man wanted to worship God with his brothers on the sabbath day in the synagogue. He wanted to be with the community. (Notice the Pharisees did not attack the man for being in the synagogue.) Jesus did not speak about the man’s supposed uncleanliness and unworthiness to be in the synagogue. He recognized the man needed Him. Jesus spoke to the man about the area of his need. This man needed healing.

Why was this man’s plight something Jesus needed to discuss? First, a person with a useless hand could not do manual labor. Most people of that time worked with their hands. This means this man would have had a hard time providing for his family and taking care of himself. This man might have faced ostracism by the religious leaders. These leaders may have challenged him to give up his sins so God would heal him.

In a later meeting, the Pharisees would challenge Jesus about a blind man by asking who sinned, the man or his parents. Jesus told the Pharisees then, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:1-4). Why was this man’s problem something Jesus needed to discuss? Jesus addressed it because the man needed healing and other people needed to see the works of God displayed. By seeing Him heal the man, He hoped people would come to believe in Him for salvation. By healing the man, in the minds of the Jews, it meant Jesus forgave the man’s sins. Jesus rescued this man from abject poverty and ostracism, and would forgive his sins.

One other thing to note, no one questioned if Jesus could heal the man. They did not say they did not trust Jesus could heal him. Does this mean people began to accept He could heal others? Were some beginning to believe Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah? God arranged this appointment so the people could see His works displayed through Jesus in this man, then acknowledge and profess Jesus is the Messiah. At the right time, the Son came forth. He made Himself known. In Mark’s words, in Mark 1:15, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.”

The Lesson

And He (Jesus) said to them (Pharisees), “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do harm, to save a life or to kill?” But they kept silent. (Mark 3:4 [NASB])

Jesus directed His question to the Pharisees. They are the makers and keepers of the laws. Overtime, the Pharisees wrote 633 laws to explain what the Jews could and could not do to stay right with God. These same laws, written to help the Jews not sin (as if sinful humanity could succeed at it in their own power), ended by showcasing the religious leaders’ “goodness” to have the Israelites look up to them. The laws resulted in keeping the people’s focus on themselves and not on God, which was not the purpose of God’s laws.

Jesus directed His question to the Pharisees. He asked, what makes someone or something good? Jesus' exact question was, “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do harm, to save a life or to kill?” If the Pharisees defined goodness as obedience to the laws, they could have told Jesus that healing on the Sabbath was not good. Yet, from their studies and understanding, they realized goodness comes from and is defined by Yahweh. He is the fount of goodness and determines what is good. So, the Pharisees were trapped with their definition of “goodness.” They had to admit goodness is always permissible.

Of course, the Pharisees would say doing good is lawful. Doing good is always lawful. Jesus asked the implied question behind the original question. “Is it lawful to do evil?” To say it another way, “Is not doing good unlawful/sinful?” Had the Pharisees considered it that way before, that not doing the good you should do is evil and sinful? If they answered Jesus by saying doing good on the Sabbath is lawful, then they would have to explain why Jesus was not allowed by law to heal the man with the withered hand. Wouldn’t Yahweh, who they served, have agreed with them? Yet, if they did not agree with Jesus, then they would not be doing good and so would be sinful.

Thinking further about this, would this mean, for the Pharisees and each Jew, that sabbath day laws had to be set aside to do good whenever doing good was necessary? By agreeing that need known about on the sabbath day must be taken care of, the Jews would end up “working,” by the definition of the religious leaders. But if they did not do good, they did not help; they harmed and were ungodly. A complex question for highly educated people who wanted to appear godly.

Jesus, in this verse, was not asking only about the physical health of the man or of any person. He used the Greek word “sozo,” which means to rescue or deliver out of danger into safety. Bible writers used this word most often to speak about God rescuing from eternal condemnation any person who believes in Jesus as the Son of God and their Savior because of God’s grace. This rescue is from destruction. That destruction is eternal separation from God after physical death. Jesus spoke about physical rescuing to figuratively point to spiritual rescuing.

Jesus rescued this man with the withered hand from poverty by healing him. He rescued the paralyzed man (Mark 2:1-12). Jesus delivered Simon’s mother-in-law from sickness (Mark 1:30-31). He delivered the people possessed by demons (Mark 1:24-26, & 34). Jesus did these things because it was good, because God’s will is to free people from what binds them. He came to earth to free people from the sins that bind them and will lead them from eternal separation from God. Had Jesus not healed this man or helped any person, He would not have done good, but evil. But Jesus is innately good. He will not do evil. No darkness can be where light exists. Jesus knows the Father’s heart because He is Himself part of the Godhead. He knows the purposes of God to deliver and do good for each person.

The Pharisees recognized they had backed themselves into a corner. They understood what was more important. They understood God gave His laws so people could know Him and focus on Him. People, His creation, are important to God. Yet, the manmade laws the religious leaders had created had become more important to them than God or His purposes. These leaders had hard hearts. They did not want to lose their battle, the one between their importance and God’s will to save people. The Pharisees made themselves to be a god by doing this.

Mark recorded in this verse, the Pharisees kept silent. With their silence, they admitted they did evil and were not good. Either a person is doing good or not. No fence-sitting exists. If one chooses not to do what is right, then that person does what is sinful. By Jesus asking the Pharisees this question, these religious leaders realized they had condemned themselves by their silence and actions. Their silence was deafening after Jesus’ question in verse four. The Pharisees' silence affirmed the goodness of Jesus’ teaching and led more Jews to follow Him. Their recognition of their sins and their jealousy of Jesus would lead them to kill Jesus as soon as possible. The religious leaders actively sought to kill Jesus.

Notice, Mark did not record speaking by any other Jews in the synagogue after Jesus asked this question of the Pharisees. Was this because they did not want the wrath of the Pharisees on themselves? Was it because they agreed with the Pharisees but were afraid to say it aloud so Jesus would know their hearts, too? A third reason the people might have stayed silent is that they were processing this interchange between Jesus and the Pharisees to decide if they believed Jesus is the Son of Man, the Messiah.

The Rescue

After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He (Jesus) said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. (Mark 3:5 [NASB])

Imagine the look on a parent’s face when a child deliberately disobeys him or her by taking another child’s toy. The look of disappointment mixed with grief and with anger rising from the frustration. The emotions people have come as part of God creating humanity in His image. Our disappointment with our child, sibling, spouse, parent, etc. is like His with us when we disobey Him. A standard we set in our minds that another person knew about and broke because of his or her willfulness of that person can cause this anger and grief. Our sinfulness comes from breaking the godly standard God has for the world. God enables Christians to achieve godliness through His indwelling Holy Spirit. Before a person believes in Jesus, that person has God’s “coding” because of being made in His image. That “coding” is each person’s conscience that God gives him or her. Everyone knows what is right/godly to do. Going against the conscience given to each person is sinning. Sinning is disobeying God and rebelliousness.

Each of us has experienced the disappointment and grief over our own or someone else’s sin. We may have become angry because of it. Our anger differs from God’s anger. Our anger comes from our inner being because we or another person crossed a boundary--sinned. Sometimes that boundary is imposed by us and sometimes by God. (Not every boundary a person creates is godly.) Anger at a person for crossing our personal boundaries/morals is different from God’s anger. God’s anger, as taught in the Bible, comes from His righteousness and His care for our relationship with Him. Human anger most often comes from our sense of being offended or dismissed as unimportant. The source and intention behind the anger of God and a person differ. Jesus’ anger came from His grief over the Pharisees stubbornly choosing to hold on to their self-righteous intentions. Human anger comes from offense taken. Jesus’ reasoning with and rhetorically discussing good, evil, harm, and help did not make the Pharisees change their minds.

Jesus hoped the Pharisees would see Him as an example of godliness. He hoped they would become like Him and be an example of godliness for the Israelites by focusing on God and not on personal intentions. Because the Pharisees refused to trust in Jesus and to accept the superseding moral good of helping someone over the human-imposed rule of sabbath rest, Jesus was angry. The Pharisees would continue to lead the Israelites away from God with their religious rituals instead of toward Him. Their innermost intentions of having followers and being better than everyone else kept them from conceding Jesus’ truth, goodness, and better way.

Jesus had a second agenda for His meeting with the man. He told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” The man stretched out his hand and found it restored, like God intended. Jesus commanded with authority when He spoke to the man. He taught with authority when He spoke to the Pharisees and tried to reason with them. This man with the withered hand recognized Jesus’ authority, based on His teaching and the authority in His voice. He had nothing to lose and everything to gain by admitting Jesus could do what he had heard Jesus had done. The man stretched out his hand toward Jesus in hope. With this meager belief and hope in Jesus, this restored man’s faith, hope, and belief grew. His one step toward Jesus strengthened him spiritually and renewed him physically.

Jesus restored the man’s hand. The action started and completed at that time. Jesus did His miracle specifically for this man. He did not partially heal his hand. Jesus did the action. The receiver of the action was the man. Jesus restored the man for the Pharisees, too, so they would accept and receive what He said and who He is. The Pharisees refused to accept Jesus and believe in Him. Jesus’ salvation for each person begins when the person believes in Him and continues until each believer arrives in heaven on resurrection day.

The Rejection

The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might put Him to death. (Mark 3:6 [NASB])

The Pharisees had to take a stand on one side of the fence or the other. They had to decide if their sabbath day laws were more important than anything or anyone else. If they said healing the man on the sabbath day was good, then their laws about not working would forever be broken. The people would not look up to them as much anymore. If they said the healing on a sabbath was evil, then again the people might not consider them authorities anymore since all good is permissible. But, if they agreed with Jesus, more people would follow Him and they, the intermediaries between the people and God, would be redundant. Their income and stature would decrease, they figured. Instead of choosing one or the other, they kept quiet. The Pharisees left and sought their enemies, the Herodians, to conspire with them for a mutual goal.

Herodians were people who supported Herod and the Roman rule of the Jews. The Herods in Israel during New Testament times were descended from the Edomites south of Judah. They came from Idumea. The people in Idumea converted to Judaism by force in the four-hundred-year period between the Old and New Testaments. The Romans chose them to rule the territories of old Israel and Judah because they were faithful to the Roman Empire. According to the Jews, the Messiah would take the throne and return the rule of the nation to the Israelites. The Herodians did not want to lose their power in the land.

The Pharisees left to conspire with the Herodians because they had much to lose if Jesus was the Messiah or if He caused rioting in the province. If the Herodian rulers did not keep the peace for which Rome was famous, then the Roman army would remove, by force, the troublemakers and restore peace. The Roman supervisors of the Herods might remove them from their throne as governors of the provinces. For each of their reasons, the Pharisees and Herodians did not want Jesus to be the Messiah and rise to power. The Pharisees chose to get the help of their enemies to defeat their other enemy.

The Pharisees did not intend to focus on God. Their laws did not keep their fears and selfish intentions in check. The religious leaders firstly sought what they considered was for their own good. God was not preeminent in their lives. They, too, were sinners who needed a Savior, but they refused to admit it.

Application and Conclusion

The Pharisees harbored malicious thoughts about Jesus. They were jealous and afraid of losing power, stature, and income. In their effort to keep their desired status quo, they condoned evil by not agreeing a man with a withered hand should receive help on the sabbath day. God was not their focus. He was not central to them in word, action, or thought. By making the Pharisees choose to help or harm, it may have seemed to them that Jesus caused them to sin. Before that point, they could justify not helping the man as keeping the sabbath day laws, which were merely religious ritual.

What are the points in Mark 3:1-6 of Jesus’ ministry? Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath. Doing good on the Sabbath and any day is always right. The Pharisees had hard hearts; do not be like them. Instead, choose what is good. Good is always permissible. Focusing on God on the sabbath day will lead a person to serve Him by serving people in need.

This encounter with Jesus was not the only one where they felt challenged by Him. He challenged the Pharisees in the grain field as His disciples plucked grain from heads to eat as they walked (Mark 2:23-28). Jesus spoke with them when they asked why His disciples did not fast like they themselves did (Mark 2:18-22). He spoke to the scribes when they asked why He and His disciples ate with sinners and tax collectors (Mark 2:13-17). Jesus showed He knew what they thought when He healed the paralyzed man lowered through the roof (Mark 2:1-12).

A person is not the same after meeting with Jesus, even today. He teaches people even today. A person can choose to change his or her life to live according to Jesus’ teaching or the person can choose not to change. Disobeying, ignoring, or obeying a lesson or command are choices that arise when a person encounters Jesus.

Each person is like the Pharisees. We each want to live our own ways and make something or someone preeminent in our lives. Some of us choose to believe in Jesus for salvation and follow Him. Jesus offers salvation to each person freely by God’s grace through that person’s faith in Him as the Son of God, the Savior. Jesus paid the price for our sins. He died in our place.

Each of us gets to choose how we respond to Jesus. Will we cheer and be excited to believe in Him or will we turn away in silence? In earlier miracles, Mark recorded the people were amazed. They excitedly told other people about Jesus. The people in this last story from Jesus’ ministry were silent: silent because of resentment and brooding, silent because of thoughtfulness, or silent in amazement at seeing the Pharisees challenged and defeated. We each get to choose how we react to hearing from Jesus. Will it cause us to focus on God and obey Him? Or will we turn away from Him and focus on self?

Jesus said to them (us), “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do harm, to save a life or to kill?” (Mark 3:4 [NASB])

Rescuing lives is Jesus’ purpose

Doing good is permissible, always.

Believing in Jesus and obeying Him is always good and permissible.

Challenged

 

In chapter one of Mark’s Gospel, he wrote about the things Jesus did in His early ministry. Mark showed Jesus’ divinity. He told of Jesus healing people, casting out demons, and teaching. Jesus did these with power and authority. The people who watched and listened realized they had never seen this happen.

Starting with Mark chapter two, Mark relayed to the readers and hearers the religious leaders’ displeasure at what Jesus taught and did. In Mark 2:1-12, the scribes said nothing aloud, but Jesus knew what they thought. They wondered and questioned how Jesus could say to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven” (Mark 2:5 & 8). The religious leaders understood and believed only God could forgive sins. Though these leaders did not overtly challenge Jesus by putting their thoughts into words, they argued with His teaching and actions in their minds.

One other thing each reader of Mark’s Gospel should note is Mark used a literary technique when he wrote Mark 2:1-3:6. This technique gradually led the reader to understand in deeper depths what the writer’s focus was. The chiasm in this passage of verses led to a deeper understanding of the religious leaders’ anger of Jesus. It showed even more who Jesus is: Deity. The first part of the chiasm introduced Jesus’ ability to heal and forgive (Mark 2:1-12). The next three parts showed Jesus teach using food and meals (2:13-17, 2:18-22, &n 2:23-28). A final verse in the chiasm shows Jesus’ overt action and statements proving He is Lord of the Sabbath. He healed a man, though the religious leaders challenged Him on it, on the Sabbath day in the synagogue (3:1-6). This Bible study, based on the chiastic structure above, is the first of three about food. In it, Jesus taught, called, and restored/reunited people.

Teacher

And He went out again by the seashore, and all the people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them. (Mark 2:13 [NASB])

Jesus taught about who He is by preaching, healing, casting out demons, restoring, and reaching out to the downcast. With verse thirteen, Mark did a reboot, of sorts. He showed Jesus in His original mode - walking by the sea and teaching. Mark segued the readers back to the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had been at Simon’s house in Capernaum, where He healed the paralyzed man. In reading the Gospel of Mark, notice Jesus often returned to less populated areas. People began to understand who He was for that moment - the miracle worker and amazing teacher from God. They crowded and made it difficult for Him to be in towns and cities. In Mark’s recording, Jesus walked to the sea to instruct people and to call another man to follow Him. Though none of the people who traveled to listen to Jesus as they sat by the sea understood Him explicitly call them to follow Him, Jesus still sought to be about the Father’s business, preaching to all people.

In verse thirteen, Mark exaggerated again. He said, “all the people were coming to Him.” Mark emphasized how many came to listen to Jesus. “Were coming” and “was teaching” are both past continuous verbs. They describe action begun then and repeated, continuous action by people. The people came and kept coming. Jesus taught and kept teaching. Note the verb “was teaching.” This word almost always refers to teaching the Scripture. Writers use it to explain what Jesus and His apostles said in public. The first verb of this verse is past tense. Jesus “went out again.” This place was familiar to Him, so He returned to it often.

The people came to the sea out of curiosity. After that, they returned home. They did not stay. Many did not become believers in Jesus. Determining how many people traveled to listen to Jesus that day was difficult. A crowd of people wanted to witness for themselves what Jesus would do and teach. Would you go to listen to and see Jesus? Would you stay and follow Jesus, or would you return home?

Realize verse thirteen is about Jesus. He is the primary subject of the verse. The people were the direct objects of Jesus’ teaching. The people came because they heard about Him. They answered Jesus’ call to come to Him, though most did not believe in Him for salvation. The four men He had called—Simon, Andrew, James, and John - learned from His teaching and His actions. The people overheard Jesus teaching His disciples and other people. How many turned away from Him? Would you turn away from Jesus, too? Do you turn away from Him now?

Caller

As He (Jesus) passed by, He saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting in the tax office, and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him. (Mark 2:14 [NASB])

Today, people love tax collectors are as much as in the first century AD. Tax collectors endured much disdain from the Jews and Romans. You might wonder why people hated them. The tax office, where Jesus noticed Levi, was a booth for people to pay a toll to enter Galilee. Galilee was on the western side of the Jordan River. Herod Philip’s territory of the Decapolis was on the east side of the Jordan River. He lived in Syria. Herod Antipas’ territory was on the west side of the Jordan River. The Romans created the Decapolis by creating ten Greek town-cities in Galilee. Nine of those were on the eastern side of the Jordan River. Herod Philip ruled the eastern Decapolis cities. Herod Antipas ruled the one town-city of the Decapolis on the western side of the Jordan River. These ten town-cities came into existence as Rome expanded their empire eastward. The Romans created the Decapolis to promote the common interests of the area. These interests were trade and commerce. The Romans created the Decapolis for a united protection against the people groups who lived around them. Traders came from several countries. Levi collected the taxes/tolls as people crossed the Jordan River into Galilee.

Why did the Jews consider tax collectors unclean and among the biggest sinners? They believed tax collectors notoriously charged more in taxes than the Roman government required. The tax collectors kept the difference for themselves. Most became rich. Because the tax collectors worked for the Romans, the Jews considered them to be part of the Roman empire, the empire who ruled over them. Added to this, the tax collectors crossed paths continually with Gentiles. This made the tax collectors ritually unclean according to Jewish law. (Note: In Matthew 9:9, the gospel writer called this tax collector Matthew. Levi is the man’s Hebrew name. Matthew is his Greek name.)

Notice the verbs in this verse. “Passed” is past continuous. He walked and passed by people then and kept on walking and passing them. Until He noticed Levi. The verbs “saw,” “said,” “got up,” and “followed” are past tense verbs. Jesus pointedly saw, stopped, and spoke to Levi. He did not pass by him, but focused on him. To Levi, upon whom He focused, Jesus commanded he follow Him. This command required action, either obedience by following Him or disobedience by stubbornly ignoring Him.

Jesus’ commands had authority. He preached, taught, cast out demons, and healed people with authority and power. Many people observed those instances. Other than Zebedee and the hired fishermen, Mark noted no other people witnessed Jesus commanding Simon, Andrew, James, and John to follow Him. This time, a crowd of people saw Jesus focus on Levi and command that he follow Him. Like Levi, Jesus’ power and authority drew the other four men to follow Him.

Mark chronicled Levi’s actions. He wrote about Jesus calling Levi into unity with Himself as His disciple. For the Jews, this was inconceivable and could not happen. They might have wondered why an authority on Jewish scripture would speak to, live with, eat with, and travel with an unclean person, a sinner. Jesus often spoke to, ate with, traveled with, and lived with people Jewish religious leaders considered unclean. The leaders demeaned these people. They considered unclean people like lepers, sick, beggars, tax collectors, and others. Mark disclosed Jesus gave grace to a tax collector in these verses.

Who can receive such love and mercy from God without responding to Him with love? Levi’s love showed through his obedience to Jesus. He got up and followed Him. Notice, Jesus took the initiative and called to Levi. Levi had to choose to answer or ignore His call. Mark did not mention Levi asking for Jesus’ forgiveness and inclusion as His disciple. He did not write of Levi repenting. Still, Levi’s life showed a changed mind and direction. Jesus’ action resulted in a positive reaction from Levi.

Jews and Romans looked down on tax collectors. Levi experienced this contempt while he earned a good wage. Yet, he walked away from everything he knew to follow Jesus, just like Simeon, Andrew, James, and John. Levi did not know if the other four disciples would look down on him. Did the four men despise Levi or accept him as Jesus did, sins and all? Do we make a complete break with our old life when we decide to believe in and follow Jesus? Jesus calls to each person. We each choose, like these five men, if we will hear Him and obey.

Physician

¹⁵And it happened that He was reclining at the table in his (Levi’s) house, and many tax collectors and sinners were dining with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many of them, and they were following Him. ¹⁶When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, “Why is He eating with tax collectors and sinners?” ¹⁷And hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:15-17 [NASB])

Jesus often ate with people. Readers should recognize with whom He ate. The first time Mark records Jesus eating was when He walked to Simon’s house and found his mother-in-law sick with a high fever. The four men with Jesus and the mother-in-law had not yet expressed faith in Jesus as the Messiah. He had not told them who He is. By this reasoning, these five people were not clean from sins, as God defines it. In that regard, they were akin to Levi. Though the Jews considered Levi ritually unclean and not the five people in Simon’s home, they each were spiritually unclean and needed cleansing daily for their sins.

To pointedly show the religious leaders who Jesus considered unclean, He ate with Levi and other tax collectors and sinners. Jesus did not consider these people or any others too sinful to be near Him. Rather, He considered them sinful and desired to make them clean, no matter the cost He would pay. John 3:16-17 expresses this great love of God.

For the Jews, only by refraining from their actions and making amends with God, through giving the right sacrifices, could make a person clean of sins. They knew no other way. Yet, they did not pity the ones ritually cast away from submissive Jewish citizens. For them, these unclean people, with whom Jesus ate, were grossly immoral because they did not follow the laws and traditions of the elders as strictly as the religious leaders liked. The Pharisees considered the people who associated with these unclean people as unclean, too. Yet, as noted when He healed the leper, then touched him, Jesus did not become unclean and sick. He knew He could not become unclean. Healing the leper proved Jesus is inherently clean. That means He is Deity, God.

With these people, at that right time, Jesus ate. Eating and associating with sinners did not end with this one meal. Jesus continued eating with sinners. In this passage, Mark used past continuous verbs: was dining, was reclining, were dining, and were following. Jesus and people started eating together then. He has continued to be with people and they with Him until now and into eternity. In current lingo, people break bread with each other. Jesus broke bread with people where He walked. He is the living bread for all who believe in Him. In His ministry on Earth, Jesus continued to associate with sinners, and they continued to invite Him for meals. They wanted to associate with Jesus, the teacher. After His death and resurrection, Jesus became the broken bread, the sacrifice for our sins. As such, He is the Living Bread (John 6:51).

Are we like the Jewish religious leaders who judged and persecuted people unlike themselves? Do we shun the sick, lowly, and sinners? Jesus calls each of us to follow Him, to become His disciples. This means we must associate with people who are unlike us, so we can share the gospel and they receive salvation through belief in Jesus.

With verse sixteen, Mark recorded the first time the scribes of the Pharisees outwardly challenged Jesus - His actions and His teaching. Mark recorded these religious leaders asking Jesus’ disciples, “Why is He eating with tax collectors and sinners?” To Jesus, eating with the tax collectors and sinners was no less than eating with devout Jews. Jesus knew these people, all people, sin and fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23).

Mark made sure readers understand clearly. He said, “The scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners…” The religious leaders were devout men. They dedicated themselves to honor God by faithfully keeping the Jewish laws. The problem was they became prideful. The religious leaders became lost in the law's minutia. These laws became obstacles to spiritual growth and distracted them from the law's main purpose. God gave the Laws to lead people to Himself, not to over-inflate self-worth.

“Was eating” is a past continuous verb. It means it occurred then and kept on occurring. The challenge and persecution of Jesus by the religious leaders did not deter Him from associating with unclean people. To the religious leaders, what a person put into him or herself is what contaminated the person and made him or her unclean. Jesus taught in Mark 7:15 that what came from the person’s heart made him or her unclean, a sinner. People cannot make themselves spiritually or ritually clean. Nothing in a person’s being is strong enough to keep him or her from falling into temptation. Jesus came to Earth to preach and teach about Who can make a person truly clean and how He would make it possible. The religious leaders’ adverse reaction to Jesus eating with unclean people should cause us to ask ourselves a question. Would a challenge to our belief in Jesus cause us to stop doing something?

Jesus did not endorse the sins of the tax collectors and other sinners with whom He ate that day. He did not ignore the sins of the religious leaders either. Jesus recognized each person there was a sinner. With His reply in verse seventeen, Jesus explained in a veiled way that each person is a sinner. Until a person recognizes that, they do not recognize a need for a savior. Jesus challenged these religious leaders at their level of concern by His actions. They wondered if this carpenter’s son turned authoritative and powerful teacher did not care for holiness and Torah law. The religious leaders may have questioned in their minds, “Did not Jesus realize the poor example He set by His association with those sinners?” They might have wondered, “Would not Jesus' actions contribute to the moral decay of Israel?” Their question of Jesus included the above conjectured questions. They asked His disciples, “Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

Does Jesus’ life, teaching, authority, power, and divinity challenge us Christians today in their inviting people to church and not watering down His message? Do our attempts at being correct in all the little bits of God’s Word cause us to miss what God intends? Do we forget the important part, that daily each of us needs a savior?

Jesus replied to the scribes’ question in verse seventeen. He said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Look at the verbs in this statement—hearing, told, is not healthy, need, have not come. “On hearing” is a present participle that forms continuous tenses. Jesus would hear and keep on hearing. He would tell and keep on telling all who would listen to Him. Jesus told the scribes without hesitation His reply to their question. They could not doubt He directly replied to them. Those who recognize they are sick and needy are the ones who recognize their condition, that they need a physician. They are for whom Jesus came to heal, cleanse, and reunite with the Father. For these people, sick sinners, Jesus said, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” This verb indicates a link between the present and the past. God wants to wash all sins away, including the consciousness of and guilt from it (Hebrews 9-10)

Jesus used a metaphor in this verse. He used the terms to which the scribes willingly would connect. He equated the sick with sinners and the healthy with righteous people, made so by their belief in Him as the Savior sent by God. This made the physician the metaphor for God. Jesus said in metaphor, which scribes would understand, that He is divinity and makes people holy by providing the sufficient sin sacrifice for each person who believes in Him. He would make the ones sick with sin, healthy with righteousness. Jesus came to cleanse each person who trusts in Him. A doctor who refused to go to sick people is useless. He cannot serve anyone that way. Jesus came to serve the people who recognize they need Him. People who recognize their sins are more apt to recognize their need for Jesus and welcome His ministry.

Jewish religious leaders criticized the early Christian church for not living with high standards. They took in anyone. Christ does not leave people as sinful and with no hope. He transforms them with His love, forgiveness, and salvation. Christians should love the unlovely and encouraging them to continue growing into more Christlikeness. To do that, the Christian church must eat with sinners and associate with them, like Jesus’ example to us in this passage. How else would the unsaved come to know Jesus and His love unless He ministers through us?

Application and Conclusion

Jesus came to call and save sinners. Unless God shows them their sins or they are already in despair because of them, how will they recognize their need and His plan of redemption and healing? When a person thinks he or she is righteous, that deters him or her from accepting Jesus as his or her Savior. Paul said in Romans 3:10, “None is righteous, not even one.” The psalmist said the same thing in Psalm 14:1, 53:1, & 143:2. John said that if we say we have no sins, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8) The religious leaders were unable to see their unrighteousness because of their vanity and overlooking the minutia of the law and intent of God. They did not see that the law did not save, but only reminded people of God and their sins. Paul said, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Each person alive faces temptation and sometimes sins. No one is immune except for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, because they are inherently holy. Their being defines holy and from where the word originates. Job 14:4 says no one can make something clean (righteous) when he or she is unclean (unrighteous). Job said he recognized humanity’s unrighteousness in Job 15:14 & 16.

Jesus did not explain fully in Mark 2:14-17 why and how a person is unclean like He did in Mark 7:15. Instead, He pointed to His purpose - to call sinners and to go to other cities, towns, and villages so more people would learn about the gospel. By confronting the scribes, He led them to ponder and decide if they were sick or healthy and if He was the Messiah or just a carpenter’s son. The leaders would have quickly cast-off what Jesus said except that He compared the sick to sinners and the healthy to the righteous. These religious leaders had to confront who they really were. Did what Jesus said apply to them?

Maybe the leaders took offense at what Jesus said. Mark does not record their rebuttal. The readers perceive only silence from them in this gospel writing. But internally, the religious leaders may have pointed to the people who obviously were unrighteous. How easy can a person point his or her finger at someone to cast doubt away from their own sins? This episode of Jesus eating with the sinners and the scribes confronting Him would become the foundation upon which they later heard of Jesus’ teachings. Just as someone must plant a seed, water it, weed around the plant, and give it sunlight to grow, Jesus planted a seed in the religious leaders’ hearts. Would they continue to listen to Him and let what He said cause them to grow, or would they quash it?

We live in a world of overabundant tolerance where people are less likely to criticize sin and sinners. Remembering that each of us is a sinner should cause less finger-pointing and scapegoating. Yet, the world appears more polarized. Sin fragments the people of the world. We lose unity with each other. Sin does this. We each are sinners. And we all need a Savior. Because of God’s love, Jesus died for our sins so we would not have to die the eternal death penalty, separation from God. Jesus died so we could receive forgiveness and salvation. He is our Reuniter, Teacher, and Caller: our Physician. Jesus came to reunite us with each other and with God. As Christians, our part in God’s plan is to encourage people to experience rebirth that comes from Jesus and to practice spiritual discipline. Christians are to minister to the unsaved and the saved. The Jewish religious leaders misunderstood that. They spewed venom on people like the tax collectors and Gentiles. They could not recognize their own sin because they busily cast blame on other people. This would not let them see their own sins. We often call out people’s sins to shift the spotlight from our sins.

Do we encourage Christian brothers and sisters? Do we go to the unclean and tell them of Jesus’ love and salvation for them? Are we more likely to criticize sinners rather than ourselves? Do we, as Christians, hold each other accountable to the standard Jesus set? Remember, we each are sinners and each day we need the Savior.

Jesus has not given up on you. Even when you sin each day, He does not give up on you. Do not give up on yourself or your friends and family. That is not the love of which He spoke. Jesus said the two commandments for each person are to love the Lord God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:30-31). Love does not give up on God or on other people. God does not give up on us. Instead of pointing a finger at someone, stretch out your hand and help them stand. We must continually seek God each day and help, encourage, and share the gospel with other people.

Don’t be a Pharisee; be one who truly sees.

Instead of pointing a finger at someone, stretch out your hand and help them stand.

Trust

 

The first chapter of Mark quickly introduces the readers to Jesus as the Son of God. John the Baptist baptized Jesus and God proclaimed from heaven that Jesus is His Son. At once, Jesus began teaching, healing, and casting out demons with power and authority. People in Capernaum started clamoring to be near Him to watch what He would do. The religious leaders began taking notice of Jesus. They started listening and examining Him to teach, heal, and cast out demons.

Mark's second chapter continues to show Jesus' teaching and doing miraculous things. No one has ever done what Jesus did, except as God empowered him or her being as a prophet or priest. From Mark 2, Jesus told the people He is the Son of Man. The time was right for people to know about Jesus and the plan of salvation.

Jesus’ activities up through Mark 2:12 were generally positive. People expressed amazement at what He did and glorified God. From Mark 2:13, Jesus received “push-back” from the religious leaders. They challenged Him—His power, authority, and teaching. The stories Mark records in 2:13-3:6 generally show Jesus' meeting with negative interactions. The Pharisees and Herodians challenge Jesus. The Pharisees wanted to restore the kingdom of David. The Herodians wanted to restore a Herod to the throne in Judea. These two factions determined to work jointly to kill Jesus. Even though Pharisees and Herodians were political opposites, each faction worked with the other only to persecute Jesus.

With the start of Mark chapter two, Mark used a teaching form called a chiastic structure. A chiastic structure serves to lead readers and hearers to understand the lesson by developing in a way that people understand the purpose of the writer. In the Bible, a chiasm can occur within a verse, paragraph, chapter, or book. Each repetition develops the point. Mark used a chiastic structure in Mark 2:1-3:6. The structure for this passage of verses is as follows.

A.   Healing the paralytic (2:1-12)            

B.    Calling the tax collector and eating with tax collectors and sinners

C.    Question about fasting

B’. Jesus’ defense of the disciples for a Sabbath harvest

A’. Healing the man’s withered hand. 

Parts A and A’ deal with Jesus’ healing people. Sections B, C, and B’ tell about Jesus’ teaching on eating. In A, the religious leaders did not outwardly challenge Jesus. Jesus knew what was in their hearts. He showed and taught He has authority even to forgive sins. (Note: the Jews supposed a person was sick because he or she sinned. That sickness was God’s judgment on the person for his or her sin.) With A’, the religious leaders spoke out and Jesus challenged them on their idea of the Law’s purpose. He used healing people to teach in this instance, too. In B, C, and B’, Jesus dealt with religious leaders challenging Him about disobeying the Law. They judged Him because of with whom He ate, when they ate, and why they ate. In each part of this chiasm, Jesus confronted the religious leaders on their interpretation of the Law and God’s intent of it. Jesus shows His authority is greater than that of the Jewish authorities. Mark 2:1-12 shows who Jesus is and His purpose by using one encounter recorded in twelve verses. These twelve verses retell Him healing and teaching with power and authority and His opposition and vindication. These verses tell who Jesus is, the Son of Man, just as He stated in Mark 2:10 and Daniel foretold in Daniel 7:13-14.

Gathered

¹When Jesus came back to Capernaum a few days later, it was heard that He was at home. ²And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer space, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. (Mark 2:1-2 [NASB])

Remember, near the end of Mark chapter one, Jesus told Simon, Andrew, James, and John, when they found Him praying early in the morning in a quiet place, that He must go to other places in Galilee to preach and cast out demons (Mark 1:38). In chapter two, Mark records Jesus returned home to Capernaum. Capernaum was Jesus’ second home. He considered Simon and Andrew like family.

After Jesus cast out the demons after preaching in the synagogue in Capernaum, people flocked to Him. Jesus captivated them with His power and authority in His teaching, healing, and casting out demons. They wanted to witness Him do more. Some may have considered Him to be more than a magician or an outstanding teacher. No matter why people followed Him in droves, returning home to Capernaum showed how large of a crowd sought to observe and listen to Him. Mark wrote, “And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer space, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them” (NASB).

Jesus returned home to Capernaum. A vast crowd of people waited for Jesus to talk. No room in the house or near the door remained. People peeked in the window. They climbed onto the roof to listen to Jesus. Jesus came back to Capernaum. He did what He told the four men He had to do. Jesus preached the word. He taught about the Father and His words. Jesus speaking the word was a key part of His purpose. It was central to His ministry on earth. It became central to the Church’s ministry (Acts 6:4, 8:4, & 17:11, Galatians 6:6, & Colossians 4:3). Jesus drawing a crowd to Himself enabled many people to hear Him teach. Though the crowds and work wearied Him, the message the prophets foretold unfolded before their eyes.

Into the midst of this enormous crowd, four men carried their paralyzed friend. What might these men have concluded as they considered how large a crowd sought Jesus at home? What did they want from Jesus? Why did they suppose He could help their paralyzed friend? What would they do since they could not get near enough to Jesus for Him to look at their friend? God is omnipresent, everywhere present at the same time. He can spot you wherever you are, even at the back of a crowd.

Forgiven

³And some people came, bringing to Him (Jesus) a man who was paralyzed, carried by four men. ⁴And when they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and after digging an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralyzed man was lying. ⁵And Jesus, seeing their faith, said the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:3-5 [NASB])

Mark told of the resolve the men had and what they desperately did to get their friend noticed by Jesus. Jesus noticed the four friends, too. These men accepted if Jesus saw them, He would heal their friend. With that faith, they climbed the roof because they were desperate for a solution. How long did these men ponder their dilemma before going onto the roof? Mark does not say, but he shows their faith as they went upstairs with their paralyzed friend on a pallet. This pallet, some commentators consider, was a thick, quilted mat. Others understand it was like a mattress or army pallet of cloth and two rods. Whatever it was, it would be unwieldy to lower the man through a hole in the roof.

After digging through grass, dried mud, plaster, rock, and/or wood, the four men “let the pallet down” using ropes at each corner. The paralyzed man could not move to lessen injury if the pallet lowered askew. He had to trust his friends. The paralyzed man had learned to trust them since he could not take care of himself. The paralyzed man had faith and agreed to let his friends take him before Jesus, hoping He would heal him. He must have realized that since Jesus could heal his paralysis, He could heal any injury he received if he fell off his pallet. The faith of these men in Jesus, the Healer, gave them hope.

Jesus regarded the faith of the four men and their paralyzed friend. He recognized their realization of His power and authority. These five men acknowledged Jesus could do what was necessary to heal the paralyzed friend. Jesus had more in store for them that day than they expected. After seeing the faith of these five men, He said, “Son, your sins are forgiven” (vs. 5). Jesus understood they trusted in Him. He recognized the men had more than just a head faith or an emotional feeling. The trust of these five men in Jesus showed itself by visible actions. Jesus rewarded the men’s faith that, when faced with obstacles, kept strong. Do you stand firm in your faith in Jesus when difficulties confront you? God said He would never leave or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6 & 8, 1 Chronicles 28:20, and Hebrews 13:5). Jesus reminded people of this promise. He did not leave or forsake this man and the hope his faith gave him. Jesus rewarded his faith with forgiveness. Forgiveness was more than the five men sought, but the relief it gave must have been breathtaking.

Jesus did not heal the man first. He addressed the Jews’ understanding of why a person is sick. Jews considered sickness of any kind a punishment from God for a person’s sins. Jesus addressed that idea by first telling the man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” He did not say, “I forgive your sins.” He used a passive verb to show He acted for God, like rabbis act for God, as a mediator for this man. Jesus knows each person sins. The Jews understood that, too. They offered sacrifices to God regularly to atone for their sins. Jesus did not say He healed the man. He offered the man what he needed most: forgiveness. Forgiveness did not cure the man of his paralysis. The people recognized this.

The five men wanted to be in front of Jesus. Obstacles did not keep them from Him. Jesus saw each of these men. He recognized them and rewarded their faith in Him. Though they had not sought forgiveness, when the paralyzed man received it, he undoubtedly felt relieved. The paralyzed man might have thought, “Jesus knew what I needed most.” Regarding the religious leaders, Jesus raised two issues. By what authority does Jesus forgive sins? What is the relationship between sin and sickness?

Restored

⁶But some of the scribes were sitting there and thinking it over in their hearts. ⁷Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins except God alone? ⁸Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were thinking that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you thinking about these things in your heart? ⁹Which is easier, to say to the paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk?’ ¹⁰But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” He said to the paralyzed man, “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet, and go home.” And he (the once-paralyzed man) got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God saying, “We have never seen anything like this!” (Mark 2:6-10 [NASB])

The scribes of the synagogues dedicated their lives to copy the Torah. They taught at the synagogues what they had learned from rabbis’ teaching. The scribes watched Jesus heal and forgive the paralyzed man. They contemplated what the five men did and what Jesus said to the paralyzed man because. They considered how He taught like one with authority. The scribes might have thought in their hearts, “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming!” (vs. 6) They considered and wondered if what Jesus taught was in the Law? Was it a fabricated teaching? Teaching fabricated ideas, as if they are from God, is blasphemy. Should the scribes trust what Jesus said? Should they challenge Him and report Him to the rabbis?

The scribes’ prime consideration for these questions was, “Who can forgive sins except God alone?” (vs. 7) They did not recognize Jesus as the Son of God yet. For Jesus to forgive a person of his or her sins meant the person did not need the Law to receive God’s forgiveness. Sinners did not need priests as their mediator. This meant they would not be offering a sacrifice at the temple for their sins. That would decrease the priests’ allotment of food for themselves and their families. Under the laws, God allowed only priests to be intermediaries and only God can forgive sins. God ordained them to fulfill the rituals of atonement, not anyone else. That means they saw Jesus as assuming God’s position of forgiving sins and assuming their positions as intermediaries between people and God. Thus, they judged Jesus guilty of blaspheming for assuming He is God. The Torah teaches the judgement of any person who blasphemes is death (Leviticus 24:10-23).

Jesus was aware of the scribes’ reflections. As part of the Godhead, He knows all things. Jesus realized the scribes did not look positively at Jesus forgiving a man for his sins. He knew they considered Him to be blaspheming. Instead of the scribes speaking out and challenging Him, Jesus challenged them about their deliberations. Because Jesus understood their thoughts, He proved to them He is God, though they did not want to admit it. What does God detect when He searches your heart? Doubt, fear, or trust?

How did Jesus confront these scribes? He said in verse nine, “Which is easier, to say to the paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or to say, ‘Get up, pick up your pallet, and walk?’” Which is physically easier to say of these two statements? The first statement has six syllables, and the second has nine syllables. The first statement is easier to pronounce. Since Jews concluded sins cause sickness, if a person got well, that meant God had forgiven the person’s sins.

Mark wrote what Jesus said in verse ten. Jesus said, “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” Jesus realized the people wanted visible proof of Jesus’ authority to forgive sins. With Jesus’ question, He offered a way to prove His authority. Jesus healed the man to authenticate what these people could not verify by sight — forgiveness. People cannot see forgiveness, but they can see when a person is well. Even though saying “Your sins are forgiven” is easier, Jesus knew He would confirm Himself as the Messiah by healing the man. The people would see the healed man and know God forgave Him. Jesus, as God’s mediator, would prove to the scribes and other people He is who He says He is, the Son of Man.

Jesus used the Son of Man title fourteen times in Mark’s gospel. Daniel 7:13-14 is where this title first occurs in the Bible. In these verses, God gives the Son of Man eternal dominion, honor, and a kingdom. The “Son of Man” does not have the military connotations the title “Messiah” has. The Jews expected the Messiah to be the victor, who delivers them from Roman rule and reestablishes the kingdom of David. If the scribes had understood Jesus used this title, “Son of Man,” as Messianic, they would have understood Jesus’ purpose earlier. But the scribes misunderstood its meaning as Jesus used it. Do we have the right idea of who the Messiah is? Do we want Him just to be our hero? Are we expecting Him to be like the Son of Man, about whom Daniel prophesied?

With this title attributed to Himself, Jesus proclaimed in verse eleven, “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet, and go home.” He declared His authority to the scribes and the people by ordering the paralytic to do these three things. Notice Jesus did not discuss His command with the paralytic’s four friends. The faith was the paralytic man’s own. He himself had to accept the authority Jesus has over sin and illness. This man had to trust in Jesus to enable him to arise. He had to act on this belief by picking up his pallet and going home, too. The paralytic man’s mental belief showed in his outward actions.

With the healing of the once-paralytic man, Jesus showed His divinity. He can powerfully and authoritatively forgive sins and heal. Jesus showed who He is by His power and authority. The people were “amazed,” Mark said in verse twelve. They glorified God.

The scribes did not express amazement, according to Mark’s retelling. They realized Jesus’ success came at their expense. The scribes and other religious leaders had lots to lose if Jesus is who He said He is. He would become the mediator and high priest for the Jews and others who believed in Him. Jesus, being the Messiah, would make the priests and sacrifices redundant. The priests would lose their income and their status in the community.

In Mark 1:32-34, Mark stated an entire city gathered to see Jesus heal the sick and cast out demons. This time, they saw the declaration of forgiveness by Jesus. They listened to His grand declaration of His right to do it. Jesus, Mark wrote, has the power to forgive sins, to heal, to cast out demons, and to preach and teach.

5 people’s faith took the man to Jesus.

1 man’s faith accepted health and forgiveness.

Everyone glorified God and exclaimed.

Application and Conclusion

We may not be sick now, but we have been. We may not have demons, but we could have in the future. We might not trust in Jesus, but we can. People came to see Jesus for themselves, to listen to what He taught, and to watch as He healed and cast out demons. Until this moment in Mark, people had not seen Jesus authoritatively forgive sins as if He is God. They glorified God because they saw Jesus heal a man and forgive him. Does your faith cause everyone around you to be amazed and to glorify God because of what He did?

We come to the point the Jews faced that day. Will we believe in Jesus? The four men considered Jesus could heal their paralyzed friend. The people accepted for themselves that the stories they had heard about Jesus. The scribes were curious. They later felt fear-fear He would take away their way of life and fear He would lead the Jews astray. The religious leaders were the keepers of God’s word and the way to go before God from a distance. Each of these people encountered Jesus from hearing about Him, seeing Him, and some, by believing in Him as the Son of Man. Each of us today encounters Jesus through reading this Bible study, reading the Bible, hearing about Jesus, and seeing miraculous healing. We face Jesus in our minds, hearts, bodies, and spirits. Jesus speaks to our spirits before and after we have professed faith in Him for salvation.

Today, you can hear about and come to have faith in Jesus through watching a church service on television, on the internet, or in person. You have the chance to meet Him on your own by reading your Bible and by praying. The four friends had faith in Jesus to heal their paralytic friend. It was the paralytic’s faith in Jesus that healed and forgave him. Today is your day to decide who Jesus is for you. Is He the Son of Man, the One who has dominion, power, and glory, as Daniel declared? Will you believe in Jesus by faith that Jesus is the Son of God who came to be your mediator and forgiver of your sins so you can be in God’s presence now and forever?

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not a result of works so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 [NASB])

For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. (Romans 3:28 [ESV])

And to the one who does not work but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness. (Romans 4:5 [ESV])

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1 [ESV])

Being forgiven and saved from the judgment you deserve because of your sins comes by faith in Jesus. Nothing you can do will earn salvation. Just faith.

Nevertheless, knowing that a person is not justified by works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the Law; since by works of the Law, no flesh will be justified. (Galatians 2:16 [NASB])

 

Willing

 

The first thirty-nine verses of Mark chapter one, introduces the reader to Jesus, who He is, what He said, and what He did at the start of His ministry. Mark’s intent in writing this gospel was to show Jesus is who He said by showing His ministry. After His baptism by John the Baptist and God’s proclamation that Jesus is His Son, Jesus walked to and stayed in the wilderness for forty days without food or drink, and He did not succumb to Satan’s temptations.

Upon exiting His wilderness experience, Jesus walked to the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee and called four fishermen–Simon, Andrew, James, and John–to follow Him. The men immediately left their boats and walked with Him. Jesus and the four men walked to the synagogue in Capernaum, Galilee. He stood in the synagogue and taught from God’s word with power and authority, then cast evil spirits out of a possessed man. The people began talking among themselves with amazement. Afterwards, Jesus walked with Simon and Andrew to their home. Simon told Jesus about his mother-in-law being sick in bed with a fever. Jesus walked to her, helped her sit up, and willed her to be well. He helped her to her feet, and she began serving the men. When the Sabbath ended, the people brought to Jesus those who were ill and demon possessed. Mark said, “The whole city had gathered at the door. And He (Jesus) healed many who were ill with various diseases and cast out many demons” (Mark 1:33-34 [NASB]). People commented throughout Jesus’ actions about His power and authority.

After these activities, Jesus retreated to a quiet place early in the morning to pray. Simon and others searched earnestly for Him. When they found Jesus, Simon told Him everyone was looking for Him. Jesus told Simon and his companions they must go with Him to towns nearby so He could preach there, too. In these four verses (Mark 1:35-38), Jesus modeled and explained ministry for these people. Ministering includes praying to God and proclaiming the gospel. Jesus then took them into synagogues throughout Galilee, preaching and casting out demons.

Compassion

⁴⁰And a man with leprosy came to Jesus, imploring Him and kneeling down, and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” ⁴¹Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out with His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” ⁴²And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. (Mark 1:40-42 [NASB])

While in a district in Galilee, a man with leprosy approached Jesus. This man understood the law forbade him from entering the city walls because of his disease. He knew the law forbade him to approach a clean person, a person who was not an outcast because of illness or demon possession. This leper learned about Jesus’ miracles. He wanted Him to cure him, too. Perhaps he had listened to the religious leaders teaching that God judges sinners with infirmities. We do not know what this leper knew and understood. He wanted to go to the temple to worship God. The leper wanted to be around other people. He did not want to be an outcast.

This leper listened to people talk about Jesus and risked further shunning by approaching Him, a non-outcast, a clean person. He begged. This man used the most humbling way to approach a person for a favor. He kneeled before Jesus. He lowered himself physically and in status before Jesus begging Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean” (vs. 40). After hearing about the people Jesus healed and the demons He cast out, he believed Jesus could heal him. The leper recognized Jesus as being greater than himself and risked shunning to implore Him for favor, grace.

The leper stated Jesus had the power to heal him when he said if He “willed.” When Jesus willed something, He gave His best offer. He was disposed-chose-to do something. When Jesus died on the cross, He gave His absolute best offer-salvation and eternal life. This leper did not realize Jesus had that ability, but he trusted Jesus could heal him and stated that fact in this verse. “If You are willing.” The leper begged Jesus to give His best offer that he had noted from overheard conversations–healing that made him ceremonially and socially clean. His curing would make him clean. This man desired for the people to accept him.

Jesus disposed Himself toward this man. He listened to the man and acted upon it. Mark said, “Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out with His hand and touched him, and said to him, ‘I am willing; be cleansed’” (vs 41). Jesus willed-desired-to give His best offer to this man. He desired the leper to receive ceremonial cleansing. Jesus used the same word the leper did when he asked for cleansing. The leper wanted ceremonial and social cleansing. He wanted to be in the city and the synagogue. Jesus proved to the leper, the watchers, and the later-hearers He is able and willing to heal and cleanse people. Jesus can do more than that, as Mark tells later in His gospel, but the time was not right yet. At the right time, Jesus would declare His purpose on earth.

Another factor to consider in this meeting with the leper is Jesus touched him. Jesus risked getting leprosy by touching Him, but He did not contract it. If Jesus had contracted leprosy, the priest would have proclaimed Him an outcast, too. This would have made Jesus unable to go to the areas in which the people lived. Jesus did not become infected with it. He, a clean man, touched an unclean one and made him clean, while Himself not becoming unclean. If the leaders considered this action in depth, they would have realized only a truly “clean” person can make another clean. Only a person who is absolutely clean can make another person clean. If the religious leaders dived deeper into their theology, they would remember their belief that God gives disease and death to those who sin against Him. By making this leper clean, Jesus’ actions said He forgave the leper and He Himself is God. Only God could forgive sins. The religious leaders had not pondered Jesus’ actions and teachings deeply yet. Soon, Jesus’ ministry would encounter negative reactions.

Again, Mark used one of his favorite adverbs. He wrote the word “immediately.” He wrote in such a way that it appeared Jesus rapidly encountered and interceded with power and authority for people one after another. In verse forty-two, Mark wrote, “And at once, the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.” Jesus willed the man to be well, and he was. He did not instruct the man to make a wish or do anything before he received healing. Jesus willed it and it occurred. Immediately, the leprosy left him. At once, the man became clean. Jesus willed, reached out, and touched. He did everything necessary for the man to be healed/cleansed. The man did nothing to receive healing other than approach Jesus, the One whom he trusted could heal him.

Command

⁴³And He sternly warned him and immediately sent him away, ⁴⁴and He said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” ⁴⁵But he went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the news around, to such an extent that Jesus could no longer publicly enter a city but stayed out in unpopulated areas; and they were coming to Him from everywhere. (Mark 1:43-45 [NASB])

Once again, Mark used his favorite adverb, immediately. Mark pushed along the gospel about Jesus. He made it look as if no time elapsed between when Jesus healed the leper and when He sent him on his way with a stern command. With a strong warning, Jesus sent the once-leper away. What was the firm/stern warning Jesus gave the man? He commanded him not to tell anyone what happened, that Jesus healed him. Instead, Jesus firmly told him to show himself to the priest and give the offering Moses wrote in the Pentateuch. Notice Jesus willed the man to be well and touched him. He had compassion for the former leper. Now Jesus commanded the man what to do next, show himself to the priest. The man did nothing to be well and clean. He had to go to the priest for his declaration of cleanness. This once-leprous man had to give the offering, which Moses wrote about, at the synagogue. With his cleansing, the former leper had obligations in the world. Jesus had compassion and commanded.

Why did Jesus not want the man to tell people about Him? Why did He tell him first to go straight to the priest? Perhaps, Jesus did not want the leper to tell people because then they would constantly want Him to do miracles. Possibly, Jesus might not have wanted people to know He is the Messiah yet. Their expectation of the Messiah was as a political deliverer, a warrior king who would throw the Romans out of Israel. What Mark emphasizes in his gospel is that at the right time, Jesus would fulfill the requirements for the salvation of humanity. Jesus commanded this clean man to tell nobody. The time was not right yet.

Jesus commanded the clean man not to tell anyone but to go straight to the priest and give the offering required according to Moses’ command. This man trusted in Jesus and received the healing He willed for him. Yet, he did not obey His command. The once-leper walked and proclaimed his experience with Jesus freely and openly so that the news spread (vs. 45). Why did Mark highlight this part of the man’s story? Because by proclaiming about Jesus, it made it harder for Jesus to speak in populated places and have relative anonymity. He could not enter a city publicly, but had to stay in sparsely populated areas. Yet, what God planned, no human can stop. People from everywhere sought Jesus. Later in his Gospel, Mark will recall the 4000 and 5000 people who followed Jesus out of the city. They would need food because they were so far away from their money and a source of food.

The once-leprous man was now ceremonially and socially clean, but he did not obey Jesus’ command. He finally arrived, in his own time, at the synagogue to show himself to the priest and offer the sacrifices. The first part of Jesus’ directions. Showing himself to the priest and giving an offering were to be the first public testimonies of his cleanness. Instead, his first offering was to disobey Jesus. It was lip service, not heart service. It might have hindered more people from learning about Jesus. Humanity cannot thwart God’s plans, though. Jesus’ fame grew, and people sought Him.

Application and Conclusion

Mark’s telling about the leprous man Jesus healed is more than about what Jesus can do. Any time a person encounters another, a reaction happens. A person may say, “Hello,” in passing. The recipient of the greeting may respond similarly. If the person does not respond vocally to the first person, the lack of response is the person’s reaction to the greeting. People react with action or inaction.

In this retelling of Jesus healing the leper, Mark noted for readers who did which actions. He began and ended with the leper’s actions. Most actions, though, were in the story’s body. At the start, the man kneeled before and begged Jesus to make him clean. In the end, that man disobeyed Jesus and told people about his healing before going to the priest as commanded. Jesus’ compassion moved Him to will the man’s healing, so He touched him and cleansed him. As the recipient of Jesus’ favor because of his acknowledgment of His compassion and power to heal, Jesus commanded the man not to tell people about Him. Instead, He commanded the man to go to the priest and then offer the sacrifices required in the Old Testament. These would show his ceremonial and social cleanness.

Jesus’ reaction to the man’s entreaty and humility was compassion and action that showed His love. The leper’s reaction to Jesus’ compassion and command was disobedience and personal satisfaction. The man could legally be among people at last. He wanted that more than he wanted to obey the One he recognized as greater, Jesus. This once-leprous man did what he wanted before he did what Jesus commanded. Jesus did not need the man to show himself to the priest before He healed the leper. He healed him out of compassion, with no strings attached.

Jesus comes to each of us with no strings attached. He did everything necessary for each person to receive salvation from the judgment his or her sins deserve. We do not have to do anything except believe in Him as God’s Son, our Savior, and confess and repent of our sins. If you have done that, have you followed the command He gave to each of His disciples? Jesus said, the greatest commandment is to love the Lord, God, with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. The second is to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:36-40). In neither of these is a person to exalt self above God nor the neighbor. The desires of oneself are not greater than Jesus’ commands. The command to love our neighbors includes proclaiming about Jesus and the salvation He gives to each person who believes. Proclaim about God’s love for each person. Follow Jesus’ model for ministry. Have compassion on people, your neighbors. Tell them about Him.

If you refuse to obey Jesus’ commands, how much must you hate your neighbors that you do not tell them about Jesus and salvation? What caused that hate or disdain toward them? Is it because you love yourself more than them and more than God? Yes, that precisely is what causes that reaction to Jesus. The choice not to obey what Jesus commands, even though not overtly stated by you, is a reaction to His command. Disobedience by omission is disobedience, outright defiance. These reactions to Jesus are self-satisfaction, not obedience.

Jesus gives several imperatives in the Bible. To unbelievers and Christians, He says, “Come to Me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). What keeps you from accepting His rest? Jesus told the men who would become His disciples, “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of people” (Matthew 4:19). If you follow Jesus, then refuse to do as He commands that disobedience is your reaction to Jesus’ call. If you recognize Jesus’ call to follow Him, but ignore it and go your own way, you are reacting to His imperative by going the other way.

With each encounter in life, we have the choice to engage positively, negatively, or completely ignore the encounter. The leper engaged with Jesus. He humbled himself and begged for mercy. Jesus had compassion for Him and healed him. He reacted to the man’s plight and plea positively. The healed leper reacted to Jesus with joy and immediately disobeyed the One whom he sought. This leper was like many people throughout history and into the endless future. He overtly disobeyed Jesus’ command. The leper was like Judas Iscariot. Alternatively, people who listen to others speak about Jesus but choose not to engage with Him shun His compassion. Their reaction is inaction to Jesus’ call. These people are like the priests who learned about or who listened to Jesus for themselves but ignored and persecuted Him.

Whether a person believes, then rebels, or chooses not to believe after hearing about Jesus, ignoring Jesus for self-satisfaction is the cause. Where are you in life? Who are you in this story of the leper? Are you the leper who sought Jesus, received His healing, then disobeyed Him? Are you the people who heard about what Jesus did for the leper, but did not believe in Him?

Today, since you have gotten this far in the lesson, these two questions affect you. You have heard about Jesus. Will you believe in Him for salvation, then continue to choose to live for your own satisfaction, in rebellion to Him? Will you push Him away and disobey because you wish to do something besides what He commanded you? Jesus wills for us to receive His salvation that He freely gives. He wants to have an eternal relationship with us.

Come to Me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28 [NASB])

God is everywhere. We cannot go anywhere that He will not see us and know what we are doing and thinking. If you think by turning your back on God, you get away from Him, that is not accurate. He will keep making the offer of the salvation Jesus made possible for every person who believes in Him. He desires for you to be saved from your sins, the judgment of your sins, and an eternal separation in Hell away from Him.

Will you believe in Jesus?

Will you accept the salvation He offers you?

Will you obey Him no matter the cost?

What are you willing to do now that you have heard about Jesus?

⁷Where can I go from Your Spirit?

Or where can I flee from Your presence?

⁸If I ascend to heaven, You are there;

If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.

⁹If I take up the wings of the dawn,

If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,

¹⁰Even there, Your hand will lead me,

And Your right hand will take hold of me.

(Psalm 139 7-10 [NASB])