1. About Healing and Forgiveness (Mark 2:1-12) 

2. About Eating and Fasting (Mark 2:15-22) 

3. About the Sabbath (Mark 2:23—3:6) 

Central Truth: Jesus confronted errors and legalism with authority. 

Focus: Consider why Jesus confronted religious leaders and avoid legalism. 

Evangelism Emphasis: Jesus not only heals, but He forgives. 

Text: “The Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath” (Mark 2:28). 

INTRODUCTION 

Jesus Christ established His authority during His earthly ministry by the life He lived and the work He did. There was a sense in which Christ inherited the title King by identifying Himself with the house of David and with the tribe of Judah in the nation of Israel. However, such connections by no means completely explain His power and authority. His authority was underived, His majesty undefinable, and His glory undeterminable on the basis of this world’s standards. 

Jesus Christ was the divinely appointed king. He introduced a new mystery into the kingship by wielding authority over unseen powers. He introduced a new mastery into kingship by dominating the spiritual material, physical, social, and moral realms. Along with this, He introduced into the world a new ministry of mercy and mediation for the needs of humankind. 

A further distinction of His supreme authority lies in the fact that it is ever-abiding. Christ knows no successor or superior, and there can never be a usurper to undermine His throne of righteousness. His credentials as a ruler are complete, His competence as a king is perfect, and His capabilities as a governor are of the highest caliber. 

However, the religious leaders of the first century questioned, maligned, and fought against Jesus’ authority. But, as we will see in today’s lesson, their efforts to hold onto religious power by exerting their self-mode legalism proved hapless against the King of kings. 

1. ABOUT HEALING AND FORGIVENESS 

A.  The Helpless Sufferer (Mark 2:1-5) 

3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was born of four. 4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. 5 When he saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. 

After several weeks of intensive evangelism, Jesus and His disciples needed rest. They returned to their headquarters in the fishing town of Capernaum. The news of His coming spread rapidly because life in Palestine was very public. An open door meant an open invitation for anyone to enter. 

When it became known that Jesus was in town, the people came. From every part of the city, the poor sufferers hobbled and crawled to Jesus’ place of rest; others were carried to Him by compassionate friends. They crowded into the courtyard and filled the narrow vestibule, and crammed the street outside the house. 

Why were the people there? Undoubtedly, many of them had hungry hearts. They were there because they needed help. Others were there because of curiosity. They saw a great throng of people and wanted to see what was happening. The critics were there also, including the scribes and doctors of the Law. They were determined to find something they could use to discredit Jesus. It was under these circumstances that a palsy-stricken man was brought to Jesus. 

The term palsy was used by ancient doctors to include catalepsy and tetanus. Some think it might have been spinal meningitis. If this was the cataleptic form of the disease, the limbs and head became immovable. The victim suffered excruciating agony when he was moved or touched. 

Mark indicates that he was carried by four men. The man was lying on a thin mattress, and each of the men held one corner and carried the sick man to Jesus. Arriving at the house where Jesus was preaching, they discovered it was impossible to get through the crowd. Being men of resourcefulness, however, they uncovered the roof and lowered the man into the presence of Jesus. 

The faith of the four men was proved by their zeal in overcoming obstacles. The sick man’s faith seems to have been especially pleasing to Jesus. It is significant that Jesus announced the forgiveness of the man’s sins rather than the healing of his disease. This was because Jesus knew sin is the fundamental problem of humankind. 

—How could Jesus “see” the four men’s faith (v. 5), and why is this important?

B. The Murmuring Scribes (Mark 2:6-7) 

6 But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, 7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?

The scribes were the official interpreters of the law of Moses and the many rules that had grown up concerning it. They were experienced and skillful debaters. They knew too much to speak without thinking. They sat in silence, staring at Christ suspiciously. In their hearts, they concluded, He is blaspheming. 

Blasphemy is any speech contrary to the honor of God. This offense was punishable by death. While Jesus had not said He could forgive sins, He had implied as much by declaring authoritatively that the palsied man’s sins were forgiven. In making this claim, He assumed a divine prerogative. 

—How were the scribes wrong in their reasoning, and how were they correct? 

C. The Powerful Healer (Mark 2:8-12) 

10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) 11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. 12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion. 

The scribes were ready to launch a public attack against Jesus; however, Jesus understood their motives. Therefore, He presented a challenge to them: “Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?” (v. 9). Undoubtedly, the reason Jesus used this approach was because this sick man was seen as a sinful man. Then, too, any charlatan could say, “Your sins are forgiven.” This kind of statement was uncheckable. However, to say, “Get up and walk” could be either proved or disproved immediately. 

In effect, Jesus was saying, “You declare that I have no right to forgive sins. You believe that if this man is sick, he is a sinner and that he cannot be cured until he is forgiven. Watch this.” Then Jesus spoke the word, and the man was healed. According to their own beliefs, the man could not be cured unless he was first forgiven. He was cured; therefore, he was forgiven. 

This experience baffled the scribes. They were legal experts, but here was an upstart making them look foolish in public. Something must be done. Eventually, something would be done. In fact, in this incident Jesus signed His death warrant. 

Taking the Throne 

Jesus is God’s future in person. That is what His healings announced. To encounter Jesus was to encounter God’s rule in human form. So Jesus went throughout Galilee, heralding that God was taking the throne. And His healing ministry pointed to that.—Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola (Jesus: A Theography) 

2.  ABOUT EATING AND FASTING 

The calling of Matthew is found in all three synoptic Gospels. Jews commonly had two names; thus, he is called Levi by Jesus in Mark 2:14. Matthew was a social outcast among the Jews. They saw him as both a sinner and one who mingled with sinners. The name Matthew means “gift of God,” hardly fitting for his trade. He worked as a tax collector around the city of Capernaum. 

The Jews hated tax collectors for more than their corruption, however. The fact that they were Jews who worked for Rome placed them in a despised class. They were seen as being on the same level as lepers, murderers, and thieves. It was not even considered wrong to lie to them. 

A. Eating With Sinners (Mark 2:15-17) 

15 And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him. 16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? 

After becoming a follower of Jesus, Matthew did not immediately cut himself off from his old acquaintances and friends. Instead, he went to great effort to introduce them to Jesus. Inviting Jesus to a banquet was the logical method of bringing them into contact with the Master. Perhaps this was a way of saying farewell to his old life. Another possibility is that this dinner occurred long after Matthew’s desire for his friends to meet Jesus was a sustained desire, and this is even more substantiated. 

The Pharisees so despised the tax collectors that without even thinking they lumped them together with “sinners.” The accusers of Jesus in this passage considered a sinner to be anyone who did not agree with every detail of their conscientious scrupulousness. 

When Jesus mingled with sinners, He never sacrificed His principles. Paul encouraged believers to take opportunities to dine with unbelievers; a means perhaps of reaching them for Christ: “If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience” (1 Cor. 10:27 NIV). 

—Respond to the religious leaders’ question in Mark 2:16. 

B.  Who Needs a Physician? (Mark 2:17) 

17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. 

      Jesus compares healing physical ailments to healing sinners of their sin. This echoes Isaiah’s prophecy about Him (Isa. 53:4-5). Peter also wrote of the Master’s dual healing touch: “‘He himself bore our sins’ in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by his wounds you have been healed’” (1 Peter 2:24 NIV). The sinful need the healing that mercy and forgiveness bring, as much as the sick need a doctor. 

The Pharisees completely miscomprehended the purpose of Christ’s mission. They had believed the Messiah would obliterate sinful people and elevate the righteous. Of course, they saw themselves in the latter role. They had little use for the One who received, forgave, and transformed the sinner while dismissing the self-righteous as hypocrites. 

—How well is your church living out Jesus’ mission focus? 

C. The Time to Fast (Mark 2:18-22) 

19 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. 

The critics were not interested in the subject of repentance; they were concerned about ceremonial technicalities. They knew little, if anything, about religion of the heart; hence, their question to Jesus about fasting. Notice how neatly, in citing John the Baptist, they sidestepped John’s message of repentance! Here, they fasten upon a ceremonial detail—fast often and pray—in which John’s followers still conformed to the orthodox pattern. 

Our Lord again reminded His critics that certain aspects of religious worship are only relatively important. Fasting and the repetition of prayers for the sake of merit are worthless. Jesus drew another pointed illustration from daily life. Is it customary, He asked, to fast at a wedding when the bridegroom is present? (Time enough for fasting after the bridegroom has gone.) The Pharisees may or may not have recognized in this question our Lord’s reference to Himself as the heavenly Bridegroom. Since Jesus was yet with His disciples, it was fitting for them to rejoice. 

Our Lord then spoke a parable, first using the common object of a garment. Does one superimpose new cloth upon an old, tattered garment? The result would only make a bad matter worse. The good news of grace was not simply a new patch imposed upon outworn or impaired religion. 

Next, Jesus appealed to the common process of wine-making. Does the vintner pour freshly made wine into old bottles or wineskins? If he did, what would happen when the new wine began to ferment? The old wineskins would burst, and both the wine and the container would be lost. New wine must be poured into new wineskins which are capable of expansion. The truth Jesus was proclaiming, like new wine, could not be confined within the old, stereotyped forms of the Pharisees. 

What Would Happen? 

What would happen in your life if you fasted and prayed like you always dreamed you should? What would happen among today’s Spirit-filled believers if we were to return to the same deep passion for God’s Spirit that gripped our forefathers? What could happen if you and I joined together in Biblical fasting?—Billy Wilson (Fasting Forward) 

3. ABOUT THE SABBATH 

A.  The Pharisees’ Question (Mark 2:23-24) 

23 And it came to pass, that he went through the cornfields on the Sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. 24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the Sabbath day that which is not lawful? 

No feature of the Jewish system was so marked as its extraordinary strictness in the outward observance of the Sabbath as a day of complete rest. The scribes had elaborated, from the command of Moses, a vast array of prohibitions and injunctions. For example, the quantity of items that might be carried on the Sabbath from one place to another was duly settled. It must be less in bulk than a dried fig; if honey, only as much as would anoint a wound; if ink, as much as would form two letters. All food must be prepared, all vessels washed, and all lights kindled before sunset. 

On this occasion, however, Jesus sanctioned two offenses against overly strict Sabbath laws. The plucking of the ears was a kind of reaping, and the rubbing was a kind of grinding or threshing. 

—Why do some religious groups impose harsh interpretations of God’s laws? 

B. The Lord’s Answer (Mark 2:25-28) 

25 And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him? 26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shew bread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? 27 And he said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath: 28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath. 

Jesus’ reply to the Pharisees’ criticism was ironic: “In all your study of the letter of the Scriptures, did you never take heed to what David did?” He reminded them that when David was fleeing from King Saul, he entered the Tabernacle and collected holy bread for himself and his hungry men, even though it was not lawful for anyone except the priests to eat it (see 1 Sam. 21:1-6; Lev. 24:5-9). Though this was probably an incident of Sabbath-breaking, Jesus used the occasion to set aside ceremonial law for a good and sufficient reason. 

Then Jesus made His great pronouncement about the use of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath; it is given to people as a privilege, not as a burden. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath—that is, “If I permit My disciples to pluck ears of grain on the Sabbath, you have no right to condemn them.” Whatever meets the Lord’s approval is right for the day. 

The Lordship of Jesus 

We have come to worship things, status, fame, popularity, money, security. Anything that comes between God and ourselves is idolatry. Jesus demands Lordship over all such things.—Billy Graham 

C. A Needy Man (Mark 3:1-6) 

1 And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.  

4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. 

Again it is the Sabbath, and again Jesus is in the synagogue, as was His custom. A man with a withered right hand enters the scene. Luke says he was a stonemason and totally unable to follow his trade. 

Again the Pharisees were present, not to worship or gain knowledge from the reading of the Scriptures, but to spy upon Jesus that they might find something upon which to base an accusation against Him. Being fully aware of the Pharisees and their motive in coming, Jesus took the initiative. In order to bring the matter into the open where everyone might clearly see the issues involved, Jesus in effect asked His enemies what He should do with the afflicted man. Would they allow Him to bestow an incalculable blessing upon him, or did they insist that he must remain as he was rather than be healed on the Sabbath day? If a man sick unto death must be left to die, when help could save his life, were they not then saying that it was lawful to kill on the Sabbath? If so, then they were making the Sabbath justify murder.  

Having pled His case, Jesus looked into the hearts of those about Him and saw only hardness. They had set themselves to denounce and condemn Him guilty of Sabbath-breaking, and nothing could turn them from that course. 

To the man with the withered hand, Christ merely said, “Stretch forth thine hand” (v. 5). The man expressed his faith in Christ by instantly obeying, and his helpless hand was restored to its normal condition. 

Disappointed, their pride humbled, and their plans to entrap Christ having failed, the Pharisees joined with the Herodians in a plot to destroy Him. Being unable to discredit Him, they now sought means for silencing Him (v. 6). Though often foiled in his schemes against Christian people and the church, Satan always returns to the assault with reinforcements and a new plan of attack. 

—How did Jesus answer His own question (vv. 4-6)? 

LOVE TRUMPS LEGALISM 

When Jesus Christ lived on earth, His enemies continually confronted Him on religious matters. In today’s lesson, we saw how they questioned His authority regarding healing, forgiveness, fasting, and the Sabbath because it threatened their legalistic interpretations of Scripture. 

Today, it is critically important that we as Christians know, believe, and obey the teachings of God’s Word. This will guard us against legalism—religious rules and regulations not found in Scripture. This will also guard us against license—selfish, unholy living that ignores the Biblical standards God has given us to live by. 

Daily Devotions:  

M.  With Him There Is Forgiveness (Psalm 130:1-8) 

T.   By His Stripes (Isaiah 53:1-5) 

W.  True Fasting (Isaiah 58:1-8) 

T.  Forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-15) 

F.  Jesus Confronts and Heals (Matthew 21:12-17) 

S.  Jesus Heals on the Sabbath (Luke 13:10-17)