The Gospel of Mark Part 5
The Gospel of Mark • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 1 viewNotes
Transcript
I. FAITH
I. FAITH
1 And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. 2 Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them.
So Jesus makes His preaching circuit all the way back to Capernaum where He started.
Jesus’ notoriety has only grown, especially since the cleansing of the leper, who broadcasted the event far and wide. (notice that the people gathered “immediately”)
Everyone wants to see and to hear Jesus not only because of the healings, but also because of His teaching with authority.
The crowd has filled the house and spilled out onto the street, so that there is no way to get into the door.
note: “the house” is probably in reference to Peter’s house since that is the dwelling mentioned in the previous chapter.
But Jesus continues with His mission, in obedience to the Father and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
3 Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. 4 And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.
So first of all, the “they” here is probably Jesus’ disciples or some of the people in the crowd.
They had encountered this group of four carrying the paralytic and were trying to get him to Jesus
In order to access the roof, they would have used a staircase that was located on the side or back of the dwelling which led up to the flat roof.
The roof would have been made of wooden beams that had tiles, straw, and mud patches between them to keep rain out.
It was through this dried mud and tile structure that the four friends dug in order to get their friend to Jesus! Imagine being in the house below and all of a sudden there is dust and dirt raining down on your head!…light breaking through…and next a man slowly lowers down on a mat, right in front of Jesus!
Now we see an act of true faith.
This group of friends had come to believe that Jesus could heal.
The four friends and the paralytic fully expected that he would walk out - how else were they expecting to get him home?
They had lowered him, but how were they going to get him back up through the roof if they were doubting the possibility of Jesus healing him?
They had seen it and heard it and now they, too, believed in Jesus had the power to heal.
He had satisfied their longings. And the account that follows is exactly what they expected to happen.
They were not going to wait until the crowd dispersed, they were not going to try a doctor or anything else, they were not going to miss their chance to meet with Jesus. It was Jesus or nothing else.
What is the heart of the gospel?
The Heart of the Gospel: The good news of God’s grace, accessed by faith.
The Heart of the Gospel: The good news of God’s grace, accessed by faith.
II. FORGIVENESS
II. FORGIVENESS
5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”
Once again, they FULLY believed that Jesus would perform the healing.
First of all, we see that Jesus dealt with the paralytic’s most pressing need: his sin problem.
Very rarely did Jesus reference a person’s sins in relation to their disease, but it is very likely that Jesus begins with forgiving his sin because the paralysis was related in some way to the man’s sin.
There is some debate among scholars as some hold that the paralysis was NOT related to sin, and that Jesus was seeing the heart of a man that was heavy laden with his sins and desired forgiveness.
Jesus also called him “son” - a term of endearment and affection
Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (τέκνον)
τέκνον teknon: child, son, as a term of endearment
This is the image of God when we sin - Jesus is the express image of the Father:
Hebrews 1:3 (NKJV)
3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
We have a heavenly Father who is faithful and just to forgive - we must come to Him with confession and repentance of sin.
We must remember that this does not mean that our sin will have no consequences.
8 You answered them, O Lord our God; You were to them God-Who-Forgives, Though You took vengeance on their deeds.
There is a tension between God’s forgiveness and His justice - and we must not ever become unbalanced in our view of God’s attributes, which are also Jesus’ attributes.
6 And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
This should have been a clue to the scribes as to Jesus’ identity…the scribes were correct: only God can forgive all the sins of a person.
Jesus was, in effect, saying, “Son, you are reconciled with God. You are justified.”
If only God can forgive sin, and Jesus is forgiving sin, then who does that make Jesus? - It means He really is God!
In the Old Testament forgiveness of sins was never attributed to the Messiah. The scribes regarded such talk by this fellow (contemptuous tone) as a pretentious affront to God’s power and authority, blasphemy against God, a serious offense punishable by death from stoning (Lev. 24:15–16). In fact such a charge became the basis for a formal condemnation later (cf. Mark 14:61–64).
But that is the claim that Jesus is making!
Jesus’ deity was further shown to the scribes when He reads their minds and hearts.
8 But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’?
He exposes what each one had been thinking - only God could have known the hearts of those men, yet they continued to harden their hearts against this truth.
The scribes could not have addressed the man’s physical or spiritual needs - but Jesus addressed them both!
Jesus responded to the scribes by asking them questions.
This was a rhetorical device in Rabbinic debate.
Also notice that Jesus’ response to the scribes is “immediate”. There was no time for the scribes to have verbally expressed their thoughts. Jesus was able to state their thoughts because He is God.
So, which is easier to say? - It is easy to say, “Your sins are forgiven.” because one does not need physical proof. It is a pronouncement of an inner reality, not visible to the senses.
But to verbally speak a healing was much more difficult, humanly speaking - actually it is impossible for any ordinary human to speak to a paralytic and heal him. Only the power of God can do that.
9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, 11 “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 12 Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
What was the thesis of Jesus’ preaching ministry?
“The Kingdom of God is at hand!”
This pronouncement is directly connected to Jesus’ miracles.
Jesus is making specific truth claims, and then performing signs to show that He is legit.
This healing backs up Jesus’ claims regarding the Kingdom and His identity as Messiah and as God.
10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic,
There is some debate regarding verse 10 - the question being did Jesus speak these words?…or is Mark adding a commentary into the text to help his audience understand Jesus’ identity and purpose for healing.
So one view is that Jesus spoke the first part of verse 10 to the scribes to help them understand His identity, and then abruptly changes to address the paralytic.
This is likely the case, in my view, because it seems to fit Jesus’ desire to reach the lost souls of the religious leaders of Israel.
As much as He condemns them, I believe that Jesus’ goal is to persuade those scribes to believe! (God wants ALL people to come to Him for salvation…even the scribes)
The other view is that Mark is speaking directly to his readers so that they might understand Jesus’ identity.
11 “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 12 Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
Jesus commands him to do three things: 1. Arise 2. Pick up your bed 3. Go home.
Jesus first cares for the paralysis of the heart (sin) and then the paralysis of the body!
And Mark is careful to once again point out that the cure is IMMEDIATE!
The crowds respond with amazement and by glorifying God. (although it was likely not the case with the scribes)
This healing was unprecedented. They had not SEEN it, but they had read about such things in the Scriptures.
The OT is filled with accounts of miraculous healings and even dead people being raised to life.
Had they connected Jesus’ miracles with the ones they read about in Scripture they would have better understood just who this Jesus of Nazareth was.
III. FOLLOW ME
III. FOLLOW ME
13 Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them.
Verse 13 is another snapshot of Jesus’ ministry around the sea of Galilee.
He was moving out of the crowded house and back to the open spaces around the sea so that He could continue His teaching ministry.
The crowd comes to Him, so He taught them.
Remember, Jesus came not to be served, but to serve.
And that is exactly what He is doing here.
He took no payment for healing the paralytic.
He simply cared for his needs and then went right on serving…continuing to accomplish the mission that the Father sent Him on.
Jesus didn’t dwell on these victories…there was too much work to do, and Jesus would not be slowed down.
14 As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.
We saw the “Follow Me” of the four fisherman in chapter one, and now we see it again, this time for the tax collector named Levi.
One thing to keep in mind is that Mark is not necessarily written in a chronological way.
It could have been that as Jesus was going to the sea, on His way there to teach, that He passed Levi’s tax booth and called Him to be His disciple on the way.
Now Levi is also called Matthew in other places.
Both are Jewish names, so it could have been that Levi was his given name and Matthew his apostolic name.
Levi’s occupation as a tax collector was of no little significance!
Capernaum was a border town between the kingdoms of Philip and the Decapolis - where both entered into the territory of Antipas.
So Levi had his tax booth there as a customs tax enterprise.
But he would have been completely despised by his fellow Jews.
The Gospel according to Mark The Scandal of Grace (2:13–17)
It is not surprising that Jesus encounters tax collectors in Capernaum, a border town to neighboring Gaulanitis. The Mishnah describes tax collectors making daily rounds, “exacting payment of men with or without their consent,” or, as here, sitting at tax stands with account books open and pen in hand (m. Avot 3:16). Travelers arriving in Capernaum from the territory of Herod Philip and the Decapolis to the east and north would be taxed by agents such as Levi, who were in the service of Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee and Perea. The Roman tax system was complex and varied, even in a small country like Palestine. Land and poll taxes were collected directly by the Romans, but taxes on transported goods were contracted out to local collectors, most of whom were ethnic Jews but probably not observant Jews, since Torah-conscious Jews could not be expected to transact business with Gentiles.20 Levi was one of these middlemen (or in the service of one) who made bids in advance to collect taxes in a given area. His own profit came from what he could mulct from his constituents, and a portion of his receipts stayed in his own pockets.21 The Roman system of taxation depended on graft and greed, and it attracted enterprising individuals who were not adverse to such means.22
The Gospel according to Mark The Scandal of Grace (2:13–17)
Tax collectors were obviously despised and hated. Anyone who is familiar with “moles” and informants in Nazi and Communist regimes will have an appreciation for the loathing that first-century Jews felt for tax collectors. The Mishnah and Talmud (although written later) register scathing judgments of tax collectors, lumping them together with thieves and murderers. A Jew who collected taxes was disqualified as a judge or witness in court, expelled from the synagogue, and a cause of disgrace to his family (b. Sanh. 25b). The touch of a tax collector rendered a house unclean (m. Teh. 7:6; m. Hag. 3:6). Jews were forbidden to receive money and even alms from tax collectors since revenue from taxes was deemed robbery. Jewish contempt of tax collectors is epitomized in the ruling that Jews could lie to tax collectors with impunity
So the occupation of a tax collector was possibly worse than being a leper in the Jewish mind, as the leper didn’t choose his condition but the tax collector did.
These guys were the scum of the earth and were treated with complete disgust and contempt.
Yet this is who Jesus calls to be His disciple.
Levi had, at some point, come to believe in Jesus and was ready to be His disciple.
15 Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.
So Jesus heads over to Levi’s home for a feast.
And not only Jesus and His disciples including Levi, but also many of Levi’s friends and companions, his former associates.
Also, this is the first time that Mark makes a direct reference to Jesus’ disciples as a group. He notes that “there were many”, speaking of Jesus’ disciples.
In the Jewish culture here, to dine at someone’s home, at their table, was highly symbolic.
To eat at someone’s table was an expression of trust and fellowship.
It was to break bread with someone that you considered respectable.
This helps us to understand what happened next.
16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
Mark has mentioned the scribes before this, but now adds the Pharisees.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary 2:15–16
The Pharisees, the most influential religious party in Palestine, were deeply devoted to the Mosaic Law. They strictly regulated their lives by the supposedly binding interpretations of it passed down in oral tradition and were meticulous about maintaining ceremonial purity (cf. 7:1–5). They criticized Jesus for not being a separatist, for failing to observe their pious distinction between “the righteous” (they themselves) and “the sinners.”
Mark 2:17 (NKJV)
17 When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
Jesus responded first of all with a well-known proverb that His opponents would have known and agreed with.
The parallel phrases here are “the well” and “the righteous” - both used by Jesus to describe the Pharisees.
Also, the other parallel phrases are “sick” and “sinners”.
Of course, Jesus was getting at a deeper meaning here.
Is anyone truly “healed” without Christ?
2 But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves.
Is anyone truly “righteous” without Christ?
9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
Mark 2:17 (NKJV)
17 When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
Jesus’ statement here is a reiteration of His purpose given in Mark 10:45
45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Jesus was defending His decision to sit at table with tax collectors and sinners.
His point was that these are the people that know they need me and anyone that realizes that they need Jesus will be saved.
Jesus is the good news of God’s grace, accessed by faith.