Mark 2 - Sin is a Sickness That Leads to Death 100% of the Time!

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Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man

As Jesus made his way to Capernaum, the crowds got wind of it, and they all appeared at a home where he was teaching. There room was packed and the people were jammed in front of the door to listen to him. Four men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. When they realized they could not come in through the front door, they dug a hole in the roof and lowered the man down. 

"When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

You might ask why Jesus is talking about forgiveness, when the man needs physical healing? 

The teachers of the law were also wondering about the same thing. They started muttering to themselves, "How can he be talking about forgiving people's sins. This is blasphemy!" Jesus knew what they were thinking so he asked, "Which is easier to have the man take up his mat and walk or to forgive his sins."

Yet, Jesus knew what the man’s real need was and what his greatest need was. What good was it if the man had two whole legs and walked right into hell with them. Whenever there is a problem, almost always, sin is the real problem. Jesus got right to the problem. (Guzik)

“Forgiveness is the greatest miracle that Jesus ever performs. It meets the greatest need; it costs the greatest price; and it brings the greatest blessing and the most lasting results.” (Wiersbe)

Jesus wanted the people and the religious leaders to know not only did he have the authority to heal but also the authority to pronounce the forgiveness of sins. This is very early in his ministry where he is ascribing to himself authority that only God could have. 

In the end Jesus not only brought spiritual healing to the man, but also physically healed him. The man picked up his mat and walked at Jesus' command. The people were amazed and praised God saying, "We've never seen anything like this!"

Jesus Calls Levi and Eats With Sinners

Mark has already given the account of the call of the two sets of brothers, and now he records the call of Levi (Matthew), the tax collector. Levi was sitting at the tax collector's booth, as Jesus was walking and teaching. Jesus said to him, "Follow me". Once again in Mark it says, "Immediately Levi got up to follow Jesus." 

Apparently a short time after answering Jesus' call to follow him, Matthew held a dinner party for Jesus. And who did he invite? Unsavory characters like himself sinners and tax collectors. This illustrates an important principle of evangelism. When you reach someone outside of the church, you have a very good chance to reach their friends. This is how the church grows. Of course, we have to get out of the church to do this!

One would think the Pharisees would be happy that sinners were being reached. Nope! Instead of being happy that someone who was far from God was coming near to God, they questioned Jesus' disciples saying, "Why does this man eat with sinners and tax collectors"? 

Have you eaten dinner with any sinners or tax collectors lately?

Jesus overheard them and said, 

“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

You will notice two times now Jesus connects physical and spiritual healing. We often put a lot of emphasis on physical healing, but we don't talk as much about spiritual healing. Spiritual healing from sin and its effects. Sin is a sickness that leads to death 100% of the time. But we have a cure for this fatal disease and it is Jesus. 

Here lies the scandal – Jesus was the friend of sinners. Of course, the sinners knew this and responded to Jesus’ love and friendship: for there were many, and they followed Him.

Jesus’ answer was both simple and profound. Jesus was the physician of the soul, and it made sense for Him to be with those who were sick with sin.

Jesus is the perfect doctor to heal us of our sin.

· He is always available.

· He always makes a perfect diagnosis.

· He provides a complete cure.

· He even pays the doctor’s fee. (Guzik)

Jesus Questioned About Fasting

An important spiritual discipline in the Jewish faith was fasting. Moses fasted in the wilderness. John the Baptist and his disciples fasted. Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days fasting, before he began his public ministry. But the Pharisees, as they often did, turned fasting into legalism. Jesus responds to them in an interesting manner, 

“How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. 20 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.

This is a little confusing but what I think Jesus is saying is, "The purpose of fasting is to grow closer to God, and God is right in front of you. There will be a time when I am taken away from you, and then you can fast. But for now enjoy the focus of your fasting, because he is right in front of you!'

Jesus knew His physical, immediate presence would not always be with the disciples. When He was physically gone, it would be more appropriate to fast. (Guzik)

Jesus then makes a similarly obtuse comment. 

“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”

Jesus is referring to the old form vs. the new form. The old covenant vs the new covenant.  The old paradigm vv. the new paradigm. The law vs. the gospel. To put the old forms in the new forms would ruin the new form, just as new wine going into old wineskins is a waste of the new wine. New wine needs to go in new wine skins. The old ones are worthless. 

Because the religious leaders were so caught up in all of their old rituals, they missed the point of them. They worshipped the rituals, not the God who gave them to him. The laws God gave to Moses for Israel were a means to maintain a right relationship with Him. Jesus was bringing new wine, new life into the old form. The Pharisees were so married to their old rituals, they could not see the opportunity for new life before them. 

Jesus’ point was made clear by these examples. You can’t fit His new life into the old forms. Jesus traded fasting for feasting; sackcloth and ashes for a robe of righteousness; a spirit of heaviness for a garment of praise; mourning for joy; and law for grace. Guzik  

Jesus’ point was made clear by these examples. You can’t fit His new life into the old forms. Jesus traded fasting for feasting; sackcloth and ashes for a robe of righteousness; a spirit of heaviness for a garment of praise; mourning for joy; and law for grace.

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

The Sabbath and its accompanying laws were also a huge aspect of the Jewish life. Some have said the Sabbath was the centerpiece of the Jewish piety. But once again the Pharisees and teachers of the Law had taken something that was supposed to be life giving and killed it. 

In this case the Pharisees accused Jesus of turning a blind eye to the disciples picking heads of grain when they were walking through the field on the Sabbath. Why were they eating? They were hungry. The Pharisees tried to call him on it, but he pointed to the Old Testament scriptures when King David and his soldiers at some holy bread in the temple in the presence of the priests. 

Then, Jesus gives us the overarching purpose for why God gave the command to honor the Sabbath in the first place. God gave us the Sabbath for us not Him. You might say, 

"When I go to church, isn't that for God?"

The answer is "no", we don't go to worship for God. We go because we need to worship. We were created to worship God, and it fills the hole in our soul when we do. Yes, God commands us to do it and is pleased when we obey his command, but it is for us not for him. 

Similarly, when we don't work on the Sabbath it is for us not God. We need to take a break from work. We have all seen what happens to workaholics. Their marriages and families fall apart, and they often self-destruct. God knows we should work from our rest, not rest from our work, which is why the Sabbath is the first day of the week. 

Jesus never violated God’s command to observe the Sabbath or approved of His disciples violating God’s command to observe the Sabbath. But He often broke man’s legalistic additions to that law, and He sometimes seemed to deliberately break them. - Guzik

“Any application of the Sabbath Law which operates to the detriment of man is out of harmony with God’s purpose.” (Morgan)