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    Mark 2:1-17
    ​Lesson 66

    Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

    In this lesson:
     
    Opposition.
     
    Jesus has the power to forgive sins.
     
    Eating with sinners. 
    Study Tip:
     
    Remember to review the margin notes in blue and to click on the links.
    Who were -
     
    The Pharisees -
    One of four Jewish religious sects, along with the Sadducees, Zealots, and Essenes.  Pharisee is a Hebrew word meaning "the separated ones."  They were a legalistic party of religious leaders who avoided anything not Jewish to study and live by the Torah (the Mosaic Law).  They strictly, but often hypocritically, kept the Law of Moses and the "tradition of the elders (Matthew 15:2).  They were a dominant force in Jewish society, and all religious ceremonies, prayers, and sacrifices were performed according to their decrees.  The Pharisees believed in God, the authority of the Scriptures, the resurrection of the dead (Daniel 12:2), angels, and spirits (Acts 23:8), but they placed their own religious rules above God's.  They continually added more and more of  their own burdensome religious dictates on their followers to the point where true faith in God was lost.  They righty anticipated the Messiah's arrival but expected him to be a great military/political leader.  The Pharisees were so caught up in following the minute details of Jewish law that when Christ 
    arrived they didn't recognize Him as the Savior, even though they knew Jesus performed "many miracles" (John 11:47) and even witnessed some firsthand (Matthew 12:9-14; 21:14-15; Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11; Luke 14:2-4).  They were good at spinning the truth and finding fault in others.  They considered themselves more devout than other Jews and fasted twice a week (Luke 18:10-12), but few Pharisees were truly religious, and Jesus called them hypocrites on many occasions (Matthew 15:7-8; 22:18; 23:23-35; Luke 12:1).  Their jealousy, pride, and anger towards Jesus turned to hatred, and their hatred led them to call for the crucifixion of the very Messiah they had been waiting for.  To rid themselves of Jesus, the anti-Roman Pharisees even "took counsel with their bitter foes and pro-Roman Herodians" (Mark 3:6).  In Jesus' time, there were approximately six thousand Pharisees' in Palestine.     
    Israel during the time of Jesus. 
    Capernaum is north-west of the Sea of Galilee.

    The Gospel According to St. Mark

    The King James Bible    ​

    Mark: 2:1-17
    Jesus heals and hostility grows

    1 And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.

    2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.

    3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne 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 Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.

    6 But there was 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?

    8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?

    9 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?

    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.

    13 And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them.

    14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.

    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?

    ​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.                      ​​
    ​Margin notes: 
     
    "Again he entered into Capernaum." (2:1) - Means, Jesus returned to Capernaum.  Remember, Jesus left Capernaum to avoid the large crowds (Mark 1:45). 
     
    It was noised that he was in the house." (2:1) -  "It was reported that Jesus was in the house." 
     
    "And straightway many were gathered." (2:2) - "And immediately many people gathered."  People had come from all over to see Jesus (Luke 5:17).
     
    "One sick of the palsy, which was borne of four." (2:3) - "A paralyzed man was carried by four."
     
    "They could not come nigh unto him for the press." (2:4) - "They couldn't get near Jesus because of the press of the crowd."
      
    "They uncovered the roof." (2:4) - Many homes had outside staircases that led to flat roofs made with wooden cross beams and covered with brush and a mixture of clay.  People could sit comfortably above the noise of the house to relax and catch a cool breeze.  It would have been relatively easy for the four men to carry their paralyzed friend up the outside stairs and then make an opening in the roof to lower him down to Jesus.

    "Blasphemies." (2:7) - Blasphemy means to slander, insult (through words, thoughts, and actions), or speak irreverently of God, His authority, or grandeur.  Blasphemy isn't just a one-time mistake made in a time of spiritual uncertainty, it's an ongoing attitude of rebellion against God.  Jews considered blasphemy the worst possible sin, punishable by death (Leviticus 24:16).  The New Testament calls blasphemy the unforgivable sin (Matthew 12:31-32; Mark 3:28-29; Luke 12:10).  Unforgiveable because the sinner will never ask for forgiveness.  The ultimate blasphemy is to claim to be God, which the Pharisees falsely accused Jesus of when he forgave sins (2:5).

    "Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves." (2:8) - Jesus read their minds.

    "Arise, and take up thy bed." (2:11) - This was not the only time Jesus healed the lame (John 5:8).

    "Went forth before them all." (2:12) - Means, "Went out as they all watched."

    "We never saw it on this fashion." (2:12) - "We never saw anything like this before."  This was not the only time Jesus did something never before seen (Matthew 9:32-33).

    "The multitude resorted unto him." (2:13) - "The crowd gathered around him."

    "Levi." (2:14) - Usually called Matthew (meaning gift of God).  Matthew was born a Jew in Galilee, and as we see in this verse, he was the son of Alphaeus and worked as a tax collector in Capernaum (Matthew 9:9; Luke 5:27) when Jesus called him.  Immediately after answering Jesus' call, Matthew "held a great banquet at his house" (Matthew 9:10; Mark 2:15; Luke 5:29) and then became the Messiah's traveling companion and record keeper.   Although the Bible doesn't say so, biblical scholars credit Matthew as the author of "The Gospel According to Matthew."  Matthew is last named in Acts 1:13 as one of the twelve in the upper room after Jesus' ascension.  It is uncertain whether Matthew died of natural causes or was killed for his Christian faith.

    "Sitting at the receipt of custom." (2:14) - "Sitting at the tax office." 

    "As Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also." (2:15) - "As Jesus sat at dinner in Matthew's house, many tax collectors and sinners joined Him."
    To learn more about Jesus healing the paralytic, go to Matthew 9:2-8 (lesson 15) and Luke 5:17-26.


                                                  New Living Translation 
     

    Mark: 2:1-17
    Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man

    1 When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home.

    2 Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God's word to them,

    3 four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat.

    4 They couldn't bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus.

    5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, "My child, your sins are forgiven."
     
    6 But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves,

    7 "What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!"
     
    8 Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, "Why do you question this in your hearts?

    9 Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man 'Your sins are forgiven,' or 'Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk'?

    10 So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins." Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said,

    11 "Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!"
     
    12 And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, "We've never seen anything like this before!"
     
    Jesus Calls Levi (Matthew)
     
    13 Then Jesus went out to the lakeshore again and taught the crowds that were coming to him.

    14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at his tax collector's booth. "Follow me and be my disciple," Jesus said to him. So Levi got up and followed him.
     
    15 Later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of this kind among Jesus' followers.)

    ​16 But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, "Why does he eat with such scum?"
     
    17 When Jesus heard this, he told them, "Healthy people don't need a doctor-sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners."

    ​This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible.  However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
    Today's Question:
     
    1. Why did Jesus call himself the "Son of man"?  (2:10)



    ​Did someone forward this reading to you?   Let me know if you'd like to receive them directly ([email protected]).    ​​
    Answer: (Do you agree?) 
    ​​
    1. The crowds could see that Christ was human, but He was divine as well and the title "Son of man" combines both the earthly and the heavenly aspects of Christ.  By calling Himself "the Son of man," Jesus claimed the power and authority to forgive sins and to rule on earth.  Yet the name "Son of man" also tells us that Jesus is human and a servant to mankind, a servant that will be betrayed and crucified. 
     
    Additional note:  The coming of the "Son of man" was prophesized in Daniel five hundred years before the birth of Christ (Daniel 7:13-14).  This is the first of fourteen times in Mark's Gospel that Jesus called Himself "the Son of man."



    Application thought for the day: 
      
    Mark 2:6-12 is an interesting passage.  In it, Jesus reads the thoughts of the scribes and cleverly asks them, which is easier, to say your "sins be forgiven" or to make a paralyzed man walk.  Anyone can claim the power to forgive sins.  Who can prove that the sins weren't forgiven?  But to see a paralytic get up and walk was undeniable proof of Christ's authority and power.
    Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; "The Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies"; "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible".  All were critical in putting these lessons together.
    © 2024 evolke