Mark - Chapter 2
2:1-12
Forgiveness and Healing:
Is there a relationship between sickness and sin, or between forgiveness and healing? Why should anyone be upset if Jesus forgives the sins of another?
These are the questions raised by the story in chapter two, which includes the first use of the term Son of Man in this gospel, and the first rumblings of a conflict whose climax will be the crucifixion. Here also we begin to see the scribes start an active role and the first mention of faith as a noun.
A crowd packs a room and spills out onto the street. A paralytic man is carried by four men who make an opening in the roof to lower the man to the attention of Jesus. We are told in the original language that they had to “dig through” the roof to lower him in his stretcher bed to the Lord.
Jesus, the healer, sees the problem and recognizes the faith of those who come to Him. Jesus says, “... my son your sins are forgiven...”. This word of forgiveness provides the setting for a controversy which brings an authoritative moment from Jesus when He says “... the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...”. Jesus then pronounces the healing which was sought and the directs the man to rise and pickup your bed and go home. The man, now healed, does as Jesus commanded and the people were amazed.
A fascinating element of the passage is the relation of sin to the paralysis of the man, of forgiveness to healing, and of faith to both healing and forgiveness. The text does not settle the question of whether the man himself had faith but it makes clear that the four friends did and their faith played an important role in his healing.
Jesus here fulfills the Old Testament teaching of Isaiah 43:18-25 which speaks of the gracious forgiveness of Yahweh which does not depend on the worthiness of those forgiven.
“I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake”
The relationship to Mark 2 is clear. The scribes, who knew well the scripture, did not ignore this connection and they accused Jesus of blasphemy, which was a capital crime, punishable by death. Jesus understands the cost of forgiveness. He later will speak of the Son of Man coming “... to give his life for many...” (10:45). To claim authority to forgive sins is no small matter and to forgive them is not cheap.
2:13-22
The Call of Levi:
The call Jesus makes to Levi raises the controversy of His association of outcasts. While walking along Jesus sees Levi at his place of business as a tax collector for Rome.
The text gives no other details. Jesus calls and Levi follows. Later in 3:13-19 when Mark lists the Twelve, this man is not included, nor is his name mentioned again in the gospel. This is a lean and direct call which makes two points:
First, the person called was a tax collector and therefore seen as a sinner.
Second, He became a follower simply by the basis of two words spoken by the Lord, having no stated faith that we are shown.
Mark presents the calling of Levi as an act of forgiveness and a crossing of the boundary that has before separated each sinner from God. Tax collection and sin are linked three times in verses 15-17. Jesus also eats with outcasts and this table fellowship foretells the same concern of Galatians 2:12, when Peter himself was fearful to be seen doing the same. For the pious Jews, who only kept a kosher table such mixing was unthinkable. Jesus concludes this passage with a common sense proverb about who it is that needs a doctor and then says “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners”.
2:23-28
Questions About the Sabbath:
Jesus taught about the Sabbath in two areas of Mark's gospel, 2:23-28 and 3:1-6.
According to Mark, this argument about the Sabbath played a critical role in the life of Jesus and it played a crucial role in his death. Sabbath observation was a burning question to the Jews, and became more important when the Christian movement began separation themselves from the synagogues.
In this setting the place is a grain field which those following Jesus walk through on the Sabbath, and they were seen plucking grain and eating it as well as rubbing it between their hands to separate the grain from husks. The Jews knew well the teaching of Deut. 5 which would consider this activity unlawful. The question asked of Jesus focused on why do His followers not keep the Law of Moses?
Jesus gives an answer in three parts. He reminds them of their own scripture in 1st Samuel 21 when hunger overshadowed the Law. He then said that the Sabbath was created for man, not man for the Sabbath. Finally he further said that the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath, confirming that by His word alone, the Sabbath still belongs to God, expressing His willingness to meet human needs as well as His authority to say how the day of rest is to be used.