Mark 2
Go Deeper
In today’s reading, we see four separate occasions where Jesus upset the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the day. At first they are upset that he claimed to have the power to not just heal, but also to forgive sin. Then they question why he ate with “sinners” when he had dinner at Levi, the tax collector’s house. A few verses later we see that while the Pharisees and John’s disciples were fasting, Jesus’ disciples were not, and so, of course, he was questioned for that. Finally, the Pharisees called out Jesus for picking grain in a field on the Sabbath. It seems as though the religious leaders of the day just followed Jesus around, looking for him to “mess up” so they could catch him in the “wrong” (actually, that’s exactly what they did). But, as Jesus replies in Mark 2:22, “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 saying that he is here now and he is doing a NEW thing in their midst. The Pharisees and religious leaders of the day didn’t like that; they wanted everything to stay the same because it meant that they stayed powerful and “on top” in the religious hierarchy. Jesus shows us here in Mark 2, early on in his ministry, that he isn’t here to play that game. He is here to do a new thing: forgive sins, befriend sinners, feast with his followers, and to be Lord over the Sabbath (and all other Old Testament rules). As we read this passage, we need to ask ourselves – do we allow room for Jesus to break the rules we’ve created or do we try and keep him locked away in a box? Because if there’s one thing we learned about Jesus today, it’s that we still have plenty left to learn.
Questions
What was the first thing that stood out to you about the character of Jesus in today’s reading?
In Mark 2, which of the following characters do you identify with most: the Pharisees, Levi the tax collector, or the paralyzed man? Why?
In verse 12, it says that the people who saw the paralyzed man walk were amazed and exclaimed they had never seen anything like that before! How have you been amazed by God lately?
In Mark 2:5, it says that when Jesus saw the faith of the friends, he forgave (and then healed) the paralyzed man. How is your faith serving other people besides yourself? What can you do in these times to bring healing and wholeness to others through your faith?