seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Mark 2:1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
13 Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. 14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.
15 While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?”
19 Jesus answered, “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.
21 “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. 22 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.”
23 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”
25 He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? 26 In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.”
27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
Look.... Levi... that's Matthew who wrote the book I just read. Levi is actually another name for Matthew the tax collector... see the Pharisees at the door wondering why they were left out?
This is from bible-studys.org.
“Scribes” were professional students and teachers of the Old Testament and Jewish tradition surrounding it. They also served as judges in the Jewish legal body, the Sanhedrin. They were influential men in society.
They take strong issue with Jesus’ seeming presumptuousness, for it was common knowledge to students of the Old Testament that forgiving sin is God’s prerogative alone. Jesus is implicitly making a claim to divinity, which to the Scribes ranks as blasphemy.
“In his spirit”: This can also be translated, “by His spirit.” This is not the Holy Spirit, but the omniscient mind of the Savior.
Jesus senses their indignation and addresses them directly, as in Mark He is inclined to do.
It seems that these scribes did not speak out openly against Jesus, but were just having evil thoughts. They were probably, afraid of the people too much to speak out openly. Just the fact that Jesus knew what they were thinking in their hearts should have told them that He was no mere man.
Jesus nearly always answered them with a question. He really was saying to them: if there were no good results, you would have room to complain. Judge whether it is right or wrong by the results.
“Son of man” is one of Jesus’ favorite self-designations, used some 14 times in Mark. Scholars debate its exact meaning, some incredibly denying that Jesus applied the term to Himself. But such skepticism is surely misplaced. It seems to be a deliberately unclear title, one that could conjure up images of divine presence and might (Dan. 7:13-14). But which could at the same time give willful skeptics enough rope, so to speak, to hang themselves in the tortuous coils of their stubborn doubt.
“Levi the son of Alphaeus” (one of the 12), more commonly known as Matthew.
“Levi” is known also as Matthew, the tax collector (publican).
“Sitting at the receipt of custom”: Matthew was a publican, a tax collector, a despised profession in Palestine because such men were viewed as traitors. Tax collectors were Jews who had bought tax franchises from the Roman government.
“He arose and followed him”: This simple action of Matthew signified his conversion. Because his response was so immediate, it is likely Matthew was already convicted of his sin and recognized his need of forgiveness.
This man would not have been someone the scribes would have chosen for Christian endeavors. As far as making money, this was a good job. Matthew gave up a lot of worldly income to follow Jesus. Matthew came without hesitation when Jesus called.
“Disciples of John”: Those followers of John the Baptist who did not transfer their allegiance to Jesus (John 3:30; Acts 19:1-7). At this time John was in prison (Matt. 4:12). Their question indicates they were observing the Pharisaic traditions (Matt. 9:14).
The Pharisees” The association of John’s disciples with the Pharisees indicates that both groups were disturbed about the problem raised by Jesus’ association with tax collectors and sinners.
“Fast”: The twice-a-week fast was a major expression of Orthodox Judaism during Jesus’ day (Luke 18:9-14). Yet, the Old Testament prescribed only one fast, and that on the Day of Atonement.
(In Luke 18:12), we see a self-righteous Pharisee bragging that he fasts twice a week. Possibly, to make others look on him as more righteous than he really was.
Jesus warned about this type of fasting. Jesus told us when we fast to wash our faces and not let the world know when we fast, but to fast unto God. Possibly the reason John's followers were fasting was because John was in jail. It appears to me, that these Pharisees were jealous that Jesus' disciples were not fasting.
Jesus offered two parables to illustrate that His new and internal gospel of repentance from and forgiveness of sin could not be connected to or contained in the old and external traditions of self-righteousness and ritual.
Jesus’ reasoning is that divine institutions on earth are to have a God-honoring, noble, and liberating function. Sabbath laws had for some degenerated into a mockery of God’s intent. Jesus, “the Son of man” and “Lord … of the Sabbath,” having power to forgive sin, can also teach rightly regarding proper observance of the Jewish Sabbath. Jesus here touches a raw nerve, as the next incident shows.
This is from the easy English site.Mark has written about Jesus’ popularity in Galilee. Now he records five incidents. These incidents all show that the religious leaders opposed Jesus:
1 2:1-12 They said that he spoke evil words against God.
2 2:13-17 He ate with people who collected taxes.
3 2:18-22 He did not make his disciples obey the religious rules about times when people should not eat.
4 2:23-28 He allowed his disciples to ‘work’ on the Sabbath.
5 3:1-6 He cured a man’s hand on the Sabbath.
The Pharisees were strict Jews. Their name means ‘the separate men’. They tried to keep their faith ‘separate’ from the bad effect of other religions. Many of them lived very good lives. But they said that the rules of the scribes were as important as the Old Testament laws. They even refused to obey a command of God in order to obey one of these traditions (Mark 7:9-13). They became proud that they obeyed God’s laws. And they obeyed all the rules that the scribes had made up. They would avoid completely those people that they called ‘sinners’. They believed that Jesus was encouraging wrong behaviour. He would also make himself ‘unclean’ when he ate with ‘sinners’.
The Pharisees made two mistakes:
1 Jesus had come to look for ‘sinners’ in order to bring them into his kingdom.
2 Jesus could meet with all kinds of people, even wicked ones. He would not let them change his own behaviour.
I have always felt a little sorry for the Pharisees. God had a track record for doing away with leaders of the church who went astray. The story of Eli's sons was reported in 1 Samuel 2:11-36. They got tired of the mundane tasks and menial wages so they started taking more.... and God did away with them. The Pharisees, in the time of Jesus, were afraid of Rome. They were afraid of losing their positions.... and they were apparently a little afraid of what God would do to them if they didn't keep ALL the laws. They even made up laws to make sure they did the right thing.Then came Jesus.... calling Himself "Son of Man" or "Son of God"..... and He was teaching and healing but He wasn't following the social rules. He was supposed to bow to the man..... He was supposed to hang out with the Pharisees.... adoring their pious lives.... and He was supposed to be yearning to be like the Pharisees.
People in the churches always want those Pharisees to be evil people bent on dragging everyone down.... when actually... in their stupid human hearts... they were doing the right thing even better..... they were trying to teach Jesus what it's like to be a great leader and teacher in the church. They were pointing out the short comings they observed.
It's like the preacher who demanded that everyone in his church should quit smoking. He was a non-smoker.... of course the chapel must have stunk on a Sunday morning. I can remember the preacher and the deacons of numerous churches standing under a tree talking and smoking. It was common practice.... but the preacher I'm talking about wanted to change the rules of the church to require those who desired a membership in the church... had to quit smoking. He wanted the bylaws to say.... they accepted Jesus as their savior.... and they quit smoking.
That preacher, IMHO, was doing his best.... but he was a Pharisee and he didn't even see it. That same church lost a Sunday School teacher that year... she went a little "insane" after a little affair with the other preacher in the church. He was trying to help people be their best..... just as a good Pharisee should.
The problem with those stupid Pharisees and those stupid preachers who did so much damage....... they thought their poop didn't stink and they were afraid if Jesus hung out with the "wrong crowd", His poop would begin to stink like the "common folk". Jesus liked drunks, whores, and children..... those stupid human Pharisees only like themselves.... and those rich humans with whom their reputation was better.
Stupid Pharisees.....
