Mark 2
When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” Mark 2:5 NKJV
The paralyzed man was healed because of the faith of the men who were determined to bring him to Jesus. We are not told about whether the paralyzed man had the faith to be healed. This illustrates one of the reasons that praying for others is so important. We are able to “carry” the burdens of our friends directly to God through prayer. Requests from us on behalf of other people are especially important for those who don’t believe in God. They are not going to be asking, so we may be the only ones praying for them. Who is it in your life that could use your prayers?
And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Mark 2:6-7 NKJV
Do you ever hold a negative dialogue with yourself such as the scribes were doing in Mark 2:6? The fact is that we talk to ourselves more than we talk to anybody else. The question is, what are you saying to yourself? As Christians we need to avoid this kind of negative self-talk. A negative thought-life is dangerous and can render us easily susceptible to being controlled by the enemy. Instead strive to follow the guidelines in Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” Our goal is to shine God’s light on others, which is impossible to do if our thoughts are consumed with negativity towards ourselves, other people, or a particular situation. A good way to put this into practice comes from 2 Corinthians 10:5: “…take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” Don’t let a negative conversation run wild in your mind – stop it before it consumes you and starts to affect others around you.
Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them. As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him. Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?” When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Mark 2:13-17 NKJV
Jesus often spent time with social outcasts during His time on earth and was highly criticized by the religious leaders for associating with prostitutes, tax collectors and sinners in general. The most striking part about this, however, is not that Jesus hung out with these people, but that they were drawn to Him and wanted to be around Him. Jesus lived a sinless life; never once compromising His holiness to be accepted by these people, and yet they felt loved by Him, and were, in general, much more receptive to His message. We need to be like Jesus in this way; loving towards the broken and drawing them to us, while at the same time being careful not to compromise who we are in Christ just to make “the world” feel more comfortable around us.
The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” Mark 2:18-20 NKJV
There is not much emphasis on fasting in the New Testament, yet many Christians today put fasting up on a high pedestal as something done for increased holiness, extra grace, extra blessing, etc. Yet here Jesus explains why His disciples were not fasting. He said that there is an appropriate time to fast, and there are specific reasons for fasting, like: “when the bridegroom is taken away from them, they will fast.” Here, Jesus is talking about His disciples fasting after He (the bridegroom) is gone, as an act of mourning and respect. The early Church members combined fasting and prayer when making big decisions (see Acts 13:1-3 and Acts 14:21-23). We should follow their example, because Jesus pointed out the increased power when prayer is combined with fasting. A great example is when His disciples were unable to heal a demon-possessed boy in Mark 9:29, “He said to them, ‘This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.’” Fasting makes you deny your flesh, which changes your focus from worldly desires to God’s desires. This allows you to more fully devote yourself to God without distractions of the flesh.
Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain. And the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” But He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him: how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?” And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” Mark 2:23-28 NKJV
Observation of the Sabbath was definitely one of the Pharisees’ favorite points to debate, enforce, and interpret in all sorts of crazy ways. The Law said, “Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath…” (Jeremiah 17:21), so the religious leaders decided that you couldn’t even carry a book. With all the ridiculous extra restrictions added, observation of the Sabbath essentially became an end in itself. Jesus dispels that notion and brings us back to the heart of the issue in that God made the Sabbath for our benefit, not for His. The Sabbath is meant to be a reminder to us to rest from our working and striving, rest in His presence and dedicate time to “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalms 46:10).