Day #280

Sermon - Audio
Mark 2 - Reading
Mark 2 - Audio

Daily Insights - Please Comment

Mark 2

Notes on the Paralyzed Man Incident:

1. Jesus saw that the people were acting out of faith in Him. The people proved their trust/faith in Jesus. Jesus then forgives the sin of the man.

2. The man is forgiven of his sins. Yes, he was paralyzed, but that wasn't the real issue. Jesus came to not just focus on ReCreation of the outward physical world, but the internal spiritual world. This does not mean that his paralysis is on behalf of his personal sin. The man's real need was to be forgiven. Jesus addresses the root of all our issues in this world...sin.

3. The scribes realized that Jesus knew their hearts. Jesus connects for these men the idea of "if I can physically heal this man and perform this miracle, I must have the ability and authority to forgive sins as well." So Jesus heals the man and all glorify Him.

Notes on Eating with Levi:

1. Levi was a tax collector. They were hated and thought of as some of the worst sinners in society. Many times they would steal from people and take advantage of them. Rome put these people in charge of collecting taxes for them, but anything they "over-collected" they could keep...so they usually charged more. Right-Wing Republicans would have REALLY hated these guys.

2. Sharing a meal with others was a sign of you accepting them as a friend. Jesus is making a statement just by sitting at this table with the "sinners."

*“I am constrained to say that I believe at this very hour one of the secrets of arrest, and one of the reasons for the condition of things in the Christian Church that is troubling us in many ways, is the aloofness of the Christian Church from sinning men and women. We still build our sanctuaries, and set up our standards, and institute our arrangements, and say to the sinning ones: if you will come to us, we will help you!” -Morgan-

3. Jesus famous words about who He came to call - "It is not the well that have need for a doctor, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the "righteous," but sinners to repentance."

Q. So what exactly do you think Jesus is saying to the Pharisees?

Notes on Fasting / Sabbath:

1. Jesus' followers should fast. However, fasting is not meant to be another thing that we do to mark off our lists and feel better about ourselves. Jesus states that his followers will fast when He is taken from them. They will fast in order to remember.

Q. When's the last time you fasted? For what reason did you fast?

2. During a wedding festival there would be 7 days of feasting and joy, not fasting. The bride and bridegroom are together right now and there should be much rejoicing.

3. At this time, Rabbis filled Judaism with elaborate rituals related to the Sabbath and observance of other laws. They forgot what the Sabbath was really for.

4. Story of David (1 Samuel 21:1-6)

5. Sabbath was made for the good of man, not the man for the good of the Sabbath. Jesus is showing the people that the good of mankind is more important than a specific day. He is changing the way people think about the Sabbath.