Concise Bible Commentary:

Mark

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Explanation: In Mark 2:1-12, Jesus asserts his authority over sin by healing a paralysed man. While teaching in Capernaum, a large crowd gathered around Jesus to hear him. The crowd was so large that no space was available to reach Jesus directly, which caused four individuals carrying a paralysed man on a stretcher to take a bold step. They made a hole in the roof above where Jesus was teaching and then lowered the stretcher down to Jesus. Jesus, seeing their faith and using their faith as an example to others, forgave the sins of the paralysed man. However, before proceeding to heal the man, Jesus perceived that the teachers of the Law were unhappy with what Jesus had said because only God has the authority to forgive sin. Jesus responded by asking a rhetorical question. Is it easier to forgive this man’s sins or to heal his body? From a human perspective, the first is easier because it is not verifiable. Anybody can pronounce forgiveness from God and there is no way to disprove the claim. A physical healing, on the other hand, can be seen and verified by all, and will immediately expose the person as a fraud if they lack the power to heal. Jesus therefore used what was visible and verifiable (the man’s physical healing) to prove what was unseen and unknown (the man’s forgiveness and the authority of Jesus to forgive sin). In consequence, the man was healed (in soul and body) and the claims of Jesus were vindicated.

 

Application: Several important points emerge from the healing and forgiving of the paralysed man in Capernaum. First, Christianity offers forgiveness at the beginning whereas other religions promise forgiveness at the end. This is because salvation in Christianity is based on what Christ has done (hence why it is received through faith) rather than on what a person must do. It may be the case that Jesus forgave the sins of the paralysed man to purposefully emphasise this. The man was physically unable to do many of the things people claim as requirements for salvation (water baptism, obedience to the commandments, abandoning certain sins), therefore proving that salvation is not by works. Second, the paralysed man was healed through the faith of those who brought him to Jesus. This shows that vicarious faith (faith exercised on behalf of others) is effective and can channel the power of God.

 

Never swap the certainty of salvation (what Christ has done) for the uncertainty of salvation (what we must do). This is the distinguishing mark between true religion and false religion and between true forms of Christianity and false Christian sects. As mentioned, the paralysed man was forgiven at the beginning and thereafter released into a new life as a follower of Jesus. The same is true for us. We must also be driven by a determination to bring others to Jesus for healing and forgiveness. As with the paralysed man, Jesus will do great things as we exercise bold faith in seeking the salvation of others. It should be further noted that a changed life on the outside (whether exhibited through a physical healing or a reformed life) is strong evidence to others that Jesus is at work on the inside. These twin witnesses (the outer and the inner) should be the outworking of our salvation in Christ as our life becomes a witness to the power and authority of Jesus.

 

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Explanation: ​In Mark 2:13-17, Jesus is criticised for eating with tax collectors and sinners at the home of Levi. This situation arose because Jesus had instructed Levi (a tax collector living in Capernaum) to leave his occupation and become a follower of Jesus. Levi accepted and hosted a special dinner for Jesus, and Mark says that Jesus, his disciples and many of Levi’s friends (tax collectors and so-called sinners who liked and were receptive to Jesus) attended. The Pharisees were onlookers. Three reasons combine to explain the controversy at Levi’s house and why the Pharisees judged Jesus to be acting inappropriately. First, tax collectors collected taxes for the enemies and occupiers of the Jews. This was the Romans during the lifetime of Jesus. They were therefore seen as collaborators and traitors to their own race and nation. Second, tax collectors received an income by collecting more tax than was necessary. In other words, they were not paid by their employers and had to earn their income through excess and extortion. Third, tax collectors were shunned and excluded from Jewish society. In response, they paid little attention to the Law of Moses and associated with other sinners and outcasts. Jesus, knowing these prejudices and the criticisms that awaited, nevertheless extended his fellowship to this group of people (and to Levi in particular) by sitting and eating with them. When criticised, Jesus responded with a parable (the healthy do not need a doctor) and by affirming his mission (to call sinners to repentance). In short, the Pharisees had failed to understand the mission of Jesus (to save sinners) because they had failed to understand the heart of God (to extend forgiveness).

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Application: The Pharisees failed to understand the movement and heart of God, that sinners and outcasts were responding to a Jewish Rabbi who was seeking their repentance and salvation. This was the meaning of Jesus stating that the healthy do not need a doctor. Only the sick require medical attention, which means that if the Pharisees believed themselves to be healthy (righteous and without sin), then the mission of Jesus to bring healing and restoration would be of little value to them. Put simply, like the tax collectors and sinners who gathered around Jesus, forgiveness is for those who know that they need it.

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Like the Pharisees, we must never allow our prejudices to blind us to what God is doing in the lives of those He is calling to salvation. We must also be careful not to exclude ourselves from salvation by wrongly thinking that others do not deserve it. Sin is universal and all are equally undeserving apart from the grace of God in Christ. In addition, Matthew and Luke relate that Levi was also called Matthew. The name ‘Matthew’ means ‘Gift of God’ and aptly pictures what Jesus purposed for Levi. Before Jesus, Levi took from others as a tax collector. After Jesus, Levi gave to others as an apostle and minister of Jesus. This service of giving eventually culminated in the writing of the Gospel of Matthew, which has been a treasured possession of Christians and a powerful witness to Jesus for nearly two thousand years.

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