FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

Scripture Reference: Mark 2:1-3:6

Who Is He to Forgive Sins? – Continued

Please read Mark 2:1-12 for the background to this section.

From Last Lesson: The fact that Jesus has healed the man with a word excludes the possibility that He is a harmless madman. The fact that He lives a humble life and accepts the rejects of society excludes the possibility that He is an evil tyrant . . .

. . . (Consider this; even Hitler, an obvious evil tyrant, spoke with authority). The only option left is the hardest one of all . . . that He is actually who He claims to be; He is what the Bible points us to: He is the man who is God.

What, then, is the reaction on the day, as the crowd finds their voice, as the teachers sit there in judgement, as the man walks away and his friends celebrate on what is left of the roof? The law teachers will soon be back. In this story, they have merely grumbled quietly, but the accusation of blasphemy will not go away. Even when they see the evidence with their own eyes, as they do here, most of the religious leaders will never accept the verdict. To them Jesus is dangerous, subversive, a threat to their own position. In the end He simply has to go. This cycle of five stories sees the intensity of opposition steadily mounting; eventually it will lead to Jesus’ crucifixion.

The crowd’s reaction is best described by their exclamation, “We never saw anything like this!” They have seen the healings before, though this is probably the most spectacular yet. They have heard Jesus teach before. What is new is the pointer to who Jesus really is. They praise God because they now see His hand clearly at work and they begin to glimpse that Jesus is something more than a prophet and healer. But do they really make the connection? Sadly, from what follows, it seems that most of them do not.

What Does He Think He Is Doing?

Please read Mark 2:13-22 for the background to this section.

How would you feel if your name became a byword for betrayal? In the years before the Second World War, Vidkun Quisling was a gifted Norwegian diplomat, army officer and politician. But in 1933 he founded the Norwegian Nazi party, and when Nazi Germany invaded his country in April 1940, Quisling attempted to seize power. He betrayed his own people, urging them not to resist the invasion, and managed to delay the mobilization of the army. Later the Germans made him head of state of occupied Norway. Not surprisingly, at the end of the war he was tried and executed for high treason. Now in the dictionary a “quisling” is defined as a traitor who serves the enemy occupying his country. When Jesus was on earth, there was a group of professionals who fitted the word “quisling” perfectly. At a time when their country was occupied by Rome, and the area of Galilee where they lived was under the control of a puppet government, these men made their living by exploiting their own people and helping the occupiers to do their dirty work. Not surprisingly, they were detested. These lowest of the low were the “tax collectors,” and in the next verses we see that Jesus meets one of them.

We have seen Jesus meeting outcasts before. At the end of chapter 1, He meets a man with leprosy; He reaches out across the barriers to touch the man and bring the outcast in. We saw that Jesus is not bothered about the barriers that cut people off, not in the least.

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved

Scripture Reference: Mark 2:1-3:6

Who Is He to Forgive Sins? – Continued

Please read Mark 2:1-12 for the background to this section.

From Last Lesson: The Jews were very clear on this: one God; one authority; one place to deal with sins . . . the judgement seat of God. They were right. What Jesus has just said is blasphemy, in their eyes: He is claiming to hold the authority of God.

They don’t say it aloud, but Jesus knows, and perhaps that fact should have suggested something, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?” Notice how Jesus says this. He does not condemn the teachers. Their point is a fair one. Any of us who believe in God ought to ask the same question. So in verse 9 Jesus comes back with a question of His own, a technique He often uses. What is the answer? Obviously, it is easy to say words. The question is really: “Which of these is easier to do, to forgive, or to heal an incurable illness with a simple word?” The answer, of course, is that neither is easier, because both are impossible, for a man on his own. Both are impossible, and this is indeed blasphemy, unless Jesus Himself carries the very authority of God.

At this point in Mark’s narrative, a tricky question of interpretation arises. To whom is Jesus speaking in the first part of verse 10? “Son of Man” is a title that Jesus adopts for Himself. It originates with the vision in Daniel 7:13-14, where Daniel sees “one like the Son of Man” coming into the presence of God and being given authority, power and an everlasting kingdom. Understood in that way, the title therefore carries great weight and implies great claims, but on the other hand, the phrase “Son of Man” actually means no more than “member of the human race.” So it is really a rather ambiguous expression, well suited to Jesus, who is being so cautious about revealing His identity. The tricky question here in this verse, therefore, is this: would Jesus, at this point in His ministry, make such an open declaration of His own authority, especially in front of his opponents? Even as late as a few days before His death, Jesus refuses to be so open with them (see Mark 11:33). It seems much more likely, and it makes better sense of the broken sentence structure which comes over even in the English translation, that the first part of the verse is an “aside” by Mark, addressed to his own readers, pointing out to them that the Jesus they follow does indeed possess the authority to forgive. Then in the second part of the verse the story itself resumes.

In front of the whole crowd, in the face of the lawyers lined up by the wall, and without even a touch from the hand of Jesus, the paralyzed man rises to his feet, bends down again, rolls up his mattress, puts it over his shoulder and makes his way out through the throng of people. So which is easier? The point is that the healing proves that Jesus is genuine. Although the Old Testament prophets occasionally healed people, no real prophet ever claimed to forgive sins. But Jesus does! Now it is up to the crowd and the teachers of the law to draw the correct conclusions. The fact that Jesus has healed the man with a word excludes the possibility that He is a harmless madman. The fact that He lives a humble life and accepts the rejects of society excludes the possibility that He is an evil tyrant . . .

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved

Scripture Reference: Mark 2:1-3:6

Who Is He to Forgive Sins? – Continued

Please read Mark 2:1-12 for the background to this section.

From Last Lesson: Jesus is not actually healing today. Time and again He makes it clear that His priority is to declare this message: the Kingdom of God is near.

But then, suddenly, here come some new arrivals: a group of five men, four of them struggling along supporting the four corners of a simple mattress on which lies their paralyzed friend. Maybe they missed their chance when Jesus was here before, or maybe his disease is very recent, but they are not going to miss Him again. They haul their friend up the steps onto the flat roof and then, in desperation they begin to dismantle the roof of the house, which probably consists of wooden rafters, straw and clay. They use their bare hands. Imagine how you would feel if you had a house full of visitors, and suddenly there was a noise overhead, a few lumps of plaster came crashing down and, the next thing you knew, a cheery face appears through a fresh hole in the ceiling! I think you would remember that day for sure! In all likelihood, this is Simon Peter’s own house and this is his own eyewitness account.

Fortunately for them, the four friends have chosen just the right spot at which to dig, because now here comes the man on his mattress dangling and swaying until he lands right in front of Jesus. It is fortunate because there are some people in the room who certainly wouldn’t be impressed if a loaded mattress were to land in their laps! These men are the teachers of the law, the scribes who first appeared in Mark 1:22. They are the professionals, legal experts, as it were, theologically trained to sniff out error. They are not here by accident. It seems that they are on a fact-finding mission, a commission of inquiry sent down from religious headquarters in Jerusalem to track down the rumors about a man called Jesus who is operating around Galilee. Undoubtedly, as they sit there like judges, they are very suspicious.

So the mat reaches the floor. The crowded room falls silent. The man lies rigid; he can’t move. The law teachers pick crumbs of clay off their white robes. Four faces peer expectantly down from above. What will Jesus say? “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” If it was quiet before, you could hear a pin drop now. The shock arises not for the reason we might have thought: we might be surprised because we would think a paralyzed man needs healing, not forgiving. But these people understand that there could be a link between the sin in someone’s life and his physical condition. They understand what many do not, that sin means rebellion against God, and only God can set us free from the prison it creates by forgiving us. Nothing can be more urgent than that. It’s not the idea of forgiveness that shocks them, but the fact that Jesus claims to be handing it out in His own right. They know there is only One who can forgive sins, and that’s God Himself!

Thus far at least, the law teachers are right to think as they do. The Jews were very clear on this: one God; one authority; one place to deal with sins . . . the judgement seat of God. They were right. What Jesus has just said is blasphemy, in their eyes: He is claiming to hold the authority of God.

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved

Scripture Reference: Mark 2:1-3:6

Imagine that you are inside your local prison. You have just been sent down for a long sentence, the gates have clanged shut behind you, and it dawns on you that you will have many years to get used to these walls and bars, to this dreary routine. If only there was some way out! Time passes, and then one day you are told you have an unidentified visitor. “Another do-gooder come to tell me to mend my ways,” you think gloomily as you slouch along behind the guard to the visiting room.

Your visitor seems glad to see you. As you sit down with him, he smiles and hands you a very official-looking document. “Whatever is this?” you ask him.

“Look at it,” he says. “It’s what you have longed for . . . it’s a full and complete pardon for all your crimes. You’re free to go!”

Well, this seems like good news, but surely it’s a bit too good to be true! You study the document more carefully. “Hold on, whose signature is this at the bottom?”

“Oh,” says the visitor, “That’s mine. I’m pardoning you; you’re free to go.”

Now, your visitor has no identification, no badge, no uniform, apparently he is just a member of the public. What are you going to say? Who is this strange man who can wander in and claim to tell you that you are free to leave, simply on his say-so? Who does he think he is?

Seems far-fetched, yet that is exactly what happens at the beginning of Mark 2 when Jesus looks at a man lying paralyzed on a mattress and tells him, “Your sins are forgiven. You’re free!” Who does He think He is, to dare to claim that He can forgive people their sins? This however, is just the first of a series of five stories, concluding in Mark 3:6, which are linked together by the theme of opposition to Jesus and His ministry. Jesus’ opponents are challenging His authority: first to forgive sins, then to break the traditional religious rituals, and finally to redefine the Jewish Sabbath. Mark seems to be particularly concerned with the opposition Jesus faces: he emphasizes it as part of his very stark portrayal of the challenges which Jesus’ followers can expect to face and of which Jesus faces all throughout the Gospel of Mark.

Who Is He to Forgive Sins?

Please read Mark 2:1-12 for the background to this section.

The first story I want to cover, takes place in Capernaum by the Lake of Galilee. Jesus has been touring the region, moving from place to place, but has now decided to come home for a while. He has probably entered quietly, under cover of darkness, and is once more based at the house of Andrew and Simon Peter where He stayed before. But His presence cannot be long concealed. Word soon gets out, and once more the crowds gather. After all, it’s only been a few weeks since He was last here, that Saturday night when it seemed the whole village assembled outside the house and everyone who was sick or controlled by an evil spirit was healed on the spot (read Mark 1:33-34). Very soon, there is Jesus inside, with the house full of people and crowds around the door and at every window. Soon no one else can even get near to Jesus.

Jesus is not actually healing today. Time and again He makes it clear that His priority is to declare this message: the Kingdom of God is near.

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved