Fast Break (Mark 2:18-22)

Pixar’s classic movie The Incredibles is not really about super powers or saving the world. It’s about one man’s realization that the greatest adventure of his life is not the bad guys he overpowers or any of his feats of strength. It is his family relationships that matter most – the love he has for them and they for him that truly make his life worth living. He finally realizes that they are his greatest adventure and because he was so caught up in the past, he almost missed it.

When Jesus came in His incarnation, the vast majority of people were so caught up in the past that they missed the chance to be in relationship with Him. Even those who did follow Him had a very hard time letting go of their assumptions, their traditions, their preconceptions. We really struggle to accept what God has revealed and to allow Him to define spirituality on His terms.

We are much more prone to chase after achievement than relationship, checking boxes than intimate communion, self-reliance than submission and dependence on the Holy Spirit.

That’s what our text tonight is about. We’re in a section of Mark where he shares five instances where people challenged Jesus’ methods and the behavior of His disciples. The antagonists always come with absolute confidence that they know how things should be done – what practices and perspectives please God and honor Him. Jesus does not fit their framework. Meanwhile, the Lord compassionately tries to change their mind. He tries to lead them to understanding for their good.

Tonight’s scene starts with an unheard-of partnership: Pharisees and disciples of John the Baptist.

Mark 2:18 – ¹⁸ Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. People came and asked him, “Why do John’s disciples and the Pharisees’ disciples fast, but your disciples do not fast?”

First thing’s first: This text is not really about fasting. We’ll consider the topic of fasting, but what’s really happening is that all the religious people of Judea don’t understand why Jesus and His followers don’t conform to their preferred practices and perspective. It bothered them.

It bothered them so much that these very separate groups came together with this complaint. Mark doesn’t say who is asking, but Matthew says it’s John’s disciples and Luke says the Pharisees came.

Both of these groups were so bothered by the fact that Jesus was different, they came together to say, “Listen, WE both fast, so YOU need to, too. We’ve decided what spirituality is.”

The fact that there was still a group of people who identified as disciples of John reveals how hard it was for even sincere, genuine people to get on board with Jesus’ new way. John was arrested by this point – he may have been killed already. But John was very clear when Jesus showed up. He said, “Look! There’s the Messiah. He’s the One I told you about. He’s the Son of God. He must increase, I must decrease.” Andrew had been a disciple of John, but after hearing what John said, Andrew left John to become a disciple of Jesus. Obviously that’s what should happen.

But here’s this group of people still identifying as disciples of John. And they had their way of doing things. They couldn’t let it go. And of course we also have the Pharisees.

Both of these groups fasted, but they did so in different ways and for different reasons. The Law of Moses only commands a single fast – the Day of Atonement. That fast was not just from food but even water.^[1] After the Babylonian exile, five more annual fasts were added to the calendar. You find them in Zechariah and Esther.^[2] Pharisees believed in even stricter adherence to the old covenant,^[3] so they also fasted every Monday and Thursday.^[4]

Everyone knew these groups did these things because they did so publicly. The Pharisees may have started these practices in a desire to remain holy, but by the time of Jesus it had morphed into mere performance. They did what they did so people would be impressed. It was virtue signaling self-righteousness.

Jesus comes along with power and truth, telling people God was doing a new thing, but they were offended that He was actually doing something new. “Fall in line with how we want You to behave and with what we want You to prioritize. You need to agree with our version of spirituality.”

Christians and religious people still have a tendency to treat Jesus this way. We have our priorities. We have things that we think are important. And we start to fashion the message and the Person of Jesus in a way that validates what we think matters most. This tendency flares up during elections. You’ll see on social media pastors or teachers saying things like, “If your church doesn’t preach on this issue this Sunday, you need to find a new church.” “We fast. Why don’t Your disciples fast?”

Mark 2:19 – ¹⁹ Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot fast while the groom is with them, can they? As long as they have the groom with them, they cannot fast.

In response, Jesus gave three parables. What we need to remember is that parables are meant to deliver a major thought. Not every single element needs to be assigned and dissected.

The point Jesus made with all three of these examples is: You cannot combine the new thing God was doing through Jesus’ life and ministry with the old traditions they were devoted to.

In the first parable, He counters their complaint by redefining what religion should be. They were concerned with rituals and He wanted them to be concerned with relationship with God.

Christian faith is properly defined by joy and celebration and satisfaction. That doesn’t mean our circumstances will always feel good or we’ll never have any problems. But being right with God is not about who can deny themselves the most or who does the most acts of piety. What God desires is real, personal communion with His people – an active and joyous relationship.

These religious Jews were missing out on a backstage pass to spend time one-on-One with the Messiah Himself. They were missing the opportunity to be part of the bridal party.

Jesus suggested that He was the Groom in the story. To a Jew, this is a big deal. The Old Testament has many allusions to God acting as a Husband or a Groom to Israel. Isaiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Psalms all make references to it. And now Jesus was saying in a round about way that He is that figure.

Don’t ever believe someone who says that Jesus never claimed to be God. He absolutely did, multiple times and in various ways.

Before we move on, let’s think about this parable. We’re not as off-base as the disciples of John or the Pharisees, but all of us need to wrestle with our spiritual perspective. Do we know Who Jesus is? Do we surrender our perspective and our priorities to what He has revealed?

Do we think of Jesus as our joyous, loving, celebratory Bridegroom? Or, is it easier for us to think of Him as a cosmic vending machine? Or as a political ally Who will establish our preferred policies? How do we think of Him? This is Who He says He is. Our part is to accept and apply His revelation.

Mark 2:20 – ²⁰ But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day.

It would be wrong for the disciples of Jesus to be fasting and afflicting themselves while Jesus was with them. But He points to a time when not only will He be gone, but He will be taken away.

Jesus didn’t hide the fact that He was going to die. The disciples just had such a hard time understanding what He meant, even when He told them outright. We’re slow to understand. Maybe that’s why Jesus had to use three parables to make one point.

Mark 2:21 – ²¹ No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new patch pulls away from the old cloth, and a worse tear is made.

It would do no good to combine the new covenant of relationship with Jesus and the old trappings of religious traditionalism. Not only would it not be good, it would actually make things worse.

Everyone knew that when it came to clothes, what Jesus was saying is true. Kind of like how most of us know if you buy a brand new bright red t-shirt, you better not put it in the wash with your whites. You’re going to create a problem for yourself that can’t just be undone.

But in our spiritual lives we tend to forget these truths. For decades now, among evangelicals, there has been a push to bring back in “ancient” practices. You’re told you need more ritual, you need more formality, you need these old methods that will unlock real spirituality. But it’s not true. And, according to Jesus’ parable, not only does it not help it will, in fact, make your spirituality worse.

But humans like human ideas. It makes the human heart feel like we’re contributing something. But Jesus came to make all things new. And so, no, you do not need to keep the Sabbath. No, you do not have to follow the Jewish dietary rules. No, you do not need medieval prayer practices.

Instead of trying to force old and new together, what we must do is put on the vestments Christ delivered to us. Spirituality on His terms. When we try to put His new work onto old systems, tearing is the inevitable result. What happened at the end of Jesus’ life? When His work came to a climax, Caiaphas the high priest tore his robes in anger and rejection. When Jesus breathed His last on the cross, what happened? The veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom. The old was done. Christ reconciled us into a new covenant in His blood.

Mark 2:22 – ²² And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost as well as the skins. No, new wine is put into fresh wineskins.”

The old wineskins weren’t evil.^[5] It’s just that their time was over. Old skins, like Jesus is describing, could not hold new wine that was still fermenting because over time they had become too brittle. They weren’t pliable, they weren’t flexible. And so, if you put in new wine, the expansion and changes necessary would not only break the old skin but spill the wine as well.

The Pharisees perfectly demonstrate this rigid, religious inflexibility. They had no room for tax collectors in their company. No room for grace. No room for mercy. Jesus comes along and says, “I’m bringing in tax collectors and sinners and Gentiles and all who are willing to repent and believe.” But the Pharisees couldn’t bear it. It broke them. They would rather conspire to murder Jesus than to accept that God might love sinners.

We shake our heads at the Pharisees – and rightly so – but it will serve us to recognize how difficult this issue was not only for them, but even for the Twelve. Not just the issue of fasting, but of ritual versus relationship. Look at the book of Acts. The Christians struggled with this.

The problem persisted after the Apostles. The Didache is an important book. It’s one of the earliest treatises that collected the teaching of the Apostles telling the church how to be the church.

On the issue of fasting it commands that Christians must not do what the hypocrite Pharisees do, fasting Mondays and Thursdays. No, don’t do that! Instead, you need to fast Wednesdays and Fridays!^[6] And don’t pray like the hypocrites do. Instead pray the Lord’s prayer…but you must pray it three times a day!^[7] Already there was a ceremonial rigidness trying to take hold.

It is so easy for us to start patch-working religious garments of our own design, convinced that they are the best robe for us. But usually they are nothing more than fig-leaf coverings.

That doesn’t mean we don’t do spiritual or religious things. The lesson here is that Jesus gets to define spirituality for us. And as we discover what God has revealed in scripture, we find that the Lord wants us to live by grace and truth and generosity and love for Him, not ceremony.

But what about fasting? Should fasting be a regular part of our Christian activity? Believe it or not, many scholars try to make the case from this passage that Jesus was saying it was only appropriate for Christians to fast in the time span between the crucifixion and the resurrection and that fasting after Christ rose again is wrong.^[8]

Meanwhile, in His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “When you give, when you pray, when you fast.” And though we don’t see Christians fasting often in the New Testament, it does happen. In Acts 13 the church at Antioch is worshiping and fasting and praying and the Holy Spirit tells them to set apart Paul and Barnabas for a special work. Later we see Paul and church leaders in other towns fasting as part of their seeking the Lord for the life of the church.

But we’re never commanded to fast in the New Testament.^[9] But it is still a way we can commune with the Lord – if it’s done to commune with the Lord! Not for self-righteousness, not to try to prove that we’re worth forgiving or to show people how religious we are. For relationship, not ritual.

God wants us to consider our spiritual lives through the lens of personal relationship with Him as the One Who loves us and rejoices over us. But rather than just club us over the head, He graciously invites us to think through these things on our own.

That’s why Jesus taught in parables: So that those who truly wanted to understand would consider them, meditate on them, and follow up with the Lord because of them.

These people came to Jesus with a very direct question: Why don’t Your disciples fast? And in response Jesus gave them a very indirect answer. His answer was, “Let’s think about what being right with God is really about. Don’t base your spirituality on tradition – whichever tradition you’re a part of – but on revelation. Allow the Messiah to define your perspective and practices”

Mr. Incredible told his family that he realized he had been blind to what he had. His eyes were finally opened and it changed everything in the story.

But the Pharisees and the disciples of John couldn’t see it. Here they are saying, “We’ve kept religion much better than Your disciples.” And Jesus essentially says, “You don’t get it. You think you’re Moses the Law Giver, but you’re Ruth the Moabitess. There’s no hope for you, no matter what you do unless you have a Kinsman-Redeemer. You need a loving Groom to come and save you. Why don’t My disciples fast? That’s the wrong question. The question is: Why don’t you accept Who I Am and what I say?”

So, in your life, as you seek to grow in your spirituality, if you want to make progress in your walk with the Lord, don’t look for practices more than you’re looking for the Personal closeness of Jesus Christ. He may lead you into a fast. He may lead you to pray every day at the same time. He may ask you to do something we might describe as religious, but the fast is not the end goal. The goal is that we hold fast to Him, remembering Who He is: your Kinsman Redeemer. Your Bridegroom. Calling you into communion with Him as you walk together day-by-day in the life He has given you.

Banqueting Bad (Mark 2:13-17)

In 2013, The Mark restaurant in Bakersfield was host to a gathering of civic leaders. At one table sat an assemblywoman, a state senator, and Pauline Larwood and her husband. For years Pauline had been a governmental relations consultant and was appointed to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges by Governor Schwarzenegger.^[1]

Pauline didn’t usually eat steak, but that day she made an exception.^[2] Unfortunately, she choked on it. After multiple attempts at the Heimlich maneuver failed, Pauline passed out and was turning blue. Her life would’ve ended except for the fact that Dr. Royce Johnson, chief of infectious diseases at the Kern medical center was also at the Mark that day. He calmly borrowed a friend’s knife and a pen. He made an incision in Pauline’s throat, broke the pen in half and emptied the contents, then inserted it to serve as a breathing tube until the ambulance could arrive.^[3] By the next day, Pauline’s family reported that she was doing fine.

Pauline did a lot of things during her life. She was Kern County’s first female supervisor,^[4] honored as a distinguished citizen, involved in a variety of organizations and enterprises. But search her name and it is the saving of her life that always comes up first and foremost.

We have a similar situation tonight. We know stories about Peter or Paul, John-Mark or Judas. But when it comes to Levi, we don’t know much more than the day his life was saved. But, it’s a great story – when it happened, it was shocking and glows with the dazzling light of God’s grace.

Mark 2:13 – ¹³ Jesus went out again beside the sea. The whole crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them.

We’re in a section of Mark where he shows us 5 different stories of conflict between Jesus and mostly the Jewish religious leaders who did not like the things Jesus was saying and doing.

But here, after the interruption of the paralytic coming through the roof and the conversation with the scribes right after, we see Jesus back on mission. He’s out teaching and preaching the Good news that the Kingdom was at hand. It was time to repent and respond and join the King.

Now, Jesus had many followers by this point, but Mark has only introduced us to 4 by name: Peter, Andrew, James, and John – all fishermen. All had been called while on the shores of Galilee. Perhaps they thought they were headed out to pick up a few more fishermen – guys they knew, guys they worked with, guys like them. Instead…

Mark 2:14 – ¹⁴ Then, passing by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, “Follow me,” and he got up and followed him.

Levi was not like them. One scholar writes, “For Jesus to call ordinary fishermen to be his disciples was extraordinary; but to call a tax-gatherer to follow him was nothing short of scandalous.”^[5]

The tax system at the time was complicated and changing during these decades.^[6] But, there were tax collectors who were directly farming funds for Rome, and there were also toll collectors who gathered taxes and customs charges on things like trade for the local Judean government.

Levi would have been a toll collector working for Herod Antipas.^[7] To the Jews around him, that would’ve been a little less terrible than being one of the direct Roman tax collectors, but toll guys like him were still hated. More than hated, they were excommunicated from synagogues.^[8] They were not allowed to be witnesses in legal proceedings. They were viewed morally on the same level as thieves and robbers. Some rabbinical writings taught that if a tax collector entered a house everything in that house became unclean.^[9]

Jesus inviting this man to be a part of His group would not only have been a surprise, it would have been extremely hard for the faithful Jews already in the group to accept.

Fish was a commodity that Peter, Andrew, James, and John would’ve had to pay tolls on.^[10] They were almost undoubtedly familiar with Levi and how he had turned his back on God, turned his back on his countryman and community for money and position and power.

His very name highlights his treason. Levi. Not just a name, but a tribe. Not just a tribe, but the tribe meant to serve God’s people – to bring their offerings to the Lord and to minister to them. Instead, he extracted treasure from God’s people to present to the phony king, Herod.

He could not have been more culturally or religiously different. Yet Jesus’ words to him were exactly the same as the fishermen received. “Follow Me.” He treated Levi just like the others. “Wait, wait, wait, what about all he has done? Doesn’t he have farther to catch up than the rest of us?”

No. Because the call was the same: “Turn away from your old life in faith and repentance and bind yourself to Me, your Messiah.” Actually, you can make the case that Levi’s step of faith required a greater human sacrifice than the fishermen’s had. You see, once you left your post at the tax booth, you couldn’t go back.^[11] Whereas, after the crucifixion, what does Peter say? “I’m going fishing.”

But Levi immediately got up and starting walking with Jesus. Luke tells us that he left everything behind.^[12] No matter who or where you are, the call to follow Jesus is the same. And the choice to turn and walk with Him is the same distance – a step. A choice to believe and to obey and to trust.

We know Levi more commonly as Matthew, the writer of the first Gospel. The first two Gospels clearly present Levi and Matthew as the same person. What’s interesting is that in Mark he is identified as the “son of Alphaeus” and in Matthew, the other James is also called the son of Alphaeus. Were they brothers? The Bible never specifically says so, but it’s possible. Or, maybe their dads just had the same name.

Mark 2:15 – ¹⁵ While he was reclining at the table in Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who were following him.

I love this: Jesus tells him, “Follow Me…to your house!” These guys left a lot behind, but being a disciple didn’t mean they had to immediately torch all their belongings. Jesus wanted Levi to be a disciple in his home, to follow Jesus among his friends and colleagues and peers. Now, that group would eventually change – Levi would become part of a new family and new partners in a new purpose. But whatever stage of faith he was in, he could “follow Jesus.”

The Lord wants you to live out your discipleship where you are. Now, “where you are” will change over time, but today you are part of certain situations, certain social groups, certain endeavors. Be a disciple in the midst of those things. There may be groups you have to separate from, but generally, the Lord asks you to follow Him back home and to school tomorrow and to the workplace. To be His light and representative through your life and relationships.

Levi threw a “grand banquet.”^[13] It was a celebration feast, full of people. Four different groups are referenced by Mark: Tax collectors, sinners, disciples, and others who also followed Jesus.

Sinners here would refer to either people who, because of their jobs, could not stay ritually pure or people who regularly, purposefully refused to obey the Law.^[14] They were people who Pharisees saw as truly inferior – outcasts from true religion.^[15]

Attending this dinner would have been a big ask for those people who wanted to follow Jesus but also cared about the Law of Moses. Their tradition taught them that being at this feast would make them impure – ritually unclean – separated from God. But Jesus was redefining spirituality for them. They could go to this banquet full of bad people. They could mingle with them for a purpose.

But the Lord was also making it clear that following Him would often lead to some difficult, even uncomfortable situations. But truth and grace and compassion and heaven’s mission should trump our comfort in life. You see, Levi and these other individuals were becoming disciples. That word is used for the first time here and will be seen another 57 times in Mark.^[16] A disciple is a devoted learner. It doesn’t mean you’re an expert or that you never make mistakes. It means you are  dedicated to learning the way of Jesus, the plan of Jesus, the methods of Jesus and following after Him in those things. Jesus’ plan is that His disciples become ministers the way He was a minister.^[17] Despite the social discomfort of breaking bread with these traitors, they would have to learn to allow love and compassion to cut through the cultural boundaries, the personal hangups, the easy arrangements and be about the business of rescuing the lost.

That is still the calling for Christians today. Now, we’re not scandalized if an IRS agent comes to church. But sometimes Christians are bothered when certain other people come to church. The characters on that list are different at different times and different places. But we must welcome anyone in to hear the good news of the Gospel.

Mark 2:16 – ¹⁶ When the scribes who were Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

The Pharisees were horrified that Jesus accepted a man like Levi and entertained his friends.^[18] How could someone Who claimed to speak for God be at a dinner like this? The house was wrong, the food was wrong, the guest list was wrong.^[19] There is outrage in their question.

If these people wanted to start having a spiritual life, according to the Pharisee perspective, they needed to first right their wrongs, clean up their lives, and make themselves worthy. The problem is: for tax collectors, repentance was essentially impossible according to the teachings of the time.^[20] And so, there was no reason to preach to them, no reason to reach out to them. God did not care about them. Write them off and leave them to their fate with no mercy or compassion.

This is what a Pharisaical heart always does. It condemns everyone else and elevates self. I find it interesting that the name “Pharisee” refers to the “separated ones.”^[21] They thought they had separated themselves out from the impure. Meanwhile, God introduced Himself as Emmanuel. God with us. A God Who chose to identify with humanity so that He could gather us to Himself. A God Whose love does the cleansing for us, gathering His people together for His glory.

Mark 2:17 – ¹⁷ When Jesus heard this, he told them, “It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick. I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

There are Christians who use Jesus’ willingness to dine with tax collectors and sinners as license to involve themselves in all sorts of questionable gatherings and activities. “Don’t you know that Jesus spent His time with gluttons and wine-bibbers?” And so that excuses some of their own indulgences. But Jesus was not there that day to just hang with these people. He was there to heal them. Doctors don’t go to ebola camps for fun or to look cool. They go to try to save lives.

Jesus saw these people as sick, dying, and in terrible spiritual condition. Elsewhere in the Gospels He speaks very seriously about the spiritual health of tax collectors and their need for salvation.

He says here that He came to that dinner to call them. Call them to what? Luke tells us: To repentance.^[22] To turn from their old way of life and to follow after Him no longer as tax collectors but now as disciples. To be saved from that life and put on a new path.

Jesus was there not for the filet, but because He was on a rescue mission. In fact, later, when the Pharisees again question why He’s willing to interact with tax collectors, Jesus tells the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin and the Lost Son. These people were not only sick, they were lost. And His mission was a search and rescue mission – intervening for them before it was too late.

But the scribes couldn’t see it because they were self-righteous. That’s what Jesus meant here – not that they were actually righteous. There’s a hint of sarcasm and condemnation. They were merciless and blind. While they accurately diagnosed the wicked tax collectors, they didn’t recognize the Messiah right in front of them. They simply could not accept that God might love sinners.^[23] But He does. He loves them so much He was willing to come looking for them, to give Himself for them.

That day in 2013 when Pauline almost choked to death, there was another doctor on scene: Her husband, Tom. Now Tom was a great doctor, involved in medical missions and lots of other good work. But it’s an interesting illustration. The doctor at her side couldn’t save her. A stranger came along and knew just what to do.

Some commentators suggest that Levi was throwing a farewell party. Maybe. More than saying goodbye he was welcoming Jesus into His life. Welcoming Him to be the gravitational center of his life. The focus of his life. For Jesus to be the host of his life. It was Levi’s house, but Who was hosting this shin-dig? Who was the Master of the feast?

For Levi, the call to follow was the same as Peter had received, but the implications were different for each person. Disciples like Peter or Simon the Zealot would have to put away their resentment and hatred for people like Levi. Levi would have to take on a spirituality he had long walked away from. All would have to choose Jesus over self, over tradition, over culture and join together in a life of devotion and learning as Jesus healed them along the way.

The call to follow Christ is a summons. A demand to discipleship – to be a devoted learner, dedicated to walking with the Lord wherever He leads. And one of the places He always leads is to others so that they, too, can hear the Good News. And, as we see here following Christ is not just about being saved from guilt, spared from hell, but it also means we allow Him to define spirituality and culture and conduct for us, even when it’s challenging, even when it’s uncomfortable, even when it means we will have to relate to people we wouldn’t normally relate to. But that’s what Christianity is about: The love of God, which is faithful and sacrificial and compassionate and true being shed abroad in our hearts, saving us from sin. Saved to serve. Saved to share the summons with all the other people God loves. Our families, our friends, our neighbors, and even those tax collectors we’d rather avoid. Learning as we go and loving as we go.

Raze The Roof (Mark 2:1-12)

What do you do when someone shows up claiming to be God? A fellow came here once and after we talked for awhile he let me know that he was both Elijah and Jesus Himself. I wasn’t too concerned – I was confident Jesus wouldn’t be actively smoking meth the way this guy was.

Recently, a church in Indiana was performing a baptism at one of their services and after being asked, “Have you played your trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior,” the man in the water said, “I am Jesus Christ. I’m back, boys.” The stunned elder simply responded, “…What?” Then after a moment of thought very wisely said, “Well, we’re gonna pause right now and have a conversation with Jared a little bit more.”^[1]

There is a profound, stunned confusion at the end of our text tonight. In a dramatic scene packed full of supernatural power, Jesus demonstrates that He is not just a teacher, He’s not just a religious leader, in fact, He’s not just a man. At very least, He claims to be a spokesperson for God with the full authority of heaven, and at most, He claims to be God Himself. The crowd watching it all unfold are shocked. They don’t know what to think, but it’s clear that something supernatural is going on.

By the way – two little things I’d like us all to tuck away: First, you don’t have to worry about Jesus returning and us not realizing it. In Matthew 24, Jesus said lots of false messiahs will show up and claim to be Him, but when He really comes back, it will be like lightning flashing from east to west.^[2]

Second, be very careful when a pastor or a Bible teacher or a religious leader claims or suggests or implies that they are speaking “for” God – as if they have a direct line or connection that you do not have. Be careful. God’s Word speaks for God. God can speak through His messengers, but when someone presents themselves as authoritative on spiritual things, it is absolutely essential that we evaluate their message, their methods, and the fruit in their lives.

But here in Mark 2, Jesus makes a claim to authority that no one saw coming. As a result, they didn’t know what to do. Was Jesus a criminal worthy of death or was He…what was He?

We remember this story because of the inspiring story of the men who stop at nothing to help their paralyzed friend. It’s a great account. But this is not a story about healing. This is about Who Jesus is, how His work goes deeper than what we prioritize, and how our human understanding of the Messiah is often not quite right.

Mark 2:1 – When he entered Capernaum again after some days, it was reported that he was at home.

This may have been Peter’s home or Mary’s home. At the time, Capernaum was Jesus’ ministry headquarters. In chapter 1, He left to visit other towns throughout Galilee, but now He’s back in this little fishing village.

His willingness to return demonstrates His patience and His grace and His compassion. Capernaum was a place where people did not understand Him, did not believe His message, and, in some cases, would not obey Him. But Christ is a long-suffering Savior.

Mark 2:2 – ² So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and he was speaking the word to them.

Sometimes thousands of people surrounded Jesus. With that said, the population of Capernaum at the time was around 1,500 people.^[3] It wouldn’t take much to fill up the space of this house. The largest excavated homes in that area are like 18 feet wide.^[4] Still, there were a lot of people.

For once, Jesus was able to do what He wanted to do: Teach the Word. No long line of people needing healing, just a crowd hearing the preaching of the Gospel. The Lord must’ve been excited.

Mark 2:3-4 – ³ They came to him bringing a paralytic, carried by four of them. ⁴ Since they were not able to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after digging through it, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying.

The digging through the roof is one of the most theatrical moments in all the Gospels. What must it have been like? How long did it take? Were people frightened or laughing or upset?

It was probably not as difficult to make this hole as we might imagine.^[5] The roofs had wood beams covered with thatch and compacted mud. Sometimes they had some tiles, but not always.^[6] “One authority states that the roof could easily be broken up…and easily repaired, and that it was often done for the purpose of letting down [things like] grain [or] straw. Writing in the mid-1800s, [he said]: ‘I have often seen it done, and done it myself to houses in Lebanon, but there is always more dust made than is agreeable.’”^[7]

On the other hand, we shouldn’t have a topical, palm frond covering in mind. The roofs of these houses weren’t just to cover. They did stuff up there. There would be an external staircase or ladder and the roof would be used for work or drying laundry, prayer, or even sleeping.^[8] In Acts chapter 10 we see Peter hanging out on a roof like this, praying.^[9]

They wouldn’t have needed to jackhammer, but that doesn’t mean this happened quickly. And there would have been a tremendous amount of dust and debris falling on the crowd below, including Jesus.^[10] This is not a high-ceilinged home.

For their part, the four friends show a wonderful, active love and compassion. It’s not easy to carry this kind of dead weight across town, let alone up a staircase or maybe a ladder! Then to keep pushing past obstacles, even the physical impediment of a roof. These guys are great examples of love in action. When Paul tells us to “carry one another’s burdens” in Galatians 6, we would do well to consider this illustration of a faith that can be seen.

Mark 2:5 – ⁵ Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Let’s imagine the strangeness and the realness of this scene. The house is absolutely full – standing room only. For a significant amount of time, some dudes have been digging through the roof. Undoubtedly people had shouted things at them. Finally, this frail body is awkwardly lowered down. I’m guessing there was a close call or two where they almost dropped the guy.

Jesus finally gets to teach the people of Capernaum but He’s interrupted yet again. He’s got dust and mud chunks in His hair and beard. Everything is bedlam. But in that moment, the Lord is not annoyed, He doesn’t rebuke anyone or storm off saying, “I can’t work like this.” Instead He fixes His attention on this helpless man and uses a term of endearment, calling him “Son.”^[11]

And then He says something amazing: Your sins are forgiven! They’re dismissed. Gone away. Left behind.^[12] Immediately and freely. This forgiveness required no sacrifice or ritual. He didn’t have to wait for the Day of Atonement. He didn’t have to bring a lamb. He had been pardoned.

That’s the difference Jesus makes. He pardons our sin. Pardons are in the news a lot these days. People get very upset and say, “That person is guilty, they shouldn’t be let off the hook.” But that’s what a pardon is! We are guilty. Guilty of a lifetime of sin against our Holy Creator. And He offers us a full pardon, not based on what we do, but based on what He has done, by His love and grace.

To the people in the audience, free forgiveness was totally outside how they understood a relationship with God.^[13] Jesus’ statement would’ve been absolutely shocking.

But of course, the paralytic and his friends didn’t bring him that day with the goal of having his sins forgiven. They came to have his body healed. But the Messiah, Who loves best knew that forgiveness was the most important issue. That was what this man needed. Of course, Jesus never turned away someone who asked for healing in the Gospels. He knew He was going to also physically heal this man, but He wanted to take this opportunity to teach the people and some special guests in the audience and us about what is more important.

Mark 2:6-7 – ⁶ But some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts: ⁷ “Why does he speak like this? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

The story changes focus to this group of scribes. Actually, Luke lets us know that this was not only a group of Pharisees and scribes, but that they had come from “every village of Galilee and Judea, and also from Jerusalem” to scrutinize this Jesus people were talking about.^[14]

Already they are in sharp contrast to the faith-filled friends of the paralytic. They are shown sitting. Not only are they not helping others get to Jesus, they’re taking up extra space in this standing-room only meeting. They refused to make way for those in need. And rather than faith or humility, their hearts are full of criticism and dismissal at the words of Jesus.

This story is the first of five in a row that involve conflict between Jesus and the Jews. More and more they did not like what He said or did and their opposition against Him became more formal and more sinister.

Blasphemy was a capital offense in Judaism. So, why didn’t they pick up stones in this scene? They were totally confused about what was happening. Some linguists think they were asking themselves, “Wait, is He blaspheming?”^[15] You see, blasphemy laws were very specific. And Jesus hadn’t used the Divine Name. He was somewhat vague in what He said. At very least He was claiming to speak for God or to know what God had and hadn’t done. And that was very close to the line, if not over it in their minds.

Because, they were right: Only God can forgive sin. You can’t buy it, you can’t merit it, you can’t borrow it or steal it. Only God Himself can pardon you for your sin. At the time, the Jews did not believe even the Messiah could forgive sins.^[16]

Mark 2:8 – ⁸ Right away Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were thinking like this within themselves and said to them, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?

Jesus is omniscient. He knows everything. He knew everything about the physical malady of the crippled man and knew everything about his past and knew everything going on in the hearts of the scribes. He knows everything going on in your heart and life, too.

Often the Lord will ask people questions like this. It’s not because He doesn’t know. He asks for our benefit. He asks so that, perhaps, we will realize we’ve been missing something.

Where are you, Adam and Eve? Sarah, why did you laugh? What are you doing here, Elijah? Where were you when I established the earth, Job? Hagar, where have you come from and where are you going? Do you have any right to be angry, Jonah? Why are you crying, Mary? Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? These are questions meant to lead people to deep truth and restoration.

Why were they thinking these things in their hearts? Because their hearts were closed to the idea of a Suffering Savior Who forgives freely out of His mercy and grace.

Mark 2:9 – ⁹ Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat, and walk’?

It’s easier to say “your sins are forgiven,” because there’s no way to prove or disprove whether it happened. If you say to a paralytic, “Get up and walk,” your legitimacy is immediately audited.

Mark 2:10-11 – ¹⁰ But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he told the paralytic—¹¹ “I tell you: get up, take your mat, and go home.”

Normally Jesus was very upset when people said, “Show us a sign to prove why we should believe you.” No one asked for a sign here, but Jesus says “I’m gonna give you one.” He was proving He was the real deal. He wasn’t unsure about His mission or Who He was. He has made it abundantly clear that He is the Christ.

But He doesn’t use the title “Christ,” or “Anointed One” in this scene. He uses a different name: Son of Man. This was Jesus’ favorite self-designation in the Gospels.^[17] It’s used 14 times in Mark.

This title comes from Daniel, chapter 7. There we read:

Daniel 7:13-14 – ¹³ I continued watching in the night visions, and suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him. ¹⁴ He was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.

This title was not one the Jews commonly used for the Messiah. They would more often use titles like, “Son of David,” which were culturally wrapped up in a nationalistic or militaristic context.^[18] But Jesus did not let culture define Who He is or what He does. He doesn’t conform to our ideas.

This title should make a listener go back and say, “What does that name mean?” Well, He is the One Who comes with clouds – that’s God. He is the One Who will rule and reign forever – that’s the Messiah. He is Human and Divine. Not only is He allowed to speak for God, He is God, and He is in charge, with all authority, all dominion, all glory, and all power.

Mark 2:12 – ¹² Immediately he got up, took the mat, and went out in front of everyone. As a result, they were all astounded and gave glory to God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Luke tells us the man not only got up and left, but he went out glorifying God.^[19] Jesus, still will dust in His hair, probably got to work fixing the roof. Do you think He told the other guys, “Hey, fix that?”

The people didn’t know what to think. Mark uses a very strong verb – that people were beside themselves.^[20] They didn’t know what to think about Jesus, even after what He just said and did!

So, Who is He? He’s the King of kings. He’s the Savior. He’s the Lord of all, including our lives. He’s the GodMan Who has commanded us just as He commanded this previously crippled man.

So, what has the Lord commanded you to do? Notice, that no matter what Jesus asks of us, we can do – even the impossible things. Jesus told the paralytic to do something that was impossible. But God enables us to do anything He commands us to do. Anything. And as we obey Him and walk in His new life, we get to go wherever He sends us glorifying God and enjoying the new creation He’s made us to be. Living out a living faith in front of everyone.