Mark Study 2
Notes
Transcript
Session 3:
SESSION GOALS
Every session has a point—what each participant should walk away from the discussion knowing, feeling, and doing.
Main Idea: When we begin to recognize our sin, we can see Jesus as our savior and begin to obey him.
Head Change: To understand that only Jesus offers the relief all of humanity longs for.
Heart Change: To feel genuine relief through the forgiveness Jesus offers.
Life Change: To begin to obey as a result of Jesus’s forgiveness.
OPEN
Think of a loved one who suffers from a serious physical injury. Imagine what life would be like for that person and family if you had the ability to heal them. Is there any reason you might refuse to heal them?
Last week we laid down the challenge to follow Jesus with our whole lives—surrendering our time, our comfort, and our expectations. But that’s not the whole story. Something sinister stands in our way—something we didn’t necessarily put there but have to deal with if we want to follow Jesus.
READ
Read Mark 2:1–3:6.
When he entered Capernaum again after some days, it was reported that he was at home. So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and he was speaking the word to them. They came to him bringing a paralytic, carried by four of them. 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. Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” But some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts: “Why does he speak like this? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 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? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat, and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he told the paralytic—“I tell you: get up, take your mat, and go home.” 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!” Jesus went out again beside the sea. The whole crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. 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. 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. 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?” 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.” 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?” 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. But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day. 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. 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.” On the Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to make their way, picking some heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” He said to them, “Have you never read what David and those who were with him did when he was in need and hungry—how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest and ate the bread of the Presence—which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests—and also gave some to his companions?” Then he told them, “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. So then, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Jesus entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a shriveled hand. In order to accuse him, they were watching him closely to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath. He told the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand before us.” Then he said to them, “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. After looking around at them with anger, he was grieved at the hardness of their hearts and told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. Immediately the Pharisees went out and started plotting with the Herodians against him, how they might kill him.
WATCH
Before viewing the session, here are a few important things to look for in Francis’s teaching. As you watch, pay attention to how he answers the following questions:
What is our biggest problem and how does God deal with it?
What was Jesus’s message to the Pharisees who kept getting angry at him?
DISCUSS
Francis relayed the story of the paralytic whom Jesus healed. After all the healings we’ve already seen, now we focus on something more important behind the healings.
Take a moment and think about the things in your life you’d like Jesus to fix.
If he showed up one day and said, “Name it and I’ll fix it,” what would you ask from him? Why?
Re-read Mark 2:1–12.
When he entered Capernaum again after some days, it was reported that he was at home. So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and he was speaking the word to them. They came to him bringing a paralytic, carried by four of them. 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. Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” But some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts: “Why does he speak like this? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 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? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat, and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he told the paralytic—“I tell you: get up, take your mat, and go home.” 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!”
What obstacles did the paralytic face in his bid for healing?
How did he manage to get in front of Jesus?
Put yourself in the shoes of someone inside that house with Jesus. You’re surrounded by everyday people as well as Jewish officials and teachers listening to Jesus talk about his Father’s kingdom.
What would you—along with the people in the house—expect from Jesus when the paralytic comes down through a hole in the roof? How do you think you would have reacted to his initial statement?
For the Jewish leaders, miraculous healing in the name of God’s kingdom was one thing. But forgiveness? That was one step too far. Here, Mark introduces the first of several opponents Jesus will face. These scribes, or teachers of the Law (v. 6), mentally objected to Jesus’s statement of forgiving the man’s sins. This reaction never works out well for the dissenters, since Jesus knows what they are thinking.
[Note: For further background on the Jewish religious leadership who opposed Jesus, see Go Deeper Section 1 at the end of the session.]
The onlookers expected Jesus to address the man’s physical needs, but the savior who came for the lost addressed his most critical need—forgiveness of his sins.
How big of a deal is your sin to you?
In what ways does your perspective of your sin reflect God’s view of it? Reflect on those you tend to minimize, ignore, or justify.
If you were able to choose, would you rather be healed physically of a life-altering ailment or illness, or forgiven your sins? Why?
By also healing the paralytic’s legs and inviting him to get up and walk, Jesus confirmed his ability to heal his spiritual brokenness. As we follow Jesus’s ministry, notice how often he connects the outward appearance with the inward reality.
As he pronounced healing for the paralyzed man, Jesus referred to himself in a new way: “but that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . .” (2:10). This title would have been known by the religious leaders as a reference to Daniel’s visions, an apocalyptic image denoting divine power. He was not hiding his identity from the educated leadership. They knew what he was saying, and it enraged them.
What did Jesus’s declaration mean for the Pharisees?
We often forget that Jesus the gentle rabbi is also the Son of Man riding on the clouds in judgment. How do you reconcile these two characteristics of our savior?
How does understanding Jesus as the coming king inform your perception of him and your relationship with him?
[Note: For further background on the Son of Man, see Go Deeper Section 2 at the end of the session.]
Read Mark 2:13–17.
Jesus went out again beside the sea. The whole crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. 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. 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. 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?” 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.”
Here, Mark fast-forwards the next scene to the moment where Jesus called Levi, the disciple we know as Matthew—the author of the first gospel.
What does Levi do when Jesus tells him, “Follow me”?
Reflect on your own history with Jesus. When you first believed, how quickly did you turn from your sin to follow Jesus’s ways?
Jesus then goes to Levi’s house and has a meal with many “tax collectors and sinners.” Now, the Pharisees were really upset. These religious leaders threw a fit at the thought that this healer/teacher would dine with sinners. But they’d forgotten the lesson already—Jesus came to deal with that sin. Like the paralytic’s sickness, he could heal sin too.
Read Mark 2:18–3:6. As you read, look for a few different things:
First, what’s the focus of Jesus’s ministry? People or theological correctness?
Second, who benefits from what Jesus says? Who loses out?
Finally, what do Jesus’s words tell you about how God treats his people?
The cultural references in these passages may be confusing. But if we focus on what Jesus’s words and actions mean for the people who heard them originally, we’ll find something important.
Did you notice that Jesus’s response to the Pharisees encourages celebration and health for his disciples? Jesus makes the point that, in everyday life, we do what’s appropriate for any given situation—whether it’s fixing a worn-out pair of pants, or keeping food from spoiling, or eating so we don’t starve, or healing the sick.
How did the Pharisees respond to each of Jesus’s teachings?
When those who follow Jesus recognize their sin and his ability to destroy its power, they’re able to follow him into the kingdom of God. And that kingdom brings celebration and provision. As the king, Jesus can and does provide for his followers. In doing so, Jesus also proves that God wanted to do that from the beginning.
For example, what the Pharisees turned into a burdensome ritual (prohibiting work on the Sabbath), Jesus returned to God’s original intent—rest and provision for his people. Francis described Jesus’s actions as not just talking but showing the nature of God’s kingdom.
Instead of embracing Jesus’s freedom-giving interpretation of the Scriptures, the religious leaders respond by plotting to kill him. Throughout our passage, we have seen a clear escalation. At first, what began as antagonistic questioning (2:16) grew into a murderous rage (3:6)—one that would end in a crucifixion.
Why do you think they reacted that way?
Jesus always provokes a reaction. What sorts of responses do people today have toward Jesus? How do you deal with the negative ones?
[Note: For further background on the Sabbath, see Go Deeper Section 3 at the end of the session.]
LAST WORD
No one reaches the point of rejecting God overnight. Francis left this week’s video session asking us to consider the trajectory of our lives. Are we willing to say, “I’m done being a people pleaser, I’m going to please God”? Jesus demands a decision. He leaves no room for ambivalence—we are either with him or we oppose him. There is no in-between. Jesus is looking for followers who recognize their sin, submit to his authority, and follow him into life.
We’ve had a chance to look at the sin in our lives and confess it to God. We’ve looked at the areas where we fight God for control and worked to surrender those to him.
But as we saw with the paralytic, the disciples, and the man with the withered hand, Jesus offers life too. He expects us to offer him all of our lives and in return he offers us all of his life.
Jesus has come to offer you life. How will you respond? Resistance, or surrender?
Will you follow him into abundant life? What will that look like this week?