Notes on Mark 2
(Mark 2:1 KJV) And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.
Noised meaning, the word got around that Jesus was in a certain house.
(Mark 2:2 KJV) And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.
This is how we should desire to hear the word of God. Our churches should be filled to capacity, we should be lining up to get in like they do at the football stadiums. How much greater is the word of God than a football game that is here today and gone tomorrow. The word of God abides forever.
Notice Jesus did many miracles but also preached the word. We need both, not emphasize one over the other. The Word was the main focus and the healing came to confirm the word spoken.
(Mark 2:3 KJV) And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.
Here was one so sick that others had to carry him.
(Mark 2:4 KJV) And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.
They were so determined to help their friend that they started taking apart the roof to get the sick to Jesus. If they had not believed Jesus would heal their friend, they would not have gone to all that trouble. Their priority was getting their friend healed not worrying about private property rights. I can imagine what would happen if we tried this today.
(Mark 2:5 KJV) When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
Notice Jesus saved the sinner as well as healed the sick. They went together, side by side. It goes along with the book of James chapter 5. "The prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise him up and if he has committed sins, it shall be forgiven him."
We cannot say that there is no more healing today or else we would have to say that there is no more saving the lost.
Naturally I do not know why some are healed and others are not. Neither do I know why some are saved and others can't seem to believe for salvation. That is something I can't see with my eyes. All we can go by is what the scripture says. In one place, Jesus said "According to your faith, be it unto you." Perhaps we receive what we believe Him for, I don't know. We just need to keep studying the scriptures, all of them so that we can come to the conclusion on scripture alone and not personal experience or someone's opinion.
In another place it is said, "If any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God." We need to ask, seek and search for answers and they will come. I believe that with all my heart. I don't believe God would tell us to ask for wisdom if He didn't intend to give us that wisdom and understanding. However, we cannot expect to receive anything if we don't believe He even hears us. We also can't expect to understand the bible if we never read it with a seeking and searching heart, desiring to understand.
My opinion, and this is my own thoughts here. We may have trouble receiving healing because we can't convince ourselves that God wants to heal us. As long as we think that it might not be His will or that He may be working out something with our sickness, it is hard to actually believe that He is going to heal us. It's much easier to believe if we are confident that the Lord wants us well. One thought though, if the Lord wanted us sick for some strange reason, then it would be wrong to take medicine and go to a doctor to get well. We need to convince ourselves that He wants us well. It's easy to believe for salvation because we know He wants to save. There is a scripture that says that He is not willing that any should perish but that all come to the knowledge of God. So the thing to do is to search the scriptures on healing to see if it is God's will to heal us like it is His will to save us.
(Mark 2:6 KJV) But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
Everywhere Jesus went there were the doubters, murmurers and complainers. Always ready to find fault. Sometimes we do this and don't even realize that we do it.
(Mark 2:7 KJV) Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
Imagine accusing our Lord and savior of Blasphemy. They were right about one thing, though. Who can forgive sins except God? Jesus was God and had every right to forgive sins. I'm not teaching the Jesus only doctrine here. I believe the scriptures clearly teach that there is a Father and a Son and a Holy Ghost and those three are one. Jesus was a separate being but was just as much God as the other two.
(Mark 2:8 KJV) And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?
Remember Jesus was a man at this time and was filled with the Holy Spirit. It was by the Spirit that He knew the hearts of man. He could see what was troubling them. This is quite different from mind readers and fortune tellers who are not always out for the good of edifying the believer. They are out for their own glory and gain. That is not the work of the Holy Spirit. The Gifts of the Spirit are always to bring people to God, to edify and comfort, to bring glory to God. Never are they to puff up any one person.
(Mark 2:9 KJV) Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?
(Mark 2:10 KJV) But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)
It would seem here that by the sick being healed it was to show that Jesus had the power to forgive sins. We see here clearly that it is Jesus who saves and Jesus who heals yesterday, today and forever. We cannot save ourselves by good deeds.
(Mark 2:11 KJV) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.
True faith will produce these kinds of works. Action was needed. He had to get up and walk.
(Mark 2:12 KJV) And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
If the man had no faith he wouldn't have bothered to get up. The results of this healing was that God received glory for it.
(Mark 2:13 KJV) And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them.
Jesus had a great teaching ministry. Good teaching of the scriptures are necessary today as then. We need less teaching of man and more teaching by the Holy Spirit and those who are led by the Spirit.
(Mark 2:14 KJV) And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.
Notice how quickly the disciples are willing to follow. They must have known something about Him before He came to call them or else the Spirit of God was drawing them and they felt drawn to follow Jesus when He called.
(Mark 2:15 KJV) And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.
We really need to study these scriptures here. Here we are shown Jesus' compassion for the lost and in another place we are told not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers.
(Mark 2:16 KJV) And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?
The Phariesees found fault thinking that they themselves were righteous. Maybe they expected Jesus to fellowship with them and not with sinners. Jesus stated firmly that He came to save the lost. That was His whole purpose in coming. He ate and had fellowship with them for the sole purpose of saving them.
(Mark 2:17 KJV) When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
If a person is well and healthy, he doesn't need a doctor. They go to doctors when they are sick.
So if we are to fellowship with sinners, why is there a warning of being unequally yoked together with unbelievers.
Oxen are yoked together to pull a load of cargo. They cannot go separate ways because they are yoked to a heavy burden and must go forward to carry that burden. If your yoked with an unbeliever, you are trying to serve God and they are trying to go a different way. It is impossible, sooner or later one would have to give way to the other or they would stand struggling all day and night. They get no place.
When our purpose is to win the lost and witness. We are to be endued with the power of the Holy Spirit and go forth with the purpose of saving the lost. Yes we can sit at a table and partake of food and have fellowship but we must not deviate from our goal. If we get weak and prayerless and go have constant fellowship with unbelievers, pretty soon we will begin to compromise our testimony and lifestyle. Jesus went in power and determination. Being led by the Spirit to witness and teach is not being unequally yoked. Going around unbelievers in the flesh and weakness of compromise is being unequally yoked. I would also add here that we are not to marry unbelievers with the hope of getting them converted. To marry an unbeliever is to be unequally yoked. If we are already married to an unbeliever we have to make the best of it, we can't turn around and get divorced. God has saved unbelieving spouses before but getting into that situation is not the best way to be in obedience to the will and ways of the Lord.
(Mark 2:18 KJV) And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?
Looks to me like fasting is an humbling oneself for the purpose of seeking God not just a contest to see how long we can go without food. Notice when Jesus fasted, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. He was led by the Spirit.
Most fasting done best when we feel drawn by the Holy Spirit to fast.
(Mark 2:19 KJV) And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
Fasting seem to be also a time of mourning, seeking and pressing into the presence of God. They did not need to fast and seek the presence of God here because they were in the presence of God.
(Mark 2:20 KJV) But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.
The time of fasting is now when we are separated from the Lord by our sight. We are not separated from Him in reality but we can't visibly see His presence. We need to constantly seek Him in prayer, praise, seeking and even fasting to build up our faith and spiritual strength.
(Mark 2:21 KJV) No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse.
There are two ways to understand these scriptures. One is that we can't mix the words of God and our old nature together. They will not agree. We must be changed, made new by the new birth.
(Mark 2:22 KJV) And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.
We must be made new, born again in order to understand and begin to walk in the Spirit.
Another interpretation is that the Old law and the new covenant can't mix. The Old law was fulfilled in Jesus and a New covenant was made with man in order to bring salvation and eternal life. I welcome any thoughts on this from others on this and any others passages. Jesus came to fulfill the old law.
(Mark 2:23 KJV) And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.
We have a hint here as to the meaning of the previous verses. The disciples were hungry and did what they could to fulfill that hunger. Notice Jesus didn't yell at them to wait until the Sabbath was over and then eat. They could have waited, why didn't Jesus upbraid them for picking corn on the Sabbath day?
(Mark 2:24 KJV) And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the Sabbath day that which is not lawful?
The Pharisees noticed right away and began to upbraid and find fault.
(Mark 2:25 KJV) And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him?
Jesus mentions David here. Evidently the Pharisees recognized David as a righteous leader. David saw a need of those that were with him and in desperation he took bread that was not lawful to eat and gave it to his men.
(Mark 2:26 KJV) How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the showbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him?
The food was for the priests only. Here Jesus seems to be emphasizing a change in covenants rather than eating.
(Mark 2:27 KJV) And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
He is reminding the Pharisees why the sabbath was made in the first place. God, in His wisdom and compassion made the sabbath to give man a day of rest and refreshing. It is for our good. It is not for us to find fault and accuse one another.
The best way to spend the Sabbath is in worship, refreshing and praise to the Lord.
(Mark 2:28 KJV) Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
Jesus is showing here that He is Lord of the Sabbath. He is the Sabbath. He is the final rest to all who will receive and believe. Yes, its good to set aside a special day to rest and seek the Lord. You will find that if we try to work 7 days a week without rest, we will soon wear out. We all need that day of rest.
Hebrews 4: 9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
There are two ways to view this: One, when we receive Jesus Christ as Lord, we enter into His rest and refreshing, a new covenant and new beginning. We rest from our old ways and works.
Another view is that when we enter into our final rest with the Lord, we rest from our labor for the Lord and enter eternal life. Both views are good. There is a refreshing peace and comfort when we come to receive salvation and the new birth from the Lord.
We are born again by the Spirit. Oh Lord restore unto us the joy of thy salvation. There is joy in serving the Lord. Amen.
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