GOOD NEWS PRESENTED BY MARK
Study of the Gospel According to Mark
As you read Mark, be aware that you are reading the very first written account of the ministry of Jesus – a fact well documented by credible Bible scholars. Quite naturally, we want to know who Mark was, and we find that he is mentioned frequently in the New Testament.
What we know about him is that he was the son of a very well-to-do woman in Jerusalem; her name was Mary, and her home became the center of early church get-togethers. So, you can imagine that Mark was there when Jesus’ closest followers came to his mother’s house for a “church council” meeting. Peter the chief elder referred to Mark affectionately as “my son.”
Mark was also the nephew of Barnabas who talked Paul into letting the youngster go with them on one of their missionary journeys - which, you may recall, resulted in Mark’s falling out of favor with Paul by leaving and going back home. However, it’s interesting to note that, years later, when Paul was in prison, facing execution, he asked Timothy to bring Mark with him, “for he is a most useful servant to me.”
I suppose Paul saw in this young man a Christian who had the ability to write; and, apparently having redeemed himself, he could now be counted on to carry out Paul’s wishes. This explanation is plausible because Mark had served as Peter’s scribe and, as such, had written much of what Peter related to him about his eye witness account of the ministry of Jesus.
MARK SERMON II – MARK 2:1-28 . . .
COMPELLED BY THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST TO SWING INTO ACTION
One of the most dramatic events of the ministry of Jesus occurred during a visit in a home in Capernaum. Obviously, Jesus was a sociable person; although He had no place to “lay His head” in terms of a permanent residence, it seems that He was never without a place to stay – at least overnight.
Why Jesus visited this household in which a paralytic was to be healed, I do not know; Mark simply says that Jesus was in a house --- Mark 2:1-5 . . .
Jesus was in a house, in Capernaum, speaking about the kingdom of God. It was not unusual, but rather a custom, for village folks in those days to leave the door to their house open as a way of saying, “Welcome.” While Jesus was in this house, there was no attempt made to keep the town folks from coming in to visit with him. The door was open!
The door opened onto a narrow lane. Most if not all the houses had flat roofs made of straw and soil thatched between “beams” set about three feet apart; grass grew on top for making the roof a type of patio where the family could relax and enjoy fresh air. The staircase to the roof was built on the outside of the house in the narrow space between dwellings.
There were so many people who gathered to hear this now-famous Teacher that the large crowd completely shut off access to the door of the house; so, the four men who brought the paralytic on a pallet had no recourse except to go up the stair to the roof top, make a hole through it, and lower the paralytic on his pallet into the presence of Jesus.
Folks, it takes a cooperative effort on the part of those who really care to bring a person they are concerned about to the Lord. It takes four men to carry a four-cornered pallet! Teamwork!
Although their minds, and ours, might be obsessed with getting the needed physical healing, the greatest of all needs is forgiveness of sins. Jesus sensed the man’s deep longing to be forgiven before turning his attention to the physical paralysis. But you know what? There was another kind of “paralysis” evident in the crowd that day --- Mark 2:7-12 . . .
We might say that Jewish authorities - feeling threatened by the rising popularity of Jesus - had been “paralyzed” by fear of this man Jesus because He spoke with authority. They “planted” lawyers in the crowd to see if they could find a legal cause for getting rid of the threat. But the Lord knew what they were thinking: “No one can forgive sins except God!” Blasphemy – a crime for which the punishment was death by stoning! Perhaps afraid of the crowd, they remained silent. However, Jesus knew what they were thinking.
In response to their unspoken accusation, Jesus said in effect: “You say that I have no right to forgive sins? You believe that if this man is sick he is a sinner and cannot be cured until he is forgiven? Very well, then, watch this!” Jesus spoke the word and the man was cured.
By their very own belief system, the man could not be cured unless he was forgiven. He was cured; therefore, he was forgiven. Thus, Jesus’ claim to forgive sin must be true!
What a baffled bunch of legal experts these “spies” must have been! Jesus knew they went away in a rage, and that, therefore, He had signed His own eventual death warrant since these “wise guys” would return to Jerusalem and warn the hierarchy that their orthodox system of legalism was about to be destroyed if “this man Jesus” is not stopped.
Meanwhile, this “man sent from God” continued His work by doing something else that astounded the authorities: He called a man who was hated by everybody to follow Him --- Mark 2:13-14 . . .
Now that war had been declared between orthodox Jewish authorities and Jesus, who better to have on His side than “one of them”? No one was more suited for that role than an orthodox Jewish tax collector - hated not only as a collector of unfair taxes but also as an unscrupulous “so and so”!
Yet, Jesus knew of the ache in this tax collector’s heart to be “somebody” well thought of; no doubt Matthew had stood on the edge of the crowd listening to Jesus; and what he heard Jesus say stirred feelings in this lonely man.
Don’t you suppose Matthew hated himself because of his job . . . hated to be hated and wanted to be loved? Jesus gave him the chance to make something out of his life – a life of spreading love rather than hatred among people. So, He called Matthew to follow Him!
Folks, Matthew gave up material wealth for spiritual gain. He not only turned over a “new leaf” but, in the process of following Jesus, he became a man of “clean hands” and a “pure heart.”
This once-powerful government official lost his job but was given a far greater task. In fact, little did he know just how famous he would one day become - as Christians through the centuries have feasted on “the bread of life” offered to us by Matthew in his written record of the entire life of Christ and His teachings - like the Sermon on the Mount and the Parables!
Matthew’s acceptance of the call of Jesus opened the door - not only to his heart but also to his house --- Mark 2:15-17 . . .
How wonderful it was that even “sinners” sought the company of Jesus! But wouldn’t you know it? Those who hated Jesus took issue with who He had dinner with!
What is Christianity all about if it is not to reach out to other sinners? Why is it that there were (are) so many “good people” – regular attendees in church, generous in giving, tireless in serving – who negate their good traits by the rigid expectation that everyone else ought to be just like them? Do they not realize that those outside the Christian fellowship are not going to become Christ-like, in the way that all of us ought to be, unless they are introduced to Jesus by Christians who truly follow the example of Jesus!?
Don’t be afraid to “rub elbows with” unsaved people! What would we do if our doctor refused to get near us because we had an infectious disease? Jesus set the example of being around those who need to be ministered to rather than shunning them!
A foreign missionary once wrote: “Some want to live within the sound of Church or Chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.”
Before anyone can bring oneself to want to “run a rescue shop” there must be a change of attitude – not for compromising convictions, but for facing the reality that changing circumstances may call for adopting a different approach to the way we minister --- Mark 2:18-20 . . .
People get “hung up” over tiny details of a doctrine like fasting (ritual of remorse); indeed, there is a time for sadness, but to be sad all the time is to send the wrong signal about the new life in Christ. The Christian life, if not a life of joy (like the seven-day celebration of a wedding) would not be very appealing to unsaved “sinners”! Why would anyone want to participate in a way of life that has no joy in it?
About the new life in Christ versus the old life of legalism, Jesus could not have made His view clearer than He did when he told the parable of “the patch” and the parable of “the wineskin” – Mark 2:21-22 . . .
Do you agree that Jesus set us free to worship and serve Him with a joyful spirit? Don’t get so bogged down in the minute details of rituals and regulations that it takes the joy out of Christian living!
Nothing can put more joy into your life and mine than serving Christ by meeting the needs of others --- Mark 2:23-28 . . .
There comes a time in life when we are compelled by love to put that which is best for someone else ahead of that which we might consider to be our “religious duty”. To do so may inconvenience us or cause discomfort for awhile - but once again Jesus makes it clear that the Christian’s top priority is to glorify God by doing right toward others.
Folks, whether among friends or within families, we do not schedule the storms of life, loss of health, loss of a job, death; but when these and other events occur, we may have to adjust our schedules, rules, priorities, plans - for the sake of others - and for the sake of Christ our Lord! Amen.
