Mark Part 2

MARK

WE NEVER SAW ANYTHING LIKE THIS

MARK 1:35 to 2:12 – “WE NEVER SAW ANYTHING LIKE THIS”

I wanted to begin this morning by reviewing just a few key points that were brought up last time. These are important because it sets the stage for the rest of the study. It is really good to be reminded of these things. So here we go…

The events we see in Mark’s Gospel were written from Peter’s perspective. Peter was one of Jesus’s disciples. He witnessed these things and then later passed them on to Mark who wrote them down. I mentioned that John Mark (that was his full name) was NOT one of Jesus’s disciples. The question came up, “Why wasn’t he?” Well, here is a pretty good reason: He was born around 12 A.D., so he was a teenager during Jesus’s earthly ministry. The early church met in John Mark’s home, so he knew Peter and many of the disciples.

Mark’s Gospel – this is what you will notice as we go through this study – is action-packed. It is fast-paced. Mark moves quickly from scene to scene and he focuses primarily on Jesus’s actions more than His teachings. Jesus’s words and teachings are in there, but mostly we see Jesus’s actions.

Mark’s theology about Jesus is stated in the very first verse of Mark’s Gospel, which is, that Jesus is the Son of God. Now, all four Gospels tell us that Jesus is the Son of God, but Mark gets right to it in the first verse. He states it right off the bat. And then he says also that Jesus is the Messiah. When you use the title “Christ” (as Mark does) it means “anointed one” or “Messiah.” So, when you see Christ, think Messiah.

The question was answered last time, “Why was Jesus baptized?” That was one of the first things He did. There were two main reasons that were pointed out for this. First, He was identifying Himself with the sinful humanity He came to save. His baptism was not for the repentance of sins because Jesus was not a sinner. That was the main reason. He was identifying with sinful humanity. The second reason was mentioned by our pastor in his sermon a couple of weeks. He said that Jesus in His baptism was looking forward in time to His future mission of redemption. We all know that baptism is a picture of Jesus’s death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. So, Jesus is looking forward to what He knew was going to happen later on.

Speaking of the mission, you will notice that the title for our series is “The Messiah’s Mysterious Mission.” For the time being, as we start off in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus’s mission is a mystery to the people. It is going to be revealed in due time. That is one thing to keep in mind. Jesus is going to reveal more about this as He gets closer to the cross.

The Father is well-pleased with His Son. We saw that at His baptism. It is interesting that the Father is well-pleased with Jesus before He ever performed a miracle; before He ever preached a major sermon; or ever made a great claim. Why is He pleased with His Son? It is because Jesus has been obedient to the Father’s will and His mission of redemption is right on track. God the Father, God the Spirit and God the Son all know what Jesus’s mission is even if nobody else knows.

So that is what we covered last time. Just some things to understand as we continue on with our study in Mark’s Gospel.

We pick up the narrative in Mark Chapter 1 and verse 35. Here we get a glimpse into the daily life of the Lord Jesus. As you might guess Jesus is a very busy Man. So, let’s see how Jesus begins His day.

READ Mark 1:35

I like to think about Jesus going out by the Sea of Galilee, which is right there beside Capernaum where He was living. If you have ever been to Israel and seen Capernaum, it is in a very beautiful setting right there by the sea. So, I like to think of Jesus being out alone by the sea in the morning. That is just me. We don’t know for sure where He went, but it was to a place by Himself.

We can learn a lot from Jesus. Prayer is important. Jesus made it a part of His daily life. He got alone with the Father to pray.

Q1 asks: WHEN did Jesus go off alone to pray? “Early in the morning, while it was still dark.”

Now, let me ask you a question and get you to think a little bit. What benefit is there in having a morning communion with God? Talk to me. [Class discussion, some of the things mentioned are listed below]

• It is early, quiet, no distractions
• It lets you plan and prioritize your day
• Thank God for another day, for His blessings
• Give to God your needs and concerns
• Ask God for wisdom and guidance
• Ask God for protection
• Ask God for strength to carry out your daily activities

For me personally (I had to share this with you) when I get up in the morning the first thing that happens is that I realize I am still alive and I say, “Thank you, God, for another day of living!” A lot of my friends died much younger than I am right now. I simply thank God for life. But then I pray words to this effect: “God, guide my thoughts, words and actions today. Protect me from selfish, self-seeking motives. Help me to be patient, tolerant and loving. Help me to show kindness to my wife and to others. Help me to know and to do Your will. I need Your strength and Your wisdom today, Lord.” Then I pray for other people and whatever else. Anyway, that is the gist of what I pray because I know me and I know I need God. I know that temptation is coming. “Lord, help me. Protect me. Give me wisdom.” So, that is just me. It is good that we get together with God in the morning. Jesus shows us an example of how to do that.

In our text today, before Jesus has even gotten to the “Amen” in His prayer, here comes Simon with a group of people (we don’t know who, probably the other three disciples).

READ Mark 1:36-37

Remember, even though it is early in His ministry, Jesus’s popularity is already beginning to soar. He has become a local celebrity almost overnight. Word of Jesus’s amazing teaching and His miracles has spread throughout Capernaum and to the surrounding towns.

Q2 asks: How did Jesus react to being interrupted? Let’ read on and we will see the answer to that question.

READ 1:38-39

He says, “Let’s go! He does not say, “Go away. I’m busy. Come back later” He does not ask what is for breakfast. He does not demand His coffee. He says, “Let’s go!” Pretty interesting.

Early on in Jesus’s ministry we see Him traveling from town to town in and around the Sea of Galilee. You will hear people talk about His Galilean Ministry, the first year or so of His ministry. He preaches and casts out demons. As we read on (we saw this in our lesson last time) we see Jesus healing people. He goes out and meets the physical and spiritual needs of the people. Jesus is busy doing the things that the Father has sent Him into the world to do. This is part of His mission. Now He has an ultimate mission, but in the meantime this is His mission – preaching, healing, showing compassion, meeting people’s needs.

In the very next story Mark tells us about Jesus healing a man. Q3: What disease does Jesus heal in these verses? Leprosy. Let’s read about that…

READ Mark 1:40

In one of the towns that Jesus is visiting (it does not say which one) Jesus encounters a leper. Leprosy was a very common disease in that day and time and region. It is much less common in our world today. Thankfully, we do not really see it all in our country. But it is a terrible disease. To really fully appreciate this miracle, you need to know something about leprosy.

Here is how Dr. Jerry Vines describes how leprosy progressively destroys a man:

“For no reason he would have a feeling of fatigue. Then his joints would begin to get sore. One day he would notice little white spots all over his skin. Later those white spots would begin to harden into nodules. They would turn from white to pink to brown, then become scaly. Soon nodules would spread all over his body… The nodules would ulcerate all over his body, producing a foul odor… When he talked his voice would be raspy. His eyebrows would fall out. His hair would turn white. Inch by inch this man’s body would begin to rot… His fingers and toes would begin to fall off.” He goes on but concludes with this sobering statement: “A leper was a walking death that lasted an average of nine years (during Jesus’s time) until its victim finally collapsed in a pile of corruption.” Isn’t that horrible?

Leprosy was a horrible disease with no known cure at the time. It eventually led to a slow painful death. We can’t even imagine how awful and terrifying this disease must have been. Thank God that we don’t have it in our land today.

[Note: There IS a cure for leprosy today. Its modern name is Hansen’s Disease. It is most common in underdeveloped countries, primarily India, but also Brazil, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Congo, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, Somalia, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania.]

Jesus sees this guy. We don’t know what condition he is in, but he is probably well into his disease…

READ Mark 1:41-42

The leper had said, “Lord, if You will (if it is Your will), I know You can make me clean.” So, Jesus immediately moved with pity does that – He says “I will” and then shows that it IS His will, right? Out of desperation this leper hears about Jesus and goes to where He is. He implores Jesus (begs Him) to heal him. And then Jesus does something that nobody did.  He touches the leper. This is something people do not do because leprosy is highly contagious. But Jesus touches him. He feels compassion for the guy. He is “moved with pity.” Jesus heals the man with a touch and a word.

Then four weeks later the man was completely healed of his leprosy. Is that what v 42 says? Q4: How long did it take for the leprosy to go away? It went away IMMEDIATELY! Knowing what you know about leprosy now – there was no known cure and it was a slow, painful rotting death – that is amazing, isn’t it? A touch and two words, “Be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him and he was clean.

Then Jesus says something very peculiar…

READ Mark 1:43-44

The part about going to the priest is understandable. That was in obedience to the Levitical law. The purpose for that is so that he could be declared ceremonially “clean” by the priest. You see, a person who had a disease like this was considered “unclean” and was quarantined away from the population. So, after being cured, a priest would examine the person and declare them fit to rejoin society. They could once again come into the synagogue or temple and participate in worship.

But the part that is peculiar is the part about not saying anything. It is similar to what Jesus had commanded the demons. “Don’t say anything. Be quiet.” Here, he tells the man who has been cured of leprosy, “See that you say nothing to anyone.” We talked about the reasons for this last time when He was saying that to the demons. The reasons Jesus demanded the demons to be silent are the same reasons here. It has to do with the Messiah’s mysterious mission. Jesus will reveal WHO He is and WHY He came on His own terms and in His own time. The Jews viewed their coming Messiah as a king. If word gets out that Jesus is the Messiah (and everybody knew that one of the things the Messiah was going to do is heal diseases), then they would force Him to be their king. But that is not why He came the first time, is it? Jesus is on a redemptive mission even if they don’t know it. And if they did know that was His mission, they would not fully understand. Over time Jesus is going to reveal who He is and what His mission is. So, Jesus tells the demons and those He heals, like this man here, “Be quiet. Don’t tell anyone.”

Well, Q5 – Did the man Jesus healed keep quiet? NO. And can you blame him? Let’s read on…

READ Mark 1:45

Is it surprising that the man could not keep quiet about this? If that happened to you, could you keep quiet? When something really wonderful happens to you, you have to tell somebody, right? This guy has been cured of what was an incurable disease – miraculously. He can’t keep it to himself! This is a life-changing and amazing event that has taken place. He has been completely cured of leprosy! So, he is going out and telling everyone he sees what Jesus did for him.

Jesus becomes so popular that wherever He goes – even out into the middle of nowhere – the people are coming out to Him. “From every quarter” – in other words, they are coming from all over, from everywhere. Well, Jesus finishes making His rounds in these towns around the Sea of Galilee and returns to His home base, which is at his adopted hometown of Capernaum.

We are going to pick it up there in Mark Chapter 2.

[In the class discussion it was pointed out that the leper showed great faith in coming to Jesus to be healed. Though it was socially unacceptable for a leper to venture into a town, he had no other hope but Jesus.]

READ Mark 2:1-2

The news leaks out that Jesus has returned. Wherever Jesus goes He attracts quite a following and you can understand why. None of the Gospel accounts tell us exactly whose house Jesus is at. More than likely it was Peter’s home, but we do not know that for sure. It must have been a large enough house to accommodate a crowd of people. Everyone shows up at this house including (as we are going to find out later) some scribes and Pharisees, some of the religious leaders.

Q6: What was Jesus doing at the house in Capernaum that attracted the large crowd? Preaching. It says in v 2 that He is “preaching the word to them.” It should come as no surprise that among those who come to see Jesus are a number of people who want to be healed. Word has gotten out that He can heal. And so, that is what happens here in the next verse…

READ Mark 2:3-4

A “paralytic” refers to a paralyzed person who can’t move. They just lay in a bed or a cot. The crowd around this house is so big that these four men cannot get to the front door. They want to take their paralyzed friend to Jesus. So, they go to Plan B.

You need to understand that the roof to this house is a flat roof. It is not a pitched roof like we have. That would have been a problem. All houses of that day in the Middle East had these flat roofs with stairs that led up to them. What people would do is use their roof the way we use a balcony. That is where they would go to hang out. These men figured out about where Jesus would be standing in this house and they began to remove the roof tiles. You can just picture the scene. Inside the house you can hear this commotion above you. All eyes begin looking upward at what these men are doing up there. Once the opening is big enough, the men lower their friend’s stretcher down by ropes to Jesus. This has to take a little bit of time. They have stopped and are watching this spectacle.

READ Mark 2:5

Q7: To WHAT did Jesus respond when the paralyzed man’s friends let him down through a hole in the roof? The friends’ faith. Isn’t that interesting? “When Jesus saw their faith…” The faith of these four men. Think about all the trouble these four men had to go to in order to carry their helpless buddy some distance on a stretcher and then out of desperation they go up to this roof and go to all that effort to make an opening in the roof (however much work that took) and then to lower their friend down. All with the hope that Jesus would see and then heal their friend! Wow! That is faith. Jesus is amazed by their faith.

Jesus has been healing people of all sorts of physical ailments in the region of Galilee. So then, this is one of many such healings. Q8 says: What was the first thing Jesus said to the paralyzed man? Does He say, “Man, be healed! Get up and walk!” He has said that to others He healed. But did He say it to this guy? NO. What did He say? “Your sins are forgiven.” Jesus says something that is totally unexpected. You see, Jesus knows this paralyzed man’s heart. He is spiritually broken and Jesus knows this. He knows that the man’s greatest need is not physical healing (sure, that is a need) but his greatest need is spiritual healing. This man needs salvation. He needs to be made right with God. And so, for that reason Jesus says to him, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Jesus gives the man what he needs most, and that is forgiveness of sins. By the way, just a side note, forgiveness of sins is OUR greatest need, isn’t it?

Well, this stirs up the religious leaders that are there in the room, doesn’t it?

READ Mark 2:6-8

Luke’s Gospel mentions that both the scribes and the Pharisees are present when this event takes place. They don’t actually say anything, but Jesus reads their minds. He knows what they are thinking. V 8 says, “He perceiving in His spirit.”

Q9: What did the religious leaders conclude? That Jesus was WHAT? He was a blasphemer. V 7 says they thought in their minds “He is blaspheming!”

Which leads us to Q10: Were the religious leaders correct in their thinking that only GOD can forgive sins? Answer very carefully. Is that a correct statement? They are actually correct that only God can forgive sins. Their theology on this point IS correct. Only GOD can forgive sins. That much is true. But their conclusion about Jesus is what is incorrect. HE IS GOD. So, it is a tricky question, but it makes you think a little bit.

Now, can ONLY God forgive sins? Are the religious leaders correct? I say YES. Well, what about us? Can WE forgive sins? Well, Jesus tells us to. Or at least He tells us to forgive trespasses, right? People will say, “Well, Jesus commanded us to forgive, so we can forgive sins also.”

The theology of the Pharisees and scribes is actually correct. This does not mean that we cannot forgive someone who has wronged us. We are told to do that, aren’t we? The model prayer says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us” (Matthew 6:12). Colossian 3:13 says this: “Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” We are capable of forgiving because we were made in the image of God. But we are obligated to forgive because, as redeemed saints, we have been forgiven by God.

I want to point out an example of why the scribes and Pharisees statement in Mark 2 is correct. Do you remember the story about David and the sin he committed with Bathsheba? In Psalm 51 David is pouring out his heart to God after this sin, after he has been confronted by the prophet Nathan. David says, “Against You [God], You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight” (Psalm 51:4). That is David’s prayer. But what about Uriah and Bathsheba? Didn’t David wrong them as well? Yes, he did. David was the king and as such was not punished, but he was certainly guilty of both murder and adultery. So, we can all agree that David wronged them as well. Every sin we commit is a sin first and foremost against a holy God, right? Uriah could not forgive David because he was dead. David could be as sorry as he could be about what he did to Uriah, but there was no way Uriah could ever forgive him. And then Bathsheba probably forgave David, but it took some time. To David’s credit (this is why he is a man after God’s own heart), he took full responsibility for his evil actions, for the sin that he committed. He confessed it to God, poured out his heart and asked God’s forgiveness. He then took full responsibility for what he did to Bathsheba and tried to do what was best for her. What David wanted and needed most after his sin was God’s forgiveness. After that then David made his amends with Bathsheba by loving her, marrying her and taking good care of her the rest of her life. That is all he could do. He couldn’t do anything about Uriah. David realized that only God could forgive him completely.  

There are only two possible conclusions one can make about Jesus. Either Jesus IS God, which means that He CAN forgive sins or Jesus is NOT God, which means that, by claiming to forgive sins, He is a blasphemer. He is a liar and a phony and might even be a nutcase! So, which of these two is Jesus? Is He God or is He a blasphemer? HE IS GOD.

Jesus, knowing what they are thinking, is going to answer that question about which He is with a question of His own. That takes place in the next verse.

READ Mark 2:9

OK, so Q11: Which of these two statements is easier to say? It is much easier for me to say, “Your sins are forgiven.” That is the easier thing to say. Why is that? Because that is something that takes place on the inside. You can’t tell if it has happened or not. Forgiveness of sins is a spiritual matter. So, if I were to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” OK, great. But if you are paralyzed and you are laying there and I say “Rise and walk” and you continue to just lay there looking at me, then I would be exposed as a fraud. I can’t really heal, right? And that is why Jesus does what He does next – to prove to you that I can do the easier, I am going to do the harder.

READ Mark 2:10-12

It is interesting that He says “Son of Man” here. Believe me, the scribes and Pharisees picked up on this. That is a Messianic term. That is a hint at who He is. Remember I said that He is on a mysterious mission. They don’t really know who He is yet. Some people suspect that He might be the Messiah, but they don’t know for sure. He uses the term “Son of Man which comes from Daniel Chapter 7. “Just to show you that I have the authority to forgive sins” (therefore implying He is God), Jesus says, “Rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” And he does that, doesn’t he? The man gets up in front of all those scribes and Pharisees. He picks up his bed and heads for home. Luke’s account says that the man “went home glorifying God” (Luke 5:25).

The paralyzed man’s healing is immediate, right? Just as it was earlier with the leper. The man doesn’t require any physical therapy. No follow up appointments. No pain prescriptions to fill at the local pharmacy. This is a complete and immediate healing. Only God can do this! Wouldn’t you agree?

Their response, and this is Q12, was what? “They all glorified God saying, ‘We never saw anything like this!’”

 As amazing as this paralyzed man getting up and walking was (and it was), I would argue that the greater miracle this day was the man’s spiritual healing – having his sins forgiven.

Let me ask you a question in closing. Something to think about. I like to do this. Are you amazed by Jesus? Are you overwhelmed by the thought that He can and did forgive your sins? Are you glorifying God every day that He heals physically and emotionally? Can you hardly contain your excitement about coming into God’s house and hearing what He has to say to you next? The truth of the matter is, as born-again believers, saved by grace through faith, you and I are living breathing miracles! And praise God for that!