Mark 2

Christ in the Bible: Mark’s Gospel

Keith Simons

This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

Chapter 2

Jesus *forgives a man

Verses 1-12

Jesus had made many ill people well. But he did not come only to make people’s bodies well. The health of their bodies was important. But the health of their *souls is much more important. The *soul continues to be alive after the body is dead.

God sent Jesus because he wanted to save people’s *souls. God wants people to live in his home, called *heaven. But people have done things that are wrong and bad. God is completely good and he is always right. He cannot let wrong and bad people into *heaven. And everybody is wrong and bad (Romans 3:23).

But God saves people, by Jesus. God *forgives them because of Jesus’ death. People must believe God. They must ask him to *forgive them. And, with his help, they must stop the bad things that they are doing.

The people knew that this man was ill. But they did not know that his *soul was also ill. But Jesus knew that. The man needed God to *forgive him.

The man’s friends believed. Clearly, the man believed too. We know that because Jesus *forgave him. God *forgives people who believe him.

The teachers did not think that Jesus was able to *forgive anyone. They thought that only God can *forgive. But Jesus showed them that God had given that authority to him. He told the man that he should stand. Then he told the man that he must walk to his home. That could only happen if God had made the man well.

God had given to Jesus the authority to make the man well. So clearly, God had also given to Jesus the authority to *forgive the man.

The people that God helps

Verses 13-17

Some people in Israel were trying to do the right things. They tried to obey all the rules. They rested each Saturday. They prayed often. They worked for their money. They were called the *Pharisees. And they thought that they were good people.

Other people in Israel did not want to do the right things. They did not obey any rules. Usually, they did not pray. They took their money from other people. They included some men who worked for the government. These men were often not fair. The *Pharisees thought that these men were bad people.

Some people thought that God would only help good people. They were wrong. Everybody has done bad and wrong things. And God wants to save them all. God did not send Jesus to help good people only. God wanted to help the worst people too.

People who refuse food

Verses 18-20

The *disciples of John were not eating food. Perhaps this was because John was in a prison. They were sad. And they needed to pray. So they did not eat. Perhaps they refused food for a few days.

The *Pharisees were not eating food, too. Perhaps they were obeying a rule that their leaders made long ago. They refused food often. And they wanted people to know this (Matthew 6:16).

Jesus’ *disciples were eating at this time. They had no reason to refuse food. Jesus was still with them. So they were happy, like people at a marriage.

But Jesus’ *disciples would not always be happy. Jesus would not always be with them. Other people would take him away from them. Then, they would be sad. Then, they would need to pray for God’s help. And then, they too would refuse their food.

Old and new things

Verses 21-22

God sent Jesus with an important message. That message is for everyone. But many people are not ready to believe it.

If people already have their own ideas about God, often they do not want to believe something new. Old thoughts seem right. New ideas seem dangerous.

That happened to many *Pharisees. They had all their old rules. So they did not want to believe Jesus’ message.

The person who wants to believe God must become like a little child. Then that person is ready to learn the new things that God is teaching. For example, that person cannot continue to rule his own life. He must start to obey God. That is a difficult lesson for many people. They do not want to change the things that they do.

In past centuries, glass was very expensive. People used leather to store *wine. They made the leather into a bag that could contain the *wine. But they had to use new leather. *Wine is powerful. It will destroy old leather.

People should not use new cloth to mend old clothes.

Old things and new things have a different nature. God has given something new. We believed many old things before we became Christians. But now God has changed our lives.

Jesus speaks about David

Verses 23-27

The *disciples were only picking a few seeds to eat. They were hungry. But God’s *law says that people must rest on one day of the week (Deuteronomy 5:12-15). Some *Pharisees thought that the *disciples were working.

Jesus told those *Pharisees about King David. Before David became king, he was an officer in the army. People were trying to kill David then. David and his soldiers went to a town called Nob. They had no food and they were hungry.

So David asked the *priests for help. They too had no bread. But they wanted to help David. So they gave God’s special bread to David. God’s *law says that only *priests should eat that bread (1 Samuel 21:4-6; Leviticus 24:5-9).

Those *priests did the right thing. They helped the men who were hungry. God wanted to help poor people. He made his *law so that poor people would not have to work every day.

Jesus was like David. Both men were special servants of God. Other people were against them. But God was helping them. God had promised them both that they would rule as king (1 Samuel 16:13; Psalms 110; Mark 11:10).

This book is in EasyEnglish Level A (1200 words).

Gospel ~ a book that tells about the things that Jesus did. And it includes some things that he taught. There are 4 Gospels in the Bible. They are the books by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.'forgive, forgave ~ not to remember wrong things that a person has done. God forgives us for the wrong things that we have done. He chooses to do this, but we must change our minds. We must ask him to come into our lives.
soul ~ the soul is a part of a person that we cannot see. Our soul is in us while we are alive. It still lives after we die.
heaven ~ God’s home.'forgive, forgave ~ not to remember wrong things that a person has done. God forgives us for the wrong things that we have done. He chooses to do this, but we must change our minds. We must ask him to come into our lives.
Pharisees ~ a group of Jews. Pharisees went to a special school to learn God’s laws. They tried to obey all God’s laws. But many Pharisees did not like the things that Jesus taught.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
law ~ a country’s rules; the rules that God gave to Moses; one of these rules. The Jews had to obey the laws that God gave to Moses.
disciple ~ a student of a great teacher. Usually, the disciple travelled with his teacher and he worked for his teacher.
wine ~ a drink that people make from the fruit called grapes. It has alcohol in it.
wine ~ a drink that people make from the fruit called grapes. It has alcohol in it.
law ~ a country’s rules; the rules that God gave to Moses; one of these rules. The Jews had to obey the laws that God gave to Moses.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
priest ~ a man who offered gifts to God on behalf of other people. The Jews had priests who worked in *God’s Great House.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Mark’s Good News

Mark’s Gospel

Hilda Bright

Chapter 2

Mark has written about Jesus’ popularity in Galilee. Now he records five incidents. These incidents all show that the *religious leaders opposed Jesus:

1 2:1-12 They said that he spoke evil words against God.

2 2:13-17 He ate with people who collected taxes.

3 2:18-22 He did not make his *disciples obey the *religious rules about times when people should not eat.

4 2:23-28 He allowed his *disciples to ‘work’ on the *Sabbath.

5 3:1-6 He cured a man’s hand on the *Sabbath.

Jesus cures a man who could not walk 2:1-12

v1 After some time, Jesus went back to Capernaum again. People heard that he was at home. v2 So many people gathered that there was no room left. There was not even room outside the door. Jesus was *preaching the message to them. v3 Four men came to him. They were carrying a man who could not walk. v4 They could not get near Jesus because of the crowd. So they made a hole in the roof above Jesus. Then they let the man down, through the hole, on his mat. v5 Jesus saw that these men believed him. He spoke to the man who could not walk. ‘Son, you are free from your *sins’, he said. v6 Some of the *scribes were sitting there. They were thinking, v7 ‘This man should not talk like that! He is insulting God! Only God can forgive *sins.’ v8 Jesus knew at once what they were thinking. He said to them, ‘You should not think such things. v9 Ask yourselves this question. Is it easier to say to this man, “God has forgiven your *sins”, or to say “Stand up. Pick up your mat and walk”? v10 I want you to know that the Son of Man really has authority to forgive *sins on earth.’ So Jesus spoke to the man who could not walk. v11 ‘I tell you’, he said. ‘Stand up. Take your mat and go home.’ v12 The man got up. He took up his mat at once. He went out in front of them all. All the people were astonished. They praised God. ‘We have never seen anything like this’, they said.

Verse 1 The words ‘at home’ show that it was probably Peter’s own house.

Verse 4 The roof was flat. People made it out of sticks. And they covered it with earth that the sun had baked hard. There were stone steps outside to reach the roof.

Verse 5 Jesus knew the *faith of the four men. They had shown *faith when they carried the man to Jesus. They did not give up when they could not get through the door.

Some people do become ill when they have done wrong things. Their guilty conscience affects their body. But a person may suffer because of no fault of his own. However, many people believe that all disease is a punishment from God for *sin. Jesus did not believe this (John 9:2-3; Luke 13:1-5). The man who could not walk may have agreed with the wrong idea. For whatever reason, he felt guilty. He needed to know that God had forgiven him. Only then, would he be able to recover.

Verses 6-7 The *scribes may have come to examine what Jesus was teaching. They were accusing Jesus of insulting God. They were right to think that only God can forgive *sins. But they were wrong about Jesus. He had God’s authority.

Verses 8-9 It would be easy to say, ‘You are free from your *sins.’ But it would be more difficult to prove. If the man could walk again, that would prove the truth of Jesus’ words.

Verses 10-11 Jesus used the title ‘Son of Man’ for himself many times. It can mean ‘a man’. It would emphasise that Jesus was really human. It was also the title of a powerful person. That person would come in order to establish a *kingdom. And that *kingdom would never end (Daniel 7:13-14). The name might almost mean ‘*Messiah’. Jesus used the title to describe himself, but he did not say ‘*Messiah’. He showed his authority in the words ‘I tell you’, and by brief commands, ‘Stand up. Take your mat. Go home.’

Verse 12 More than once, Mark describes how Jesus’ words and actions astonished people (1:22, 27).

Jesus calls Levi 2:13-17

v13 Jesus went out again at the side of the Sea of Galilee. A large crowd came and they gathered round him. He taught them. v14 As he walked along, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus. He was sitting in the office where he collected taxes. ‘Follow me’, Jesus said to him. So Levi stood up and followed him. v15 Later, Jesus was having a meal in Levi’s house. Many ‘*sinners’ were there with Jesus and his *disciples. These *sinners included men who collected taxes. There were many people like these in the crowds that followed Jesus. v16 Some teachers of the law and *Pharisees saw Jesus. He was eating with people who *sinned. And he was eating with people who collected taxes. So they asked his *disciples, ‘Why does he eat and drink with people like that?’ v17 Jesus heard what they were saying. So he said to them, ‘Healthy people do not need a doctor. Sick people do. I have not come to call people who are good already. I have come to call bad people to follow me.’

Verse 14 Levi was probably another name for Matthew. The first *Gospel records that Jesus called Matthew (Matthew 9:9). And Matthew collected taxes. The name Levi is not in the list of the 12 *apostles (Mark 3:16-19).

His work was to collect taxes from people in Capernaum and from merchants who were travelling through the city. People hated those who collected taxes. There were two reasons:

1 They were working for the *Romans who were their enemies.

2 They had to keep some money for themselves after they had collected the required amount. It was easy for them to cheat people and to demand too much money. They became rich.

Verse 15 Levi invited his friends to a meal. He wanted them to meet Jesus. ‘*Sinners’ describes two kinds of people:

1 Those with bad moral behaviour.

2 Those who did not obey all the extra rules that the *scribes had made up. The *scribes tried to make a rule for every situation.

Verse 16 The *Pharisees were strict *Jews. Their name means ‘the separate men’. They tried to keep their *faith ‘separate’ from the bad effect of other religions. Many of them lived very good lives. But they said that the rules of the *scribes were as important as the *Old Testament laws. They even refused to obey a command of God in order to obey one of these traditions (Mark 7:9-13). They became proud that they obeyed God’s laws. And they obeyed all the rules that the *scribes had made up. They would avoid completely those people that they called ‘*sinners’. They believed that Jesus was encouraging wrong behaviour. He would also make himself ‘*unclean’ when he ate with ‘*sinners’.

The *Pharisees made two mistakes:

1 Jesus had come to look for ‘*sinners’ in order to bring them into his *kingdom.

2 Jesus could meet with all kinds of people, even wicked ones. He would not let them change his own behaviour.

Verse 17 The *Pharisees were like healthy people who do not need a doctor. They thought that they had good *spiritual health. So they would not come to Jesus for help. Jesus had come to look for *sinners. Those *sinners were like sick people, who need a doctor’s help. Jesus had come to give them the ‘remedy’ of God’s love. Then they might change their ways. They could start to obey God and so live a ‘healthy’ life.

The question about not eating 2:18-22

v18 The *disciples of John, and of the *Pharisees, used to stop eating sometimes. People came and asked Jesus, ‘Sometimes we do not eat because we want to obey the rules. Sometimes the *Pharisees' *disciples do not eat. Why do your *disciples continue to eat every day?’ v19 Jesus said, ‘The bridegroom’s guests cannot stop eating while he is still with them. While they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot stop eating. v20 But the time will come when people will take the bridegroom away from them. Then they will stop eating. v21 Nobody sews a piece of new cloth onto old clothes. If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old. It will make the hole much worse. v22 And nobody puts new wine into old leather bottles. If they do, the wine will burst the leather bottles. Then the wine will run out and the leather bottles will be of no use. No, people pour new wine into new leather bottles.’

Verse 18 To stop eating food is a way to control the desires of the body. It is also a way to be sorry when a person has done wrong things. Jesus stopped eating when he was in the desert. That was because he was praying. The Day of *Atonement was the only time in the year when *Jews must not eat. Some *Jews stopped eating for two days each week as well. The *Pharisees did it. They wanted other people to see how good they were. So they went about with untidy clothes. They made their faces look as miserable as possible. Jesus taught that their way to stop eating was wrong (Matthew 6:16-18).

Verse 19 There are references in the *Old Testament to God as a bridegroom. The nation of the *Jews was like his bride (Isaiah 62:5; Hosea 2:16). Here, Jesus was the bridegroom. His *disciples were like the friends of the bridegroom at a wedding. A *Jewish wedding party went on for a week. It was a time of great happiness. Nobody would stop eating. While Jesus was with them, the *disciples did not need to stop eating.

Verse 20 Jesus knew that people would kill him one day. Then the *disciples would stop eating.

Verse 21 A piece of new material that you used to mend old clothing would be too strong. It would tear the old clothing and it would make a bigger hole. What Jesus was teaching was new and different from the religion of people like the *Pharisees.

Verse 22 People kept wine in a ‘bottle’ that someone had made from the skin of a goat. Old skins became dry and hard. New wine, as it became mature, would press against the skin. A new skin could stretch, but an old skin would burst. Both the wine and the skin would be of no more use.

The message of Jesus was as powerful as new wine. The question of the *Pharisees about not eating showed that their attitude was as hard as an old leather bottle. They were refusing to accept the joy that Jesus could give them. Jesus’ love and the power of the *Holy Spirit would give men the freedom to serve God with joy. The *Pharisees could not accept new ideas. They believed only in all their rules and therefore they could not serve God in the right way.

The *disciples in the grain field 2:23-28

v23 On God’s rest day, Jesus was walking through some fields of corn. His *disciples picked some of the corn as they went along. v24 Some *Pharisees said to Jesus, ‘They should not be doing what is against the law on God’s rest day.’ v25 And Jesus answered, ‘Surely you have read what David did. He and his men were hungry. v26 He went into God’s house when Abiathar was *chief priest. He took the bread that people had offered to God. Our Law did not allow them to eat that bread. Only the priests had the right to eat it. David ate it and he even gave it to his men as well.’ v27 Jesus said, ‘God made the rest day for man. He did not make man for the rest day. v28 So the Son of Man is *Lord even of God’s rest day.’

Verse 23 It was legal for people to pick the top parts of the corn plants. The *disciples were not stealing (Deuteronomy 23:25).

Verse 24 The *Pharisees said that the *disciples were ‘working’ on the rest day. They were picking the grain, so they were bringing in a harvest. The *disciples would have separated the grain from the dry outer part. The *Pharisees said that they were doing farming work.

Verses 25-26 Jesus reminded them about what David did. When he was escaping from king Saul, David and his men went into the holy place at Nob. He and his men ate the bread that God intended only for the priests. This bread was called ‘the bread of the *Lord’s presence’. That meant that it showed that God was there. Twelve (12) loaves for the 12 *tribes of Israel’s people were a sign of God’s provision of their food. Every rest day, the priests put new loaves on the special table. It was ‘holy’ bread. So the priests were the only people whom the law allowed to eat the old loaves (Leviticus 24:5-9). But because David and his men were hungry, their need was more important than the law.

Verse 27 God gave the rest day to make life better for everyone. It existed in order to give people rest for their body. It was also a special opportunity to *worship God. God did not create man to become the slaves of all kinds of rules.

Verse 28 ‘Son of Man’ can mean just ‘man’. Jesus said that the *Pharisees were changing God’s law. They were not allowing people to have the help that God intended. But ‘Son of Man’ might mean Jesus himself. He was the *Messiah who came from the family line of king David. If David could take no notice of a law for a good reason, Jesus could take no notice of men’s traditions.

religious ~ something that people do as part of the worship of God.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
disciples ~ people who follow someone in order to learn from him.
Sabbath ~ seventh day of the week, a day of rest for Jews.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
preach ~ to tell and explain the good news about Jesus to someone or to a group of people.
sin ~ when people do not obey God’s commands.
scribes ~ writers, especially the Jewish lawyers.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything about Jews.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
faith ~ belief in someone or something, or things that Christians believe about Jesus.
kingdom ~ people or place that a king rules; or people that God rules.
Messiah ~ the Jews' word for the king who would come and rescue them.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
sinner ~ someone who does not obey God’s commands. But some Jews used the word for anyone who did not obey all their extra rules.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
Pharisees ~ a group of Jews who thought that they obeyed all God’s commands. Many Pharisees did not like the things that Jesus taught. These men thought that they were not doing any wrong things. So, they became very proud.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
gospel ~ good news that God saves people from sin by Jesus Christ.
Gospel ~ one of the first four books in the New Testament.
save ~ rescue from the results of sin.
sin ~ when people do not obey God’s commands.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus. It is about Jesus’ works and the things that he taught and about the first Christians.
apostle ~ one of the 12 special men that Jesus sent out.
Roman ~ Rome was the capital city of the rulers at that time. That which belonged to Rome was Roman.
sinner ~ someone who does not obey God’s commands. But some Jews used the word for anyone who did not obey all their extra rules.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.'Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible, which the writers wrote before the life of Jesus.
unclean ~ dirty or not holy.'spiritual, spiritually ~ about the part of us that never dies.
Atonement ~ the special day when Jews ask God to forgive them.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything about Jews.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.

'Holy Spirit ~ God’s Spirit. We cannot see him but he is there.'chief priest ~ the most important priest in the Temple. The chief priest is often called the high priest.
Temple ~ the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
Lord ~ master; a name that we call God or Jesus; we call God or Jesus Lord when we obey them.
tribe ~ family from one man. The nation called Israel grew from the 12 sons of Jacob. These 12 families formed the 12 tribes of Israel.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.