Transcript Even though Mark is written to Romans, the conflicts that

Mark Chapter 2:13-28
We will cover:
• An answered call
• Dining with sinners
• A new diet
• When to pick your grain
Even though Mark is written to Romans, the conflicts
that Jesus had with the Jewish religious authorities
of the day are important
From 2:1 to 3:5, Mark has grouped together five of these
confrontations
The confrontations have to do with:
2:5
Jesus having the authority to forgive sins
2:16 Jesus eating with sinners
2:18 The disciples not fasting
2:23 Jesus & the disciples picking grain on the Sabbath
3:5
Jesus healing on the Sabbath
Dr. Sam has covered the forgiving of sins and
Ron will cover the Sabbath healing issue.
2:13 And He went out again by the seashore; and all the
people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them.
Based on 2:1, we are still in Galilee near the city of Capernaum
We are
here
The ruins of Capernaum
Peter’s house
Why did the people come out to Jesus?
• Prior to this, if you look back, the people
were more interested in His healing. Now,
they are becoming interested in what He is
saying!!!
14 As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of
Alphaeus sitting in the tax booth, and He said^ to
him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.
Roman Taxation
“The Roman taxation, which bore upon Israel with such crushing weight, was
systematic, cruel, relentless, and utterly regardless. In general, the provinces of the
Roman Empire, and what of Palestine belonged to them, were subject to two great
taxes — poll tax, or income tax and a ground tax. All property and income that fell
not under the ground tax was subject to poll tax, which amounted for Syria and Cilicia
to one per cent. The poll tax was really twofold, consisting of income tax and head
money, the latter, of course, the same in all cases, and levied on all persons (bond or
free) up to the age of sixty-five—women being liable from the age of twelve, and men
from that of fourteen. Landed property was subject to a tax of one tenth of all grain
and one fifth of the wine and fruit grown, partly in product and partly commuted into
money. Besides these, there was tax and duty on all imports and exports, levied
on the great public highways and in the seaports. Then there was bridge money and
road money, and duty on all that was bought and sold in the towns.… The
Romans had a peculiar way of levying these taxes—not directly, but indirectly—
which kept the treasury quite safe, whatever harm it might inflict upon the taxpayer,
while at the same time it threw upon him the whole cost of the collection. Senators
and magistrates were prohibited from engaging in business or trade; but the highest
order, the equestrian, was largely composed of great capitalists. These Roman
knights formed joint stock companies which bought at public auction the
revenues of a province at a fixed price, generally for five years. The board had
its chairman, or magister, and its offices at Rome. These were the real publicans,
who underlet certain of the taxes” (Edersheim, Sketches of Jewish Social Life, pp.
53ff.). See Tribute.
“These Roman knights formed joint stock companies which
bought at public auction the revenues of a province at a fixed
price, generally for five years.”
Once these companies had the
rights, they hired or contracted
collectors who guaranteed a
certain amount from their
assigned area.
They would then collect and pay
the agreed price to the
company, including their
surcharges for profit and then
in turn mark up the taxes so
they too could have a profit.
It was a corrupt system and a way
to get rich quick
(Levi is actually Matthew the Apostle
Matthew means “gift of God”)
15 And it happened* that He was reclining at the table in his
house, and many tax collectors and sinners were dining with
Jesus and His disciples; for there were many of them, and they
were following Him.
Eating with someone in the ancient world was a sign of
intimacy. In the eyes of the religious leaders, a sign of
acceptance.
Why does Mark say they were “reclining?”
They would lay on mats, on one arm and
recline to eat
Who is there?
Jesus, Matthew, other tax gatherers,
sinners and the disciples
Who are these people called sinners?
They are any person who refused to
follow the Mosaic law as interpreted by
the Pharisees.
How does Mark hint of the growing popularity of Jesus?
“there were many of them”
Why do you think this meal took place in the first place?
Because Matthew wanted others to meet
the author of his salvation.
The typical table setting
Stop for a minute and consider this event. Matthew is stepping on toes on BOTH
sides of the issue:
One, the religious leaders obviously do not like Jesus so by
having Him in his house he further antagonizes them.
Second, he is bringing people who obviously live in defiance
of God to a dinner with a Man claiming to be the
“Son of God!”
How bold this man is!
What has he done to this point that shows his tremendous faith to you?…
•
•
•
•
He walked away from a lucrative business that provided a
substantial income
He cannot go back, his job was probably filled immediately
He is jeopardizing his relationship with his friends
And, any possible restoration with the religious leaders.
Matthew has forsaken everything to follow Jesus and he boldly wants all to
understand his new position with God. He puts his new faith in action and as a
witness to others and in celebration of his new faith, he throws a dinner party!!!!
Been to any faith proclaiming dinner parties lately?
2:16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with
the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples,
“How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and
sinners?” (NKJV)
Confrontation number 2: Eating with sinners
Notice that they didn’t address Jesus directly? This is probably because He is a
Rabbi who is consistently doing things the religious leaders considered as law
breaking actions – so, there is no respect here
Additionally, remember, the Pharisees and probably their scribes as well
didn’t mix with others and were actually outside of the house
This is a perplexing scene for the religious Jews. Here is this man believed to
be a religious or at least a practicing Jew eating with known sinners????
Why do you think this is such a quandary for them?..
they believed that God’S Grace only applieS to thoSe who
followed the law. In their eyes, the grace of God only
applies to the religious!
Are the legalists or the religious of today any different?
i don’t think So!
The Pharisees and Paparazzi
•
The Pharisees and other religious
leaders remind me of the paparazzi
•
The did everything possible to get
the attention of Jesus but rather
than taking His picture, they tried
to trip Him up with questions
17 And hearing this, Jesus said^ to them, “it is not those who
are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did
not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Why does He say this to the Pharisees, what does He mean?
Jesus came to call sinners and in this case, those who
recognized their unrighteousness rather than the
self-righteous
“Righteous” here actually means self-righteous. These Pharisees
believed that their practice of religion meant they were not sinners
Expositors quoting Hunter:
“It would be true that this word of Jesus strikes the keynote of the gospel. The
new thing in Christianity is not the doctrine that God saves sinners. No Jew would
have denied that. It is the assertion ‘that God loved and saves them as sinners’….
This is the authentic and glorious doctrine of true Christianity in any age.”
This is what the Pharisees couldn’t, in their self-righteous state
understand that God saves people while they are sinners
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in
that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Hosea 6:6 For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice,
And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
Matthew 9:13 “But go and learn what this means:
‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’
for I did not come to call the righteous, but
sinners.”
God is interested in the heart and the outward actions that
come from a changed and humble heart.
Not the actions of religiosity
18 John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and they
came^ and said^ to Him, “Why do John’s disciples and the
disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”
Confrontation # 3 The disciples lack of fasting
More religious legalism. There was only the Day of Atonement and 4 other
times that the Jews all fasted, this wasn’t one of those days.
The hyper religious acting Pharisees used to fast on Tuesday and Thursday
and probably wondered why the Rabbi Jesus and his followers didn’t do the
Same – valid question with probably the wrong motives.
Why do you think John’s disciples were fasting?..
He was in jail!
19 And Jesus said to them, “While the bridegroom is with them,
the attendants of the bridegroom cannot fast, can they? So long
as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
20 “But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away
from them, and then they will fast in that day.
What is fasting a sign of?…
Mourning
Sinfulness
Repentance, etc.
It is not normally a sign of JOY!!!.
So what is He saying in these two verses?..
Jesus is present with His church, it is therefore a time of celebration not
mourning!!
21 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment;
otherwise the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old,
and a worse tear results.
22 “No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the
wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins as
well; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.”
These parables (word pictures?) are used to explain what?
The new dispensation that came with with the Savior – the age of GRACE
The old ways, the ways of the law were about to be fulfilled and therefore to
end. The new age of grace would bring a new freedom from the rituals of the
law of Moses
What does this mean to us?
The moral laws of God have not changed and while the 10 commandments, an
intricate part of that law, are still in effect and are still to guide our lives, the
ceremonial laws, working on the Sabbath, washing before a meal
(ceremonial washing), eating with non-believers and most importantly the laws
of sacrifice have all been fulfilled at the cross.
Galatians 5:1-6
1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep
standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
2 Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ
will be of no benefit to you.
3 And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that
he is under obligation to keep the whole Law.
4 You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be
justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
5 For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of
righteousness.
6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision
means anything, but faith working through love.
23 And it happened that He was passing through the grainfields on the
Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while picking
the heads of grain.
24 The Pharisees were saying to Him, “Look, why are they doing what is
not lawful on the Sabbath?”
Confrontation # 4 Working on the Sabbath
So if you are starving…
The Pharisees may be objecting to more then one action by the
disciples
There were 39 Pharisaical, Sabbatical laws!
Consider this:
They were harvesting (reaping)
Working (by rubbing the grain in their hands to free it from the
husk)
Their walking may have violated the distance allowed to travel on
the Sabbath
25 And He said^ to them, “Have you never read what David did
when he was in need and he and his companions became
hungry;
26 how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the
high priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful
for anyone to eat except the priests, and he also gave it to
those who were with him?”
What David did was far more severe because he ate bread consecrated to
God (1Samuel 21:1-6)
Why wasn’t David’s action condemned by the Priests or by God?
Because the NEED for the men to eat was much more
important then the violation of what is a
ceremonial law
Just like the disciples, if they really were in violation of the law, and there
is some doubt about that, their need for food is greater then the
ceremonial keeping of the law.
Which if you look was a Pharisaical add on anyway!!!
And now the question, “what is the Sabbath for anyway”
27 Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made
for man, and not man for the Sabbath.
This is a theological challenge to the Pharisees
What do you think the purpose of the Sabbath law
was?
First, it is a day of rest for man and his animals.
Second, it is a day of worship
Jesus is clarifying that the purpose of the Sabbath is
for man’s benefit
It is not intended as a straight jacket to restrict and
confine him
28 “So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
The main point here seems to be that God created this day for a reason and it
is He that determined its purpose and that purpose is worship and rest.
It is the religious leaders who are misinterpreting the law, what the disciples did
is no violation of Biblical law
Are we under Sabbatical law today?
NO
What about the moral law of God represented in the 10 Commandments, you
know “remember the Sabbath to keep it holy?
What are we supposed to do to honor God’s command?
Actually, it is very simple; we are to have one day in seven that is devoted to
worship and rest
What do we take home?
• Like Matthew, we can invite more “sinners” to come and dine with us
in celebration of our salvation. After all, it is they who need a savior
• Maybe we need to back off of our legalism a bit – we like the
Pharisees may be misinterpreting what God really wants
• Possibly we need to properly “remember the Sabbath” by truly
making it a day of worship and rest
• Or, just a reminder as verse 28 states:
… the Son of Man is Lord
Is He your Lord… really your Lord?