For the NIV reading click here
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%202:23-3:12&version=NIV
More confrontation between Jesus and the Kingdom of God values with the current religious climate of Jesus' day, and more crowds who see good news in Jesus...at least for the time being. Jesus gets pretty much left alone a few short years later!
As we read, keep in mind Sabbath wasn't just a petty religious observance but central to their faith. We tend to easily condemn the Pharisees, yet we are often as 'hard-hearted' as they are (for example, Communion or Baptism must be done a certain way). But, Jesus authoritatively brings them to the heart of God's will and thus challenges their faith. Jesus claims Lordship over their faith.
Jesus really seems to be pushing people out of their comfort zone in this one. I know from personal experience that I want to stay comfortable. Changing takes work.
ReplyDeleteWhat struck me with this passage was His command of the evil spirits to not reveal who He was. This happens many times. I have always thought part of Jesus' reasoning was so that people would have to have faith for themselves. It is easy to believe when you witness such concrete evidence. It is much more powerful when you believe on faith alone.
ReplyDeleteThe Sabbath was an incredibly important part of Judaism - the command regarding the Sabbath had the longest explanation of all 10 commandments, so they took it pretty seriously. Two stories here about Jesus breaking the Sabbath command: in response to the criticism of the Pharisees, Jesus says (1) that the Sabbath is a not a regulation, but a gift from God...it is for our good, our benefit, our rest, even our enjoyment ('the Sabbath was made for man'), so for the Sabbath to keep the disciples from eating goes against its purpose. More importantly, Jesus then says, that he (the Son of Man) is Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus has the authority to apply the Sabbath (subtley putting Jesus in a divine role). So he brings a story from 1 Samuel 21:1-9 to show others broke Sabbath out of some need. (2) The second story builds on the first by emphasizing that the spirit of Sabbath is good, so to withhold Jesus' healing from a man in need is to push up against Sabbath spirit. But the Pharisees have settled themselves against Jesus and so plot to do what the letter of the law allows...have Jesus put to death. Doesn't do away with Sabbath here. He affirms it as a gift but has authority as to its application...Jesus is Lord. Meantime, Jesus continues preaching the good stuff of God's Kingdom and showing its power by healing. Lastly, Dave, the business about evil spirits. This raises an issue that will come up repeatedly - Jesus hushes people and spirits from telling others about him. As we'll see this has to do with how to rightly understand who Jesus really is. To give a hint, it has to do with the cross (chapters 8-10 will fill this out).
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