Mark 2:18-3:6
Key verse - 2:28
Today’s passage is a collection of three
stories. Each one deals with an issue related to the Law of Moses, which served
as the backborn of Israel as God’s chosen people. The law was also known as the
Law of the Covenant, which bound Israel to the Lord, their God. The Lord had
fully implemented this law in Israel, by bringing her under His punishment, taking
her country away, and sending her into exile, because she failed to keep the
Covenant.
The Israelites suffered under the covenant
curses, instead of receiving its blessings. Unless the Law’s curse was taken
away, Israel had no hope of returning to the Lord’s blessing. Jesus came to
save his people and restore them to God’s blessing. If he was to accomplish
this, then he himself must meet the conditions of the Law of the Covenant. Today’s
passage touches the Law’s application on three issues, fasting, the Sabbath,
and the Law’s purpose on the Sabbath.
1.
Fasting and the Law (Mark 2:18-22)
The Pharisees were, among several other
religious parties of the time (i.e. the Sadducees, Essenes, Herodians, Zealots),
the most prominent group, and their
respect and zeal in observing the Law of Moses formed the crux of their
influence over the common people. They practiced fasting twice a week, which
was considered the societal norm, especially among those who sought God
sincerely. John the Baptist, most likely a member of the Essenes, also
practiced fasting. This means that fasting was considered a normal practice for
all godly people to follow. If one did not do so, then they could hardly be
considered godly.
This was obvious to the ordinary men of the
time. Jesus was known as a Rabbi, or a prophet, and was considered by many to
be the godliest person since he was very powerful in God’s word and had a fervent
zeal for the Lord. If this was so, then he must practice fasting and must teach
his disciples to do the same. When it became obvious that they did not
participate in this common religious practice, someone asked Jesus a probing
question, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees
are fasting, but yours are not?” Jesus answered them in the form of an allegory.
Allegories are good for giving a proper understanding of a situation without
giving a specific or explicit answer. Also, by using allegory, different
aspects of the situation can be answered all at once. Here, Jesus posed an
allegorical counter-question:
“How can the guests of the bridegroom fast
while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them.” (Mark
2:19a).
Marriage is the most joyful occasion in life.
A marriage ceremony in biblical days lasted for seven days, and all of the
couple’s friends and invited guests were to enjoy themselves without any
responsibilities. The feast was the main activity, with everyone enjoying
eating and drinking their fill. It was unthinkable to fast during this joyous
occasion, but, according to this allegory, they would fast after the marriage
feast was over. Who then is the bridegroom and who are the guests? It is
obvious that Jesus was the bridegroom and his disciples were his guests, who were
invited to join in the bridegroom’s joy. During the marriage ceremony, the
bridegroom is the source of joy and his guests are to rejoice with him. In this
way, Jesus pictured himself as the bridegroom, who was enjoying his marriage
with his invited guests. The Law allowed the bridegroom to enjoy his marriage
(Deuteronomy 24:5), exempting him from war or any other duty for a year after
his marriage. In other words, not only the marriage ceremony but also the marriage
itself was to be celebrated and be enjoyed.
In this way, Jesus portrayed himself as a
bridegroom either in the process of getting married or enjoying a newly married
life. Who then was the bride? This strongly suggested that God had come back to
take the nation of Israel as his wife.
“For your Maker is your husband-- the LORD
Almighty is his name-- the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called
the God of all the earth. The LORD will call you back as if you were a wife
deserted and distressed in spirit-- a wife who married young, only to be
rejected," says your God.” (Isaiah 54:5-6 NIV).
All the amazing things that Jesus had been
doing up to this point – healing, driving out demons, teaching, etc. - were the
‘the feast of coming of the bridegroom.’ That is to say, these deeds held great joy and importance for
one’s life, as joyful as the marriage itself. However, the teachers of the Law
did not feel this same joy. We can find many reasons for their reaction:
unbelief, jealousy, self-righteousness. They were not guests or participants in
this joy or this marriage ceremony at all. Why not?
Jesus taught two parables: the
parable of the garment, and the parable of the old and new wineskins. Outward garments
are what we wear to keep ourselves warm and protected and to present ourselves
as someone of worth, according to the value that we give to ourselves. Rabbis
wore clothes fit for a rabbi, so that, just by looking, everyone would know that
he was a rabbi.
In this regard, outward garments show a
person’s distinct characteristics. About ten years ago, I went to buy a suit.
Then I saw the different labels on the suits - slim fit and classic fit. They
were the same size 38, but they were totally different. Slim fit was the new
trend and the classic fit was the style that I had been used to wearing, the
one that I had known for more than forty or fifty years. I tried on one of the
slim-fit, but I did not like it because it looked too punky. So, I bought a
classic size 38. As soon as I came out of the store, I looked carefully at other
people and their suits. Almost all of the young men were wearing slim fits. However,
quite a number of older men in their fifties looked like they too were wearing
slim fits as well. I realized that I was unable to accommodate the new style, because
my mind was stuck on the old. What if I wore the classic fit top and slim fit
bottom? It would look odd and not match at all.
Just as the old garment cannot accept a patch
made from a new piece of cloth, the Pharisees, whose minds and lives were focused
on the Law’s righteousness, could not accept or understand the joy that believers
experienced in and around Jesus. Their hearts were forced to keep the Law and they
could not allow themselves to commit any kind of violation against it. If they
found themselves falling short of the Law at any point, how could they find
joy? In this way, the parable of the cloth represented the principles of life,
or the Law of the Covenant, which the Pharisees wore to elevate themselves
among the people.
The second parable was about
wine and wineskins. This parable’s key point is that the old wineskins are too
weak to contain the new wine, because the new wine would burst the old skins
and ruin them. The old wineskin is representative of all that one has, in
respect to the Law of Moses. The wine Jesus was giving could not be contained
by that Law. If anyone tried to comprehend the blessings Jesus brought to them within
the context of the Law, then it would surely burst and spoil both. Therefore,
what Jesus offered them was totally above and beyond the Law’s ability to provide.
These two parables demonstrated two things: the
impossibility of the old to contain the new, and the new teaching Jesus offered
must be contained within a new mindset, which was totally separate from the Law
of Moses. After all, it is about people’s mindset, regarding how to become part
of God’s family and be accepted by Him. The old must be discarded in order to adopt
the new one. How is this possible?
2.
Jesus declares to be the Lord of the
Sabbath (23-27)
One Sabbath day, Jesus’ disciples picked some
heads of grain, rubbed them together, and ate them. When the Pharisees saw
this, they said to Jesus, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the
Sabbath?” When the Sabbath was first instituted by the Lord, He gave the
Israelites manna every day, and, on the sixth day, He provided them with a
double portion, so that they would not need to collect any on the Sabbath (the
seventh day). On the sixth day (Friday), they were to cook the manna as they
liked, and, on the Sabbath, they were just to eat it, without cooking it at
all. Just as God rested on the seventh day of creation, His people were to rest
on the Sabbath, doing no work at all. In this regard, what the disciples did
was a violation of the Sabbath law. It is possible that such an understanding
was too rigid an interpretation of the Law, yet Jesus did not argue against the
Pharisees’ belief that his disciples had done something wrong on Sabbath. He merely
left the issue unanswered.
However, Jesus told them about what David and
his men did, while trying to escape from Saul. Because he left in a hurry, he
and his men had not brought any provisions with them. When they reached Nob,
they were starving and exhausted. David asked the priest, Ahimelek (father of
Abiatha), for some bread (1 Samuel 21:1-6). There was no bread in the temple, except
for that which was kept in the Lord’s presence, i.e., consecrated bread. This
bread was only for the priests; no one, except a priest, should eat this bread
(Leviticus 22:10). However, the consecrated bread was given to David and his
men to eat before they went on their way, without them bearing any judgment under
the Law. This was an implicit situation in which God showed David His grace, which
went beyond the Sabbath-law requirements. In what sense then was the example of
David and his men applicable to Jesus and his disciples?
“Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made
for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the
Sabbath.”” (Mark 2:27-28).
The Sabbath law is the fourth of the Ten Commandments,
between the first three commandments pertaining to the Lord and the next five which
are related to men. In this way, keeping the Sabbath was to be viewed as both something men must do before the Lord and what
they must do regarding other men. This strongly suggests that observing the Sabbath
was a vital part of maintaining the relationship between God and men. This was reiterated
when God first instituted the Sabbath in Israel.
“Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will rain
down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather
enough for that day. In this way, I will test them and see whether they will
follow my instructions. On the sixth day, they are to prepare what they
bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.””
(Exodus 16:4-5).
Whether or not one keeps the Sabbath is a
barometer of whether or not they also keep the Lord’s commandments. Isaiah
envisioned the day when even the Gentiles would keep the Sabbath with joy (Isaiah
56:1-6). What does this tell us? Keeping the Sabbath was counted to be the
central element of ‘Law-keeping,’ and a key way to measure one’s expression of
love before the Lord their God and the soundness of their relationship with Him.
The Sabbath’s purpose was for men to communicate and dwell with the Lord in
love and trust.
Everyone would agree with this but was what
God did for David applicable to Jesus’ disciples? Jesus declared, “the Son of
Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” He was the Son of Man, and as such, he was
the Lord of the Sabbath. In this way, for the first time, he described himself
as the figure from Daniel 7:14, who has divine authority and power. Previously,
Jesus had compared himself to David, Israel’s royal messianic prototype, who
was given lenience under the authority of the Law. Now, going further, Jesus
claimed that he was the Son of Man, who
“approached the Ancient of Days and was
led into his presence and then was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of
every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away,
and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. would come in the last
days with the power of the LORD.” (Daniel 7:13b-14).
Since he was the Son of Man, he was the Lord
of the Sabbath as well, implying that all nations, including Israel, must
worship him as their Lord. The Lord, the God of Israel, is the only Lord. And
here, Jesus was the one whom the Father had sent as the Lord of all nations. The righteous purpose of God was revealed in
the OT and was fully met in and by Christ.
In these two ways, Jesus, as the Lord, fulfilled, and even surpassed,
the Law of Moses.
3.
Jesus displayed that he was the Lord of
Sabbath (3:1-6)
On another Sabbath, Jesus was preaching at a
synagogue. Some of those in attendance were looking for a reason to accuse and
condemn him if he did something that was forbidden on the Sabbath. The focus
of their attention was turned to a man with a shriveled hand. By its
description, the hand was shriveled by some injury or disease. Would Jesus heal
this man’s hand or not? Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand
up in front of everyone.” (Mark 3:3). Jesus let him stand in full view of the
crowd and asked him a very simple question: “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to
do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” (Mark 3:4).
There were only two choices in this decision.
There was no middle ground; one choice was good, and if it was not good, then
it was evil. Healing was good and not healing was wrong, actually evil. The
answer was obvious, but they remained silent. This was evidence of their
unwillingness to accept what was good. It was clear that they stood on the side
of what was wrong and evil. Why wouldn’t they accept the simple truth regarding
what was good? He looked around at them in anger and was deeply distressed
by their stubborn hearts (Mark 3:5). When one simple truth cannot speak to
one’s heart, there is a serious problem; anger, bitterness, envy, jealousy, hate,
or pride had frozen their hearts and made them unable to respond to something that
was good and right.
Their righteousness was built up on and
around the Law, and on keeping the Sabbath. This mentality was totally
shattered by one question from Jesus; their silence spoke of their false and flatulent
righteousness.
When Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your
hand”, he stretched it out and his hand was completely restored. In the
previous story, Jesus declared that the Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath.
Now, in this man, Jesus demonstrated that he was also the Lord of the Sabbath
by healing his shriveled hand. If the Sabbath was meant to enable man to maintain
a right relationship with the Lord, then Jesus, by healing this man’s hand,
restored this man to himself fully as the Lord for all men.
The Law and keeping the Sabbath were all established
in order to preserve mankind under God’s blessing. As shown in these three
events, Jesus was the source of joy and healing, the true emblematic signs of
one’s restoration to God’s blessing.
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