Mark 2 - Jesus' Ministries.

 

Mark 2 - Jesus’ Ministries

 

Imagine a servant having much authority! The healing of the body is a great miracle, but it may not last. The forgiveness of sin is God’s greatest miracle, for it lasts forever and accomplishes the greatest good. The Servant forgives us and pays the price for the miracle! The forgiveness of sins is a divine act in the spiritual realm that cannot be observed. But healing a paralytic so that he walked away carrying his bed was tangible. No one can heal paralysis with a word, just as no one can forgive sin with a word, unless that person is God or is acting in His authority.

 

He fellowships with ‘sinners” because they are sick, and He is the only Physician that can heal them. They are hungry and lonely, and He is the Bridegroom who asks them to His wedding feast. Their lives are in tatters, and He wants to give them a new robe of righteousness. Others may be able to patch up life, but He alone can give new life. Sinners in that day were considered Jews who did not keep the law. Not only did Jesus eat with them, but Mark suggests He was the host in the house of Levi (Matthew).

 

He frees us from bondage. He is the Lord of the Sabbath, the Giver of the rest (Matt. 11:28-30). Man’s religious traditions can be a terrible yoke of bondage but when you follow the Lord, you experience freedom and rest.  Jesus announced that there was no need to fast while He was with them. The pharisees fasted ritually. Either they didn’t understand, or they would not accept that many of their established rituals and traditions could no longer coexist with His new way of life.

 

God created and established the Sabbath as a benefit and a blessing to His people (Deut. 5:14). The Pharisees, however, had turned his good gift into a weighty obligation. As the Creator of the Sabbath, Jesus had the sovereign authority to determine how it should best be practiced.

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans for You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com. Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible. Through the Bible by J. Vernon McGee.