poolsandpastures
Thoughts on the Gospel, Life, and Ministry
The NT365 Experiment: Mark 2
Mark’s Gospel is action packed. He has little time for transition or editorial notes that provide further explanation for the life and stories of Jesus. This, I believe, is because he is interested in getting us to the cross of Christ quickly so as to devote proper time to the climax of Jesus’ story (6 of 16 chapters are devoted to Jesus’ last week of life), and he wants to do it with brevity (something from which I could learn).
Chapter 2 contains fours stories — Jesus and the paralytic, Jesus and Levi, Jesus and the question of fasting, and Jesus as Lord of the Sabbath. All of these stories combine to give us an understanding of Jesus’ true and divine identity. This is important. Because Mark does not begin with a birth narrative (like Matthew and Luke) or a theological treatise of his eternality (like John), he has to introduce Jesus as God through stories that tell of his works and his interactions with men and women.
Four Stories and Four Divine Claims
1. Jesus Forgives Sins (2:1-12) — Only God can forgive sins. Why? because the only one who can forgive sins is the one against whom the sins were committed. According to Psalm 51 all sins are committed against God — “Against you, you only, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight.” Therefore, God alone has the authority, power, and right to forgive sins. By claiming that right for himself, Jesus claims to be God. To prove this claim to be true, Jesus performed a miracle of healing.
2. Jesus Calls Sinners to Himself (2:13-17) — Again God is the only who draws sinners to himself through grace and forgiveness. In Jesus’ response to the Pharisees in verse 17, Jesus says that he didn’t come to call “the righteous, but sinners.” This language indicates that sinners are those he calls to himself which they do, based on Levi’s (Matthew) story, is through faith in him and repentance. That is something the Bible reserves for God alone. He is the one who calls people to come to him in faith and repentance by a result of his grace and forgiveness.
3. Jesus Authors and Perfects a New Religion (2:18-22) — The author of Hebrews calls Jesus “the author and perfecter of our faith” (12:2). Jesus’ conversation with John’s disciples illustrates this reality well. He fulfilled the Old Testament moral and ceremonial law perfectly. In so doing, he ushered in a new, open, and full relationship with God which was not possible prior to his coming. That is something only God can do because he sets the standard of relationship with him, and he is the only one who can meet his standards.
4. Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath (2:23-28) — The command to keep the Sabbath day holy is much older than Mt. Sinai. It goes back to Creation — “On the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested one the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation” (2:2). Since God established the Sabbath day by resting after his work of Creation, only he can be Lord of it — only he can define what is appropriate on that day and what is not. Therefore, by claiming to be Lord of Sabbath, Jesus claims to be God.
Who Is Jesus to You?
Each of the four Gospels ultimately forces you and me to answer the question, “Who is Jesus to you?” Is he God, or is he not? If he is who he claims to be, then he is worthy of submitting your life to him. That’s Mark’s point. Jesus is God. Will you follow him? That’s a great question for you to answer daily.
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