Mark.2.1 - And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.
Mark.2.2 - And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.
Mark.2.3 - And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.
Mark.2.4 - And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.
Mark.2.5 - When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
Mark.2.6 - But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
Mark.2.7 - Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
Mark.2.8 - And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?
Mark.2.9 - Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?
Mark.2.10 - But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)
Mark.2.11 - I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.
Mark.2.12 - And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
Mark.2.13 - And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them.
Mark.2.14 - And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.
Mark.2.15 - And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.
Mark.2.16 - And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?
Mark.2.17 - When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Mark.2.18 - And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?
Mark.2.19 - And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
Mark.2.20 - But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.
Mark.2.21 - No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse.
Mark.2.22 - And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.
Mark.2.23 - And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.
Mark.2.24 - And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?
Mark.2.25 - And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him?
Mark.2.26 - How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him?
Mark.2.27 - And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
Mark.2.28 - Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.


What does Mark chapter 2 mean?
The second chapter of Mark includes four stories of Jesus declaring His authority. To this point, He has revealed His authority over demons (Mark 1:23–26, 32), physical disease (Mark 1:29–34, 40–42), and traditional teachers who timidly interpret Scripture according to the teachings of past rabbis (Mark 1:21–22). In this chapter, Jesus shows He has authority over sin, public opinion, manmade tradition, and the Sabbath. Mark 3:1–6 will relate a fifth story, again about the Sabbath.

In the first story (Mark 2:1–11), Jesus publicly forgives a man’s sins. This same event is also described in Luke 5:17–26 and Matthew 9:2–8. A paralyzed man is lowered through the roof of the house where Jesus is teaching. Instead of healing him immediately, Jesus declares that his and his friends’ faith has resulted in God forgiving his sins. The scribes—biblical scholars in the Pharisee sect—are horrified. They accuse Jesus of blasphemy, their first such charge in the gospel of Mark. In order to validate His assertion that He does have authority to forgive sins, Jesus heals the paralyzed man as well.

By calling someone the public would have labelled a crook to be His disciple, Jesus shows love has precedence over popular opinion (Mark 2:13–17). Thus far, Jesus has only commissioned Peter, Andrew, James, and John to be His disciples (Mark 1:16–20). While walking by the sea, He finds the tax collector Levi, also called Matthew, and invites him, as well. This incident is also captured in Matthew 9:9–13 and Luke 5:27–32. Tax collectors were considered disgraceful in the eyes of Jews. Not only did they work for the Roman occupiers, they often cheated their countrymen. But Jesus not only calls Levi to be His disciple, He eats at Levi’s house with other tax collectors and “sinners.” The scribes, who would never share a meal with such people for fear of becoming unclean, question Jesus’ motives. Jesus responds with the famous, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17).

In a third argument with the scribes, this time about fasting, Jesus shows He has authority over manmade traditions (Mark 2:18–22). A parallel account of this event is found in both Matthew 9:14–17 and Luke 5:33–39. The Old Testament, presumably, dictates only one fast: Yom Kippur. Significant events in Jewish history led the nation to voluntarily enact five more. In addition, national hardship or personal inclination induced people to fast as they felt led. The Pharisees had taken this loose suggestion and made an art form of it. Both they and John the Baptist’s disciples fasted regularly, in contrast to Jesus and His disciples, who did not. When questioned about it, Jesus explains that fasting for mourning is inappropriate while He is there; His presence is a time for celebration. He is bringing a new paradigm of worshiping God which is inconsistent with some of the old, manmade ceremonies.

To this day, although Christians agree Jesus has authority over the Sabbath, they differ in opinions over what that means for us. While walking through a field on the Sabbath, Jesus’ disciples pick heads of grain and eat them (Mark 2:23–28). The same story is told in Matthew 12:1–8 and Luke 6:1–5. The Pharisees accuse them of breaking the Sabbath law, as expressed in both Leviticus 25:1–7, which prohibited working in fields, and their own extended, thirty-nine-part addition. Instead of quibbling about the minutiae of the law, Jesus merely asserts that the ceremonial law must submit to He who wrote it. He also teaches that the point of ceremonial law is to bring people closer to God, not create an unbearable hardship.

While the people readily accept Jesus’ healing and teaching, the Pharisees and their scribes filter everything Jesus does through their ideas about the Law. Jesus, however, shows that His identity gives Him a different perspective than their hide-bound writings and rules could even fathom. His priority is to love God and others, and He has the authority to do so.

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