Thirdmill Study Bible

Notes on Mark 2:1-17

He had come home - Mark 2:1

Capernaum was a city on the Northeast shore of the Sea of Galilee. From both archaeological remains and the narratives of the gospels it seems that Capernaum was a prosperous city of some importance. It was the hometown of Peter. Jesus grew up in Nazareth, but seemed to have adopted Capernaum (about 20 miles away) as his home during this part of his ministry.

The paralyzed man - Mark 2:4

Most Palestinian houses were single story structures with flat roofs. The roof was usually made out of leaves, branches, and clay. Many had an outside stairway which led to the roof that could be used as an extra work area. The friends of the paralyzed man were so committed to getting him to Jesus that they broke through the roof from above.

Evidence of faith - Mark 2:5-7

The actions of the paralyzed man and his friends were evidence of their faith in Jesus' ability to heal him. When Jesus told the man that his sins were forgiven he shocked some in the crowd. Originally the scribes were simply copyists. Their task was to make copies of the Old Testament scriptures. By Jesus' day they had become authorities in the subjects of the scriptures they copied. Most of the scribes were Pharisees. They knew that in the Old Testament no one except God could ever forgive sin. For them the conclusion was obvious. Jesus was guilty of blasphemy because he claimed to forgive sins.

Jesus' humanity and deity interact - Mark 2:8

Jesus knew what the scribes were thinking. Mark did not make it clear how Jesus knew this. As a fully human being did Jesus read their facial expressions and the circumstances or as the fully divine Son of God did he understand it by virtue of his omniscience? How Jesus' humanity and deity interact is one of the great mysteries of scripture.

Jesus answered their question with a question - Mark 2:9

Jesus answered their question with a question of his own. Jesus often used this technique (11:29, 30). What is easier is a much more complex question than it appears to be on the surface. In one sense it is much easier to claim to forgive sins because there is no way to prove if they are really forgiven or not. At a deeper level it is much harder to forgive sins. Forgiveness required that Jesus go to the cross.

Son of Man - Mark 2:10

Jesus referred to himself as the Son of Man more often than with any other title. The phrase was used in Daniel 7:13, 14 to refer to a heavenly being who became a messianic figure. Jesus claimed that he was the Son of Man and that he was able to forgive sins at that very moment, not just in heaven; but here on the earth. See the article on the titles of Christ. The healing was the proof that Jesus also had the authority to forgive sins.

Lake - Mark 2:13

The lake is a reference to the Sea of Galilee.

Tax collectors - Mark 2:14

In Mark 3:18 and Matt 9:9 Levi is called Matthew. The tax collectors were Jews who were appointed by the Roman authorities. They collected taxes for Rome and then often charged their own people outrageous fees for themselves. They were hated by the people and regarded as sinners. Because Levi set up his tax collector's tent by the lake he probably taxed the fishing industry in which at least four of the other disciples had earned their living.

Pharisees - Mark 2:16

The Pharisees promoted obedience not only to the written law of the Old Testament, but also to the oral law. The oral law were the traditions that were developed over the centuries as Israel tried to apply the scriptures to the ever changing life in Palestine. At its best it was an attempt to help people keep God's law. At its worst it was a man-made religion of works that tried to earn God's favor. The Pharisees were greatly respected by most of the Jews. The Pharisees refused to associate with those that they regarded as sinful people. They accused Jesus of blurring the lines between the righteous and the unrighteous.

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