THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

Mark: Jesus, The Perfect Servant Of God

Part II: The Perfect Service Of Jesus, The Perfect Servant Of God, Mark 1:1-10:52

F. Christ's Work To Counter Those With An Errant View In Accord With His Calling

(Mark 2:1-12)

I. Introduction

A. We learned in our first lesson in this series that Mark's Gospel presents the perfect service of God's Perfect Servant, Jesus, with Mark's focus of having rebounded unto upright Christian service from personal failure.

B. At times such failure arises from shrinking from conflict with errant parties opposite our assignment from God, but Mark 2:1-12 reports of Jesus' work to counter men with an errant view in accord with His calling:

II. Christ's Work To Counter Those With An Errant View In Accord With His Calling, Mark 2:1-12.

A. When John Mark left Paul and Barnabas in failing to stay at the work of the ministry (Acts 13:13), he had just seen Paul confront a sorcerer who had opposed his effort to evangelize an unbeliever, Acts 13:6-11. The conflict itself may have so bothered John Mark that it might have contributed to his flight back to Jerusalem.

B. However, when he later overcame his failure to be a profitable servant of the Lord (2 Timothy 4:11b), John Mark wrote of Jesus' service directly to counter errant parties in accord with His calling in Mark 2:1-12:

1. The Father sent Jesus to testify that He was the Messiah and Son of God, Mark 1:1. The term "Christ" in the Greek Testament is "Christos," meaning "Messiah," and the expression "Son of God" meant Jesus was equal with God as fully divine Himself, John 5:18; U. B. S. Greek New Testament, 1966, p. 118; Arndt & Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 1967, p. 895.

2. However, when Jesus entered Capernaum and crowds thronged around Him and He preached the Gospel to them, some scribes were present (Mark 2:6a), men who did not believe that the Messiah was God.

3. Instead of avoiding conflict with these men over His identity as God Incarnate, Jesus used the opportunity provided Him in an event to testify of this part of His identity that conflicted with their belief, Mark 2:1-5:

a. Some friends of a paralytic who helplessly had to be carried on his bed to Jesus saw that their friend would not be able to see Jesus at the ground level due to the crowds that surged around Him, Mark 2:3-4a.

b. Thus, they used what was the outside stairway to the flat-roofed dwelling to carry their afflicted friend up to the roof in his bed, then proceeded to dig through the roofs grass, clay, clay tiles and laths to open up room to lower their friend down to Jesus to be healed, Mark 2:4b; Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 112.

c. Seeing the faith of the men involved, and in the full hearing of the scribes, Jesus challenged their misconception of Him by saying to the diseased man, "Son, thy sins be forgiven thee," Mark 2:5. This statement revealed that some sinful condition had led to this man's affliction in accord with the Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 28:15, 21), so the man needed his sins to be forgiven for healing, and that Jesus as God had forgiven him since the Old Testament never taught that the Messiah could forgive sins, Ibid.

4. Jesus' statement elicited a negative response from the observing scribes: they reasoned that Jesus had committed blasphemy in pretending to be God by forgiving this man's sins, so they asked themselves why He was thus blaspheming as only God could do what Jesus claimed to have done, Mark 1:6-7.

5. Immediately perceiving in His spirit the reasoning of these scribes, Jesus asked why they thus reasoned, and added, "Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your bed and walk'? But that ye may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the paralytic -- "I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home," Mark 1:8-11 ESV.

6. The man obeyed, instantly rising, picking up his bed and going out in front of them all, so that everyone was amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!" (Mark 1:12)

Lesson: When faced with scribes who did NOT believe the Messiah was God Incarnate Who could forgive sins, that for even the Messiah to forgive sins as God would be blasphemy, a capital crime, since it was His mission from the Father to present Himself not only as the Messiah but also as God, Jesus did NOT avoid risking conflict with the scribes by not telling them of His deity, but He rather openly stated His forgiveness of sins to the paralytic, indicating He was God Incarnate, and proved it by proceeding to heal the man!

Application: (1) May we trust in Jesus as both Messiah and God Incarnate, Mark 1:1. (2) In serving God, may we fulfill our callings before God without avoiding conflict when His assignment for us leads us to into such conflict: God has a purpose in such conflict, and we need to fulfill that purpose if God's assignment for us calls for it.