Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath

 

Jesus with his disciples in the field of grain.

The artist is Gustave Doré (1832-1883).

Welcome to a study of the Gospel according to Mark. If you followed our study of the Book of Matthew, you will be excited about this next cooperative effort of Mary Barmore and Alice C. Linsley. In this study, observations about each chapter of Mark are followed by 8 questions. The answers may be found by scrolling to the bottom of the post.

Prepare for this lesson by reading Mark Chapter 2.


Let's begin with prayer.

Holy Father, you call each soul to repentance that we might have eternal life through your Son, Jesus. May our lives be consecrated to you day by day. Illumine our minds as we meditate on the Holy Scriptures. This we ask through Jesus Christ, your eternally glorified Son. Amen.  

INTRODUCTION

Mark chapter 2 recounts events that speak of Jesus' power and authority as the Son of Man, the Divine Bridegroom, and Lord of the Sabbath. The events take place in Galilee where Jesus first encountered opposition from the Jewish religious leaders. The first confrontation came when Jesus healed a paralytic, claiming to forgive the man's sins. Four men lowered a paralyzed friend through a roof to reach Jesus. Jesus first forgave the man's sins which provoked accusations of blasphemy from the scribes, and then he healed the man, proving His divine authority.

The second confrontation with the religious leaders involved Jesus' association with Levi, a tax collector in whose home Jesus dined. Jesus called the tax collector Levi (Matthew) to follow Him and then sat down to dine with tax collectors and social outcasts. When criticized by the Pharisees, Jesus stated that He came as a physician to help sinners, not the righteous.

The third incident involved accusations about Jesus' disciples who were not fasting as was required by the religious authorities. When asked why His disciples were not fasting, Jesus used the metaphor of a wedding feast, explaining that fasting is not appropriate while He, the Divine Bridegroom, is with them. He then spoke of why new cloth cannot be sewn onto old garments and why new wine cannot be stored in old wineskins.

The fourth confrontation with the religious leaders came when Jesus' disciples picked heads of grain on the Sabbath. They were criticized by the Pharisees for doing this. Jesus defended them by referring to when David ate the consecrated bread that was for the priests only. Jesus implied that David's hunger as a man hunted by King Saul, justified that action. Jesus then declared that "the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath," and he proclaimed Himself "Lord of the Sabbath."

Questions

1. What four titles in Mark chapters 1 and 2 indicate Jesus' all surpassing authority?

2. The phrase "Son of Man" could have more than one meaning. Why did Jesus use the phrase to describe himself?

3. How did the people react who witnessed Jesus' healing of the paralytic?

4. When Jesus first saw the tax collector Levi, Jesus told him "Follow me". What became of Levi after that?

5. What did Jesus say to the Pharisees when they criticized him for eating with tax collectors and sinners?

6. What did Jesus say to the religious authorities when they asked why Jesus' disciples did not fast?

7. What reality was Jesus pointing to when he spoke about new cloth and new wine?

8. What does Jesus' claim to be "Lord of the Sabbath" tell us about his identity?

Answers

1. Mark chapter 1 identifies Jesus as the Son of God. Mark chapter 2 identifies Him as the Son of Man, a Messianic figure in Daniel 7: 13-14. Chapter 2 also identifies Jesus as the Divine Bridegroom whose followers are his bride. He calls himself "Lord of the Sabbath" because the Son was with the Father before the Creation. These four titles speak of how Jesus' authority is greater than any other authority.

2. Jesus knew the prophesy in Daniel 7 about the Son of Man. Daniel had a vision of "one like a son of man" receiving eternal authority, glory, and an everlasting kingdom from the "Ancient of Days." Jesus understood that this prophesy described the relationship he has to his Heavenly Father and his authority on earth. It is also likely that Jesus used the phrase "Son of Man" to emphasize his full humanity because his miraculous acts stirred rumors that he was an angel, or an apparition, and not truly human. Christianity teaches that Jesus is both fully human and fully divine. The Nicene Creed affirms that Jesus Christ is fully divine and fully human, which protects against early heresies like Arianism.

3. The common people who witnessed Jesus' healing of the paralytic were astonished, but the religious leaders were outraged that Jesus told the man that his sins were forgiven. They recognized that God alone could forgive sins. However, because Jesus is God, it was as easy for Him to tell the man you are healed, take up your bed, or your sins are forgiven.

4. After Levi became one of Jesus' followers, he became known as Matthew. Most scholars believe that this is the same person as the Apostle Matthew and the author of the Gospel of Matthew. As a tax collector, Levi was hated by the Jewish people because he collected taxes for the Romans who dominated Galilee and Judea. The tax collectors did not receive wages from Rome, so they earned money by charging the people more than the Romans required. Levi was obviously very wealthy because his house was large enough for a big group of people to dine together. Jesus ate there with his disciples and many other tax collectors. Mark 2:13-15 says, "While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him."

5. Jesus told them that he came to call sinners to repentance (Mk. 2:17-18), and he implied that the Pharisees who regarded themselves as righteous did not need Him. Jesus compared Himself to a doctor who treats the sick. 

6. Jesus explained that He is the Divine Bridegroom and being with him was an occasion for celebration. Fasting would not be appropriate at such a time. Jesus was drawing on a common Old Testament picture of the relationship between God and his people as husband and wife. An example is Psalm 45, a royal wedding song celebrating a Messianic King and his royal bride. This is interpreted by Christians and Jews as an allegory of God's covenant of marriage with his people. (Also see these passages: Isaiah 54:5-6, Isaiah 62: 4-5, Hosea 2:19-20, Ezekiel 16:8-13, and Jeremiah 31: 31-31.)

7. When Jesus spoke about new cloth and new wine (Matt. 9:16–17; Lk. 5:36–39), He was pointing to the incompatibility between the life of the Kingdom and the legalistic religious system of Judaism. So many religious rules had made the daily lives of the Jewish people burdensome. Jesus came to bring new life and liberty from sin, and this would be proved by his Resurrection.

8. As Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus is revealed as Creator of the cycle of days leading up to the Sabbath. For the Jews, the Sabbath was from Friday evening through Saturday evening. Sunday was regarded as the first day of the week and it was on the first day of the week that Jesus rose from the grave. This indicates an entirely new cycle of days, not to be confused with the old cycle, just as the new cloth cannot be sewn into the old cloth or the new wine stored in old wineskins. God the Father desires Sabbath communion with us through the Blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, risen from the dead.

Related reading: The Barmore-Linsley Study of Mark (Chapter 1), Shrines, Temples, and Synagogues; Officers of the Synagogues in Ancient Rome – International Catacomb Society