Jesus Answers the Critics

As I read chapter 2 of Mark, I get the sense that Jesus does things that are unconventional and Mark wishes to detail why, teach us through specific events in the life of Jesus. Interestingly, this chapter takes on, through illustrations, a sort of Frequently Asked Questions during Jesus’ ministry. In the first scene, Jesus answers the question of His authority as well as His being, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” The unwritten question being, who do you think you are, God? Jesus emphatically replies, yes, “the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” In the second scene, Jesus answers, “Why is he eating and drinking with sinners?” In this question, Jesus addresses His accusers by stating His purpose, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners,” the all-call demonstrating that we come to Christ as those in need of Him, those who are unrighteous, those who can’t make life work. In the third scene, Jesus answers, “Why do…Your disciples not fast?” In His answer, Jesus reveals more of who He is and what He has come to do through the imagery of marriage, “they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.” Jesus states that He is the one who has come to claim His own, to be married to His bride and this is cause for celebration. Additionally, He is stating that in fasting, we are recognizing (or attempting to) from whom our true life comes, to connect with God. Jesus is stating again, God is here, there is no reason to fast, connection now is celebration. Our flesh does not hinder us from God in this case; it helps us experience the joy of His presence, in Jesus. Finally, the fourth scene, Jesus is asked, “why are [Your disciples] doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” In His answer, Jesus reveals the Sabbath’s purpose and gives some insight into the role of the Law in people’s lives, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Later in the New Testament, Paul discusses the role of the Law as tutor (Gal 3:24), supporting the teachings of Jesus, in that, we don’t serve the Law, we serve God; the Law serves us and instructs us in the ways of God.

One final thought, Jesus is tearing down some false idols and beliefs as He relays, I am God, I am more important than adherence to strict codes of living, I am more important that fasting and I am more important than observance of the Sabbath. He develops an argument for new living. Possibly, this gives some insight into his comments in verse 21 and 22; we must be changed people. We cannot be fixed with doing the right things (unshrunk cloth on our own old garment) nor poured into without being recreated (new wine needs fresh wineskins).