Encounter Jesus – Mark Week 4

Jesus the Lord of the Sabbath

Mark 2: 18-28

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Mark Week 4 Handout

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Lesson Notes

We are still in the first half of Mark – “Who Is This Man?” Tonight’s answer: “Something You’ve Never Seen Before!” No miracles in tonight’s lesson, no power on display, but powerful statements about identity. We are looking at #3 and #4 in a series of 5 confrontations with leaders. Jesus breaks all the established paradigms and patterns.

New Wine – Mark 2: 18-22

  • Verse 18 – Most of the recognized “holy” people fasted regularly
    • The Law only required one annual fast (Day of Atonement), but by this time there were four other standard annual feasts.
    • Pharisees typically fasted twice a week, and it seems like John’s disciples also fasted often.
    • As the guy responsible for  his disciples, this is a pointed question at Jesus for not being “spiritual” enough.
    • Jesus responds with 3 analogies that answer any question about why Jesus is different from the way people typically do things.
  • Verses 19-20 – Analogy #1 – Wedding Guests
    • A wedding feast was a huge 7 day party. You had to party, inappropriate to fast
    • Jesus compares himself to the bridegroom – while disciples are in His presence, it’s the party and not appropriate to fast
    • He will be taken away – reference to His future death. Plenty of time to fast then because in the Old Testament, the bridegroom was often God.
    • Currently they are in the presence of the Lord; later will fast to experience HIs presence.
    • Fasting is a discipline we’ve lost in our culture, but it’s clearly an expected part of our Christian experience.
    • Key Point – Jesus is unlike any religious leader, prophet, or teacher, so the old ways don’t apply. All the others point to something – Jesus is that something.
  • Verse 21 – Analogy #2 – Unshrunk Cloth
    • If your shirt has shrunk and it tears, and you stitch on a patch that hasn’t been shrunk, it will make the shirt worse when it shrinks.
    • Jesus is the new patch – you don’t just apply a little Jesus patch to your standard faith. He will tear it to shreds!
  • Verse 22 – Analogy #3 – New Wine in an Old Wineskin
    • New wine expands as it ages due to the fermentation process, which gives off CO2
    • Have to put it in a new wineskin that can stretch.
    • An old wineskin is already fully stretched out – it will burst as the new wine gives off gas. You lose everything.
    • Clear image that Jesus, even though He flows perfectly from and fulfills the Old Testament, is also completely new and different.
    • He is unlike anything Israel has experienced before.
    • You can’t put Jesus in old categories or habits, because He is God Himself and therefore always has aspects and dimension you didn’t fully grasp.
  • 3 Parables about inappropriate behaviors in the new era of Salvation
    • The time of anticipation is over.
    • The time of the Messiah is here! The old ways are now all different.
    • We need to understand these parables in context, they are about Jesus and why  his disciples didn’t follow specific customs.
    • But there is a principle here we also need to apply to ourselves and our church. Some of our traditions are just that – traditions, not law.
    • We have a Savior who is always fresh, always new, and sometimes we need to be and do different things to follow and serve Him.
    • The church must always change and has always changed. That’s why it has grown and prospered for 20 centuries.
    • Individual churches have to periodically “renew” and become new wineskin to handle our ever fresh Savior.
Lord of the Sabbath – Mark 2: 23-28
  • Another challenge to Jesus’ character and leadership.
  • Verse 23 – Disciples pluck grain (Deuteronomy 23: 25) to eat on the Sabbath. This is considered work, a violation of the Sabbath laws.
  • Verse 24 – Pharisees call Him on it, Jesus gives 2 answers
  • Verses 25-26 – Answer #1 – Comparison to David
    • Points to 1 Samuel 21: 1-6 – Fed his men the bread of presence with priest’s permission.
    • Was only legal for priests to eat in a  holy place, after it was removed from the presence of the Lord.
    • Mercy trumped legal procedure. Jesus endorses this and Pharisees won’t argue with David.
    • Jesus just compared Himself to David, tacitly claiming his authority and justification as the Lord’s anointed.
  • Verses 27-28 – Answer #2 – Sabbath is to be a Blessing, Not a Curse
    • Sabbath was the distinctive mark of the Covenant of Moses ( just as circumcision was the mark of the Abrahamic Covenant)
    • It was a Commandment (Exodus 20: 8-11). It was very important.
    • But it was to be a blessing, a rest, a participation in God’s rest – the rest promised by the Lord.
    • Yes, penalties for violation, but it wasn’t supposed to be a curse or burden.
    • Mishnah had expanded it and defined 39 activities that were “work,” including praying for someone’s healing (depending on your canonical school)
    • Jesus Argument – The Son of Man is Lord of Mankind, Sabbath was for Mankind, therefore Jesus is Lord over the Sabbath.
    • Hugely controversial claim – the Sabbath was commanded by God and Jesus says He is Lord of it!
  • Similar to what we saw in the previous section – Jesus is establishing something new.

What are the good things  God has given us as blessings that have become straitjackets?

  • Things that stand in the way of mercy and  human kindness?
  • Things in our worship, our buildings, our budgets, or ministries, etc?
  • Things in our busy-ness of religious practice that cause us to neglect people?