God’s Word For Today Gospel Light Filipino

Text: Mark 3:1-6 ESV



1 Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand.

2 And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him.

3 And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.”

4 And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent.

5 And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.

6 The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.



-Mark 3:1-6 ESV



JESUS IS ANGRY AND GRIEVED



Once again, we see Jesus inside the synagogue. This shows that Jesus is still a practicing Jew. A "synagogue" is from the Greek root word ‘sunagoge’ which means "a gathering or assembly." With reference to a religious center, this is a place where Jews gather to read Scripture and discuss what the passages mean.



There was a man with a withered hand. Apparently, he was there wanting to be healed. This is the third instance He would do a controversial healing during the Sabbath. However, they took this as an opportunity to accuse Jesus and weaponize this sick man. They were watching whether Jesus would heal him during the Sabbath and to accuse Him, should He would do it. But, this time, Jesus heals for the express purpose of confronting the Pharisees' hard hearts.



There is a great display of emotions of Jesus. No doubt, Jesus with great compassion, inviting the sick man, “Come here.” He has been inviting all the needy, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” [Mat 11:28-30]



And in a twist, Jesus turns to the religious leaders, asking, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” Their legalistic attitude had angered and grieved His heart. They have a stony heart unable to show compassion to the sick man. In fact, after the healing, they went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.



Jesus is the perfect demonstration of love and truth. He can’t just be emotional to do nothing for the sick man. He loved him in the truth. On the other hand, He couldn’t just let the religious leader get off the hook without rebuking the hardness of their hearts. Love rejoices in the truth.[1 Cor 13:6]

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God’s Word for Today
23 May 2024

23 One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25 And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: 26 how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” 27 And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

-Mark 2:23-28 ESV

JESUS IS LORD OF THE SABBATH

The Sabbath is an extremely important part of Judaism. As the fourth of the Ten Commandments, God commonly condemned the Israelites should they refuse to honor the Sabbath (Eze 20:13, 16, 21). It is kept in order to honor the seventh day of creation, on which God rested (Ex 20:11), trust Him for their needs (Ex 16:22–26), rest from labor (Ex 20:9–10), exhibit righteousness (Ex 31:14), and as a mark of distinction between Israel and pagan nations (Eze 20:12).

According to Deut 23:25, plucking corn from someone’s field is not stealing as long as they use their hands not sickle. The question is whether plucking grain is allowed on Sabbath or it is categorized as ‘work’. It is said that Jewish leaders had created thirty-nine Melachot (working) prohibitions to ensure no good Jew came close to breaking the Law. It's reasonable to assume these Pharisees lived by similar prohibitions. By plucking grain, separating the wheat from the chaff, disposing of the chaff, and eating the grain, the disciples violate at least four of the Melachot: reaping, threshing, winnowing, and selecting.

This was the reason why the Pharisees questioned Jesus as they saw His disciples plucking grain. According to their traditional laws, this was an act of "work" dishonoring the Sabbath. Interestingly, Jesus did not argue with them about the law. He cited the hungry David who ate the ‘bread of the Presence’ inside the tabernacle which no one is supposed to do except the priest[1 Sam 21:1-9]. In other words, he did something related to ceremonial laws which was arguably far "worse" than His disciples did. Evidently, he addressed the heart-attitude of the Pharisees.

What the priest did by giving David and his men the bread, they acknowledged a "higher law" at work. In that particular case, the command to have mercy on the needy supersedes the purely ceremonial law limiting who can eat the bread. While not explicitly stated, implicitly woven into the Law is the idea that feeding the hungry is a God-given priority. Caring for the needs of the needy, for instance, is more important than ceremonial rituals. Grace supersedes the law. He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

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God’s Word for Today
20 May 2024

18 Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. 21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”

-Mark 2:18-22 ESV

NEW GARMENT & NEW WINESKINS

At this time, John the Baptist is in prison. Like him, his followers apparently maintain some of his ascetic lifestyle. They might be fasting in mourning and repentance for Israel's sin, the current political situation or to ask God to release John.

The Pharisees, however, were legalistic religious leaders and they fasted openly to impress everyone knew how spiritual they were. Jesus does not condemn their fastings, but does criticize the public spectacle they make (Mat 6:16–18).

Observers asked why Jesus' disciples did not fast. And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?” By this, Jesus indirectly explains that He is whom the Jewish people seek and that they are not going to mourn. As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. According to Jesus, it is inappropriate to mourn in the presence of the Messiah. It is a time of celebration, similar to the week-long feasts held during a Jewish wedding.

Jesus was saying He is bringing a new thing, a relationship not a religion. compares the rigid, dry religion of the Pharisees to an old garment. He did not come to patch Judaism with a new piece of unshrunk cloth. Why? It would result in the destruction of the entire piece. He came to complete Judaism and renew it into what God intended. To wash the garment as white as snow (Psa 51:7). If He "patches" Judaism, the patch will tear away from the old, leaving the Jews worse off than ever. Jesus comes to redeem, not patch holes.

Another metaphor Jesus has used is that of new wine and old skins. Old wineskins, like the Pharisees' rules, are brittle and inflexible. When old wineskins are filled with "new wine," the skins are likely to break apart. Similarly, the freedom of a grace-filled life cannot fit in the legalistic and rigid religion of the Pharisees imposed on their followers. As Paul said, "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." [Gal 5:1]

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Text: Mark 2:13-17 (ESV)

 

13 He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. 14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

15 And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

 

JESUS CAME FOR SINNERS

 

Jesus called Levi[Matthew], son of Alphaeus, to follow Him as one of His 12 disciples. Did he know of Him prior to this moment? Perhaps, he knew Jesus like Peter and Andrew. This explains his willingness to abandon his very lucrative post as a tax collector and follow Jesus. He was collecting taxes on behalf of the Roman ruler, most likely Herod Antipas.

 

Immediately, Levi invited Jesus and others for a great feast at his home. They reclined at the table, laying on their sides or bellies with their legs behind them, leaning on their left arms and eating with their right hand. He also invites "sinners." This is a technical term given by the Pharisees to Jews who do not have no interest or inclination to follow their rigid religion.

 

This gathering for dinner in the house of ungodly Levi and his friends with Jesus and His followers has angered the devout Jewish religious leaders. But, many ‘sinners’ followed Him. On hearing this, Jesus said to them, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.'

 

His words offer a double implication in a sense. Firstly, He explains His mission as a friend of sinners who comes to save lost people. Secondly, Jesus also subtly rebukes the religious leaders who see themselves as righteous and without need of Jesus and the salvation He provides.

 

Like Jesus, we must have a heartbeat for the least and lost, the sin-sick people in this world. And, unlike the religious leaders, we must not be proud to think we’re better than others - branding others as less spiritual than ourselves.

 

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Text: Mark 2:6-12 (ESV)

 

6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

 

THE QUESTIONING IN THE HEARTS

 

The healing of the leper in the synagogue has marvelled everyone except the scribes. They were sitting and watching, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Unlike the four friends with strong faith, they were adamant in unbelief. Their hardened hearts led them to discredit Jesus as a liar and blasphemer. The real problem is their hearts are "evil."[Mat 9:4]

 

Jesus saw their questioning hearts. Jesus addressed their problems by asking questions. “Why do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’?” If Jesus can command the obvious miracle of healing a paralytic so that he can walk, before their eyes, what right have the scribes to discredit His authority to declare that the man's sins are forgiven, a situation which only God can see?

 

Thus, Jesus had asserted by saying, “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” Later, Jesus declared, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”[Mat 28:18]

 

Jesus' words are authoritative. In front of their eyes, He said to the paralytic— “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” He rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all. Hence, they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” May we will continue to be amazed by the words and works of Jesus, not to question in our hearts.

 

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Text: Mark 2:1-5 ESV



1 And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home.

2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them.

3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.

4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay.

5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”



-Mark 2:1-5 ESV



THE FOUR FAITHFUL FRIENDS



Jesus’ popularity had increased in Galilee. At the village in Capernaum, the crowd was flocking inside a house. Jesus was inside. Jesus was welcomed in this hospitable home. The idea of hospitality is important in the culture and in the Bible. The apostle John in his epistle of 3 John is devoted to the idea. In Hebrews 13:2, it says that we must be hospitable for we may entertain angels without knowing it. In the Old Testament, Abraham received guests which included not only angels but the LORD Himself (Gen 18:1–8).



Jesus was preaching. And, many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. The news reached to these four men. They have to bring their paralytic friend to Jesus for healing. But, they couldn’t get in even near at the door.



It seems there was no way to enter in. However, an old adage says, “Necessity is the mother of creativity and invention.” They refused to surrender and created way. They removed the roof above him to make an opening. Then, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay in front of Jesus. For them, there was no close door but a new strategy. May we emulate their tenacity, relentlessness and creativity in advancing the gospel.



Jesus saw their ‘faith’. It’s not the faith of their paralytic friend that Jesus saw. Immediately, Jesus healed the sick man. Their faith made a big difference, in fact, paved a miracle to happen. Like them we must bring the least and the lost to Jesus by creating opportunities.

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