Book of Mark – The Healing on Sabbath

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. The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.
ESV Mark 3:5-6

Frustrated by their hearts and attitude, for they prefer to insist to hold on tradition and being legalistic rather than letting someone getting healed. For the Pharisees, it’s better to not do good on Sabbath day rather than doing something good on Sabbath. Jesus then healed the man with the withered hand regardless.

The Pharisees reaction? They quickly departed and held counsel with Herod’s people to eliminate Jesus. Do you notice the irony? The Pharisees forbid Jesus to do good on the Sabbath, but they’re actually doing evil thing on Sabbath day instead by planning how to kill Jesus. Truly what Jesus asked was true “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?”

Book of Mark – The One With Withered Hand

Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” 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.

Mark 3: 1-4 ESV

The Pharisees seem to be big fan of Jesus :p
They keep following Jesus everywhere and observing what Jesus do very very closely. Unfortunately they’re doing that too find mistakes in what Jesus do so that they can accuse Jesus. And this time they’re trying to find whether Jesus will heal the man with the withered hand or not. For the pharisees, healing is doing work, and doing work on Sabbath day is unlawful for them. However not to heal someone just because it’s Sabbath day, is an act of legalism, which means following the law or tradition just because it’s the law, and can you still call that doing good? That’s why Jesus asked them whether it’s better to do good or to do harm on Sabbath day? To save life or to kill on Sabbath day?

The Pharisees were silent.

Book of Mark – The Lord of Sabbath

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: 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?” And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

Mark 2: 25-28 ESV

The Sabbath is given by God for a reminder for human to enter the rest with God. King David overruled the rule in the old testament as Jesus points out by entering the temple and eating the bread of presence during his emergency plight. Jesus claimed that He is the Lord of the Sabbath, because Sabbath was made for mankind for them to actually enjoy the union with God, it’s not a day meant to be filled with strict tradition or a day where mankind judge each other.

Book of Mark – The Law of Sabbath

One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”

Mark 2: 23-24 ESV

Another day, another complain from the pharisees. God gave the Israelite the commandment to celebrate the Sabbath as the rest day in the seventh day. It’s purpose was that the people of God will have that special time to have fellowship with God. It’s a consecrated day for the people of God. However the Pharisees made lots extra rules and made the observance legalistic. That even plucking heads of grain is considered breaking the law of Sabbath.

Book of Mark – The New and The Old

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. 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 2:21-22 ESV

Jesus explains with another 2 examples that when the new one has come and fulfil the needs, why go back to the old way and use the old method? Because indeed Jesus has come to fulfil the Old Testament therefore there was no need to do the old tradition. Jesus has come to forgive the sins of humanity and he stood as the sacrifice for our sin therefore don’t bring the old law and try to forcefully use it as a patch! :) Isn’t it great the fact that we just need to enjoy the new wine in the new wineskin :)

The old is gone and the new has come!

Book of Mark – The Fasting or The Feasting

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?” 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. The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.
Mark 2: 18-20 ESV

Fasting is only told a couple of time in the Old Testament book Leviticus and it’s prescribed for day of atonement. It is done as a symbol of sorrow of sins to show penitence. However in the time of New Testament, among the Jewish religious fasting is a normal tradition and it’s done twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays. The people were astonished that Jesus is not following such tradition, instead He answered with an analogy of the bridegroom. That the bridegroom is now here, so the wedding guests should not fast, because it’s the time for feasting instead. However there will come a day when the bridegroom will be taken away… By saying this analogy Jesus is prophesying about his own death.

His coming brings the grace of God by giving us salvation therefore we should rejoice!

Book of Mark: The Doctor to the Sinners

Mark 2:15-17 English Standard Version (ESV)

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.  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 eatwith tax collectors and sinners?” 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.”

Not only that Jesus called a sinners to be follow Him, he is actually breaking bread with him and the sinner’s friend! According to the pharisee this is a practice that defiles their holiness. But Jesus is not like that, he doesn’t go to find righteous people, for  righteous people thinks that they don’t need saviour. It’s the sinners who need a saviour, people who can recognise that they’re wrong and they need forgiveness from God, and anyone can get that forgiveness from our loving saviour, Jesus :)

For surely only sick people needs a doctor right? People who thinks they’re healthy won’t even look for a doctor.