Markchapter 2

A.Four Friends Dig Through the Roofvv. 1-12

1 A few days later Jesus went back to Capernaum. And when the people heard that He was home, 2 they gathered in such large numbers that there was no more room, not even outside the door, as Jesus spoke the word to them. 3 Then a paralytic was brought to Him, carried by four men. 4 Since they were unable to get to Jesus through the crowd, they uncovered the roof above Him, made an opening, and lowered the paralytic on his mat. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 But some of the scribes were sitting there and thinking in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak like this? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 At once Jesus knew in His spirit that they were thinking this way within themselves. “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?” He asked. 9 “Which is easier: to say to a paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, pick up your mat, and walk’? 10 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...” He said to the paralytic, 11 “I tell you, get up, pick up your mat, and go home.” 12 And immediately the man got up, picked up his mat, and walked out in front of them all. As a result, they were all astounded and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

B.Levi Called From the Tax Boothvv. 13-17

13 Once again Jesus went out beside the sea. All the people came to Him, and He taught them there. 14 As He was walking along, He saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told him, and Levi got up and followed Him. 15 While Jesus was dining at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Him and His disciples—for there were many who followed Him. 16 When the scribes who were Pharisees saw Jesus eating with these people, they asked His disciples, “Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 On hearing this, Jesus told them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

C.A Question About Fasting; New Wine, New Skinsvv. 18-22

18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were often fasting. So people came to Jesus and asked, “Why don’t Your disciples fast like John’s disciples and those of the Pharisees?” 19 Jesus replied, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them? As long as He is with them, they cannot fast. 20 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. 21 No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, and a worse tear will result. 22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. Instead, new wine is poured into new wineskins.”

D.The Sabbath Was Made for Manvv. 23-28

23 One Sabbath Jesus was passing through the grainfields, and His disciples began to pick the heads of grain as they walked along. 24 So the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” 25 Jesus replied, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? 26 During the high priesthood of Abiathar, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which was lawful only for the priests. And he gave some to his companions as well.” 27 Then Jesus declared, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Commentary on this chapter: read the Exposition

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Chapter summary

Paralytic lowered through the roof: 'Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.' Call of Levi; dinner with publicans and sinners.

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Paralytic lowered through the roof: 'Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.' Call of Levi; dinner with publicans and sinners. The fasting question. New wine, new bottles. Two Sabbath controversies: grain fields ('the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath') and the man with the withered hand. Mark's first summary of rising opposition.

Drawn from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory, Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary, John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament and John Calvin, Commentaries.

Context

Gospel · Mark — Mark overview

A. 1–12 Four Friends Dig Through the Roof
B. 13–17 Levi Called From the Tax Booth
C. 18–22 A Question About Fasting; New Wine, New Skins
D. 23–28 The Sabbath Was Made for Man

Top cross-references8 chapters ▾

Matthew 912 verses
- Matthew 9:1Jesus got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own town.
- Matthew 9:2Just then some men brought to Him a paralytic lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.”
- Matthew 9:5Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk?’
- Matthew 9:6But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...” Then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”
- Matthew 9:8When the crowds saw this, they were filled with awe and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
- Matthew 9:9As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him.
- Read Matthew 9: 6 more there →
Luke 56 verses
- Luke 5:18Just then some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They tried to bring him inside to set him before Jesus,
- Luke 5:19but they could not find a way through the crowd. So they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
- Luke 5:21But the scribes and Pharisees began thinking to themselves, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
- Luke 5:22Knowing what they were thinking, Jesus replied, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?
- Luke 5:27After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told him,
- Luke 5:29Then Levi hosted a great banquet for Jesus at his house. A large crowd of tax collectors was there, along with others who were eating with them.
- Read Luke 5 →
Luke 183 verses
- Luke 18:11The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like the other men—swindlers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.
- Luke 18:12I fast twice a week and pay tithes of all that I acquire.’
- Luke 18:35As Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting beside the road, begging.
- Read Luke 18 →
Luke 63 verses
- Luke 6:1One Sabbath Jesus was passing through the grainfields, and His disciples began to pick the heads of grain, rub them in their hands, and eat them.
- Luke 6:9Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”
- Luke 6:15Matthew and Thomas; James son of Alphaeus and Simon called the Zealot;
- Read Luke 6 →

4 more chapters this one speaks with

Matthew 123 verses
- Matthew 12:1At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them.
- Matthew 12:2When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”
- Matthew 12:8For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
- Read Matthew 12 →
Luke 192 verses
- Luke 19:7And all who saw this began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinful man!”
- Luke 19:10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
- Read Luke 19 →
Mark 22 verses
- Mark 2:9“Which is easier: to say to a paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, pick up your mat, and walk’?
- Mark 2:13Once again Jesus went out beside the sea. All the people came to Him, and He taught them there.
- Read Mark 2 →
Mark 12 verses
- Mark 1:41Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!”
- Mark 1:45But the man went out and openly began to proclaim and spread the news. Consequently, Jesus could no longer enter a town in plain view, but He stayed out in solitary places. Yet people came to Him from every quarter.
- Read Mark 1 →

Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.