Marcos 2
Warren Wiersbe · Citado em PreceptAustin
Marcos 2
Wiersbe - We must admire several characteristics of these men, qualities that ought to mark us as “fishers of men.” For one thing, they were deeply concerned about their friend and wanted to see him helped. They had the faith to believe that Jesus could and would meet his need. They did not simply “pray about it,” but they put some feet to their prayers; and they did not permit the difficult circumstances to discourage them. They worked together and dared to do something different, and Jesus rewarded their efforts. How easy it would have been for them to say, “Well, there is no sense trying to get to Jesus today! Maybe we can come back tomorrow.” Bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men - These four men were “friends in need” who were proving to be “friends indeed.” And remember unlike lepers, paralytics were not ostracized by society and did not need to cry "Unclean! Unclean!" The paralytic like all with severe disease/disability were stigmatized because of the false notion of the Jews that all such maladities were related to the person's sin, which of course is not true. Even His own disciples had bought into this false teaching and when they encountered a blind man John records that "His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” (Jn 9:2) Jesus answered them immediately declaring “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him." (Jn 9:3) Paralytic (3885)(paralutikos from paraluo = to paralyze = verb in Lk 5:17-26 - pará = from + lúō = to loose) is one who is lame, crippled or paralyzed, disabled or weak of limb, usually in the feet or legs and unable to walk. KJV has "sick of the palsy." Paralutikos - 10x in 9v - Matt. 4:24; Matt. 8:6; Matt. 9:2; Matt. 9:6; Mk. 2:3; Mk. 2:4; Mk. 2:5; Mk. 2:9; Mk. 2:10. Not found in Septuagint. Illustration of a Friend - A young boy, dirty and dressed in scruffy clothes, came into a Christian bookshop in an English village. His head reached just above the counter. He asked the shopkeeper, “How much are yer Bibles, mister?” The man pulled his cheapest Bible off the shelf, one with children’s pictures, but the £1.5 in the boy’s grubby hand was not enough. “Hang on, I’ve got more money in my sock,” the boy said. He sat down on the floor, pulled off a shoe and then a long, woolen sock. “The Bible’s not for me; it’s for me mate. I want him to know Jesus like I do.” “You can have the Bible,” the shopkeeper said. “Shall I rub the price off?” Putting his sock and shoe back on, the boy answered, “No, leave it on. I want me mate to know how much I like him.” As he walked out the door with the Bible, he stopped, turned and said with a grin, “It’s a good book, ain’t it mister?” By seeking to bring his friend to Jesus, that boy was being the best kind of friend in this world. To help our friends find forgiveness, we must bring them to Jesus Who has authority to forgive sins. Bringing Our Friends to Jesus When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:5 Today's Scripture & Insight: Mark 2:1-12 During my childhood, one of the most feared diseases was polio, often called “infantile paralysis” because most of those infected were young children. Before a preventive vaccine was developed in the mid-1950s, some 20,000 people were paralyzed by polio and about 1,000 died from it each year in the United States alone. In ancient times, paralysis was viewed as a permanent, hopeless condition. But one group of men believed Jesus could help their paralyzed friend. While Jesus was teaching in the village of Capernaum, four of the men carried the man to Him. When they couldn’t reach Jesus because of the crowd, “they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on” (Mark 2:1-4). “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven’ ” (v. 5), followed by “Get up, take your mat and go home” (v. 11). How remarkable that in response to the faith of the men who brought their friend, Jesus forgave his sins and healed his incurable condition! You can make an impact today. Reflect & Pray Lord Jesus, we know that You can speak the words of eternal life and healing to people in great need. We bring them to You in prayer today. Praying for others is a privilege—and a responsibility. Play Michael Smith's "Friends are Friends Forever" Packing up the dreams God planted In the fertile soil of you Can't believe the hopes He's granted Means a chapter in your life is through But we'll keep you close as always It won't even seem you've gone 'Cause our hearts in big and small ways Will keep the love that keeps us strong And friends are friends forever If the Lord's the Lord of them And a friend will not say never 'Cause the welcome will not end Though it's hard to let you go In the Father's hands we know That a lifetime's not too long To live as friends With the faith and love God's given Springing from the hope we know We will pray the joy you'll live in Is the strength that now you show But we'll keep you close as always It won't even seem you've gone 'Cause our hearts in big and small ways Will keep the love that keeps us strong And friends are friends forever If the Lord's the Lord of them And a friend will not say never 'Cause the welcome will not end Though it's hard to let you go In the Father's hands we know That a lifetime's not too long To live as friends Mark 2:4 Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying. NET Mark 2:4 When they were not able to bring him in because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Jesus. Then, after tearing it out, they lowered the stretcher the paralytic was lying on. GNT Mark 2:4 καὶ μὴ δυνάμενοι προσενέγκαι αὐτῷ διὰ τὸν ὄχλον ἀπεστέγασαν τὴν στέγην ὅπου ἦν, καὶ ἐξορύξαντες χαλῶσι τὸν κράβαττον ὅπου ὁ παραλυτικὸς κατέκειτο. NLT Mark 2:4 They couldn't bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. KJV Mark 2:4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. ESV Mark 2:4 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. NIV Mark 2:4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. ASV Mark 2:4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the crowd, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed whereon the sick of the palsy lay. CSB Mark 2:4 Since they were not able to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above where He was. And when they had broken through, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying. they removed: Dt 22:8 Lu 5:19 FOUR GREAT FRIENDS WITH GREAT DETERMINATION Related Passages: Matthew 9:2+ And they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.” Luke 5:19+ But not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. Determination describes devotion of one's full strength and concentrated attention to a task, certainly an apt description of these four friends! This passage could also be entitled "Where There is a Will, There is a Way!" Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd - These four men had faith, but their faith was not mystical but practical! Why do I say that? They believed Jesus had the power to cure their friend, but they exerted considerable effort to bring him to Jesus! Vicarious faith is a "working faith." It almost sounds unorthodox for faith alone saves, but the faith that saves also works as in this illustration. Luke 5:18-19 says "they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him. But not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd." Mark 2:2 explains that "there was no longer room, not even near the door." They removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening - Now don't miss this -- Jesus is teaching! And you think you've experienced distractions when you are preaching or teaching! This one has to beat them all! See schematic above from Faithlife.com (Logos) which shows flat roof and mud/straw matrix of a typical first century house in Israel. Marvin Vincent's comments on dug an opening - Lit., scooped it out. Very graphic and true to fact. A modern roof would be untiled or unshingled; but an oriental roof would have to be dug to make such an opening as was required. A composition of mortar, tar, ashes, and sand is spread upon the roofs, and rolled hard, and grass grows in the crevices. On the houses of the poor in the country the grass grows more freely, and goats may be seen on the roofs cropping it. In some cases, as in this, stone slabs are laid across the joists. See Luke 5:19, where it is said they let him down through the tiles; so that they would be obliged, not only to dig through the grass and earth, but also to pry up the tiles. Compare Ps. 129:6. They let down the pallet (krabattos) on which the paralytic (paralutikos) was lying - The house must have had an outside stairway to allow them to get the man on the roof. Imagine this scene! Luke says Jesus was teaching (Lk 5:17+) and all of a sudden the rafters start shaking. Some in the room probably thought it was another miracle, and in fact it was preparation for one. This miracle would be greater than the physical healings they had seen Jesus perform, because this miracle would result in soul healing, the greatest need of the paralyzed man and all men fro all paralyzed by the fall of Adam! We are all cripples in need of Christ! Luke 5:19+ says "they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus." Matthew 9:2 just says "they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed." Barclay on a typical house in that day - The Palestinian house was flat-roofed. The roof had only the slightest tilt, sufficient to make the rain water run off. It was composed of beams laid from wall to wall and quite a short distance apart. The space between the beams was filled with close packed twigs, compacted together with mortar and then marled over. It was the easiest thing in the world to take out the packing between two beams. In fact coffins were very often taken in and out of a house via the roof. Mark 2:1–12 The Paralytic And His Persistent Friends November 22, 1963, is a date remembered by most people as the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Students of history will remember that two renowned authors passed away just about an hour before Kennedy and within minutes of each other: C. S. Lewis and Aldous Huxley. All three deaths were noteworthy, but one attracted far more publicity than the others. In our reading today, we find three miraculous works by Jesus that happened at this house in Capernaum. Usually only one of these gets the most attention, so we will try to examine all three today and see how they are connected. To modern audiences, the most familiar aspect of this story might be the act of the man’s friends, lowering him down through an opening they made in the roof. Their act of faith precipitated an astounding miracle: Jesus telling the paralytic that his sins were forgiven—and then instructing him to take up his mat and walk (vv. 5, 9). Jesus knew the thoughts of the teachers of the law who were in attendance, that they were silently appalled at His statement of forgiveness. So Jesus Himself asks the question, "Which is easier?" The question implies that anyone can walk around saying they offer forgiveness of sins. Jesus went beyond pronouncement to proof: the paralyzed man now walked. The eyewitnesses to this event had a choice. They could be upset because Jesus had demonstrated that He had the power to forgive sins, or they could believe. Jesus demonstrated that He could forgive sins, know the private thoughts of others, and heal the paralyzed man to full strength (v. 12). As the Son of God, Jesus didn’t have to try any harder to know a man’s thoughts than He did to heal paralysis. But knowing a thought is momentary. Healing a malady is temporary. The forgiveness of sins? That’s eternal. Jesus offered the man—and all the eyewitnesses present—the opportunity to be forgiven through belief in Him. Apply the Word Jesus saw the faith of the man and his friends and said, "Son, your sins are forgiven" (v. 5). You may never have witnessed a paralytic lowered through a ceiling or healed with mere words, but if you have faith in Christ, you are an eyewitness to His greatest miracle: the redemption of a sinner. Whatever stress or worry you may face, find rest in that truth and praise Jesus for His power to heal, to know, and to save.. Wholeness Of Life Read: Mark 2:1-12 Son, your sins are forgiven you. . . . I say to you, arise. —Mark 2:5,11 Social worker Margaret Sangster told her colleagues about seeing a young boy in an urban ghetto who appeared little more than a bit of twisted human flesh. He had been struck by a car several months earlier and had not received proper medical attention. Although he was not a part of her caseload, she took the boy to an orthopedist, who performed surgery on his legs. Two years later the boy walked into Sangster’s office without crutches. His recovery was complete. Margaret recalled that as the two embraced, she thought, If I accomplish nothing else in my life, I have made a real difference with at least this one! Sangster then told her colleagues, “This was all several years ago now. Where do you think that boy is today?” They suggested that he might be a teacher, a physician, or a social worker. With deep emotion, she responded, “No, he’s in the penitentiary for one of the foulest crimes a human can commit.” Then she said, “I was instrumental in teaching him how to walk again, but there was no one to teach him where to walk.” Lord, help us to tell of Your love for mankind— A love for the sin-sick, the broken, the blind; And help them to see by the way that we live The wholeness of life that You long to give. —DJD Only Jesus can give wholeness of life to a broken world. Mark 2:5 And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven. NET Mark 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." GNT Mark 2:5 καὶ ἰδὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τὴν πίστιν αὐτῶν λέγει τῷ παραλυτικῷ, Τέκνον, ἀφίενταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι. NLT Mark 2:5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, "My child, your sins are forgiven." KJV Mark 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. ESV Mark 2:5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." NIV Mark 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." ASV Mark 2:5 And Jesus seeing their faith saith unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins are forgiven. CSB Mark 2:5 Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." And Jesus seeing their faith: Ge 22:12 Joh 2:25 Ac 11:23 14:9 Eph 2:8 1Th 1:3,4 Jas 2:18-22 said to the paralytic: Mk 2:9,10 Isa 53:11 Mt 9:2 Lu 5:20 7:47-50 Ac 5:31 2Co 2:10 Col 3:13 Son: Mk 5:34 Mt 9:22 Lu 8:48 sins: Job 33:17-26 Ps 32:1-5 90:7-9 103:3 Isa 38:17 Joh 5:14 1Co 11:30 Jas 5:15 FOUR FRIENDS WITH VICARIOUS FAITH Related Passages: Matthew 9:2+ And they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.” Luke 5:20+ Seeing their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” Samuel Chadwick writes "By “vicarious” we mean something done for and instead of another. It is substitutionary. The vicarious sacrifice of Jesus Christ means that Christ suffered in our stead, and died for our sins. So there is a faith that is exercised in behalf of another, and is accepted for another." (See his full sermon below) As Richards says "Persistent faith moves us to overcome every obstacle and come to Jesus. After that everything is up to Him." (Bible Reader's Companion) And Jesus seeing their faith - Who is "their?" This seems to be all 5 men (Mark 2:3 says four men carried the paralyzed man). Not only does Jesus see their faith, but He sees the greater need! They all had confidence in the power and willingness of Jesus to heal this desperate case. Their actions were the visible evidence of their faith. The faith referred to here was evidenced by the strenuous actions of the men. The aggressive, persistent effort of the paralytic’s friends was visible evidence of their faith in Christ to heal. "What a repair bill Peter must have had when it came to replacing the torn-up roof." (Wuest) THOUGHT - THESE 4 HAD VICARIOUS FAITH (SEE ADDITIONAL NOTE BELOW) -- BUT WHAT IS VICARIOUS FAITH? Obviously we as believers cannot take others to Heaven with us based solely on our faith. Each soul must express his or her own personal faith in Jesus. So what is vicarious faith as seen in these 4 men whose faith resulted in another man being brought to Jesus? Simply this -- they believed Jesus could heal their paralyzed friend if they could get him to Jesus. And the result of their vicarious faith was the expression of personal faith by the paralytic. How is this vicarious faith manifested today? When we bring them to Jesus - by sharing His Gospel, by bringing them to church and then going out for lunch to discuss what they heard, by praying for their soul, etc. When we pray for others to believe in Jesus is that not vicarious faith. I prayed for my 2 youngest children for 20 years before they surrendered to Jesus! My father prayed for me for 20 years before I believed! Here are thoughts from A B Bruce on Lk 5:17-26+ (the parallel of Mark 2:1ff). He writes "We have here a distinct recognition of the value of intercessory prayer, or, if I may so express myself, of vicarious faith. God, we learn therefore, hears prayers of believing men offered up not for themselves but for others. (1) This doctrine is Scriptural. Abraham, Moses, &c. (2). This doctrine is reasonable. It can give a good account of itself before the bar of philosophy. It is a wise, God-worthy policy to encourage men to pray, live, and even die for one another, in the assurance that they pray not, live not, die not in vain. (3). The duty arising out of the foregoing doctrine is plain. It is without ceasing to desire and to pray for the well-being, spiritual and temporal, of all men, specially of those whose case Providence brings closest home to us. (Read the following passages and see if you can discern the principle of "vicarious faith." - Mk 5:25-34; Mk 7:24-30; Mk 10:46-52; Mt 8:5-13. And then practice "vicarious faith."
Marcos 2
Wiersbe - Jesus taught two important lessons about His ministry: (1) He came to save sinners, not to call the religious; and (2) He came to bring gladness and not sadness. The third lesson is this: He came to introduce the new, not to patch up the old. (BEC) James Brooks sums up Mark 2:21-22 - The twin parables here teach the incompatibility of the old (scribal Judaism) and the new (Christianity). Judaism is the old garment and the old wineskin. Christianity is the new garment (implied), the new wineskin, and the new wine (on the last cf. John 2:1–11, especially v. 10). The point is not that the “old” is wrong or evil but that its time has passed. As Acts shows, the Twelve were slow to learn this truth. (NAC-Mark) No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment - This was common knowledge. One might say Judaism was "worn out" (palaios) and in need of something brand new (kainos), the Gospel. Old (3820)(palaios from pálai = in the past, long ago) antique, not recent, not new, old in the sense of worn out and decrepit. (see discussion of old self = old man -- "old self" in Ro 6:6+, Eph. 4:22+ and Col. 3:9+) Palaios means in existence for a long time, and in a number of contexts conveys the sense of being obsolete, antiquated or outworn. Worn out from use is the idea in the synoptic parallel parables in Mt 9:16, 17 Mk 2:21, Lk 5:36. Palaios is used in 2 Cor 3:14 to describe the "Old covenant." The related verb palaioo is used in Hebrews 8:13 to describe the Old Covenant "becoming obsolete (palaioo)." See MacArthur's note as how this parable relates to the Old Covenant. Garment (2440)(himation) describes a garment of any sort, but especially an outer garment. The himation was something thrown over the inner tunic (chitin) and in secular Greek was sometimes used for the Roman toga. In the present context, while Jesus is referring to a literal garment, He is using the garment as an illustration of a spiritual truth. That truth is that the old garment of Judaism had become corrupted ("moth-eaten" so to speak) by numerous non-biblical interpretations and traditions of men (cf Lk 15:6+, Mt 23:4, 23, Lk 11:46+, Acts 15:10+) and was worn out, "spiritually threadbare," so to speak! In other words, a "gospel patch" was neither compatible with the old garment, nor would it be able to repair the old garment of hackneyed Judaism. Jesus did not come to reform ritualistic Judaism but to replace it and clothe men with "garments of salvation", representing not their self-righteous works (as in Judaism) but His righteousness (Isa 61:10+, Ro 3:22+), for as Paul wrote "all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." (Gal 3:27+). Otherwise the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear results - Jesus explains why putting a patch of new material on an old garment would be foolish. Luke's version is slightly different reading "No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment." (Lk 5:36+) This was common sense truth which everyone understood. Jesus is saying, "I didn't come to patch up the old religious system. I came to do something entirely new." (Courson) Jesus did not come to improve the old system of Judaism but to renounce and radically replace it. His new way had nothing to do with the old way, and the old way had nothing to do with His new way. He was not bringing a better version of Pharisaism or rabbinicalism but was bringing good news of a completely new way of believing, thinking, and living. "The old garment is the legalistic system of rabbinic tradition that had obscured the law of God (cf. Mt. 15:3-6). Jesus was not interested in mending the religion of the Pharisees. The good news of salvation by grace through faith in Him could not be combined with the works-righteousness of Judaism." (MacArthur) New (2537)(kainos) refers to that which is new kind (unprecedented, novel, uncommon, unheard of). It relates to being not previously present. Vine adds that kainos "denotes “new,” of that which is unaccustomed or unused, not “new” in time, recent (Greek = "neos"), but “new” as to form or quality, of different nature from what is contrasted as oldMark uses kainos again in Mk 2:22 to describe "new wine." Mt 9:17 uses kainos to describe "fresh (kainos) wineskins." For more discussion of the distinction from another Greek word for new (neos) see New - Trench's Synonyms of the New Testament. Notice that Luke 5:36 is slightly different than Matthew and Mark's version for Luke speaks of damage to two garments, new and old writing "No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old." As