Chapter # 2 Paragraph # 4 Study # 1
August 20, 2019
Moss Bluff, Louisiana
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Thesis: Mark's move to the "Sabbath controversies" is a deliberate presentation of the Pharisees' "case against Jesus".
Introduction: Mark's presentation has been one of "exploding popularity" coupled to "growing opposition" by, particularly, the Pharisees as the "conservative" branch of Judea's "religion". It was the Pharisees who had the tightest grip on Jewish theology at this point in history, and it was the synagogues where they "decreed" and "enforced" what was "the will of God".
John 9:22 in context is a clear indication of just how important it was to the populace to be a part of the synagogue.
Jesus' "exploding popularity" was a "root" problem (Mark 15:10) because it challenged the status of the religious leaders, but it was His influence over the synagogues that became a growing threat because it had a more long-term impact. Thus, their "status" was at stake and their primary method of sustaining it was their influence over the synagogues.
Thus, Mark's focus upon the growing opposition was intended to expose the ungodly and irrational antagonism so that those who believed in Jesus would not be intimidated into forsaking "the faith".
This evening we are going to begin a look into Mark's third record of the growing opposition. This record is clearly another "gauntlet" paragraph. The first was His direct challenge regarding the primary issue: the forgiveness of sins. In that paragraph He told them pointedly that they would go away from the house where the paralytic was healed "knowing" that Jesus had the power to forgive sins on the earth as "The Son of The Man". That pointed declaration had initiated a charge of blasphemy against Him. Now, in this present record, the "gauntlet" is a claim by Jesus to be "The Son of The Man Who is The Lord of The Sabbath". In the larger picture, this meant that His influence over the primary activity of the "sabbath" (attendance at the synagogue) was inevitable and, by straightforward implication, their opposition to Him was wickedly motivated.
- I. The Gravity of the Main Issue.
- A. The entire paragraph is concerned with Jesus' claim to be "The Lord of The Sabbath".
- B. The gravity of this issue is best seen in the light of Exodus 31:12-17.
- 1. The very institution of "Sabbath" is declared to be "the sign" of a "perpetual covenant" between God and Israel.
- 2. The demand of the Decalogue that the people "remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy" is the only command that is not rooted in the fundamental morality of God.
- 3. The record of Numbers 15:32-36 makes it clear that wilful violation of this demand was a capital crime.
- a. It was a blatant rejection of "covenant loyalty".
- b. It was the beginning of a "pattern" as is shown by 1 Corinthians 11:23-32.
- 4. The notice in 2 Chronicles 36:21 that the Babyonian captivity was the result of "Sabbath" violations.
- C. In this light, Mark's record indicates an intensification of the issues.
- 1. The charge of "blasphemy" in 2:7.
- 2. The charge of "common fellowship with publicans and sinners" in 2:16.
- 3. The charge of basic hedonism in 2:18.
- 4. The charge of violating "The Sabbath" in 2:24.
- 5. The decision of the Pharisees and Herodians to destroy Him in 3:6.
- II. The Threat Jesus Posed to the Pharisees.
- A. The issue of "sabbath" is first introduced in the first paragraph of the main body of Mark's record in 1:21.
- 1. This introduction ties the "sabbath" to the "synagogues".
- a. This "tie" is reinforced by 2:2 in the verb "synagogued" (translated "gathered together").
- b. This "tie" is assumed in our paragraph with an implication that Jesus and His disciples had just left the synagogue when they were spotted by the Pharisees "violating" the rules.
- 2. This introduction reveals that the "threat" was one of "doctrine" which threatened the grip the Pharisees had on the entire culture (John 9:22).
- B. The issue of the "threat" of "new doctrine" is one of "methodological significance".
- 1. In our oft repeated appeal to Mark 15:10 we have seen that there is a "primary" methodological issue: fame as the means to the Joy of Life.
- 2. Now we can see that the threat is to the fame (Jesus' exploding popularity) that, then, becomes a threat to the Joy of Life.
- C. It, thus, becomes easy to see that the Pharisees saw Jesus as a huge threat.
- 1. They had developed a way to manipulate the "fame" issue by becoming the meticulous students of the words of God who, then, would become the "sought after" by those who wished to have acceptance by God.
- 2. In their studies they had become completely deceived by those "words" because they saw them as presenting "obedience" as the key to acceptance.
- 3. With Jesus' irrefutable contradictions of their objections and His new doctrine of "Grace", there was no way to stifle His growing popularity and, thus, their diminishing popularity.
- III. The "Undisciplined" Behavior of the Disciples.
- A. Those disciples "knew the rules".
- B. There had to be a "reason" for their casual "violation" of "the rules".
- 1. If they were, indeed, leaving the synagogue, "hunger" was present (as were the Pharisees).
- 2. It is at least possible that Jesus had plucked the first head of grain on their way through the field, but, if not, it is more than likely that He had disparaged "the rules" in His teaching so that the disciples had no fear of "plucking and eating" in His presence.
- 3. That Jesus was regularly disparaged by the Pharisees (as noted in Luke 7:34 and Matthew 11:19) as a "glutton" means that the former issues of "eating with publicans and sinners" and not teaching His disciples to "fast" were building to a case against Him as a hedonist (Philippians 3:19).
- C. This behavior was noticeable and caused a serious objection by the "Enforcers of the Rules".
