Controversies

Lesson 3

Controversies

(Mark 2 & 3)

Introduction: How do you react to criticism? The Bible tells us that paying attention to criticism makes us wiser. Proverbs 15:31-32. Lately, I’ve been receiving unexpected criticism from visitors to my in-person teaching of these lessons. Trust me when I say these criticisms have been very odd and insulting. And most had nothing to do with what I was teaching. Our study this week is about a series of stories which start with criticisms and insults directed at Jesus. It makes me smile in light of my recent experiences. Let’s dive into the Bible and see what we can learn about turning criticism into compelling instruction!

I. The Annoying Paralytic

A. Read Mark 2:2-4. How do you react when you arrive late to an event and there is no room left? Do you determine to arrive early next time? Or do you tear a hole in the building?

1. Put yourself in Jesus’ place. You are preaching and someone is ripping a hole in the roof right above where you are standing. How would you react to this terrible distraction?

a. Are the roof rippers ruining the preaching for everyone who got there on time?

2. Put yourself in the place of the roof rippers. What kind of people are these? What is their attitude about their paralyzed friend?

B. Read Mark 2:5. Why does Jesus say this? Because they need to repent of disrupting His preaching? (Notice the text says that Jesus “saw their faith,” not that Jesus “saw their indiscretion.”)

1. Is this what the paralyzed guy and his friends want to hear?

C. Read John 9:1-2. What was the common view of illness and sin? (Sin caused illness.)

1. Does sin cause illness? (Yes. But read John 9:3. Jesus’ response disconnects illness from sin. The book of Job and Hebrews 11 are other powerful teachings about the disconnection between sin and illness.)

2. Do you think the paralyzed man believed that his paralysis was due to his sin?

D. Read Mark 2:6-7. Is this a reasonable criticism of Jesus?

1. Why is Mark recording this story?

E. Read Mark 2:8-12. Would this convince you that Jesus is God?

II. Eating with Sinners, Fasting in the Presence of Jesus

A. Read Mark 2:15-17. Do you have to eat with sinners in order to convert them?

1. The heart of the question seems to be the problem of endorsing the practices of the tax collectors. What lesson do you draw from Jesus’ response? (The Jewish leaders were unduly critical. Jesus has many appropriate options to convert sinners, and this is one of them.)

B. Read Mark 2:18 and Luke 18:11-12. Why did the Jewish leaders and John’s disciples fast? (They thought it made them more religious.)

C. Read Mark 2:19-20. What do you think about Jesus’ answer? Wouldn’t it be helpful for His disciples to become more religious even when He is present? (Something very important is being revealed in Jesus’ answers about eating with tax collectors and fasting. Unless the Bible tells you that you should do or not do something you can use your own judgment. See Deuteronomy 4:2)

III. Sabbath Truth

A. Read Mark 2:23-24. What complaint is made to Jesus? Is it that the disciples are stealing food or that they are working on Sabbath?

B. Read Mark 2:25-26. Think about Jesus’ answer. Is He admitting that His disciples are doing something unlawful? (If the point of comparison is something else you admit is unlawful, the answer is “yes.”)

1. If you have children, have you heard this defense before? (One child gets caught, and defends by saying that another child has done something that also violates the rules of the home.)

a. Is that Jesus’ defense? Or, is He arguing something else? (He is arguing necessity. David was hungry and in need. That made the otherwise illegal behavior acceptable.)

b. If you were a Jewish ruler, what response would you give? (Tell your disciples to eat breakfast! They should have prepared on Friday for the Sabbath by packing a lunch. And by the way, fasting is good for them!)

2. What answer would you have made if you were Jesus? (The simple answer is to say that what the disciples are doing is lawful. See Deuteronomy 23:25.)

C. Read Mark 2:27. We all agree that Jesus is smarter than we are. If we can see that a certain understanding of His answers makes no logical sense, what is the proper understanding of His answers? How does “need” properly fit into the answer? (Jesus says that satisfying human need for comfort is consistent with the Sabbath. Arguments about how the disciples could have avoided being uncomfortable are irrelevant.)

D. Read Mark 2:28. What does this mean? (Jesus tells us that He is “Lord” of the Sabbath, and therefore He gets to state what rules apply.)

1. Is there any indication in this story that Sabbath observance is about to end? (Just the opposite. Why would Jesus spend time explaining how it should be kept if it was about to be eliminated by His resurrection.)

E. Let’s go back and read Mark 1:21-22. Do we see the truth of that statement in the story we just
studied? (This is part of Mark’s proof that Jesus is the Messiah. He has authority to say what the
rules mean.)

1. Is Jesus going out of His way to explain that the Sabbath is for our comfort? Since it is true that what the disciples were doing was legal, why not give that simple answer?

F. Read Mark 3:1-4. If the Jewish leaders thought it was wrong to heal on the Sabbath, why would they remain silent?

G. Read Mark 3:5-6. The text says this situation made Jesus angry. Why? (The text says, “Their hardness of heart.”)

1. What about this makes their hearts hard? (They preferred their Sabbath rules over healing a disabled man.)

2. If you look back to Mark 3:4 Jesus refers, it appears unnecessarily, to killing on the Sabbath. What do we find in Mark 3:6 that shows Jesus is right on point? (The Jewish leaders were, in fact, plotting to kill Jesus on the Sabbath. What a contrast between the two religious authorities.)

IV. The Holy Spirit and the Danger Zone

A. Read Mark 3:22. Jesus and some of the Jewish religious leaders are clearly opponents. What else could they say to explain Jesus’ miracles?

B. Read Mark 3:23-27. What is Jesus’ logical argument against this explanation for His miracles? (Why would Satan attack himself?)

C. Read 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10. Can Satan perform miracles?

1. What does “false signs and wonders” and “wicked deception” mean? (Satan cannot perform miracles. He only makes it appear that he can.)

2. Consider Job 1:12. Is Satan constrained by God? (Yes. He needed to ask permission.)

D. Read Mark 3:28-30. What is the danger of attributing wonders and miracles to Satan? (You may
be blaspheming the Holy Spirit. This is an issue we need to take seriously and not be quick to say that a healing came from Satan. Only God can heal.)

E. Friend, is Jesus God? Mark continues his proof that Jesus is God. Jesus turns false criticism into
brilliant teaching that strengthens the claim that He is God. Will you accept Jesus as you Lord? Why not right now?

V. Next week: Parables.