Session 3: Mark 2:1–3:6

Read Mark 2:1–3:6.

Watch Francis Chan, “The Gospel of Mark” Video Series Session 3: Mark 2:1–3:6 (10 minutes)

Discuss

Francis relayed the story of the paralytic whom Jesus healed. After all the healings we’ve already seen, now we focus on something more important behind the healings.

What would you—along with the people in the house—expect from Jesus when the paralytic comes down through a hole in the roof? How do you think you would have reacted to his initial statement?

For the Jewish leaders, miraculous healing in the name of God’s kingdom was one thing. But forgiveness? That was one step too far. Here, Mark introduces the first of several opponents Jesus will face. These scribes, or teachers of the Law (v. 6), mentally objected to Jesus’s statement of forgiving the man’s sins. This reaction never works out well for the dissenters, since Jesus knows what they are thinking. The onlookers expected Jesus to address the man’s physical needs, but the savior who came for the lost addressed his most critical need—forgiveness of his sins.

How big of a deal is your sin to you?

In what ways does your perspective of your sin reflect God’s view of it? Reflect on those you tend to minimize, ignore, or justify.

By also healing the paralytic’s legs and inviting him to get up and walk, Jesus confirmed his ability to heal his spiritual brokenness. As we follow Jesus’s ministry, notice how often he connects the outward appearance with the inward reality.

As he pronounced healing for the paralyzed man, Jesus referred to himself in a new way: “but that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . .” (2:10). This title would have been known by the religious leaders as a reference to Daniel’s visions, an apocalyptic image denoting divine power. He was not hiding his identity from the educated leadership. They knew what he was saying, and it enraged them.

What did Jesus’s declaration mean for the Pharisees?

We often forget that Jesus the gentle rabbi is also the Son of Man riding on the clouds in judgment.

How do you reconcile these two characteristics of our savior?

In 2:13-17, Jesus goes to Levi’s house and has a meal with many “tax collectors and sinners.” Now, the Pharisees were really upset. These religious leaders threw a fit at the thought that this healer/teacher would dine with sinners. But they’d forgotten the lesson already—Jesus came to deal with that sin. Like the paralytic’s sickness, he could heal sin too.

Look across this week’s reading. How did the Pharisees respond to each of Jesus’s teachings?

Instead of embracing Jesus’s freedom-giving interpretation of the Scriptures, the religious leaders respond by plotting to kill him. Throughout our passage, we have seen a clear escalation. At first, what began as antagonistic questioning (2:16) grew into a murderous rage (3:6)—one that would end in a crucifixion.

Why do you think they reacted that way?

Jesus always provokes a reaction. What sorts of responses do people today have toward him? How do you deal with the negative ones?