Mark Chapter Two

Chapter Two


Verses 1-12, Jesus heals a paralytic

This is the occasion when friends brought a paralytic to be healed by Jesus. The crowded home offered no entrance, so they created one through a roof and lowered their friend near Jesus’ healing hands. In verse 12, the onlookers were amazed when they saw the miracles performed that day.

How can we help our friends move from “amazed” to becoming saved by God’s hand?

Verses 13-17, the calling of Levi

As [Jesus] walked along he saw Levi, Son of Alphaeus, sitting in the tax collector’s booth. In a Bible class, teacher Bill Owens mentioned that when Jesus passed by Levi (also know as Matthew) that he saw Levi. Others saw him and labeled him a tax collector. Honestly, do we sometimes label people or do we see the person before us, the individual?

Verses 18-22, Jesus questioned about fasting

Animal skins were pliable storage and expanded when new wine fermented. Jesus concluded his conversation about fasting with the old cloth/new cloth and new wineskins/old wineskins statement. What spiritual lesson is he teaching when he says about a winemaker: “He pours new wine into new wineskins”?

Verses 23-27, Lord of the Sabbath

Explain in a sentence or two what Jesus meant when he said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Summary Thought: I love the statement in verse 15: “While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and ‘sinners’ were eating with him.” The text goes on to say many followed him. Ask yourself: Where do I rub shoulders with the world so I can bring them to the banquet of Christ?

Prayer Endings: In the name of Jesus who knows the thoughts of my heart (vs. 8). In the name of the physical and spiritual healer Jesus (vs. 17). In the name of Sabbath-Jesus, who interpreted God through scripture (vs. 25-26). In the name of Jesus who re-directs wrong thinking (vs. 27-28).