Mark 2)
1 And again He entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was reported, "He is [gone] into the house [and is there]."
2 And immediately many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no longer any room to receive them, no, not even at the door: and He was speaking [when what follows to place] the word to them.
3 And they come to Him, bringing a paralytic, which was borne (carried) by four.
4 And when they were not able to come near to Him on account of the press, they uncovered the roof where he was (easily done in an Eastern house [Gal. 4:15]): and when they had broken it up, they let down the pallet (a poor man's bed) of which the sick of the palsy lay.
5 When Jesus saw their faith (we cannot exclude the faith of the paralytic himself, who doubtless had persuaded the 4 to do this for him), He said to the sick of the palsy, "Son, your sins be forgiven you." (Thus proclaiming His Deity, being the 2nd subject of His ministry)
6 But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
7 "Why does this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins except One [that is] God (Gr. Theos corresponds generally to Elohim, the Creator, of the O.T.)?"
8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in Himself that they so reasoned among themselves, He said to them, "Why reason you these things in your hearts?
9 Which is easier to say to the sick of the palsy, 'Your sins be forgiven you;' or to say, 'Arise, and take up your bed, and walk?'
10 But that you may see that the Son of man (thus setting forth His Person, which is the subject of this second period. Cp. Matt. 8:20. The 1st occurrence of this title in Mark. Cp. the last [14:62]) has authority on earth to forgive sins, (he says to the paralytic,)
11 "I say to you, Arise, and take up your bed, and go your way into your house."
12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, "We never saw it on this fashion."
J1 M1 13,14. The Lord's call.
M2 15-22. Levi's feast.
13 And He went forth again beside the sea side; and all the multitude kept coming to Him, and He kept teaching them.
14 And as He passed by, He saw Levi (probably his former name before changing it to "Matthew" = the gift of God [Matt. 9:9]) the son of Alphaeus sitting in charge of the receipt of custom, and said to him, "Follow Me." And he arose and followed Him.
M2 d 16,16. Question of Pharisees.
e 17. Answer. Proverb.
d 18. Question of John's disciples.
e 19-22. Answer. Proverbs.
15 And it came to pass, that, as Jesus reclined [at the table] in his house (i.e. Levi's. Cp. Matt. 8:20), many tax-gatherers and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples: for there were many, and they followed Him.
16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with tax-gatherers and sinners, they kept saying to His disciples, "How is it that He eats and drinks with publicans and sinners?"
17 When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "They that are strong have no need of a physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call righteous ones, but sinners for repentance."
18 And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fasting (i.e. were then observing a fast. It is not the custom that is referred to, but the fact): and they come and say to Him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples fast not?"
19 And Jesus said to them, "Can the son of the bride-chamber fast (a Hebraism referring to the guests, not to the "friends" [or groomsmen] of John 3:29), while the bridegroom (the Lord, here, refers to Himself) is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they are not able to fast.
20 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.
21 No man also sews a piece of new cloth upon an old garment: else the new (in character) piece that filled it up takes away from the old, and the tear is made worse.
22 And no man puts made fresh wine (see Matt. 26:28,29) into old wine-skins: else the made fresh wine does burst the wine-skins, and the wine is spilled, and the wine-skins will be destroyed: but made fresh wine must be put into new wine-skins."
H2 N1 2:23:28. Teaching. "Lord of the Sabbath."
N1 3:1-12. Miracles. "
N1 f 23-. The Sabbath Day.
g -23. Disciples. Action of.
g 24. Disciples. Objection to.
f 25-28. The Sabbath Day.
23 And it came to pass, that He went through the corn fields during the sabbath day; and His disciples began, as they made their way (not to make a path by destroying the stalks of corn, but only plucking "the ears"), to pluck the ears of corn. (Refers to Deut. 23:23. A recognizes custom to this present day, not only for the travelers, but for their horses. So with grapes [Deut. 23:24])
24 And the Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?"
25 And He said to them, "Did you not read what David did, when he had need (a divine supplement to "was hungry" [Matthew and Luke]. Occ. only in Mark "Had need" is generic, and "was hungered" is specific [explaining the need]), and was hungered, he, and they that were with him?
26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest (called Ahimelech in 1 Sam. 21:1; 22:9,11,20; and Ahiah in 1 Sam. 14:3. The father of his son Abiathar must have been 2 names, as was frequently the case. And why not, as in our own day? In 2 Sam. 8:17, and 1 Chron. 18:16, we have Abimelech the son of Abiathar; and in 1 Sam. 22:20 Abiathar is the son of Abimelech [who was the son of Ahitub]. There is no "confusion in the Hebrew text". The Lord's enemies are the best witnesses of this, for they would not missed such an opportunity of effective reply [see 3:6]. They knew what modern critics do not know), and did eat the shew-bread (Ex. 25:30. Lev. 24:5-9. Cp. 2 Chron. 13:11), which is not lawful to eat except for the priests (to eat this was the priest's first duty on the Sabbath), and gave to them also which were with him?"
27 And He said to them, "The sabbath came into being for man, not man for the sabbath:
28 So then the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath also." (This is the subject of the 2nd period of the Lord's ministry)