Mark 2:13-17

Mark 2:13-17Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

The Call of Matthew

¹³ Then Jesus went out again beside the sea. The whole crowd was coming to Him, and He taught them. ¹⁴ Then, moving on, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office, and He said to him, “Follow Me!” So he got up and followed Him.

Dining with Sinners

¹⁵ While He was reclining at the table in Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinnerswere also guests^[a] with Jesus and His disciples, because there were many who were following Him. ¹⁶ When the scribes of the Pharisees^[b] saw that He was eating with sinnersand tax collectors, they asked His disciples, “Why does He eat^[c] with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹⁷ When Jesus heard this, He told them, “Those who are well don’t need a doctor, but the sick do need one. I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Questions:

1.       What did Jesus do at the sea?

A.     Preach to the crowds. 

2.      What did Jesus day to Levi?

A.     Follow me!

3.      Would you be able to drop everything and follow God?

A.     ???

4.      Why did Jesus eat with the sinner?

A.     Because the healthy people don’t need him, the sinners need him, the sick need him.  

Mark 2:1-12

The Son of Man Forgives and Heals

2 When He entered Capernaum again after some days, it was reported that He was at home. ² So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and He was speaking the message to them. ³ Then they came to Him bringing a paralytic, carried by four men. ⁴ Since they were not able to bring him to^[a] Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above where He was. And when they had broken through, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying.

⁵ Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

⁶ But some of the scribes were sitting there, thinking to themselves:^[b] 7 “Why does He speak like this? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

⁸ Right away Jesus understood in His spirit that they were thinking like this within themselves and said to them, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?^[c]9 Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, pick up your mat, and walk’? ¹⁰ But so you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” He told the paralytic, ¹¹ “I tell you: get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”

¹² Immediately he got up, picked up the mat, and went out in front of everyone. As a result, they were all astounded and gave glory to God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Questions:

1.       Why did the paralytic man’s friends go to such lengths to bring him to Jesus?

A.     They care for their friend and hopefully Jesus would heal him. 

2.      Why do you think that the scribes believe that only God can forgive sins?

A.     They didn’t know that Jesus was God’s son and could also forgive sins.

3.      How did Jesus free this man from his sins?

A.     Jesus spoke the words, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

4.     Why do the scribes believe that Jesus is blaspheming?

A.     Because they don’t believe he is the son of God even though Jesus is God.

5.      How did Jesus prove to the scribe that He has the authority to forgive sins?

A.     He tells the paralytic to get up, pick up your mat and go home. 

6.     Can we be like the friends of the paralytic man at Riverview?

A.     ??????