Three Reasons to Rejoice in Christ Your Savior – Mark 1:40-2:22
1 (40) A man with leprosy came up to him, kneeling down before him and begging him, If you are willing, you can make me clean. (41) Being moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, I am willing; be made clean. (42) Immediately the leprosy left him and he was made clean. (43) Immediately Jesus sent him away, sternly charging him, (44) See that you say nothing about this to anyone; rather, go and show yourself to the priest, and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them. (45) But he went away and began to proclaim what had happened and to spread the news everywhere. As a result, Jesus could no longer openly enter into a city; rather, he was forced to stay out in desolate places; but, nevertheless, they came to him from every direction.
2 After several days, when he had again entered Capernaum, people heard that he was in the house. (2) So many gathered to that place that there was no longer any room, not even at the door; and he spoke the word to them. (3) Then there came some men, bringing to him a man suffering from palsy, carried by four of them. (4) Being unable to get near him because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus. When they had broken it open, they lowered the mat on which the paralyzed man was lying. (5) Upon seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, Son, your sins are forgiven. (6) Now some of the scribes were sitting there, reasoning in their hearts, (7) Why does this man speak like this? He is speaking blasphemy. Who can forgive sins but God alone? (8) Jesus, immediately perceiving in his spirit that this is what they were thinking to themselves, said to them, Why do you think such things in your hearts? (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 in order that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins (he said to the paralytic), (11) I tell you, Get up, pick up your mat, and go home. (12) And the man got up, immediately picked up the mat, and went out in the presence of them all. As a result, they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, We never saw anything like this.
(13) Again Jesus went out by the seashore; and a great crowd came to him, and he taught them. (14) As he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth, and he said to him, Follow me. He got up and followed him. (15) While he was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners sat down with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many who followed him. (16) Now the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, Why does he eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners? (17) When Jesus heard this, he said to them, Those who are healthy have no need of a physician, only those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.
(18) Now at a time when John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, some men came and asked Jesus, Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast? (19) Jesus said to them, Can the guests of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. (20) But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then on that day they will fast. (21) No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. (22) And no man puts new wine into old wineskins; else the wine will burst the skins, and the wine and the skins will be ruined. On the contrary, they put new wine into fresh wineskins.
Now proceed to the next section of this study, entitled, Exploring the Passage.
