Mark Chapter 2

At a Glance

  • Mark 2 unfolds a sequence of dramatic encounters that deepen Jesus’ reputation and steadily redefine what it means for people to come to God.
  • The narrative then moves from forgiveness to healing, as Jesus proves his authority by commanding the paralytic to rise, take up his bed, and go home.
  • The chapter then expands the circle: Jesus calls Levi (Matthew) from the tax booth, inviting him to follow.
  • Mark’s Gospel is generally dated to the 60s–70s CE, written to a primarily Gentile audience facing pressure from both Roman authorities and Jewish religious leaders.
  • In Mark 2, the genre remains Gospel/biography with strong narrative propulsion and theological shaping.

Mark 2 unfolds a sequence of dramatic encounters that deepen Jesus’ reputation and steadily redefine what it means for people to come to God. The chapter opens with Jesus back in Capernaum, crowded into a house so packed that not even the doorway could accommodate the audience. This setting is more than a scene; it signals a shift from private teaching to public demonstration. A paralytic, carried by four friends, becomes the focal point of a radical act of faith. When they cannot reach Jesus, they clever-ly unroof the roof and lower the man down, illustrating a bold, persistent faith that surpasses social barriers and logistical hurdles. Jesus responds not by praising the faith of the friends alone but by addressing the man’s deepest need: forgiveness of sins. This moment introduces a provocative claim—that sin, not physical ailment alone, is the primary barrier to a right relationship with God.

The narrative then moves from forgiveness to healing, as Jesus proves his authority by commanding the paralytic to rise, take up his bed, and go home. The onlookers are stunned, and the reaction shifts from amazement to controversy as some scribes begin to question blasphemy—only God can forgive sins. Jesus perceives their thoughts and responds with a pointed contrast: which is easier to say—forgive sins or heal—but then demonstrates the former by performing the latter. The divine authority on display is not merely in miracle-working but in the capacity to forgive, underscoring a central claim of Mark: Jesus embodies God’s power in a way that reshapes human understanding of healing, forgiveness, and authority.

The chapter then expands the circle: Jesus calls Levi (Matthew) from the tax booth, inviting him to follow. The scene around Levi’s house gathers “publicans and sinners,” provoking criticism from the religious leaders who grumble about Jesus dining with outcasts. Jesus articulates a guiding principle: those who are well do not need a physician, but those who are sick do. The call to repentance and the redirection of community around new forms of fellowship illustrate Jesus’ breaking of social and ritual boundaries. The chapter ends with further healing and controversy as Jesus’ authority and association with sinners continue to provoke questions about purity, inclusion, and the nature of true righteousness.

Across its scenes, Mark 2 presents a cohesive arc: Jesus’ authority to forgive and heal, the redefinition of sin and mercy, the radical invitation to unconditional followership, and the challenge to the surrounding religious establishment. The big-picture rhythm is: faith leads to forgiveness, forgiveness is proved through healing, and healing reconfigures social and relational boundaries, inviting all—especially the marginalized—into the new community Jesus is forming.

Mark’s Gospel is generally dated to the 60s–70s CE, written to a primarily Gentile audience facing pressure from both Roman authorities and Jewish religious leaders. It emphasizes Jesus’ actions (the “immediate” or subito motif) to convey a vivid, action-packed portrait of Jesus as the Son of God who calls disciples, forgives sins, and challenges religious exclusivity. The narrative genre blends vividly reported miracle episodes with compact teaching and.Succinct scenes that move quickly from one moment to the next.

In Mark 2, the genre remains Gospel/biography with strong narrative propulsion and theological shaping. The house in Capernaum as a center of Jesus’ activity mirrors Mark’s broader pattern: Jesus begins in recognizable Jewish settings (synagogue, house, public squares) but then expands the horizons of who may participate in God’s kingdom. The healing of the paralytic alongside the forgiveness of sins serves as a literary and theological hinge: Mark is sure to show that Jesus’ authority over creation and over personal sin are inseparable. The call of Levi and the ensuing meal with “publicans and sinners” further anchors the chapter in Mark’s theme of reversal—those deemed outcasts or unworthy by religious gatekeepers are precisely the people whom Jesus welcomes and includes.

- Jesus’ authority to forgive sins as a sign of divine power: The paralytic’s healing is a public revelation that forgiveness is a concrete, transformable reality in the life of a community.

- The relationship between faith and forgiveness: Jesus notes the faith of the friends as instrumental in the man’s healing, highlighting communal intercession and persistence in faith.

- Inclusion vs. exclusion: Jesus’ call of Levi and the dinner with sinners challenge social boundaries and ritual purity expectations, illustrating the gospel’s inclusive invitation.

- Reframing Sabbath and purity concerns: Although not fully fleshed out in this chapter, the tension over sin, healing, and social company foreshadows later debates on sacred space, purity, and who qualifies for God’s blessings.

- The unveiling of Jesus’ identity and authority: The rapid succession of healings, forgiveness, and controversial teachings builds the reader’s realization that Jesus embodies a unique divine vocation.

- Faith as communal endurance: The four friends model how persistent, communal faith can bring others into encounter with Jesus, encouraging believers to bear one another’s burdens and to persevere in bringing others to spiritual opportunity.

- God’s mercy extends to the marginalized: The inclusion of Levi and the dinner with outcasts invites contemporary life to reexamine who counts as “in”—and to practice hospitality that bridges social divides.

- The integrative reality of forgiveness and healing: Forgiveness of sins and physical healing are not separate compartments but interconnected realities. This invites believers to consider how spiritual formation and physical or emotional healing relate in today’s church.

- Authority reshapes living: Recognizing Jesus’ authority to forgive and transform should move believers toward trust, obedience, and courageous decisions to follow him, even when it confounds social expectations.

- Mark 1:21-28 (Jesus’ authority over unclean spirits)

- Mark 1:40-45 (cleansing and healing as signs of authority)

- Mark 2:13-17 (call of Levi and meals with tax collectors)

- Luke 5:17-32 (parallel account of calling Levi and Jesus’ forgiveness)

- Matthew 9:1-8 (parallel account of the paralytic forgiven and healed)

- Jesus: to illuminate his authority, identity, and mission.

- Peter (Simon): to reflect on the growing discipleship and the call to follow.

- Paul: to draw out implications for inclusion of Gentiles and the nature of faith.

- Levi/Matthew: to emphasize the tension between religious insiders and marginalized outsiders.

- A Pharisee (e.g., scribes) for critical perspective on tradition and interpretation, helping readers see the conflict from the other side.

Key Themes

Jesus’ authority to forgive sins as a sign of divine power: The paralytic’s healing is a public revelation that forgiveness is a concrete, transformable reality in the life of a community.The relationship between faith and forgiveness: Jesus notes the faith of the friends as instrumental in the man’s healing, highlighting communal intercession and persistence in faith.Inclusion vs. exclusion: Jesus’ call of Levi and the dinner with sinners challenge social boundaries and ritual purity expectations, illustrating the gospel’s inclusive invitation.Reframing Sabbath and purity concerns: Although not fully fleshed out in this chapter, the tension over sin, healing, and social company foreshadows later debates on sacred space, purity, and who qualifies for God’s blessings.

Chapter Text

1

And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.

2

And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.

3

And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.

4

And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.

5

When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.

6

But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,

7

Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?

8

And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?

9

Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?

10

But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)

11

I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine 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.

13

And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them.

14

And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.

15

And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.

16

And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?

17

When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

18

And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?

19

And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber 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 shall they fast in those days.

21

No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse.

22

And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.

23

And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.

24

And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?

25

And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him?

26

How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him?

27

And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

28

Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

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