Mark 2:23-3:6

1. Read Psalm 8
2. Ask about sermon from Sunday
a. What is the bad news of Ephesians 2:1-10?
b. What is the good news of Ephesians 2:1-10?

Mark 2:23-3:6
23 One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25 And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: 26 how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” 27 And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. 2 And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” 4 And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. 5 And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

Verses 23-24
1. An accusation is made against Jesus. He is accused of breaking the Sabbath.
2. Sabbath was one of the 10 commandments.
a. Exodus 20:8-11
3. “Work” was left undefined by the Torah.
a. In verse 24, the question being asked is not actually legitimate because there was nothing clearly stating that what they did was wrong.

Verses 25-28
1. Jesus responds by reminding them of a story about David.
a. 1 Samuel 21:1-6
2. Jesus’ point in telling the story is not to state whether or not what they were doing was a violation of the Sabbath. His point is that their actions were justified by reference to a higher obligation. The higher obligation is not the satisfaction of their hunger; rather, the focal point of the story is about David and his role in Israel’s history. The Jews believed that David’s violation of the law is permissible only because of his special place in God’s place for Israel. Jesus is implying that something greater than David is here in their midst.
3. With Jesus alluding to the fact that something greater than David has arrived, the question inevitably follows: If David was justified in his actions of violating the Sabbath, how much more would someone greater than David be justified in his actions?
4. Jesus is also declaring that the Sabbath was made for the benefit of people, not people for the benefit of the Sabbath.

Verses 1-6
1. This section follows out in more detail what Jesus mentions at the end of Chapter 2. Jesus is declaring that the Sabbath was made for the benefit of people and was not meant to be a burdensome command.
2. The overall message of this section is pretty easy to grasp, but there are some very important details in this section that can easily be missed.
3. In verse 2, Jesus is being watched so that people can accuse Him of doing wrong.
4. In verse 5, Jesus has a very strong reaction to the people watching him. Jesus is angered and grieved by their hardness of heart.
5. Jesus heals the man despite the protest of the hard hearts around him. In response to his healing the man, the Pharisees go out and even make alliances with the people they absolutely hate in order to destroy Jesus.
6. This section is the real beginning of the tension that will develop between Jesus and the religious and political establishments. The tension that has begun here will inevitably lead to his death.


Questions for Mark 2:23-3:6
1. How does Jesus’ announcement of Him being greater than David affect the attitude of the Pharisees?
2. Why do the Pharisees respond the way that they do?
3. Why does Jesus respond the way He does in 3:5?
4. How does viewing the Sabbath as a gift from God differ from viewing it as a burdensome command?
5. How does Romans 13:8-10 relate to this section in Mark?
a. 8 “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”