And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. 3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. 5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
Jesus Calls Levi
13 He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. 14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
15 And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
A Question About Fasting
18 Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. 21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
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.” Mark 2 ESV
Mark 2
They removed the roof above Him - This is an intriguing account on so many levels. Matthew doesn't provide all the details that Mark and Luke put forward, but look at the faith of this man. Then look at the willingness of his friends, the determination and lengths they will go to to get their friend to Jesus. He is the only such avenue for this, and they are so convinced of His power that they pull open someone else's roof.
Son, your sins are forgiven - A powerful statement, more powerful than any of the physical miracles, for those bodies he now heals will return to the earth, those people will die, but the wages of sin is death and yet He forgives this, how infinitely more marvelous.
…11For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him. 12As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. 13As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.… Psalm 103: 11-13
…6to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the Beloved One. 7In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.… Ephesians 1: 6-8
Questioning in their hearts - The place where God looks.
…38then may whatever prayer or petition Your people Israel make—each knowing his own afflictions and spreading out his hands toward this temple— 39be heard by You from heaven, Your dwelling place. And may You forgive and act, and repay each man according to all his ways, since You know his heart— for You alone know the hearts of all men— 40so that they may fear You all the days they live in the land that You gave to our fathers.… 1 Kings 8: 38-40
He is blaspheming - Only God can read their minds, know what is going on inside them, and Jesus hears their inner turmoil, their rush to accusation. All sin is ultimately against God, and we can and must forgive those who trespass against us, yet ultimately the sinner must seek forgiveness from God. It is His law, His absolutes which we come up against, but when we are convinced of sin we have none but Him to thank, and when we repent, confess such as sin, He gives grace to those who believe, and a new heart that is now at war with sin. The Pharisees are right in some of their thinking but not in the application. I can't forgive you for what you did to someone else, but as God, Jesus can forgive you even if the person you sinned against won't. How is that? Because all sin is ultimately against God.
MacArthur on forgiveness - Forgiveness is both mankind’s greatest need, and God’s most important gift—and the only means for blessing in this life and eternal life in heaven. Jesus Christ came into the world to “save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21; cf. 26:28), and “through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins” (Acts 10:43; cf. 5:31; 26:18; Eph. 1:7; 4:32; Col. 1:14; 2:13–14; 3:13; 1 John 1:9; 2:12; Rev. 1:5). Forgiveness is the distinctive message of the Christian proclamation (Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38; 13:38). But forgiveness has always been the offer of redemption, so it is also the message of the Old Testament. After Adam and Eve sinned, “the Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them” (Gen. 3:21). Killing animals to provide those garments pictured the ultimate sacrifice of Messiah, whose death would cover the shame and guilt of sin. The Lord described Himself to Moses as “the Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin” (Ex. 34:6–7; cf. Num. 14:18). Nehemiah 9:17 calls Him a “God of forgiveness.” In Psalm 65:3 David wrote, “Iniquities prevail against me; as for our transgressions, You forgive them,” while in 86:5, he declared, “For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.” In Psalm 103:12, David depicted the extensiveness of God’s forgiveness when he noted that “as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” In Ps 130:3–4, the psalmist expressed his confidence in God’s forgiveness: “If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.” Speaking of the promised forgiveness in the New covenant, God declared, “I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more” (Jer. 31:34). Micah joyously exclaimed, “Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession?” (Mic. 7:18; cf. Isa. 55:7). The Old Testament likens God’s forgiveness to His casting sins behind His back (Isa. 38:17), wiping them out (Isa. 43:25; cf. 1:18; 44:22), trampling them under His feet (Mic. 7:19), and burying them in the depths of the sea (Mic. 7:19). (Luke Commentary) - J Mac
So that you know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins - The ultimate was forgiveness of sins, but He gives them another sign of His authority to do so, the first was that He tells them what they were thinking in their hearts, the second is that He heals the paralytic.
Levi the son of Alphaeus - This is another name for Matthew, and he was a tax collector, well off financially, but considered the worst sort of scoundrel to his fellow Jews.
Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners - The Pharisees held onto a false sense of righteousness, self righteousness, like wokeness, it is anything but enlightened. They need to acknowledge their own sin and seek the forgiveness that comes by way of the righteousness of Christ.
Your disciples do not fast - They put a great emphasis on the outward, yet Christ gave a full discourse on fasting during the sermon on the mount.
16When you fast, do not be somber like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. 17But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18so that your fasting will not be obvious to men, but only to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.… Matthew 6: 16-18
No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment - You would not get new material to patch an old garment, for it would only cause greater damage. This was before mass consumerism so everyone would understand this as a common sense saying, but maybe not apply it correctly. People typically hold beliefs because they think they are true, but Christ is constantly tearing down the false doctrines of the time, much of which was widely accepted and revered.
Otherwise the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear results - Jesus explains why putting a patch of new material on an old garment would be foolish. Luke's version is slightly different reading "No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment." (Lk 5:36+) This was common sense truth which everyone understood. Jesus is saying, "I didn't come to patch up the old religious system. I came to do something entirely new." (Courson) Jesus did not come to improve the old system of Judaism but to renounce and radically replace it. His new way had nothing to do with the old way, and the old way had nothing to do with His new way. He was not bringing a better version of Pharisaism or rabbinicalism but was bringing good news of a completely new way of believing, thinking, and living. "The old garment is the legalistic system of rabbinic tradition that had obscured the law of God (cf. Mt. 15:3-6). Jesus was not interested in mending the religion of the Pharisees. The good news of salvation by grace through faith in Him could not be combined with the works-righteousness of Judaism." (MacArthur)
One Sabbath - Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath and points out to them that the Sabbath was made for man, not the other way around, it was a blessing, but they had turned it into legalism. Legalism honors the outward appearance of obedience to the law, it glorifies the letter without understanding the Spirit. God requires both Spirit and Truth, so both the correct understanding which they thought they had, but as Jesus countless times demonstrates, they did not. And the proper heart attitude, which goes beyond duty to embrace joy, love of service, a humble and contrite spirit that desires to obey unto God's glory, not to impress men, nor to check off boxes. Legalism acts as though what is done makes God some how beholding to men, it seeks to earn merit badges, whereas God wants gifts that come from a changed heart, a grateful spirit, a love of all that's true, and knowingly depends upon the righteousness of Another.
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