Lenten Tour of the Gospels

Mark 2: Signal Fires of Opposition

Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, "Why does this fellow talk like that?"

Jesus claims to be the Messiah, sent from God. Yet because he does not fit the religious leaders' image of a Messiah, opposition springs up to counter his wild surge of popularity. Mark 2 tells of three different criticisms leveled against Jesus.

He blasphemes. The teachers of the law are scandalized by the fact that Jesus forgives sins. "Who can forgive sins but God alone?" they mutter. Jesus readily agrees that only God can forgive sins- his point, exactly. When the Pharisees react violently to Jesus, it is usually because they have heard him correctly and simply refuse to believe him.

He keeps disreputable company. Jesus shows a preference for the most unseemly sort of people. Even after becoming famous, he dines with an outcast tax collector and his low-life friends. At the same time, he offends politicians and religious leaders by calling them names. On hearing complaints about his strange behavior, Jesus replies, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

He goes against tradition. To the Pharisees, it seems Jesus' disciples are playing fast and loose with the holy Sabbath. Jesus' response: A new day requires a different approach, just as new wine needs new wineskins. God has major changes in store for the human race, and the old traditions cannot contain them.

.

Life Question: What intrigues you most about Jesus- that he is frank about who he is, that he spends time with outcasts or that he goes against tradition? Does he threaten you?

.

In some ways, it's kind of easy to sit back today and quickly criticize the actions of the religious leaders of Jesus' times. What would happen if Christ came back today? Would society embrace him? Would he make the evening news as the Messiah or the tabloids as some evangelical lunatic that we all could sit back and laugh at? Christ's message was so startling to the Jews that- I think- they resorted to a very human nature response of defensiveness and protectiveness for their beloved faith customs. Watching Christ exert so much energy and time with non-Jews was probably perceived as a slap in their faces- they were the chosen people, and they were waiting for their Messiah. Christ, however, had other plans.