Mark 2 · KJV
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Mark 2

A paralysed man is forgiven and healed

And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. 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. And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. 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. When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? 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? 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? 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,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. 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.

Back in Capernaum, Jesus is teaching in a packed house. Four men carrying a paralysed friend dig through the roof and lower him down. Jesus tells the man his sins are forgiven; when some scribes silently object that only God can forgive sins, Jesus heals him, and he walks out carrying his mat.

What does this mean?

'Palsy' (KJV) means paralysis. 'Son of Man' is Jesus' most frequent way of referring to himself in the Gospels; it can simply mean 'a human being', but also echoes the heavenly figure 'like a son of man' given authority in Daniel 7:13–14. Interpreters differ on how much of each sense is meant. 'Blasphemy' means speech that insults God or claims what belongs to God.

Historical context

Village houses usually had flat roofs of beams, branches and packed clay, reached by an outside stair, so a hole could be dug through and repaired. Many people in the ancient world linked illness with sin, though the Jewish scriptures also question that link (the book of Job).

Why does it matter?

This begins a series of five conflict stories (2:1–3:6) in which opposition grows until there is a plot to kill Jesus. The charge of blasphemy anticipates the charge on which he is condemned (14:64).

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Told in three Gospels

How Mark tells it

Mark sets the scene at 'home' in Capernaum with a crowd blocking the door, and alone says that four men carried the man and dug through the roof (Luke has him lowered 'through the tiling'; Matthew mentions no roof). Matthew ends with praise to God for giving such authority 'to men'; Mark ends with 'We never saw anything like this!'

Jesus calls Levi and eats with sinners

And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphæus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him. 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. 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? 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.

By the lake, Jesus calls Levi, a tax collector, who leaves his tax booth and follows him. At a meal crowded with tax collectors and 'sinners', scribes and Pharisees question Jesus' choice of company, and he replies that it is the sick who need a doctor.

What does this mean?

'Publicans' (KJV) are tax collectors; the 'receipt of custom' is the tax booth. 'Sinners' here means people known for not keeping the Jewish law or working in disreputable trades. To 'sit at meat' is to recline at a meal. The Pharisees were a Jewish movement devoted to careful observance of the law, including purity rules and tithing, in everyday life.

Historical context

Toll collectors at places like Capernaum, on a trade route, collected duties on goods for Herod Antipas's government and were widely regarded as collaborators and cheats. Sharing a meal signalled acceptance and friendship, so eating with such people was a public statement.

Why does it matter?

Mark's list of the Twelve (3:16–19) includes a Matthew but no Levi; Matthew's Gospel tells this story about 'Matthew', and Christian tradition has usually identified the two. Jesus' saying sums up a pattern in Mark: outsiders respond, while the religious insiders object.

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Told in three Gospels

How Mark tells it

Mark calls the tax collector Levi son of Alphaeus and sets the call by the lake while Jesus is teaching a crowd. Matthew names him Matthew and adds Jesus' quotation of Hosea, 'I will have mercy, and not sacrifice'; Luke says Levi 'left all' and gave a great feast. Mark adds that 'there were many, and they followed him'.

A question about fasting

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? 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. But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. 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. 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.

People ask why Jesus' disciples do not fast when the disciples of John and of the Pharisees do. Jesus answers with images of a wedding, a patch of new cloth and new wine.

What does this mean?

Fasting is going without food, usually as an act of repentance, mourning or prayer. 'Children of the bridechamber' (KJV) are the groom's attendants or wedding guests. 'Bottles' (KJV) are wineskins, containers made from animal hide; new wine still fermenting would stretch and burst old, brittle skins. 'Rent' means tear.

Historical context

The Jewish law required fasting only on the Day of Atonement, but devout groups added regular fasts; Luke 18:12 pictures a Pharisee fasting twice a week. Weddings lasted several days and were times of feasting, when fasting would be out of place.

Why does it matter?

The bridegroom being 'taken away' is the first hint in Mark of Jesus' death. The sayings about patches and wineskins suggest that what Jesus brings cannot simply be fitted into existing patterns; interpreters differ on how far this implies a break with Jewish practice.

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Lord of the Sabbath

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. And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? 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? 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? And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

Walking through grain fields on the Sabbath, Jesus' disciples pick heads of grain, and Pharisees object. Jesus points to David, who ate the sacred bread when he and his men were hungry, and declares that the Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath.

What does this mean?

'Corn' (KJV) means grain such as wheat or barley, not maize. The 'shewbread' (KJV) or 'show bread' was twelve loaves set out before God in the sanctuary each week and afterwards eaten by priests. 'An hungred' means hungry.

Historical context

Picking grain by hand from a neighbour's field was allowed (Deuteronomy 23:25); the objection was that plucking counted as harvesting, a kind of work forbidden on the Sabbath. The David story is in 1 Samuel 21:1–6, where the priest is Ahimelech, Abiathar's father; Matthew and Luke do not name the priest, and interpreters have long discussed the difference.

Why does it matter?

The Sabbath was a central mark of Jewish identity, rooted in the creation story and the Ten Commandments. Jesus' claim that the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath raises the question of his authority, which drives the conflicts of these chapters.

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Translation

KJVTraditional biblical languageWEBContemporary English

Chapters

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16

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Reading

Translation

KJVTraditional biblical languageWEBContemporary English

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

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