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>>Eric Flickinger:
Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
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brought to you by It Is Written.
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And we're glad to have you
with us as we take a journey
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through the book of
Mark, a fascinating Gospel.
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Well, this is week number three,
and we're going to be looking
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at some of the controversies
surrounding Jesus' ministry,
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and you're gonna
have your eyes opened
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to some very fascinating things.
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But before we dive
into this week's lesson,
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let's start with prayer.
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Father, we thank You
for giving us an opportunity
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again to delve
into the book of Mark
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and to gain a
clear picture of Jesus
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and the gospel that we
see through the book of Mark.
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We ask that You'll
bless our time together,
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and we thank You
in Jesus' name, amen.
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>>Tom Shepherd: Amen.
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>>Eric: Well, we're happy
to have with us once again
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the author of this quarter's
"Sabbath School" study,
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and that is Tom Shepherd.
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He is the senior research
professor of New Testament
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at the theological
seminary at Andrews University
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and also a pastor. Tom,
thanks for joining us again.
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>>Tom: Good to
be with you again.
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>>Eric: So we're
looking at controversies now.
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We've kind of worked our
way through Mark, chapter 1.
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Now we're in
Mark, chapters 2 and 3,
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and there are some
controversy stories here
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in these two chapters.
What do those look like?
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>>Tom: Well, there are
five controversy stories
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in chapters 2 and
the very beginning
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of chapter 3.
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These are actually mirrored
by some controversy stories
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over in, like,
chapter 11, 12 of the book.
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So there's these
kind of two sets,
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one at the
beginning of Jesus' ministry,
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one at the end of His ministry.
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And they are--
show Him in conflict,
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particularly with
the religious leaders,
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which might sort of surprise us
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because you think,
well, He's the Messiah,
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so wouldn't the
religious leaders
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be the typical people who would
love to see Him? [chuckles]
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And the answer is no,
they are not love to see Him
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because He's a--He and
their authority don't match.
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So He's a threat to
their authority and power.
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And that's eventually what's
going to bring Him to the cross.
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So, what's interesting is
these five controversy stories
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in chapter 2 and
the first 6 verses
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of chapter 3 follow
a concentric pattern,
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or kind of a circle pattern.
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So the first story is a story
of Jesus healing a paralytic.
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And it involves two
ideas: healing and sin.
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The second story is a
story about the calling of Levi
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to be a disciple of
Jesus, and it has to do
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with sin and food.
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So you have healing and
sin, and then sin and food.
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Then the third
story is the story of--
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question about fasting.
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And so that's
about food and Messiah.
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And then the fourth story,
very interesting to Adventists,
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is about Sabbath-keeping,
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and it's about
Messiah and Sabbath.
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So it kind of--there's one word
that sort of connects them each,
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and the last one is
about Sabbath and healing,
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which links you back
to the beginning again.
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So it's a set of stories that
you first look at it, you think,
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oh, that's just,
you know, sort of,
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that's just the way they
all happened in this order,
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and we're not
saying they didn't,
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but they all
happened in this order,
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and there's no relationship,
just a set of stories.
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Well, no, it's much
more, you know, compact,
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kind of tied together
with this concentric pattern.
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And so it's very
interesting that you have
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this kind of layout.
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>>Eric: And this story begins,
"Again"--it says in verse 1--
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"And again He
entered Capernaum."
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So we keep seeing this theme
or the city Capernaum as well.
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It begins, as you mentioned,
with the story of the paralytic.
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It's one that we're, I
think, most of us familiar with.
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There's a crowd, and people
can't get through the crowd
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to bring the paralytic.
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What's the paralytic looking
for when he comes to Jesus?
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And does he get
what he was looking for?
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>>Tom: Well, we would imagine
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that what he was
looking for was healing.
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And, so he actually cannot walk.
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So his paralysis is
at least of his legs,
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maybe his arms
are involved, too,
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we're not told what
caused the paralysis,
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but he--he has to be carried
on a bed to be brought to Jesus.
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And so these--he has four
friends who bring him to Jesus,
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and when they
can't get in the house
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because there's so many
people, they go up on the roof.
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Now, in many places in, at
least in the United States,
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people think of the
roof, it's, you know,
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slanted and everything,
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but in that area
the roofs were flat,
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and so they would
go up on the roof.
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In fact, often people
would sleep on the roof
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when it was hot season.
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And to open the roof
was not a small deal.
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Maybe not as big a deal as
going through our roofs today.
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But they had mud and daub
they had to break through,
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and there would be these beams,
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and they'd have to
get in between there
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and somehow let him down.
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Well, you can
imagine that when this guy
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is brought to Jesus and
they start opening the roof
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over your head,
that everything stops,
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and everybody looks up
to see what's happening,
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and then they lower this
guy down in front of Jesus.
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So he's looking for healing,
but that's actually not what--
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that's not what
Jesus says, you know.
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He says, "Son,
your sins are forgiven."
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Those were His
first words to this man.
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And so Jesus could
read the thoughts of people,
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He could read their, you
know, what they were thinking,
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and this man was
burdened with sin.
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And that may have
been the result of why
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he got paralysis
was because of his sin.
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And this telling him
that his sins are forgiven
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would not just-- it
was spiritual healing.
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And so that's--he was
probably looking for that, too.
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And it was not just
the physical healing.
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Of course, Ellen White
describes this in the book
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"The Desire of Ages"
very nicely and says that
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when he received these words
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that he was forgiven, he just
kind of laid back, and he was--
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he was at peace because
God had forgiven his sins.
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>>Eric: So a fascinating story
and Jesus, as you mentioned,
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begins this by saying, "Son,
your sins are forgiven you."
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Now, when He said that, it
didn't sit well with everyone
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who was there that day.
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In fact, it sat very not
well with a certain group,
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the scribes and the Pharisees.
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Tell us a little bit about them
and why this--or the scribes,
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why they didn't
like what He had to say.
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>>Tom: Okay, so we
find often in the Scriptures
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that the scribes and Pharisees
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are a group of
people who oppose Jesus.
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And so they, the
scribes were like
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professional law
interpreters, and the Pharisees
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were actually a quite
respected group in Jesus' day.
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Today, if you call
somebody a Pharisee,
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people think that's
a very negative term,
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but it wouldn't
have been in Jesus' day.
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And the scribes are--
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they're sitting there
questioning in their hearts.
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Now, they haven't said anything,
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but they're
looking at one another.
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"Why does this
man speak like that?
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He is blaspheming! Who can
forgive sins but God alone?"
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And of course, that's true.
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Only God can
truly forgive our sins.
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And they had the
right definition.
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They were just applying it to
the wrong guy, because He does
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have the
authority to forgive sins
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because He is the Son of
God. Now, so, when that happens,
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"immediately Jesus [senses],
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[perceives] in His spirit"--
verse 8--"that they [were]
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thus [questioning]
within themselves." And He says,
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"Why do you question
these things in your hearts?"
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So He's immediately
given them a clue that
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not only can He forgive sins,
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but He can read
their hearts now.
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So they are, like,
you know, whoa, you know,
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if somebody
could read your mind--
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He says, "'Which is
easier, to say to the paralytic,
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"'"Your sins are forgiven,"
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"'or to say, "Rise,
take up your bed and walk"?
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"'But that you may know that
the Son of Man has authority
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"on earth to forgive sins'--
he said to the paralytic--
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"'I say to you, rise,
pick up your bed, and go home.'
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"And he rose and
immediately picked up his bed
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"and went out before them all,
so that they were all amazed
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"and glorified God, saying,
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'We [have] never
[seen] anything like this!'"
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So it's very interesting.
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Which really is
easier: to forgive sins
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or to heal
somebody of paralysis?
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Well, actually healing somebody
is easier because I mean,
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the sin is sin against
God and against His law.
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But anybody could say
that your sins are forgiven,
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but not anybody could,
you know, get somebody up
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so that their
paralysis would be gone.
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So the healing
was a demonstration
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that He had the power
to forgive sins as well.
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So that's a Christological
statement right there, actually,
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as to who Jesus is.
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He is the Son of God, who has
the authority to forgive sin.
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>>Eric: And so this man's
life was dramatically changed
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or altered.
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And again, through the story,
we find that word "immediately"
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popping up over and
over and over again.
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In verse 12: "Immediately
he arose, took up the bed,
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"and went...in the
presence of [all them],
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"so that they...were
amazed and glorified God,
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saying, 'We never
saw anything like this!'"
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So, a beautiful,
beautiful picture.
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In this chapter we also
see in the next few verses
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that Jesus calls
someone else to follow Him.
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Now, He could
have called anybody,
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but He calls a tax collector.
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Why does He
call a tax collector?
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Why would He do
something like that?
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>>Tom: All right, so I
want to read these two verses.
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It's Mark, chapter
2, verse 13 and 14:
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"He went out
again beside the sea,
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"and all the
crowd was coming to Him,
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"and He was teaching them.
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"And as He passed by, He
saw Levi the son of Alphaeus
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"sitting at the tax booth,
and He said to him, 'Follow me.'
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And he rose and followed Him."
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This is like the disciples
at the beginning of the,
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Mark, chapter 1, James
and John, Peter and Simon--
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Simon and Andrew-- and
they immediately follow Him.
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So, a tax
collector in those days--
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I guess most people don't
like tax collectors a lot.
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Nobody too much likes taxes
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but tax collectors
today would not have
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the same reputation
as they did in Jesus' day
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where you were--you
were really kind of working
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for the
government, for the Romans,
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who was, you know, people
from outside of your group.
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It would be like
if, in your country,
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you had to pay taxes to
somebody from another country.
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You'd be like, "Well,
why should I pay them?"
00:11:15.60\00:11:18.77
And so the tax collectors also
would skim--well, they would
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charge more than what they
were necessarily required to,
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sometimes, and so
they would be rich,
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they would be seen as
linked up with the Romans,
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and so they would
be taken negatively.
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So again, Jesus isn't calling
just one group of people.
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He's not calling just the poor.
He's not calling just the rich.
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He's not calling just the
people that you might like.
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He's calling
somebody that was an outcast.
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Now, there's
another one of His disciples
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who is Simon the Zealot,
and the Zealots were like,
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just, enemies of
the tax collectors.
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So Jesus brings
together everybody into His,
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you know, group of disciples.
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And that's a lesson for us, too,
in the church that we will have
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people from all
different stripes,
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all different backgrounds,
and we should welcome them.
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>>Eric: So He calls
Matthew, and Matthew follows.
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And so now His group is
growing, and we're gonna see
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that it continues
to grow, of course,
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but that this is not the
end of the controversial things
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that Jesus does, either.
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Now, if somebody wants
to dig a little bit more
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into the controversies
that Jesus engages in here
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and wants to learn and
understand a little bit more,
00:12:31.65\00:12:33.95
we have the companion
book on this quarter's
00:12:33.98\00:12:37.35
"Sabbath School" lesson.
00:12:37.39\00:12:38.89
What would be in here that
someone might want to pick up?
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>>Tom: Yeah, so this
book will have--each chapter
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is geared to the particular
story that we're talking about.
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And so each chapter,
it goes along with it.
00:12:50.43\00:12:53.60
This is lesson 3, so chapter
3 shows you a nice picture
00:12:53.64\00:12:57.57
about those controversy stories.
00:12:57.61\00:13:00.41
It talks about the paralytic,
talks about the question
00:13:00.44\00:13:03.01
of fasting and Jesus,
quote, "breaking the Sabbath,"
00:13:03.04\00:13:06.85
and so forth. So you
get a little extra insights
00:13:06.88\00:13:09.95
into additional information
that really kind of reflect
00:13:09.98\00:13:13.32
what I have written
in my larger commentary,
00:13:13.36\00:13:15.59
that you couldn't
squeeze into all the things
00:13:15.62\00:13:17.36
in the "Sabbath School"
lesson, so it's good to have.
00:13:17.39\00:13:19.63
>>Eric: So it's fantastic,
and you will enjoy it.
00:13:19.66\00:13:21.56
You can find it
at itiswritten.shop.
00:13:21.60\00:13:24.60
Again, itiswritten.shop.
00:13:24.63\00:13:27.27
You're looking for the
companion book to this quarter's
00:13:27.30\00:13:29.77
"Sabbath School" lesson
by, of course, Tom Shepherd.
00:13:29.80\00:13:32.27
We're going to be back in just
a moment as we continue looking
00:13:32.31\00:13:34.38
at the controversies that Jesus
faced here in Mark 2 and Mark 3.
00:13:34.41\00:13:38.38
We'll be back in just a moment.
00:13:38.41\00:13:39.71
¤¤¤
00:13:39.75\00:13:41.75
>>John Bradshaw: You
know that at It Is Written,
00:13:44.75\00:13:46.72
we are serious about the study
00:13:46.76\00:13:48.72
of the Word of God,
and we encourage you
00:13:48.76\00:13:51.19
to be serious
about God's Word also.
00:13:51.23\00:13:54.23
Well, I wanna share
with you another way
00:13:54.30\00:13:56.26
that you can dig
deeper into the Word of God,
00:13:56.30\00:13:59.07
and here it is:
itiswritten.study.
00:13:59.10\00:14:04.14
Go online to itiswritten.study
and you can access
00:14:04.17\00:14:08.44
the It Is Written
Bible study guides,
00:14:08.48\00:14:11.28
25 in-depth Bible studies that
will walk you through the Bible.
00:14:11.31\00:14:16.45
It's gonna be good for
you, and it's the sort of thing
00:14:16.48\00:14:19.45
that you will want to
tell somebody else about
00:14:19.49\00:14:22.62
so that they can dig
deeper into the Word of God
00:14:22.66\00:14:25.63
and come to know the
things of the Bible intimately.
00:14:25.66\00:14:29.26
As you get into the
It Is Written online
00:14:29.30\00:14:31.27
Bible study guides,
you'll understand the prophecies
00:14:31.30\00:14:33.87
of the Bible, the plan
of salvation, and more.
00:14:33.90\00:14:36.54
So, don't forget
itiswritten.study,
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itiswritten.study.
00:14:39.77\00:14:42.48
¤¤¤
00:14:44.81\00:14:48.78
>>Eric: Welcome
back to "Sabbath School,"
00:14:48.82\00:14:50.29
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:14:50.32\00:14:51.79
We're looking at
some of the controversies
00:14:51.82\00:14:53.59
that Jesus, well, He
faced or maybe He caused,
00:14:53.62\00:14:56.93
depends on your
perspective, I suppose.
00:14:56.96\00:14:59.69
Tom, let me dive into this.
00:14:59.73\00:15:01.43
There's an objection
that the Pharisees raised
00:15:01.46\00:15:04.77
or brought against
Jesus and His disciples
00:15:04.80\00:15:06.94
regarding the Sabbath.
00:15:06.97\00:15:09.10
Explain to us where
this controversy came from
00:15:09.14\00:15:11.51
and how Jesus responded to it.
00:15:11.54\00:15:13.51
>>Tom: Okay, so we're in
the last part of chapter 2
00:15:13.54\00:15:16.98
of the Gospel of Mark.
00:15:17.01\00:15:18.51
And it says in
verse 23, "One Sabbath
00:15:18.55\00:15:21.42
"He was going
through the grainfields,
00:15:21.45\00:15:23.45
"and as they made their way,
00:15:23.49\00:15:24.62
"His disciples began
to pluck heads of grain.
00:15:24.65\00:15:27.29
"And the Pharisees
were saying to Him,
00:15:27.32\00:15:28.62
"'Look, why are they
doing what is not lawful
00:15:28.66\00:15:31.29
on the Sabbath?'"
00:15:31.33\00:15:32.43
Now... [chuckles]
00:15:32.46\00:15:33.76
we could go into this and some,
could take some time to talk
00:15:33.80\00:15:36.67
about this, but we'll
try to make it succinct.
00:15:36.70\00:15:39.23
So going
through the grainfields,
00:15:39.27\00:15:41.37
the disciples are plucking
grains, and it doesn't say so,
00:15:41.40\00:15:44.54
but they're probably eating them
as well because they're hungry.
00:15:44.57\00:15:47.81
This was not
against the law, actually.
00:15:47.84\00:15:50.48
This was not
considered stealing.
00:15:50.51\00:15:52.78
If you read the Old
Testament, there's a beautiful,
00:15:52.81\00:15:55.28
beautiful ethic in the Old
Testament of care for people.
00:15:55.32\00:15:59.85
And it said,
especially the poor,
00:15:59.89\00:16:04.29
that you could go
into your neighbor's field,
00:16:04.33\00:16:07.23
and you could eat
anything that it was there,
00:16:07.23\00:16:10.47
you could eat it
to your satisfaction,
00:16:10.50\00:16:12.47
but don't bring your bag
to take some home. [laughs]
00:16:12.50\00:16:15.40
So it was about helping people,
to take care of those who are,
00:16:15.44\00:16:23.95
have less than you do.
00:16:23.98\00:16:25.45
So there wasn't
anything wrong with that.
00:16:25.48\00:16:27.45
That wasn't what they thought
was breaking the Sabbath.
00:16:27.48\00:16:30.95
What they thought
was breaking the Sabbath
00:16:30.99\00:16:33.62
was plucking the grain
was harvesting the grain,
00:16:33.66\00:16:37.23
and then if you rolled
it in your hand to get rid
00:16:37.26\00:16:40.23
of the, you know, some of
the chaff, that was threshing.
00:16:40.26\00:16:43.00
And then if you blew
to blow away the chaff,
00:16:43.03\00:16:46.33
that was winnowing. So
these are three things.
00:16:46.37\00:16:48.34
Now, later, there's a
book called the Mishnah
00:16:48.37\00:16:52.51
that was compiled around AD 200
00:16:52.54\00:16:54.94
but has traditions
that go back earlier,
00:16:54.98\00:16:57.95
and they had a list of 39
things that you should not do
00:16:57.98\00:17:02.15
on the Sabbath.
00:17:02.18\00:17:03.59
And these were largely revolving
around a agricultural society,
00:17:03.62\00:17:08.16
but also you weren't
supposed to write two letters,
00:17:08.19\00:17:10.79
you weren't supposed
to erase two letters.
00:17:10.83\00:17:12.73
You weren't supposed to
mend clothes or your house
00:17:12.76\00:17:14.83
or different things.
And you're wondering, like,
00:17:14.83\00:17:17.17
"Well, why did
they make this list?"
00:17:17.20\00:17:20.17
Well, if you read
the Sabbath commandment--
00:17:20.20\00:17:22.17
it's found in Exodus 20,
00:17:22.20\00:17:23.51
also found in
Deuteronomy, chapter 5,
00:17:23.54\00:17:25.94
and one or two other
places where it refers to it
00:17:25.97\00:17:28.94
in this way--you have
the Sabbath commandment.
00:17:28.98\00:17:31.28
And the Sabbath commandment
says that on the Sabbath,
00:17:31.31\00:17:34.05
you're not to do any work,
but it never defines "work."
00:17:34.08\00:17:39.65
[laughs] So, the Jews, you know,
not illogically, it was logical,
00:17:39.69\00:17:46.73
they said, "Well, we should
make a list of what things are."
00:17:46.76\00:17:51.03
Now, Adventists
even today, they'll say,
00:17:51.07\00:17:53.30
"Well, is that a
Sabbath activity?
00:17:53.34\00:17:55.10
Is that something you should
do on the Sabbath or not?"
00:17:55.14\00:17:57.94
And so, you know, we can
understand how they did this.
00:17:57.97\00:18:02.58
So they came to the conclusion
that what Jesus was doing
00:18:02.61\00:18:06.88
was not lawful.
00:18:06.92\00:18:08.28
Now, He responds to them
in a very interesting way.
00:18:08.32\00:18:13.52
So He says in verse
25, "He said to them,
00:18:13.56\00:18:16.96
"'Have you never
read what David did,
00:18:16.99\00:18:19.93
"'when he was in
need and was hungry,
00:18:19.96\00:18:22.13
"'he and those
who were with him:
00:18:22.16\00:18:23.73
"'how he entered
the house of God,
00:18:23.77\00:18:25.83
"'in the time of
Abiathar the high priest,
00:18:25.87\00:18:27.77
"'and ate the
bread of the Presence,
00:18:27.80\00:18:29.84
"'which it is not lawful
for any but the priests to eat,
00:18:29.87\00:18:33.17
and also gave it to
those who were with him?'"
00:18:33.21\00:18:35.61
So Jesus is
responding to their claims with,
00:18:35.64\00:18:41.28
or their
objections, with a story
00:18:41.32\00:18:44.12
from the Old
Testament, the story of David.
00:18:44.15\00:18:45.95
Now, typically, rabbis,
00:18:45.99\00:18:47.96
when they were
going to argue a case,
00:18:47.99\00:18:51.06
didn't cite stories
to make a new ruling.
00:18:51.09\00:18:56.87
They cited the rules
themselves, a set of rules.
00:18:56.90\00:19:01.04
So Jesus is a little--doing
things a little differently
00:19:01.07\00:19:03.94
than maybe some others would do.
00:19:03.97\00:19:06.37
But He compares
Himself to David.
00:19:06.41\00:19:09.41
Now, of course,
He's the Son of David.
00:19:09.44\00:19:10.95
We're gonna hear that later
on in the Gospel; He's the King.
00:19:10.98\00:19:14.38
So there's a parallel,
and actually when David fled,
00:19:14.42\00:19:18.42
the story is told where he
went, and he asked the priest
00:19:18.45\00:19:25.39
for any bread that he has.
00:19:25.43\00:19:28.40
He asked him--actually,
he gets Goliath's sword,
00:19:28.43\00:19:31.10
and he asked him for the--
00:19:31.13\00:19:32.43
if he had any bread. He said,
00:19:32.47\00:19:33.57
"The only bread we
have is the sacred bread,"
00:19:33.60\00:19:36.74
which is the show bread.
00:19:36.77\00:19:38.64
And this was
actually baked on the Sabbath
00:19:38.67\00:19:43.91
and was removed on the Sabbath.
00:19:43.95\00:19:45.68
So that's kind of a link
there with the Sabbath story.
00:19:45.71\00:19:49.02
And so he--David gets something
which he wasn't supposed
00:19:49.05\00:19:54.32
to have, you know,
it was only the priests
00:19:54.36\00:19:55.92
who were supposed to eat it,
00:19:55.96\00:19:57.26
but it was like an
emergency situation.
00:19:57.29\00:19:59.66
And so he gets to take
that, and Jesus is like,
00:19:59.69\00:20:03.80
"Well, if David
can do it, so can I,
00:20:03.83\00:20:05.43
because I'm the Son
of David," you know.
00:20:05.47\00:20:07.77
I mean, it doesn't say
that here, but, you know,
00:20:07.80\00:20:09.94
you get the sense that
He's parallel to David.
00:20:09.97\00:20:12.81
And then He makes this
very interesting statement
00:20:12.84\00:20:15.14
in verse 27.
00:20:15.18\00:20:18.18
He says, "The
Sabbath was made for man,
00:20:18.21\00:20:21.75
"not man for the Sabbath.
00:20:21.78\00:20:23.59
So the Son of Man is
lord even of the Sabbath."
00:20:23.62\00:20:26.79
This is a very
interesting little passage.
00:20:26.82\00:20:30.29
The--it's a little
rule, you might say, that
00:20:30.33\00:20:33.56
people are more important than
just the rule of the Sabbath.
00:20:33.60\00:20:38.60
The Sabbath was made
for the benefit of people,
00:20:38.63\00:20:41.70
not people for the
benefit of the Sabbath.
00:20:41.74\00:20:44.94
So it's not to say that
you don't keep the Sabbath,
00:20:44.97\00:20:49.31
but that the rules that are
related to, especially linked up
00:20:49.34\00:20:54.75
with human welfare,
00:20:54.78\00:20:56.58
it's okay when you're
taking care of somebody;
00:20:56.62\00:21:00.42
you know, when
there's a fire, you don't say,
00:21:00.46\00:21:02.09
"Well, I'm
sorry, it's the Sabbath;
00:21:02.12\00:21:03.43
we can't put the fire out"
when there's an emergency need.
00:21:03.46\00:21:07.96
The Jews actually eventually
came up with a saying that was
00:21:07.96\00:21:13.44
that if this is something that
you could do on another day,
00:21:13.47\00:21:17.67
you don't do it on the Sabbath.
00:21:17.71\00:21:19.44
But if it's something that, you
know, you can't do another day,
00:21:19.47\00:21:22.94
then it's okay to do that
on the Sabbath, you know, like,
00:21:22.98\00:21:25.51
when a lady is giving birth.
00:21:25.55\00:21:27.62
Both of my children
were born on Sabbath.
00:21:27.65\00:21:30.85
You don't say, "Oh, I'm sorry,
you have to wait." [laughs]
00:21:30.89\00:21:33.46
Or there's a fire
or there's some need--
00:21:33.49\00:21:36.06
so the disciples were hungry,
00:21:36.09\00:21:38.09
maybe they hadn't been invited
home to the Pharisees' house,
00:21:38.13\00:21:41.26
and so they're eating food
00:21:41.30\00:21:42.60
because they
never got the invite.
00:21:42.63\00:21:44.27
And so, Jesus is saying, no,
it's okay for them to do that.
00:21:44.30\00:21:48.44
Now, in the last controversy
story, which is in chapter 3,
00:21:48.47\00:21:52.94
at the beginning of chapter 3,
00:21:52.97\00:21:54.94
you have Jesus
talking about Sabbath-keeping,
00:21:54.98\00:21:59.28
and He--there's a man with
a withered hand that He cures.
00:21:59.31\00:22:03.28
The man has obviously had this
withered hand for some time.
00:22:03.32\00:22:05.95
So it's not an acute
case, but Jesus says,
00:22:05.99\00:22:09.82
"Is it lawful on the Sabbath
to do good or to do harm,
00:22:09.86\00:22:14.46
to save life or to kill?"
00:22:14.46\00:22:16.93
Now, obviously, the answer to
that question is easy, you know.
00:22:16.97\00:22:21.20
It's to do good and not harm;
00:22:21.24\00:22:24.77
it's to save a life
and not to kill a life.
00:22:24.81\00:22:27.61
And so, He heals
the man, and they go out
00:22:27.64\00:22:30.01
and they plot His death.
00:22:30.05\00:22:31.91
They plot His
death on the Sabbath.
00:22:31.95\00:22:33.52
So who's the Sabbath-keeper?
Well, it's Jesus, you see?
00:22:33.55\00:22:37.19
So there's great
lessons about the Sabbath here.
00:22:37.22\00:22:40.36
>>Eric: So, some
fascinating things to delve into
00:22:40.39\00:22:43.12
on the Sabbath. I wanna--we
don't have too much time left.
00:22:43.16\00:22:47.30
We got a little bit,
but I want to ask about,
00:22:47.30\00:22:49.60
what is a sandwich story?
00:22:49.63\00:22:51.93
Explain what a sandwich story
is, and what does Mark teach
00:22:51.97\00:22:56.34
by presenting
these sandwich stories?
00:22:56.37\00:22:59.01
>>Tom: Okay, well,
this was the subject
00:22:59.04\00:23:00.58
of my doctoral dissertation,
six stories in Mark
00:23:00.61\00:23:03.21
that are sandwich stories.
00:23:03.24\00:23:04.55
I was fascinated
when I heard about them.
00:23:04.58\00:23:05.91
I'd never
thought about it before.
00:23:05.95\00:23:07.32
What is a sandwich story?
00:23:07.35\00:23:08.88
It's where one story is
begun but then it's interrupted
00:23:08.92\00:23:11.92
by another story.
00:23:11.95\00:23:13.39
And then that first story
is then completed, you see?
00:23:13.42\00:23:17.56
So you have the first story,
and then it's interrupted.
00:23:17.59\00:23:19.96
So it's like a sandwich,
okay? So we have one of these.
00:23:20.00\00:23:23.37
The very first one
is in Mark, chapter 3,
00:23:23.40\00:23:26.37
and it starts in verse 20
00:23:26.40\00:23:28.37
with, "Then He went
home, and the crowd gathered...
00:23:28.40\00:23:31.31
"[around Him], so that
they could not even eat.
00:23:31.34\00:23:33.94
"And when His family heard
it, they went out to seize Him,
00:23:33.98\00:23:36.81
for they were saying,
'He is out of His mind.'"
00:23:36.85\00:23:38.95
So they thought He was crazy.
00:23:38.98\00:23:40.62
Now, they don't get to
Him until a little later.
00:23:40.65\00:23:43.69
And then we cut away to the
inner story, which is scribes
00:23:43.72\00:23:46.86
from Jerusalem saying that
Jesus is possessed of Beelzebub.
00:23:46.89\00:23:51.36
And then He responds to
them in an interesting story,
00:23:51.39\00:23:54.36
interesting way of
responding to them.
00:23:54.36\00:23:56.13
And then finally, in verse
31, His mother and His brothers,
00:23:56.16\00:23:59.30
His family, arrives, and they--
they're standing outside--
00:23:59.33\00:24:02.90
always a crowd where Jesus is.
00:24:02.94\00:24:04.91
They're standing outside,
and they want to talk to Him.
00:24:04.94\00:24:07.61
But He says, "Who are
my mother and my brothers?"
00:24:07.64\00:24:10.28
And He waves His hand
to the people around Him.
00:24:10.31\00:24:12.65
And He says, "Here are
my mother and my brothers!
00:24:12.68\00:24:15.05
"For whoever
does the will of God,
00:24:15.08\00:24:16.79
he is my brother
and sister and mother."
00:24:16.82\00:24:19.02
Now, here's what's
really interesting.
00:24:19.05\00:24:20.62
You have people who
should be on Jesus' side,
00:24:20.66\00:24:22.62
His mother and His brothers,
00:24:22.66\00:24:24.29
and they're paralleled
with His enemies, right?
00:24:24.33\00:24:28.00
So the sandwich stories
have opposite characters
00:24:28.03\00:24:31.90
who do parallel
actions or parallel characters
00:24:31.93\00:24:35.87
who do opposite actions, right?
00:24:35.90\00:24:38.07
So there's always kind of
this opposites-type thing.
00:24:38.11\00:24:40.84
And the basic point
of the sandwich stories
00:24:40.88\00:24:43.45
is that it creates
what's called dramatized irony,
00:24:43.48\00:24:46.92
which is irony, which
is like there's two levels,
00:24:46.95\00:24:50.05
and the two levels don't agree,
00:24:50.09\00:24:51.79
and somebody
doesn't get it, all right?
00:24:51.82\00:24:53.96
So this is what's
going on in these stories,
00:24:53.99\00:24:57.83
and it usually makes some
kind of point about Christology
00:24:57.86\00:25:01.96
or discipleship or both.
00:25:02.00\00:25:04.30
So here we have Jesus'
family and Jesus' enemies saying
00:25:04.33\00:25:09.27
He's crazy and, you
know, you can't trust this guy
00:25:09.30\00:25:12.94
because He's
possessed by Beelzebub.
00:25:12.97\00:25:15.61
And Jesus shows that
that's all wrong, and He says
00:25:15.64\00:25:20.15
that His real family are
those who do the will of God.
00:25:20.18\00:25:25.62
So it's pretty pointed
stuff, pretty pointed stuff.
00:25:25.65\00:25:29.79
>>Eric: And we're gonna see some
more of these sandwich stories,
00:25:29.82\00:25:32.03
examples, as we continue.
00:25:32.06\00:25:34.46
In the brief
period we have left,
00:25:34.50\00:25:36.43
blasphemy against the
Holy Spirit, what is this?
00:25:36.46\00:25:40.54
And why cannot--
can it not be forgiven?
00:25:40.57\00:25:43.67
>>Tom: It's found in Mark,
chapter 3, verse 29 and 30--
00:25:43.71\00:25:49.54
well, actually,
starting in verse 28:
00:25:49.58\00:25:51.38
"Truly, I say to you, all sins
will be forgiven the children
00:25:51.41\00:25:54.38
of man, and whatever
blasphemies they utter"--
00:25:54.42\00:25:57.29
well, that's a wonderful verse,
00:25:57.32\00:25:59.12
but we always forget it
because we read verse 29:
00:25:59.15\00:26:01.72
"But whoever blasphemes
against the Holy Spirit
00:26:01.76\00:26:04.26
"never has forgiveness,
00:26:04.29\00:26:05.63
but is guilty
of an eternal sin."
00:26:05.66\00:26:07.73
Mark explains what
that is in verse 30:
00:26:07.76\00:26:09.73
"For they were saying,
'He has an unclean spirit.'"
00:26:09.76\00:26:12.33
So the sin
against the Holy Spirit
00:26:12.37\00:26:14.44
is when you say the
work of the Holy Spirit
00:26:14.47\00:26:16.64
is the work of the devil.
00:26:16.67\00:26:18.47
Now, the reason that's
unforgivable is because
00:26:18.51\00:26:21.51
nobody in their right
mind wants to follow the devil.
00:26:21.54\00:26:24.61
So if you say the
work of the Holy Spirit
00:26:24.65\00:26:26.41
is the work of the
devil, you're not gonna listen;
00:26:26.45\00:26:29.68
you're gonna fill
your ears with cement
00:26:29.72\00:26:32.62
so He can't get through to you.
00:26:32.65\00:26:33.96
He would help you,
but you've rejected Him.
00:26:33.99\00:26:36.62
So that's a very serious thing
00:26:36.66\00:26:37.96
to call the work of the Holy
Spirit, the work of the devil.
00:26:37.99\00:26:40.53
>>Eric: So we've
got some-- we've covered
00:26:40.56\00:26:41.93
some interesting
ground here this week,
00:26:41.96\00:26:44.67
some controversies
that Jesus engaged in
00:26:44.70\00:26:48.47
and that help us to get
a little clearer picture
00:26:48.50\00:26:50.81
about the way He thinks, the
way He works, the way He moves,
00:26:50.84\00:26:53.27
and like you
said, this book of Mark
00:26:53.31\00:26:55.28
is taking us on a
journey. >>Tom: Yep.
00:26:55.31\00:26:57.61
>>Eric: It's
helping us to see Jesus.
00:26:57.65\00:26:58.95
It's helping us to
see where He is going.
00:26:58.98\00:27:01.35
And ultimately,
as you mentioned,
00:27:01.38\00:27:02.75
He's going to the cross.
00:27:02.78\00:27:04.29
>>Tom: Yeah, now these stories
continue to unpack who Jesus is.
00:27:04.32\00:27:07.96
They keep telling
us, showing us more
00:27:07.99\00:27:10.29
of the Christological concepts
that Mark is presenting.
00:27:10.33\00:27:13.80
They come through in the
stories, the controversies,
00:27:13.83\00:27:16.43
and we learn more
about who He is as we go.
00:27:16.46\00:27:19.27
>>Eric: And we're
only three lessons in.
00:27:19.30\00:27:21.27
So we've still
got 10 more to go,
00:27:21.30\00:27:22.60
and we're gonna see a lot
more about Jesus as we do that.
00:27:22.64\00:27:25.91
And we are glad that you
are joining us on this journey.
00:27:25.94\00:27:29.38
Again, if you
happen to have missed
00:27:29.41\00:27:30.88
any of the previous
lessons, you can find those
00:27:30.91\00:27:33.52
in our archives.
00:27:33.55\00:27:35.02
They're very easy to
find at itiswritten.tv.
00:27:35.05\00:27:38.95
You can find them on
our YouTube channel as well,
00:27:38.99\00:27:40.59
lots of places that you
can go to watch the episodes
00:27:40.62\00:27:42.79
that you may have
missed, but don't miss
00:27:42.82\00:27:44.66
any of the upcoming episodes
00:27:44.69\00:27:45.99
because we are
continuing on this journey.
00:27:46.03\00:27:48.30
And there are some fantastic
places that we are going.
00:27:48.33\00:27:51.17
We look forward to
seeing you again next time
00:27:51.20\00:27:53.67
as we continue our
journey through the book of Mark
00:27:53.70\00:27:55.80
here on "Sabbath School,"
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:27:55.84\00:27:59.87
¤¤¤
00:27:59.91\00:28:03.91
¤¤¤
00:28:26.47\00:28:27.67
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