Introduction: How do you react to criticism? The Bible tells
us that paying attention to criticism makes us wiser.
Proverbs 15:31-32. Lately, I’ve been receiving unexpected
criticism from visitors to my in-person teaching of these
lessons. Trust me when I say these criticisms have been very
odd and insulting. And most had nothing to do with what I
was teaching. Our study this week is about a series of
stories which start with criticisms and insults directed at
Jesus. It makes me smile in light of my recent experiences.
Let’s dive into the Bible and see what we can learn about
turning criticism into compelling instruction!
I. The Annoying Paralytic
A. Read Mark 2:2-4. How do you react when you arrive
late to an event and there is no room left? Do you
determine to arrive early next time? Or do you tear
a hole in the building?
1. Put yourself in Jesus’ place. You are
preaching and someone is ripping a hole in the
roof right above where you are standing. How
would you react to this terrible distraction?
a. Are the roof rippers ruining the preaching
for everyone who got there on time?
2. Put yourself in the place of the roof rippers.
What kind of people are these? What is their
attitude about their paralyzed friend?
B. Read Mark 2:5. Why does Jesus say this? Because
they need to repent of disrupting His preaching?
(Notice the text says that Jesus “saw their faith,”
not that Jesus “saw their indiscretion.”)
1. Is this what the paralyzed guy and his friends
want to hear?
C. Read John 9:1-2. What was the common view of
illness and sin? (Sin caused illness.)
1. Does sin cause illness? (Yes. But read
John 9:3. Jesus’ response disconnects illness from
sin. The book of Job and Hebrews 11 are other
powerful teachings about the disconnect
between sin and illness.)
2. Do you think the paralyzed man believed that
his paralysis was due to his sin?
D. Read Mark 2:6-7. Is this a reasonable criticism of
Jesus?
1. Why is Mark recording this story?
E. Read Mark 2:8-12. Would this convince you that
Jesus is God?
II. Eating with Sinners, Fasting in the Presence of Jesus
A. Read Mark 2:15-17. Do you have to eat with sinners
in order to convert them?
1. The heart of the question seems to be the
problem of endorsing the practices of the tax
collectors. What lesson do you draw from
Jesus’ response? (The Jewish leaders were
unduly critical. Jesus has many appropriate
options to convert sinners, and this is one of
them.)
B. Read Mark 2:18 and Luke 18:11-12. Why did the
Jewish leaders and John’s disciples fast? (They
thought it made them more religious.)
C. Read Mark 2:19-20. What do you think about Jesus’
answer? Wouldn’t it be helpful for His disciples
to become more religious even when He is present?
(Something very important is being revealed in
Jesus’ answers about eating with tax collectors and
fasting. Unless the Bible tells you that you should
do or not do something you can use your own
judgment. See Deuteronomy 4:2)
III. Sabbath Truth
A. Read Mark 2:23-24. What complaint is made to Jesus?
Is it that the disciples are stealing food or that
they are working on Sabbath?
B. Read Mark 2:25-26. Think about Jesus’ answer. Is He
admitting that His disciples are doing something
unlawful? (If the point of comparison is something
else you admit is unlawful, the answer is “yes.”)
1. If you have children, have you heard this
defense before? (One child gets caught, and
defends by saying that another child has done
something that also violates the rules of the
home.)
a. Is that Jesus’ defense? Or, is He arguing
something else? (He is arguing necessity.
David was hungry and in need. That made
the otherwise illegal behavior
acceptable.)
b. If you were a Jewish ruler, what response
would you give? (Tell your disciples to
eat breakfast! They should have prepared
on Friday for the Sabbath by packing a
lunch. And by the way, fasting is good for
them!)
2. What answer would you have made if you were
Jesus? (The simple answer is to say that what
the disciples are doing is lawful. See
Deuteronomy 23:25.)
C. Read Mark 2:27. We all agree that Jesus is smarter
than we are. If we can see that a certain
understanding of His answers makes no logical
sense, what is the proper understanding of His
answers? How does “need” properly fit into the
answer? (Jesus says that satisfying human need for
comfort is consistent with the Sabbath. Arguments
about how the disciples could have avoided being
uncomfortable are irrelevant.)
D. Read Mark 2:28. What does this mean? (Jesus tells
us that He is “Lord” of the Sabbath, and therefore
He gets to state what rules apply.)
1. Is there any indication in this story that
Sabbath observance is about to end? (Just the
opposite. Why would Jesus spend time
explaining how it should be kept if it was
about to be eliminated by His resurrection.)
E. Let’s go back and read Mark 1:21-22. Do we see the
truth of that statement in the story we just
studied? (This is part of Mark’s proof that Jesus
is the Messiah. He has authority to say what the
rules mean.)
1. Is Jesus going out of His way to explain that
the Sabbath is for our comfort? Since it is
true that what the disciples were doing was
legal, why not give that simple answer?
F. Read Mark 3:1-4. If the Jewish leaders thought it
was wrong to heal on the Sabbath, why would they
remain silent?
G. Read Mark 3:5-6. The text says this situation made
Jesus angry. Why? (The text says, “their hardness
of heart.”)
1. What about this makes their hearts hard? (They
preferred their Sabbath rules over healing a
disabled man.)
2. If you look back to Mark 3:4 Jesus refers, it
appears unnecessarily, to killing on the
Sabbath. What do we find in Mark 3:6 that
shows Jesus is right on point? (The Jewish
leaders were, in fact, plotting to kill Jesus
on the Sabbath. What a contrast between the
two religious authorities.)
IV. The Holy Spirit and the Danger Zone
A. Read Mark 3:22. Jesus and some of the Jewish
religious leaders are clearly opponents. What else
could they say to explain Jesus’ miracles?
B. Read Mark 3:23-27. What is Jesus’ logical argument
against this explanation for His miracles? (Why
would Satan attack himself?)
C. Read 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10. Can Satan perform
miracles?
1. What does “false signs and wonders” and
“wicked deception” mean? (Satan cannot perform
miracles. He only makes it appear that he
can.)
2. Consider Job 1:12. Is Satan constrained by
God? (Yes. He needed to ask permission.)
D. Read Mark 3:28-30. What is the danger of
attributing wonders and miracles to Satan? (You may
be blaspheming the Holy Spirit. This is an issue we
need to take seriously and not be quick to say that
a healing came from Satan. Only God can heal.)
E. Friend, is Jesus God? Mark continues his proof that
Jesus is God. Jesus turns false criticism into
brilliant teaching that strengthens the claim that
He is God. Will you accept Jesus as you Lord? Why
not right now?
V. Next week: Parables.
Copr. 2024, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are
from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing
ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All
rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within
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but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this
link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the
Holy Spirit as you study.
