Mark 2:18–3:12
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.”1
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 of2 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.”
3 Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. 2 And they watched Jesus,3 to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” 4 And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. 5 And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.
7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea 8 and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him. 9 And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, 10 for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him. 11 And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” 12 And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.
1 Some manuscripts omit But new wine is for fresh wineskins 2 Or in the passage about 3 Greek him
Section Overview
Jesus continues to instruct his disciples amid many conflicts with his opponents. A first oblique hint at Jesus’ forceful death is encoded in the metaphor of the bridegroom who is “taken away.” According to Jesus, that event will provide the follower with a Christ-centered reason to fast (Mark 2:19–20). In conjunction with the section concerning the Sabbath, Mark 2:18–3:6 describes Jesus’ authoritative teaching concerning fasting and Sabbath-keeping.
Jesus rejects neither the discipline of fasting nor that of Sabbath keeping. However, Jesus (re)introduces a thoroughgoing God-centered focus concerning these spiritual exercises. Such refreshing and unconventional teachings lead to great astonishment among the populace. They also trigger jealous opposition among spiritual leaders, some of whom seek to kill him (3:6). The section concludes with a summary statement (3:7–12).
Section Outline
II.A. Work in Galilee (1:16–3:12) . . .
3. Instructions amid Conflict (2:18–3:12)
a. Jesus’ Teaching on Fasting (2:18–22)
(1) Fasting When the Bridegroom Is “Taken Away” (2:18–20)
(2) Combining Old and New Cloth (2:21)
(3) Pouring New Wine into Old Wineskins (2:22)
b. Jesus’ Teaching on Keeping the Sabbath (2:23–28)
(1) Plucking Grains on a Sabbath (2:23–24)
(2) The Example of David (2:25–26)
(3) Jesus as Lord of the Sabbath (2:27–28)
c. Healing on a Sabbath (3:1–6)
(1) Jesus Is Accused for Healing on a Sabbath (3:1–2)
(2) Jesus Challenges His Opponents (3:3–5)
(3) The Plot to Kill Jesus (3:6)
d. The Growing Popularity of Jesus (3:7–12; summary and transition)
(1) The Geographic Extent of Jesus’ Popularity (3:7–8)
(2) The Popularity of Jesus’ Healings and Exorcisms (3:9–12)
Response
With bold authority and in contrast to contemporary Pharisaic interpretation of the law of Moses, Jesus teaches on fasting and Sabbath keeping. While he argues in no way against these valuable OT disciplines of life, he (re)introduces a thoroughgoing God-centered and God-dependent foundation, on the basis of which these disciplines facilitate, once again, an attitude of surrender to—and rest before—God. The first oblique prediction of Jesus’ violent death in Mark’s Gospel arises with the image of the bridegroom who is “taken away” (2:19–20; cf. Isa. 53:8; cf. comment on 10:45). Fasting in response to such a dramatic future event provides one important reason for such a spiritual discipline. In the present context, the fasting of the disciples receives a tone of lament. However, it is also infused with a sense of eagerly awaiting the return of the “bridegroom” (Mark 2:20; cf. 14:25).
Followers of Christ will indeed fast at certain times as an expression of dependence upon God, meditation upon the death of Christ, and eager expectation of God’s intervention. They will also seek to honor a day of rest and focus on God. They will engage in such disciplines not as a way of gaining favor before God but as a consequence of living in the redemptive and reconciling presence of Jesus, communicated by the Holy Spirit. Fasting is a specific and prayerful way of surrender to—and quiet waiting before—God, associated with various acts of mercy (3:1–5; cf. Isa. 58:1–12). As followers honor the day of rest, they reorient themselves before God and acknowledge him as the life-giving center of existence (Mark 2:28; Isa. 58:13–14; cf. Heb. 4:9). Once again, these disciplines arise from a deep gratitude of having found eternal peace and real life with God through Jesus. Such spiritual disciplines signal that the disciple has ceased to seek his or her own pleasure or to pursue life in a self-centered way (Isa. 58:3, 13).
Peace and true life growing out of God’s mercy are not only the outcome but also the foundation of purification and maturing as a follower of Christ. Fasting and celebrating the day of rest are intrinsic aspects of such maturing in new life derived from God. As a general application of these teachings, each follower of Jesus will need to reconsider and reevaluate every tradition and cultural convention he or she has grown up with. A disciple must discern whether such traditions and conventions conform to the newly growing culture of the kingdom of God, or whether they oppose it. Some traditions will need to be more or less transformed in order to accord with the purposes of God and to reflect his character (cf. Mark 2:21–22). Some traditions will need to be rejected, and some conventions may be adopted as honoring the God of this universe.
Jesus’ established claim to have the authority to forgive sins directly (cf. 2:10), a prerogative reserved for God alone, provokes the accusation that he is blaspheming (cf. 2:7) and leads now to the resolve to kill him (3:6). Jesus’ courageous actions and teachings call forth astonishment among some (see his increasing popularity; 3:7–12) and growing resistance among others. The stage is thus set for the unfolding drama of Mark’s account, which increasingly accentuates these lines ever more clearly. The important aspect to notice is that within this nexus, Jesus develops and sharpens his call to discipleship amid his own prediction of suffering, death, and resurrection.
Just as Jesus is rejected, his disciples will be rejected in various ways. Not that physical persecution is the only possible consequence of belonging to Christ. Opposition to Jesus and his followers can also come from, for example, satanic, cultural, religious, intellectual, and national camps. Confidence in his power is to replace the follower’s former confidence in self. The realization is to grow among the disciple that he who has the power over sickness, demons, and the teaching of the elders also has the authority to remove sinfulness, which fundamentally separates from God (cf. 2:9 in light of 10:45; 14:22–25). Jesus, who knows the brokenness of his followers, came for the “sick” (2:17). The follower can find forgiveness and healing. The one who has been reconciled with God will live in growing dependence upon God, also regarding fasting and the Sabbath as free opportunities of practicing sustained trust in God and, thereby, of reflecting God’s character.
Some manuscripts omit But new wine is for fresh wineskins
Or in the passage about
Greek him
2:18 During the time of Second Temple Judaism, “fasting” constituted a means of seeking the salvation of Israel and of repenting from the rebellion of the forefathers. At times it was also used to merit the mercy of God and to atone for sins. In contrast to this, Jesus views “fasting” as above all else a concrete way of surrendering to God through repentance as well as God-dependent prayer (cf. 1:6; Matt. 11:18). Godly fasting is also to be associated with various acts of mercy (Isa. 58:1–12).
Due to the fact that Jesus treats fasting not as a spiritual routine but as a sincere expression of direct dependence upon God, he once again provokes opposition. Subsequent to his own forty-day fast in the desert (Mark 1:13), Jesus and his disciples do not appear to fast during the period of Jesus’ public ministry (cf. Matt. 9:14; Luke 5:33). Perhaps Jesus does not fast with his disciples in order to redirect the disciples toward the true purpose of fasting.
2:19–20 Jesus does not reject the discipline of fasting. He does, however, restore the act of fasting as a form of direct dependence upon God. Thus, while Jesus is physically with them, the disciples are to feast just as “wedding guests” rejoice at a wedding banquet (Matt. 22:2). However, when the “bridegroom is taken away” from them, they will fast (cf. Mark 14:7). When Jesus speaks about being “taken away,” he alludes to Isaiah 53:8 LXX, where the same root of the Greek word aparthē (= “I take away”) is used. Jesus thus restores fasting to the practice of a focused and intentional dependence upon God. Obliquely and for the first time in Mark, Jesus also speaks of his forceful death in verse 20 (cf. Isa. 53:8). In Isaiah 53:1–12 the servant of Yahweh endures a substitutionary death to save his people. There will thus be ample opportunity for future fasting, albeit then in the context of daily resurrection hope and life.
2:21 The picture of an “unshrunk cloth,” which cannot be sown together with an “old garment,” suggests in the present context that the “old garment” speaks of a self-centered, religious life (i.e., a spiritual routine). The “unshrunk cloth,” on the other hand, may speak of a God-dependent trust, expressed, for example, in fasting (cf. Mark 2:18–20). Because Jesus is now present, a living, God-dependent faith is restored among the disciples. The text does not address the question of how compatible old or traditional church structures are with the work of the Holy Spirit.
2:22 The picture of “new wine” and “old wineskins” drives home the same point as does verse 21: “new wine” represents fresh, God-dependent faith derived from trusting his reconciling Son, Jesus; “old wineskins” represent, on the other hand, self-centered and routine piety. Jesus calls for theocentric piety, which only he can bring forth. The follower is always dependent upon Jesus’ atoning righteousness (10:45) and his enabling power to grow in godliness.
2:23–24 The same causal connection between fasting and personal dependence upon Jesus (vv. 18–22) is now applied to the creation ordinance of observing the “Sabbath” (cf. Gen. 2:3). In Judean and Galilean Judaism of Jesus’ time, the question of what is “lawful” reigned preeminent (Mark 2:26; 3:4; 6:18; 10:2; 12:14). In case of hunger it was permitted, according to Deuteronomy 23:25, to eat “heads of grain” (Mark 2:23) from any field one might pass by (cf. 2:25–26; 3:4). Work, however, was not allowed on the “Sabbath” (e.g., Ex. 20:10; 34:21; Deut. 5:14) and, in cases of intentional disregard, punishable by death (Ex. 31:13–17).
The Pharisaic approach at the time of Jesus was overprotective in guarding against any form of labor on the Sabbath by forbidding even such gleaning in cases of hunger (cf. John 5:10). While Jesus upholds, keeps, and fulfills the law of Moses (Matt. 5:17–20), he challenges the extensive human and anthropocentric interpretation of it (Matt. 5:21–48), as well as the mixing of human tradition (Mark 7:5, 8) with the explicit purpose of the law.
2:25–26 Initially, Jesus stresses that the narrow Pharisaic interpretation does not even agree with, for example, the extreme and needy circumstance in which David found himself (1 Sam. 21:1–10). Contrary to the usual rules, David even “ate the bread of the Presence” (cf. Ex. 40:23; Lev. 24:5–8). Jesus says that at least in cases of urgent human need, certain deeds were allowed that might otherwise be forbidden (Lev. 24:9). Jesus demonstrates thereby that the Sabbath law is not absolute.
2:27–28 Subsequently, Jesus notes that mankind is not to be restricted by the Sabbath; rather, the creation order of the Sabbath (Gen. 2:3) is given as a blessing to mankind. It is given for spiritual and physical rest, refreshment, and refocus on God’s ways and purposes. As is the case with fasting, followers of Christ are to enter into Sabbath rest with an attitude of enduring dependence upon Jesus, thus cultivating a living relationship with the triune God. The key, therefore, to various other forms of spiritual disciplines is that the person practice direct and ongoing reliance upon—and fellowship with—God.
Again, Jesus emphasizes his unusual authority (“lord”; Gk. kyrios) as “Son of Man.” Here he declares that he is lord over the Sabbath. Human beings are to be served by God’s creation order of the Sabbath (Mark 2:27). They can only do so appropriately as they serve the Lord of the Sabbath.
3:1–2 Once again Jesus challenges narrow Pharisaic interpretations of the law of Moses, this time regarding the act of healing a man with a lame hand (“withered hand”; cf. 1 Kings 13:4) on a Sabbath. The Pharisaic scribes teach that the act of healing constitutes labor and is thus disallowed on a Sabbath (cf. comment on 2:23–24; see also Mark 1:21–27). The reference to “accuse” has a technical ring to it: Jesus’ opponents seek to mount a legal case by collecting evidence against him (cf. 2:7; 3:6). Jesus, however, continues to keep and to fulfill the law (Matt. 5:17–18).
3:3–5 Jesus’ opponents are not able to intimidate him; in conspicuous contrast with many of his healings (e.g., Mark 1:44), he intentionally elevates the healing of the lame man on a Sabbath to the status of a public event in order to expose and challenge the hypocrisy of his opponents (cf. comment on 2:23–24). Literally, Jesus says to the man with the lame hand: “Rise to the middle,” or, “Get up to join us.” While Jesus’ opponents deem themselves to “keep the Sabbath,” in reality they follow the dictates of their own precepts (7:8) at the expense of “life” and mercy (cf. Matt. 6:24; 25:31–46). In their self-assured zeal to “keep the Sabbath,” they overlook the fact that the command to show mercy does not jeopardize keeping the Sabbath but rather dignifies it, as long as the attitude of the Sabbath-keeper remains one of worship, dedication, and rest from daily labors.
Jesus’ contrasting question (Mark 3:4) implies that the creation order of the Sabbath (Gen. 2:3) was not instituted against deeds of mercy or saving life (cf. James 4:17). The entire thrust of God’s good creation undergirds preserving and guarding life. The silence of the opponents (cf. 1 Kings 18:21) indicates that they realize they should have answered Jesus’ provocative question with a yes. If they had done so, however, they would have jeopardized their oral Pharisaic commitments to the tradition of their forefathers (cf. Mark 7:5, 8). While their tradition of building a safe fence around the Mosaic law was well intended, it did not grasp the purpose of the Mosaic law, namely, to encourage people to “do justice, . . . to love kindness, and to walk humbly with . . . God” (Mic. 6:8), that is, to cooperate with the unfolding mission of God in his overall redemptive-historical work.
At times, Jesus responds with “anger, grieved at their hardness of heart” (Mark 3:5; cf. 6:52; 8:17; Luke 10:5; John 11:33). Especially in chapters 7–8 (see comments below), Jesus’ serious concern over the hard-heartedness of his followers will be emphasized in detail. At this point he exposes the hard hearts of his opponents (Gk. pōrōsis, “hardening, insensibility, obstinacy, impervious to either pity or reason”; the word occurs here and in Mark 4:10–12//Isa. 6:9–10; Mark 4:33; 7:6, 21). Eventually he will confront his own disciples with the serious illness of a hard heart (6:52; 8:15, 17–21; cf. Jer. 5:21).
3:6 Naturally, there are many differences between the law-abiding “Pharisees” and the opportunistic “Herodians” (i.e., the associates of Herod Antipas of Galilee). However, their common enemy, Jesus, leads them to pursue a common path: the Pharisees “held counsel with the Herodians” (Mark 8:15; 12:13; 15:1). The hypocrisy of the Pharisees cannot be overlooked: they accuse Jesus of eating with sinners (2:16), while they themselves collaborate with the opportunistic and morally highly questionable Antipas. In this instance, however, the Pharisees need Herod Antipas, since he holds the power in Galilee to convict in cases of capital offenses.
Given their legalistic interpretation of Sabbath law, the Pharisees feel justified in seeking to “destroy” Jesus (cf. 11:18; 12:12), after having accused him, for example, of blasphemy (2:7) and breaking the Sabbath (Ex. 31:14; John 5:18; note the irony in Mark 14:1–2). They also fear, understandably, the ever-present and potentially destructive power of the Roman Empire (John 11:48). Herod Antipas and his associates agree to this plan since Jesus’ popularity increasingly threatens to jeopardize the precarious balance of power between the will of the populace, the Sanhedrin, their own power, and Rome. Jesus thus challenges an immense and divergent conglomerate of traditions and power-interests. The bringer of life will thus be killed (cf. Acts 3:15).
3:7–8 Jesus is now widely known, irrespective of the increasing opposition against him. He is known in many parts of Galilee, in Judea and Idumea to the south, in Transjordan to the east, as well as Sidon and Tyre to the northwest (Matt. 4:24–25; cf. Mark 7:24–30). All of these regions were part of the former Israel during the time of the judges. Various descendants of the twelve tribes have now resettled in these regions following the Babylonian exile and especially in the wake of the successful Maccabean revolt in 167–164 BC and the Herodians’ efforts toward Jewish repopulation. The emphatic literary inclusio is noteworthy: “a great crowd followed” (Mark 3:7); “when the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him” (v. 8).
3:9–12 Especially because of his many healings and exorcisms, Jesus becomes increasingly known (3:11–12; 4:1; 5:24). Many seek merely to touch him (5:27, 30; 6:56; cf. comment on 1:41–42). Regardless of his popularity, his main goal remains, however, to teach (cf. comment on 1:21–22) and to call people to repentance so that they might live under the rule of God (cf. 1:14–15). Additionally, he forbids evil spirits to pronounce what might be true about him (3:12), since their intent is always evil, oppressive, and death bound, even if they should make a true statement (“You are the Son of God”; 3:11). By seeking to name Jesus, they attempt to gain power over him once again.