Mark 2:21-22 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. 22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins.”
 
YOU’VE nursed the car along for years and have spent much money on repairs. But with all the time, effort and money, the car is still old and runs poorly.
   Do you ever feel your life is that way? Regardless of what you do to become better, to repair the broken “parts” of your life, nothing changes. You go to church, read the Bible and attend a Bible study. You read a good book or start a new hobby and hope, “Now everything will be fixed.” But the same broken issues are still breaking your life. What does Jesus want you to do?
   Jesus first wants you to know you can’t keep putting new things into a heart and mind that is unwilling to receive them. Jesus’ teachings will only heal you toward a new life when you replace your old life with the full life he offers you.
   Our sin-broken minds are suspicious of God’s Word. Perhaps we have been disappointed the Lord has often seemed silent to our prayers. As you read the Bible or hear it taught, you may say, “I wonder if this really works?” You try some biblical principles, but your heart is still saying, “Maybe there’s something else.” You remain unconvinced. Your Old Way is pushing against the New Way.
   You’re not alone in these spiritual challenges. We all face them. And even the specially-anointed apostle Paul lamented, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” (Romans 7:15) The new wine of God’s gospel was threatening to burst Paul’s reforming heart!
   Thankfully, the Spirit gave to Paul the knowledge to persevere in the spiritual battle. He knew Jesus had made him into a new man: 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
   Do you want to be new and leave the broken parts behind? Then know that Jesus is not repairing you; Jesus is re-creating you into a new life in his grace and authority. The Holy Spirit comes from Jesus to help you into the new person he has created you to become. Jesus knows it’s not simple. He also knows his power will make your life new when your heart faithfully receives him.
   Remember, Jesus said it this way: John 3:5 “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”
   Saved in Jesus’ grace, you are a new creation. As you physically grew and developed from your birth into adulthood, you can grow and develop as a child of God to live in the fullness of your salvation. Be steadfast to attend to the “broken” parts of your life. Renewal takes time. Earnestly pray for the Holy Spirit to make you new in Jesus’ salvation. Release the things that will break you. Receive the things that make you new.

Mark 2:18-20 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?” 19 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. 20 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.”
 
HERE is another confrontation with the Pharisees between God’s Word and the Pharisees’ laws. We have just read of Jesus attending a feast at Levi’s home. It is likely that these accusations against our Lord occurred at the same time. Jesus and his disciples were feasting. John the Baptist’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting.
   The reason for the fast was not from God’s law. Our LORD commanded a fast only on the Day of Atonement. But the Pharisees rules required fasting on Monday’s and Thursday’s. They were intent on shaming Jesus into an unnecessary act of penitence. He had no need to fast. And if he did, he would follow his own teachings on fasting: Matthew 6:16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” In their accusations the Pharisees proved themselves guilty of transgressions against God’s law. Self-righteousness will do that. Be very careful how you assess others. Perhaps you need to be more concerned about your own actions.
   He rebuked the Pharisees with his reference to the bridegroom. “But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.”  With these words Jesus prophesied his death, and pointed to his divine nature. He aligned himself with the bridegroom in the parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-10) to point to his return as Judge and Redeemer.
   Jesus wanted his disciples need to “feast” on him as much as possible while he was with them. He is preparing them to change the world with the gospel. Jesus’ time on earth was the time for consuming all of Jesus’ teaching. The disciples must be well fed with the Bread of Life and Living Water, so they can do what he will command them to do.
   On the night before his crucifixion during the Feast of the Unleavened Bread (Passover), Jesus commanded his disciples, “Take eat, this is my body broken for you” (1 Corinthians 11:25) Jesus gave his disciples no options. He commanded them to completely consume his redemptive power. They needed all of Jesus, so they could fully feed the world with his resurrection power.
   A joyful feast is God’s promise to you when you join with the Bridegroom. Spend time in the Bible and be filled with the Lord’s nourishing truth. He has set the table of redemption before you. Live each day in the feast of your redeemed life. Taste that the Lord is good. (1 Peter 2:3)
 
Pause and consider the bridegroom has invited you to feast with him forever. Is there any reason you will not accept his invitation?
 

Mark 2:13-17 Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. 14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him. 15 While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the “sinners” and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” 17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
 
JESUS came to confront sin. That’s why he confronted Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. And of all wonders, he commanded Levi, “Follow me.”  No command could have been more confrontational. Jesus aggressively faced one of Israel’s most hated professions. He challenged a man who had betrayed his people, so he could gain wealth and power. Levi’s father had likely shunned Levi and removed him from his house. Only the oppressive Roman government was a friend to Levi.
   In response the self-righteous Pharisees confronted Jesus. They demanded, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” Then Jesus teaches us how to confront accusation with wisdom, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.”
   Notice this. “Sinners” is written in quotes three times when the Pharisees speak it. But when Jesus speaks of sinners the word is not in quotes. This is key to understanding Jesus’ response to the Pharisees – and to our sin. When written “sinners” the Pharisees refer to a category of people such as Levi and his friends who had rejected Israel. The Pharisees regarded them as impure, a separate class of people because they rejected God’s laws and promises. They were unclean outcasts. When Jesus entered Levi’s home, he not only confronted Levi’s sins, he confronted the Pharisees’ self-righteous judgment.  
   When Jesus said that he had not come to call the righteous, but sinners, there are no quotes around sinners. Jesus knew Levi and his friends were not a special class of sinners. To call Levi and to enter into his home was Jesus’ mission to seek and to save what was lost. (Luke 19:10) How gracious is our God to call us out of even the deepest of sins!  
   But Jesus said he did not come to call the righteous. Were the Pharisees perfect in his sight? His meaning here is that people who do not see their sins will reject his teaching. He judged the Pharisees because they saw themselves as guardians of the law. But they were really stumbling blocks to God’s true intent of his law. There is no salvation for the self-righteous unwilling to confront their own sins.
   That day in Capernaum, Levi – who is also known as Matthew, the disciple and gospel writer – confronted his life. When the Savior confronted him, Levi was ready to follow him. He invited Jesus into his home, so others could measure their lives against the true Righteous One. Levi’s friendship with Rome ended. His love relationship with the Lord God began. How wonderful it is God loves us so much he has confronted us sinners with his command, “Follow me.”

Mark 2:9-12 “Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” he said to the paralytic, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
 
JESUS is the author of life. (John 10:10). What joy to know he revealed the second of his double portion of grace for the man – and for Israel. (See previous lesson.) Jesus had first forgiven the man’s sins. Then he healed the man’s paralysis. Sin is gone. Sickness is gone. You can hear the excitement in the room, “We have never seen anything like this!”
   Indeed, the healing was astounding. And even more, they had never heard sins so graciously forgiven as Jesus’ spoken word. This was a radical change from God’s precise laws of repentance through animal and grain sacrifices, detailed in Leviticus. When God forgives sins, he removes them from his mind. Hebrews 8:12 “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” How could this happen with one sentence?
   God’s new way of forgiveness came to Israel when the Son of Man came with the Father’s authority to advance the kingdom of God. The teachers of the law would know “Son of Man” was Jesus’ deliberate reference that he is the Messiah as revealed in Daniel 7:13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. This was Jesus’ direct claim to be Divine. The Father gave to the Author of Life all authority, glory and sovereign power over the kingdom of God. The authority to heal was the evidence of his authority to forgive sins. Jesus taught that he, the Son of Man, had the power with the spoken Word. There had been many miracles before this, and there were many more after, including Jesus’ stunning resurrection! But God’s authority did not penetrate many hearts. This refusal to truly believe God’s Word is the reason Israel suffered for many centuries. It is the reason the world suffers today.
   In faith you can know Jesus, the Author of Life, has authority to receive your confession and announce, “Your sins are forgiven.” The One who has spoken the world into existence speaks his forgiveness into your life everlasting: John 5:24 “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”   

Mark 2:5-8 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things?”
 
IN Luke, we read Jesus announced his ministry to say he had come to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind. (Luke 4:18c) Jesus did heal the blind. But the reference is to  spiritually blind people. One sad truth throughout Scripture is the many occasions when God’s chosen people chose to be blind to the LORD God’s loving care for them. This moment in Peter’s and Andrew’s house is one of those occasions. Great suspicion and animosity toward God’s Son among a few clouded the crowd’s view of Jesus.
   For centuries the Jews had looked for the prophesied Christ to fulfill such promises as in Isaiah 61:7 Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs.
   Now the Redeemer had walked into the house with his double portion in hand. His first portion of grace was to forgive the man’s sins. The crippled man had not even asked for this! How glorious is this freedom proclamation. Be free! By grace you have been forgiven. You, sir, are a new man. Hallelujah!
   But the teachers of the law were could not see God’s love come into their livers. They looked critically on Jesus and asked, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” In one sense, it is good the teachers of the law asked the question. We must know if we’re hearing from God or from someone who is pretending to speak God’s’ Word. Is the Teacher teaching the truth? Yes, they asked a good question. Are they ready for a good answer?
   Jesus’ answer begins with his own question, “Why are you thinking these things?” What is the reason they asked? Was it to accuse Jesus or to exclaim, “The Son of God is among us!” How would they respond to the evidence Jesus will give them?
   What questions do you have for Jesus? Do you ask, so you can consider ways to defend yourself against his truth? Or do you ask to know more truly the Son of Man has come to you?    

Mark 2:3-4 Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on.
 
ARE you a passionate person? The crippled man and his friends define “passion”. Great desire, energy and expectations propelled them through a roof to be at Jesus’ feet! How easy it would have been for them to turn away and say, “We’ll come later when Jesus is not so busy.”  Would they have returned? Or would they have thought, “One trip was too much. We tried our best.”
   The trouble with “later” is that it seldom comes. Yes, there are very good reasons to reserve a task to do later. You can plan a time to complete the project well. But stop and think. What normally happens when you say, “Later.” It usually means, “Never.” doesn’t it?
   We always have a reason to not do what we should do, especially when it comes to our relationship with God. You think about the men who carried their friend. They had several reasons to come back later. First they carried their friend up a flight of stairs outside the house to the flat roof. They next had to dig through the wood and clay and open a hole large enough to lower the man and his mat. Many in the large crowd could have said, “Stop!” and condemned them. Jesus could have said, “Stop! Don’t distract me!” But they carried, they dug and they lowered. No excuses, only faith filled their minds. What would Jesus do?
   “Later.” Was not an option for them. It apparently was not an option for the crowd that day. They all were there to see and hear Jesus. They were tired of Rome’s oppression. Would this Jesus free then? They were sick and discouraged. Would this remarkable rabbi heal them? They were longing for God’s promised Messiah. “Is Jesus the Prophesied One? We want to know now!” The gospels tell us that many would become impatient with Jesus, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” (John 10:24)
   Do you have a passion to go to Jesus without excuse? Does, “Later.” or, “Now.” mark your relationship with the Lord? Is something crippling you, keeping you from a firm and full commitment to go to Jesus? It’s time then to be as the man on the mat and his friends. It’s time to say, “Now, Lord Jesus, I come in faith to you.”
  
 

Mark 2:1-2 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.
 
JESUS had been in isolation, overcome with crowds who eagerly hoped for healing. Now he has returned to Peter’s and Andrew’s home to continue his preaching. How gracious is the eternal Word who came into his world to speak his enduring truth. God’s eternal plan was moving forward. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1). How remarkable it would be to sit, stand and be present with the incarnate Word of Life. One day we will truly know.
   The Bible reveals God has always come down to be present with his chosen people. Genesis tells us of his very personal interactions with the patriarchs. He was present to make a covenant with Abraham (Genesis 15), and he even wrestled with Jacob! (Genesis 32)
   The LORD God became very present with Israel on Mt. Sinai. As the nation of over 1 million people approached the mountain where the LORD said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.”  Then Moses told the LORD what the people had said. (Exodus 19:9) Through visions, prophecies, dreams and the personal intervention of the angel of the LORD, God continued to mark his presence in Israel until the Son’s incarnation.
   What was God’s purpose to come so often? He came to preach the Word to his people.
   To preach is to speak God’s Word in an orderly fashion, so we will know God. True preaching reveals God’s glory to the world. He has come in an orderly process to tell us of his love, justice, mercy, power and majesty. The Promise Keeper has promised us he is always present among his people. Our Protector has told us to reject temptation and to be faithful to his commands.
   Jesus, the glory of God, came to the fishermen’s home to preach the Word! He had no extravagant marketing plan, and he offered no meal to attract newcomers. The one who “came to seek and to save what was lost.” (Luke 19:10) simply offered the truth. Capernaum’s population was hungry for truth. So they came.
   Do you want to make a difference in someone’s life? Preach the Word. Do you want to help people walk with God? Preach the Word. Do you want to love your family more deeply? Preach the Word. Do you want to care for people in your community? Preach the Word.
   No, you don’t need to speak a sermon. But each Christian must be willing to tell of God in an orderly fashion. Learn his story. Reveal his truth with the way you speak and live. Tell of God’s glory come down on you. Help others know God will be present with them when hear his good Word.    
   

Mark 1:43-50 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.
 
IN our previous lesson we read of Jesus healing the leprous man. Did the happy, restored man do as Jesus commanded him to show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices? This was to obey and honor the process the Incarnate Word had written in the Law of Moses. The priest could pronounce a man, “Clean.” only when he followed God’s precise laws to restore the man to his family and community. But the healed man disobeyed the healer! He canceled the Word made flesh. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Disobeying Jesus’ commands will keep the Lord from your life.
   What do you think of the law? When you read through the Bible’s first five books, known as the Law, do you see God’s laws as restrictive burdens? Or do see the law as God’s way to gather Israel into a secure relationship with him? We must understand the law is one way God revealed himself to Israel. The Power that plagued Egypt and opened the Red Sea promised Israel: “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.” (Exodus 19:4) The law was to be God’s bond of love for them to guide them into a blessed life under his care. But even as God freed them from slavery and revealed his glory to Israel, they rejected his law. The Old Testament is a history of the ways Israel isolated God from their life. Instead of living in his lavish promises, they suffered his judgments.
   What has God done for you? Has he saved you from eternal torment? Are you free in God’s grace to announce, “I am redeemed!” What then, is your response to God’s commands? Do you neglect the law and isolate Jesus from your life? Or do you seek his truth? Do you dwell in the joy of a loving relationship with him? This is your life when you know God’s redeeming power in the truth of his Word.
           

Mark 1:40-42 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” 41 Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!”  42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.
 
YOU are living a good life. You work or go to school, play sports, enjoy your friends, have time with your children, be close to your spouse. Life has its challenges, and some days they might seem too big to solve. But overall, life is comfortable.
   Then one day there’s a mark on your skin. Your hands seem numb. They bleed easily. You go to the priest. He examines you under God’s law (Leviticus 13), and he tells you, “You have leprosy.” This is not only a diagnosis of a disease, you have been sentenced to a living hell. God’s law says you must leave your loved ones and separate yourself from everyone. When anyone is approaching you, you must cry out, “Unclean! Unclean!” Leviticus 13:45 “The person with such an infectious disease must wear torn clothes, let his hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of his face and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ 46 As long as he has the infection he remains unclean. He must live alone; he must live outside the camp.”
   Imagine if you could never go home again. The only people you can touch are those who also have leprosy. You could only see your family from a distance. You would never touch them again as your body disintegrates inch by inch. Think of the horror of the isolation from everyone you love.
   Then one day the rabbi from Nazareth comes. You’ve heard the stories of his healing. Are they true? Dare you beg him? “If you are willing, you can make me clean!”  “Jesus, you can heal me. I’ll be able to hold my wife and children again. I can live again!”
   In his mercy, Jesus declares, “Be clean!” Oh, how unbelievable the joy! You are saved from leprosy’s bondage! The merciful Savior has redeemed your broken body and healed your shattered life.
   Now consider how unforgiven sin and condemnation separates families. Its burdens can force husbands and wives, parents and children from their homes, never to touch their loved ones again. Inch by inch hardening hearts lose the mercy and grace to regenerate lost love.
   Is this you? Do you long to go home? Do you long for the scars to disappear, to hold your loved ones again?
   Have you heard of Jesus? Will you ask him, “If you are willing, make me clean!” You know he is willing. Jesus went to the cross. Jesus’ broken body and shed blood tell you plainly, “Your sins are forgiven.” when you ask him to heal your broken soul.
  

Mark 1:35-37 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”
 
WHY was “everyone” looking for Jesus? They wanted something from him, didn’t they? He is a healer! But for Jesus it was a time to stop and pray. How could he take time from healing when so many needed him?
   When we pay attention to Jesus’ ministry we see he was never too busy to pray. In fact, he could only remain effective to preach and to heal if he prayed. Jesus models for us that prayer is a vital element of a purposeful life. The gospels teach us that Jesus, Son of God, rose early in the morning before the sunrise, or he went late at night to be alone in prayer. Even though the Spirit had anointed him to ministry with the Father’s approval, the Son still needed time to directly speak through the Spirit to the Father. He could only be busy in ministry if we was first quiet in prayer.
   We may observe one reason for Jesus’ private conversations with the Father and Spirit was Jesus’ need for renewed strength. Healing hundreds and preaching to thousands required physical, emotional and spiritual energy. For example, when the woman with constant blood flow touched Jesus he exclaimed, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” (Luke 8:46) As fully man, God’s Son became weary in his working. To attend to the Father’s business, the Son needed the Father and Spirit to attend to him. Prayer was that time for Jesus. Prayer is that time for the LORD God to care for you.
   Be still in prayer, so you can absorb the Father’s love. When you are alone with God, you gain a greater sense of his restoring presence. Meditate on his Word. Consider he has granted his holy presence to you. You are his seed nurtured with Living Water. He wants to help you grow to understand his will for your life. Prayer is telling God the best use of your time is time with him.
What is your purpose in life right now? Being a mom? A dad? Being a good worker? Being a student? Being a business leader? Being a child of God? What is a good thing to do as you pursue your purpose?
   Of course, it is to pray for God’s strength, wisdom and faith in your purpose. Pray that God will attend to your needs and direct your desires. That is what Jesus models for you. That is the Father’s desire for you.