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Paralytic Healed
2:1-2 Now after some days, when he returned to Capernaum, the news spread that he was at home. So many gathered that there was no longer any room, not even by the door, and he preached the word to them.

After things had died down  Jesus returns to Capernaum most probably again to Peter's house.   As soon as it was known that He was there the people came in multitudes, so much so that they filled and surrounded the house.   This time however these people came not to be healed but to be taught and receive the word of God.   Nevertheless wherever and whenever there was a need of healing Jesus responded, for healing was one of the signs to say that He was the Messiah/Christ (Luke 7:22).   

2:3-4 Some people came bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. When they were not able to bring him in because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Jesus. Then, after tearing it out, they lowered the stretcher the paralytic was lying on.

As Jesus was preaching four men arrive carrying a friend who was completely paralysed.   It would seem that he was unable to do anything for himself and had be  fed, clothed and washed by his friends for we do not read in any of these verses that he moved any part of his body.   These comrades had most probably heard about Jesus healing and had therefore come expecting Him to do the same for their friend.   On arriving Jesus was in the middle of preaching, there was no way they could get through the throng to draw his attention to the plight of the man.   But their faith was so great that they were determined by any means  to bring him to Jesus.  This is an instance when obstinacy and stubbornness is right because it is used for and directed towards God and for a good cause.   They did not give up but persevered until they accomplished what they set out to do.   Even if it did mean carting the man up to the roof top and tearing the roof apart and lowering him down on ropes to the feet of Jesus (see Gal. 6:9). 

  
2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

In seeing the faith of the man's friends Jesus responds.   But He saw beyond the physical need of the man, and the man himself was more conscious of his spiritual need that his physical.   Perhaps this is why we do not hear of the man having  faith but his friends having it for him.   So the Lord does not say "be healed" as the people expected Him to but "your sins are forgiven you".  

  
2:6-7 Now some of the experts in the law were sitting there, turning these things over in their minds: "Why does this man speak this way? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" 

This caused a stir among some of the teachers/scribes in the crowd (not all  of them) and they began to reason it out in their minds what He had just said and the implications of it according to their knowledge of the scriptures.   They knew that no one could forgive sins, that is, remove guilt, remit the penalty and bestow righteousness instead, except God, therefore by making this statement Jesus was guilty of blasphemy.   We may wonder how Jesus could forgive this man's sin at this point when He had not yet made an atonement for sin, when He had not yet completed the works of salvation by nailing our sins to the cross.   There is nothing wrong in us trying to reason things out, in fact God invites us to "reason together" with Him (Isaiah 1:18).   We know that Jesus Christ was God manifest in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16) and therefore on this fact alone He was able to forgive sins.   But it is because He is the Son of God as well as the Son of Man that He knew that is mission in coming into the world would be achieved, that nothing would stop Him obtaining salvation.   It is on the strength of this that He could say to the man "your sins are forgiven you".   

2:8 Now immediately, when Jesus realized in his spirit that they were contemplating such thoughts, he said to them, "Why are you thinking such things in your hearts?

They did not openly speak to Jesus but He knew what was going on in their hearts and minds (John 2:25)and so He questions their reasoning.   

2:9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Stand up, take your stretcher, and walk'?
They of course wanted infallible proof that He is who He claims to be, as they incessantly demanded signs (Mark 8:11). Therefore Jesus gave them one that they did not ask for.  But first of all He asked them which is it easier to say "your sins are forgiven" or "be healed".  Of course, it is equally easy to say  both phrases and for divine power to justify either phrase.  But there is no outward sign by which the reality of the forgiveness of sins can be tested, while it is a sign to all whether a lame man actually walks or not.  In fact it was an easier thing to heal the body than to restore the soul, a prophet might heal, but no mere prophet could ever forgive sins (A.Cole).   

2:10-12 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins," — he said to the paralytic — I tell you, stand up, take your stretcher, and go home." And immediately the man stood up, took his stretcher, and went out in front of them all. They were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"

And so in order that they may see and positively know that He is indeed the Son of God and as such has the right, the power and authority to forgive sins, He turns to the man and tells him to arise pick up his bed and go home, and he immediately does, much to the amazement of the people, who give the glory to God.

2:13 Jesus went out again by the sea. The whole crowd came to him, and he taught them.

Jesus now goes to the seaside and is followed by the crowd whom He teaches about the things of God.   In Mar 1v4 we saw that Jesus 'heralds' the good news in Mark 1:21.  He teaches in Mark 2:2 and this verse He speaks the word.   In these three different terms we can say that He evangelised, He instructed from the scriptures and He informally taught the people.

2:14 As he went along, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax booth. "Follow me," he said to him. And he got up and followed him.

As with the other disciples Jesus did not just pass by or just happen to see Levi/Matthew, He purposes this to be so.  The other disciples were fishermen, Matthew was entirely a different kettle of fish. He was one of the despised and hated tax collectors for the Romans and many eyebrows were raised at his calling.   These people were often greedy,grasping and immoral. But Jesus choose him and he immediately left his job and followed Him.   

2:15 As Jesus was having a meal in Levi's home, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.

From Luke 5:29 it seems that this was a feast put on by Matthew to which he invited all his old business acquaintances, and there was a great many of them, so that he could introduce them to his new master.  

 
2:16 When the experts in the law and the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?"

This brought the wrath and criticism of the Pharisees down upon the Lord, because to them He was contaminating himself by mixing with those known to be notorious sinners and tax collectors. We know from the story of the Good Samaritan" that neither the priest or Levite would help the man attacked by robbers in case they became ceremonially unclean. (Luke 10:30-37)They were wrong in their judgment of Him for firstly, when a person became a friend or follower of Jesus they had turned from their sins, secondly, He needed to be among this kind of people whose need was so great.   '

2:17 When Jesus heard this he said to them, "Those who are healthy don't need a physician, but those who are sick do. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

When Jesus became aware of their criticism He told them straight that it was for the lost and for sinners that He came into the world (Luke 19:10), to call them to repent and be saved.   It is these people who are most conscious of their need of salvation whereas the religious have no sense of their need.   The illustration He uses is that of a sick person needing a doctor, whereas those who are healthy do not.   Not that He was in anyway suggesting that religious people do not need a saviour.   They need to have their eyes and hearts open to the truth "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23).

2:18 Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. So they came to Jesus and said, "Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples don't fast?"

John's disciples and therefore John, along with the Pharisees kept rigidly to the ceremonial law of the Jewish religion.   Several of the Lord's disciples had been followers of John the Baptist.   Although it was not required by the law of Moses to fast every week it had become an important weekly practice of devote Jews.   Here we see some of John's disciples along with the Pharisees questioning Jesus as to why His followers did not observe this custom of fasting as they did.

2:19 Jesus said to them, "The wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they do not fast.

In answer to them Jesus uses the illustration of a bridegroom, and in so doing asked them a question. In Hebrew weddings the friends remained with the bridegroom during the celebration feast, which could last from seven to fourteen days , before taking away his bride to the bridal chamber this finalised the wedding ceremony. So Jesus asks, "how can the friends fast while they are rejoicing in the presence of the bridegroom?" Here, he refers to himself as the bridegroom as He also does in the parable of the ten virgins (Math. 25:1-6). The church of Christ is likened to as His bride (2 Cor. 11:2, Rev. 21:2 and Rev. 22:17).  As long as Jesus was with the disciples they could not fast forin a time of joyous fellowship who thinks of fasting ?' '(A. Cole)."   Fasting in the Bible is either a sign of disaster or of voluntary abasement of the spirit.   

2:20 But the days are coming when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and at that time they will fast.

But here He foretells that the day would come when He would be taken away from his disciples (to be crucified) and then would be the time for them to fast (John 16:20). There is a right time for everything (Ecc. 3:1-4). 

Second New Thing
2:21 No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and the tear becomes worse.

For the first time in His ministry Jesus speaks of bringing something that would replace the old covenant of the Jews.   Although this had been foretold in the Old Testament (Jer. 31:31) the religious people of His day were not prepared to accept it.   In this illustration of sewing a new piece of cloth onto an old garment He makes it clear that the new order, or New Covenant, was not a patched up version of the Old.   Neither was it to be a sect within the Jewish religion.  The result of such and unequally yoked union would in fact make matters worse concerning the spiritual state of man and not better, for the New would pull away from the old making the gap between Jew and Gentile greater.  Whereas it was part of the plan of salvation to "reconcile to God  both [Jew and Gentile, united]in a single body by means of His cross; thereby killing the mutual enmity and bringing the feud to an end (Eph. 2:16) see also Eph. 2:14-15.   It was a completely New Covenant /Testament that would do away with the old all together (Heb. 8:13).  In which God's law would be written in the heart (Heb. 8:10 and 10:16). 

2:22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins will be destroyed. Instead new wine is poured into new wineskins."

Here Jesus uses the illustration of putting new wine into new bottles to show that the new wine would come from Him, for He is speaking of the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:16, see also Acts 2:13 where those who received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost were thought to be drunk with new wine). Only those who are born again of the Spirit of God, who are new creatures in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17 and Gal. 6:15) can be filled with the Holy Spirit and are able to contain Him without being destroyed.   

This was not really a new thing but a correction on something that religion had altered from God's original purpose.

2:23 Jesus was going through the grain fields on a Sabbath, and his disciples began to pick some heads of wheat as they made their way.

The disciples on feeling hungry while passing through corn fields plucks the ears of corn, rubs off the husks in their hands and eat them (see Deut. 23:25).   

2:24 So the Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is against the law on the Sabbath?"

In plucking and rubbing the corn the disciples were breaking the law of working on the Sabbath Day.   In accosting Jesus about this the Pharisees were not so much concerned for the Sabbath Day as much as they were in obtaining evidence that they might charge Jesus with breaking the law.  

2:25-26 He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry — how he entered the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the sacred bread, which is against the law for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to his companions?"

But Jesus turns the tables on them by referring to an incident in the life of King David, who they honoured as the greatest king Israel ever had and who was a man after God's own heart (1 Sam. 13:14).   When he and his soldiers were starving he took and ate the shewbread which had been consecrated and set before God as an offering and the only people allowed to eat it after the allotted time were the priests (Lev. 24:5-9).   Therefore David broke the law.   Jesus uses this as evidence that the law of need comes before the ceremonial law.  

2:27 Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath.

The Pharisees were mistaken, they had put many burdens upon the people by their rules and regulations (Matt. 23:4), and had twisted the purpose of the Sabbath around to æ°man was made for the Sabbath' instead of the Sabbath being given to man for his physical and spiritual good by resting from all his labours and keeping it a holy day to the Lord (Exodus 20:8 and Exodus 34:21).   

2:28 For this reason the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath." 

But Jesus goes even further by stating that as the Sabbath was made for man and He was the Son of Man' then He has "the absolute right to overrule the Sabbath if He wills, because of His Person and work as God's representative man (A. Cole).