Mark 2:28
Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."
Therefore
This word serves as a conclusion to the preceding argument. In the context of Mark 2, Jesus has been addressing the Pharisees' criticism of His disciples for plucking grain on the Sabbath. The use of "therefore" indicates that what follows is a logical conclusion drawn from the previous discussion. It emphasizes the authority and finality of Jesus' statement, underscoring that His teaching is not just a response to the Pharisees but a definitive declaration of His authority.

the Son of Man
This title, "the Son of Man," is one of Jesus' favorite self-designations, appearing frequently in the Gospels. It has roots in the Old Testament, particularly in Daniel 7:13-14, where "one like a son of man" is given authority, glory, and sovereign power. By using this title, Jesus identifies Himself with the prophetic vision of a divine figure who has authority over all things. It highlights both His humanity and His divine authority, bridging the gap between heaven and earth.

is Lord
The term "Lord" (Greek: "Kyrios") is a powerful declaration of authority and divinity. In the Greco-Roman world, "Kyrios" was used to denote someone with power and control, often reserved for deities or emperors. In the Jewish context, it was a title for God Himself. By declaring Himself "Lord," Jesus asserts His divine authority over religious practices and traditions, including the Sabbath. This claim would have been both radical and controversial, challenging the established religious order.

even of the Sabbath
The Sabbath was a central institution in Jewish life, a day set apart for rest and worship as commanded in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11). It was a sign of the covenant between God and Israel, a day of holiness and rest. By stating that He is "Lord even of the Sabbath," Jesus asserts His authority over this sacred institution. This declaration implies that He has the right to interpret the true meaning and purpose of the Sabbath. It also suggests that the Sabbath, like all creation, is subject to His authority. This statement would have been revolutionary, as it redefines the understanding of the Sabbath not as a burden but as a gift, with Jesus at its center.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jesus (Son of Man)
Central figure in this passage, referring to Himself as the "Son of Man," a title that emphasizes both His humanity and His divine authority.

2. Pharisees
Religious leaders who often challenged Jesus, particularly regarding His interpretation and observance of the Law.

3. Sabbath
A day of rest and worship, instituted by God in the Old Testament, observed from Friday evening to Saturday evening by the Jewish people.
Teaching Points
Authority of Christ
Jesus' declaration as "Lord even of the Sabbath" underscores His divine authority over religious practices and traditions. Believers are called to recognize and submit to Christ's authority in all areas of life.

Purpose of the Sabbath
The Sabbath was made for man's benefit, not as a burden. It is a time for rest, reflection, and worship. Christians can find rest in Christ, who fulfills the Sabbath's purpose.

Legalism vs. Relationship
The Pharisees' focus on legalistic observance contrasts with Jesus' emphasis on relationship and mercy. Believers should prioritize their relationship with God over rigid adherence to rules.

Christ as Fulfillment
Jesus fulfills the Law and the Prophets, including the Sabbath. In Him, believers find true rest and peace, transcending the need for strict Sabbath observance.

Living in Freedom
Christians are called to live in the freedom Christ provides, understanding that He is the ultimate authority and fulfillment of the Law, including the Sabbath.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Jesus' claim to be "Lord even of the Sabbath" challenge the traditional understanding of the Sabbath in His time?

2. In what ways can Christians today find rest in Christ, beyond the observance of a specific day?

3. How does understanding Jesus' authority over the Sabbath influence our approach to religious traditions and practices?

4. What are some practical ways to prioritize relationship with God over legalistic observance in our daily lives?

5. How can the concept of Jesus as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, including the Sabbath, impact our understanding of Old Testament laws and their application today?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Genesis 2:2-3
The origin of the Sabbath, where God rested on the seventh day, setting a precedent for the Sabbath rest.

Exodus 20:8-11
The Ten Commandments, where the Sabbath is commanded as a day of rest and holiness.

Matthew 12:8
A parallel passage where Jesus also declares His lordship over the Sabbath, emphasizing His authority.

Colossians 2:16-17
Paul discusses the freedom from legalistic observance of days, including the Sabbath, pointing to Christ as the substance of these shadows.
Love Greater than LawE. Johnson Mark 2:23-28
Sabbath ObservanceJ.J. Given Mark 2:23-28
The Sabbath Made for ManA.F. Muir Mark 2:23-28
A World Without a SabbathH. W. Beecher.Mark 2:27-28
Exertion Demands RestA. Barnes, D. D., A. Barnes, D. D.Mark 2:27-28
Man Cannot Do Without the SabbathMark 2:27-28
Man Needs the Rest of the Sabbath in Addition to the Rest of NightMonday Club SermonsMark 2:27-28
Son of Man is Lord of the SabbathM. F. Sadler.Mark 2:27-28
Stealing the Lord's DayDr. Talmage.Mark 2:27-28
The Lord's DayC. S. Robinson, D. D.Mark 2:27-28
The Lord's Right in the Sabbath Above that of the PeopleDr. Talmage.Mark 2:27-28
The Sabbath a NecessityJ. Cohen, M. A.Mark 2:27-28
The Sabbath a Physical NecessityMonday Club SermonsMark 2:27-28
The Sabbath a Poetic Gift to the Mechanical AgentH. W. Beecher.Mark 2:27-28
The Sabbath a Service to the StateSir W. Blackstone.Mark 2:27-28
The Sabbath and its LordJ. Cohen, M. A.Mark 2:27-28
The Sabbath Breaks the Monotony of LifeA. Barnes, D. D.Mark 2:27-28
The Sabbath for Man as a Complex CreatureH. M. Luckock, D. D.Mark 2:27-28
The Sabbath for Man's HappinessQuesnel.Mark 2:27-28
The Sabbath Helpful to Self-RespectH. W. Beecher.Mark 2:27-28
The Sabbath is a Social NecessityMonday Club SermonsMark 2:27-28
The Sabbath Law Fibred in the Nature of ManMonday Club SermonsMark 2:27-28
The Sabbath Necessary for the Higher Being of ManA. Barnes, D. D.Mark 2:27-28
The Sabbath Necessary to the Weary ManA. Barnes, D. D.Mark 2:27-28
The Sabbath Need not be a Day of GloomA. Barnes, D. D., C. Gray.Mark 2:27-28
The Sabbath was Made for ManG. Brooks.Mark 2:27-28
The Secularization of the Sabbath Inimical to the Spiritual Welfare of MankindDr. Talmage.Mark 2:27-28
The Son of Man Lord of the SabbathG. Brooks.Mark 2:27-28
The Working Man a Self Sovereign on the SabbathH. W. Beecher.Mark 2:27-28
People
Abiathar, Alphaeus, David, Jesus, John, Levi
Places
Capernaum, Galilee
Topics
Sabbath
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Mark 2:28

     2018   Christ, divinity
     2069   Christ, pre-eminence
     2078   Christ, sonship of
     2221   Christ, Son of Man
     2224   Christ, the Lord
     5396   lordship, of Christ

Mark 2:23-28

     2057   Christ, obedience

Mark 2:24-28

     2333   Christ, attitude to OT

Mark 2:27-28

     7422   ritual

Library
December 28 Morning
Thy sins be forgiven thee.--MARK 2:5. I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.--Who can forgive sins but God only? I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.--Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity.--Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity? God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.--The blood of Jesus Christ
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

June 8 Evening
Why reason ye these things in your hearts?--MARK 2:8. Being not weak in faith, [Abraham] considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb; he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God. Is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?--If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

The Secret of Gladness
'And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?'--Mark ii. 19. This part of our Lord's answer to the question put by John's disciples as to the reason for the omission of the practice of fasting by His followers. The answer is very simple. It is--'My disciples do not fast because they are not sad.' And the principle which underlies the answer is a very important one. It is this: that all outward forms of religion, appointed by man, ought only
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Christ's Authority to Forgive
'And again He entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that He was in the house. 2. And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door; and He preached the word unto them. 3. And they come unto Him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. 4. And when they could not come nigh unto Him for the press, they uncovered the roof where He was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Publicans' Friend
'And He went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto Him, and He taught them. 14. And as He passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed Him. 15. And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and His disciples: for there were many, and they followed Him. 16. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eat with publicans
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Works which Hallow the Sabbath
'And it came to pass, that He went through the cornfields on the Sabbath day; and His disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. 24. And the Pharisees said unto Him, Behold, why do they on the Sabbath day that which is not lawful? 25. And He said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him? 28. How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Friend of Sinners
(Preached in London.) MARK ii. 15, 16. And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners they said onto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? We cannot wonder at the scribes and Pharisees asking this question. I think that we should most of us ask the
Charles Kingsley—The Good News of God

The Sick of the Palsy
"And when He entered again into Capernaum after some days, it was noised that He was in the house." MARK 2:1 (R.V.) [And when He had come back to Capernaum several day s afterward, it was heard that He was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. And being unable to get to Him on account of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

The Son of Man
"The Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins." MARK 2:10 (R.V.) WHEN asserting His power to forgive sins, Jesus, for the first time in our Gospel, called Himself the Son of man. It is a remarkable phrase. The profound reverence which He from the first inspired, restrained all other lips from using it, save only when the first martyr felt such a rush of sympathy from above poured into his soul, that the thought of Christ's humanity was more moving than that of His deity. So too it is then alone
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

The Controversy Concerning Fasting
"And John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting: and they come and say unto Him, Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Thy disciples fast not?" MARK 2:18 (R.V.) THE Pharisees had just complained to the disciples that Jesus ate and drank in questionable company. Now they join with the followers of the ascetic Baptist in complaining to Jesus that His disciples eat and drink at improper seasons, when others fast. And as Jesus had then replied, that being a Physician,
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

The Call and Feast of Levi
"And He went forth again by the seaside; and all the multitude resorted unto Him, and He taught them. And as He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the place of toll, and He saith unto him, Follow Me. And he arose and followed Him. And it came to pass, that He was sitting at meat in his house, and many publicans and sinners sat down with Jesus and His disciples: for there were many, and they followed Him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that He was eating with the
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

The Sabbath
"And it came to pass, that He was going on the sabbath day through the cornfields; and His disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. And the Pharisees said unto Him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? And He said unto them, Did ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungered, he, and they that were with him? How he entered into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which it is not lawful to eat
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

Wesley's Living Arguments
Sunday, 20.--Seeing many of the rich at Clifton Church, my heart was much pained for them and I was earnestly desirous that some even of them might "enter into the kingdom of heaven." But full as I was, I knew not where to begin in warning them to flee from the wrath to come till my Testament opened on these words: "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" [Mark 2:17]; in applying which my soul was so enlarged that methought I could have cried out (in another sense than poor vain
John Wesley—The Journal of John Wesley

Of the Words Themselves in General.
We come now to the words themselves, wherein Christ asserts that he is, 1, "the way;" 2, "the truth;" 3, "the life;" and, 4, "that no man cometh to the Father but by him." In them we learn these two things in general. First, The misery of wretched man by nature. This cannot be in a few words expressed. These words will point out those particulars thereof, which we will but mention. 1. That he is born an enemy to, and living at a distance from God, by virtue of the curse of the broken covenant of
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

Combination Illustrated.
To illustrate our method of combination, let us take Section 36, which is a fitting together of the following passages, namely: 9 And as Jesus passed by from thence, he saw a man, called Matthew, sitting at the place of toll: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.--Matt. ix. 9. 13 And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. 14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphæus sitting at the place of toll,
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Call of Matthew.
(at or Near Capernaum.) ^A Matt. IX. 9; ^B Mark II. 13, 14; ^C Luke V. 27, 28. ^c 27 And after these thingsa [after the healing of the paralytic] he went forth, ^a again by the seaside [i. e., he left Capernaum, and sought the shore of the sea, which formed a convenient auditorium for him, and which was hence a favorite scene for his teaching]; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. 14 And as he ^a Jesus passed by from thence, he saw ^c and beheld ^a a man, ^c a publican, named
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Jesus Defends Disciples who Pluck Grain on the Sabbath.
(Probably While on the Way from Jerusalem to Galilee.) ^A Matt. XII. 1-8; ^B Mark II. 23-28; ^C Luke VI. 1-5. ^b 23 And ^c 1 Now it came to pass ^a 1 At that season ^b that he ^a Jesus went { ^b was going} on the { ^c a} ^b sabbath day through the grainfields; ^a and his disciples were hungry and began ^b as they went, to pluck the ears. ^a and to eat, ^c and his disciples plucked the ears, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. [This lesson fits in chronological order with the last, if the Bethesda
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Matthew's Feast. Discourse on Fasting.
(Capernaum.) ^A Matt. IX. 10-17; ^B Mark II. 15-22; ^C Luke V. 29-39. ^c 29 And Levi [another name for the apostle Matthew] made him a great feast in his house: ^b 15 And it came to pass, that he was sitting { ^a as he sat} at meat in the { ^b his} ^a house, ^c and there was a great multitude of publicans [Matthew had invited his old friends] and of others ^b and ^a behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. ^b for there were many, ^c that were sitting at meat
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Jesus Heals a Paralytic at Capernaum.
^A Matt. IX. 2-8; ^B Mark II. 1-12; ^C Luke V. 17-26. ^c 17 And it came to pass on one of those days, ^b when he entered again into Capernaum after some days, ^c that he was teaching; ^b it was noised that he was in the house. [Luke uses the general expression "those days," referring to the early portion of our Lord's ministry in Galilee. Mark says, "some days," which implies the lapse of a considerable interval. The healing of the leper created such excitement that for some time, several weeks,
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Two Sabbath-Controversies - the Plucking of the Ears of Corn by the Disciples, and the Healing of the Man with the Withered Hand
IN grouping together the three miracles of healing described in the last chapter, we do not wish to convey that it is certain they had taken place in precisely that order. Nor do we feel sure, that they preceded what is about to be related. In the absence of exact data, the succession of events and their location must be matter of combination. From their position in the Evangelic narratives, and the manner in which all concerned speak and act, we inferred, that they took place at that particular
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Return to Capernaum - Concerning the Forgiveness of Sins - the Healing of the Paralysed
It is a remarkable instance of the reserve of the Gospel-narratives, that of the second journey of Jesus in Galilee no other special event is recorded than the healing of the leper. And it seems also to indicate, that this one miracle had been so selected for a special purpose. But if, as we have suggested, after the Unknown Feast,' the activity of Jesus assumed a new and what, for want of a better name, may be called an anti-Judaic character, we can perceive the reason of it. The healing of leprosy
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Call of Matthew - the Saviour's Welcome to Sinners - Rabbinic Theology as Regards the Doctrine of Forgiveness in Contrast to the Gospel of Christ
In two things chiefly does the fundamental difference appear between Christianity and all other religious systems, notably Rabbinism. And in these two things, therefore, lies the main characteristic of Christ's work; or, taking a wider view, the fundamental idea of all religions. Subjectively, they concern sin and the sinner; or, to put it objectively, the forgiveness of sin and the welcome to the sinner. But Rabbinism, and every other system down to modern humanitarianism - if it rises so high in
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Kingdom of God: Its Values
The Right Social Order is the Highest Good for All The first three chapters dealt with simple human principles which are common and instinctive with all real men. Jesus simply expanded the range of their application, clarified our comprehension of them, placed them in the very center of religious duty, and so lifted them to the high level of great social and religious principles. In the next three chapters we shall take up a conception which is not universally human, but which Jesus derived from
Walter Rauschenbusch—The Social Principles of Jesus

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