As I dive into the Gospel of Mark in my daily reading, I've found it interesting that Mark starts off quickly, and gets it going with crowds, healing and a general "buzz". Early on in Chapter 1, Jesus left the synagogue to go see about Peter's mother-in-law at her house. Mark says "the whole town" gathered at their door. How many is that? - 200, 1,000, more?
A little later just as Chapter 2 commences, we have the story that we've heard many, many times if we've grown up in the church, flannel-board lessons and all. The story of Jesus healing the paralyzed man that his friends let down through the roof to see Jesus. We have another crowded house with only one door, so, the only way to Jesus was through the roof.
The second story is interesting because Mark initially says Jesus "had come home. So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door." Question - was this Jesus' own home? I honestly had not read that before - I always assumed it was someone else's home.
Lots of teaching, healing, crowded houses and insufficient doors to get into the house to see what everyone was talking about.
Mark 1
32That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33The whole town gathered at the door, 34and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.
Mark 2
1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4Since 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. 5When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
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2 comments:
Kent,
Mark is my fav. I taught the book at church a couple of years ago to the adults. I had a blast. I hope my class did too.
I think Mark 2 shows Jesus rivaling the Temple in Jerusalem from a hut in Capernaum. Notice that he forgives sin and that causes the fuss. Where do good Jews of the first century normally go for forgiveness of sin? The Temple. And the Temple was under massive renovation at the time. Huge wonder of the world. And jesus in a smelly fish hut forgives sins because God is in the House in Capernaum rather than in Jerusalem.
see my post on my dads blog for more on Rockin the House in Capernaum http://ronz-mark2.blogspot.com/2005/06/rockin-house-in-capernaum.html
Let me know what you think...
Many blessings..
Kent,
Thanks for this wonderful post and making me think. Was it Jesus home? what do you think? Like you I never realized tha until I read your blog...I is wonderful how new things jump out of the text everytime you read it.
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