Bible Study with Danelle

Jesus had a habit of not conforming to the legalism of the time. Mark describes this in the last half of the second chapter.

Jesus is headed back to the sea and on the way, he passes a tax booth with Levi working. Levi, who later Jesus names Matthew, does not hesitate when Jesus tells him “follow me”. Now, as much as we are not a fan of tax collectors today, they were hated and considered sinners during biblical times. Jesus then invites other sinners and tax collectors to his home and reclines with them. This is not what religious leaders of that day would have done. They would have avoided any association with people considered sinners. Jesus did not conform to what the leaders thought he should do or say and so they question, why? Jesus tells them:

Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have come not to call the righteous, but sinners.

Mark 2:17

Jesus did not come for those who thought they were right with God. He came for the people who were broken and needed Him. He came for those that knew they were sinners and needed a savior. A person that does not know he is a sinner does not think he needs saving. My bible commentary said it best: “Those who are self-righteous – who view themselves as right in their own mind or by their own standards – will not realize their need for God. Hope comes to those who recognize and admit their sin, who accept God’s forgiveness through faith in Christ and who receive his gift of spiritual salvation.”

Another example of Jesus not conforming is when people questioned why his disciples were not fasting like the Pharisees. Jesus uses a parable of the bridegroom to explain. Basically, He states why would they fast, which was a way of coming closer to God, when He was right there with them. Jesus (God in the flesh) was right there in front of them. There was no need to fast. He wanted them to soak up every second of teaching while He was RIGHT THERE. Would you want to even leave Jesus’ side while he was talking? I wouldn’t. The problem is, people could not get past the legalism of their religion to understand the relationship with Jesus that was necessary. Thus, the comments Jesus made regarding the old and new wineskins. Jesus was trying to explain that the old way was over. Jesus came to make us all new and fresh. That can’t be put into the old wineskin (religious ways).

Today, after all these years have past, we still try to put Jesus and his teachings in an old wineskin. We get so caught up in our religious practices that we forget the relationship (which is the most important).

This article by Emma Danzey has a great example regarding an experience her mother had with baptism.

I remember a story from my mother who grew up in a very legalistic church. The setting was an “old wineskin” kind of place. She was not a Christian yet and the church was pushing her to get baptized even though she had not accepted Jesus. One day she was chased out of the sanctuary into the parking lot by a man who was yelling at her to get baptized. As you can imagine, my poor mother was traumatized and this cause her to run away not only from that man but from God.

I am afraid this is just one example of many that have driven people away from Jesus. I grew up in the Catholic Church and was baptized when I was 5 years old because my parents wanted me to be able to attend Catholic School. As I grew older, I realized that (for me) my baptism was a legalistic ritual instead of a true baptism in Christ. After growing in my faith and relationship with Jesus over the past few years, I made the decision this past September to be re-baptized. It was a controversial topic and I got one person who told me they could not congratulate me because they believed that once baptized, always baptized. While I respect their opinion, I don’t necessarily agree with that opinion. Again, I view it as coming from a legalistic view instead of a relationship view. This is just one example, but the article goes into many more. (You can read my FB post regarding my baptism here.)

As we conclude the second chapter of Mark, Jesus again shows us how he does not conform to the “legalism” of the day. This time he talks about the Sabbath. The Pharisees were caught up in the do’s and don’ts of the Sabbath, they forgot what it was really for. Jesus reminds us that the Sabbath is supposed to be a day of worship and refreshing, but how many times do we still do chores, errands, work, etc. on the Sabbath? God created that day for us to refresh our souls in worship and refresh our bodies through rest. No wonder when Monday comes we are still exhausted mentally, physically, and spiritually.

As you head into the weekend, take time and make sure you begin to make one day a day of worship and rest. Rest is not being lazy. Even God rested after He finished making all of creation! God gave us this day to refresh our spirit and our body. Make sure you are taking advantage of that.

I pray today that you will reflect on if legalism is affecting your relationship with Jesus. I also pray you will being to adjust your lives so that you are honoring the Sabbath. Resting, refreshing and worshipping our Lord.