Jesus always takes things deeper. He always goes to the root issue. Listen as Jeff unpacks Mark 2:18-28, where Jesus is confronted about both "fasting" and the "Sabbath" but responds by confronting the religious heart attitudes behind people's beliefs. "People matter more than the rules"
Jesus 101
A Journey through the Gospel of Mark.
“Sick People Do”
A lot of people think that being a Christian is all about be a good, moral person. A person who follows all the rules and does all the right kinds of things. But is that really what Christianity is all about? Is that really why Jesus came? To make us "good, moral people"? Listen as Jeff Jantzi teaches from Mark 2:13-17.
Jesus Calls Levi (Matthew)
13 Then Jesus went out to the lakeshore again and taught the crowds that were coming to him. 14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Levi got up and followed him.
15 Later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of this kind among Jesus’ followers.) 16 But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum?”
17 When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”
“Who Can Forgive Sins but God Alone”
Listen as Trevor Seath, Ontario Director or C2C, unpacks Mark 2:1-12 and the story of the paralytic being lowered on a mat before Jesus.
Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man
2 When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. 2 Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them, 3 four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. 4 They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. 5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.”
6 But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves, 7 “What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”
8 Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? 9 Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’? 10 So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, 11 “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”
12 And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, “We’ve never seen anything like this before!”
“I Am Willing!”
Far too often, Christians find themselves preoccupied with who's "in" and who's "out". With who God accepts and includes and who He doesn't. But what about Jesus? Was this something he seemed preoccupied with? Was this something Jesus seemed to worry about?
Join us this Sunday as we look at the radically inclusive life and message of Jesus by focusing on Mark 1:40-45.
Jesus Heals a Man with Leprosy
40 A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” he said.
41 Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” 42 Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed. 43 Then Jesus sent him on his way with a stern warning: 44 “Don’t tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.”
45 But the man went and spread the word, proclaiming to everyone what had happened. As a result, large crowds soon surrounded Jesus, and he couldn’t publicly enter a town anywhere. He had to stay out in the secluded places, but people from everywhere kept coming to him.
“Everyone is Looking for You”
Jesus was a busy guy. As we read through the Gospel of Mark, it's clear that he had a lot on the go. Preaching in the Synagogue, healing people, casting out demons, investing in his disciples... and yet, despite his busy life, Jesus never seemed stressed out or anxious about any of it. Why is this? Have you ever wondered about that? What makes him so different from us?
Miracles! Mark 1:21-34
What do the miracles of Jesus show us about the character of Jesus? And what do they reveal to us about his message? Join us to find out.
“Follow Me” Mark 1:16-20
We follow a lot of different things and people in this life. We follow people on Twitter and Facebook. We follow sports teams and celebrities. We follow our favourite TV shows and movies. But what did Jesus mean when he said to his disciples (and now to you and to me) to "Follow me"?
The Opening Scenes, Mark 1:9-15
In the Gospel of Mark, the spotlight is now in Jesus as he comes on to the scene. What can we learn about Jesus and his message in these opening scenes?
“Prepare the Way” Mark 1:1-8
"This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God." (Mark 1:1)
Join us as we discuss the good news of Jesus Christ and the role of John the Baptist in "Preparing the Way" for the Messiah. What if you and I are called to do the same?
