Mark

2:23-3:6

The journey begins, 1:1-5:43

3. Conflict in the journey, 2:1-3:6

iii] Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath

These two episodes, the disciples Sabbath infringement and Jesus healing on the Sabbath, proclaim the dawning of the messianic age, the age of peace and plenty, in and through Jesus, "The Lord of the Sabbath".

Mark records a series of five controversy stories early on in his gospel, with our passage for study consisting of the forth and fifth of these stories. Both of these last controversy stories concern Sabbath observance.

In the first episode Jesus' use of the David incident is somewhat obscure, since it doesn't concern Sabbath observance (the only Sabbath link being the exchange each Sabbath of the bread of the Presence). What then is the purpose of the story? A good starting point is with Lane's suggestion that the story "is offered [as] an analogy to Jesus and his disciples." In Jesus' retelling of the story (and his expansion of it!!!) he establishes both the humanity that lies behind divine law and his authority to adjudge on matters of law. These two truths are encapsulated in two stitched independent sayings:

i] "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath". The story supports Jesus' view "that his disciples' action is not violating the humanitarian purpose of the Sabbath law even though it may be violating the law as such", Gundry. Sabbath law is not designed to burden us, but to provide an opportunity for rest, a rest that prefigures the coming day of God's eternal rest. The story "shows that the rigidity with which the Pharisees interpreted the ritual law was not in accordance with scripture", Cranfield. It should be noted that Jesus does not excuse the breaking of God's law on the ground of necessity. This is supported by the fact that Mark does not suggest that the disciples were hungry, or in need.

i] "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath". The story reveals "that what David could do because he was David was a valid precedent for the authority of someone greater than David", France. As David took upon himself the authority to adjudge on matters of the law as it relates to his companions, so does Jesus. Standing within radical rabbinical tradition, Jesus has first identified the humanity of Sabbath law ("the Sabbath is delivered over for your sake, but you are not delivered over to the Sabbath", Rabbi Simeon ben Menasya, ca. 180AD). Now, drawing a consequential result w{ste from his willingness to adjudge on Sabbath law as it relates to his disciples' actions, Jesus declares his right and authority, as God's messiah, "the Son of Man", so to adjudge, and in so doing, proclaims that God's messianic rest is at hand.

In this pronouncement story, the disciples' rather innocent picking of a few heads of wheat/barley while passing through a field is viewed as harvesting by some overscrupulous Pharisees; reaping being classed as a work forbidden under the law. Jesus then draws from an incident in the life of David to remind the Pharisees of the humanitarian nature of the law and of his right to adjudge on matters of the law, 2:23-28.

auton "Jesus" - he. Obviously linking this episode with the one that proceeds, it also being a controversy story, concerned with eating, and related to Jesus' authority, ie. he allows his disciples to break fast, and here, he allows his disciples to "reap" on the Sabbath.

paraporeuesqai (paraporeuomai) pres. inf. "was going [through]" - to pass by. The infinitive forms an infinitival clause, subject of the verb egeneto "it became / happened" = "to pass through the grainfields on the Sabbath happened" = "One day it happened the he was making his way through fields of corn on the Sabbath day", Cassirer.

dia + gen. "through" - Obviously with the sense "through", as of going through a grainfield.

twn sparimwn adj. "grainfields" - The adjective "sown" here used as a substantive, "grainfield". The grain would be either wheat or barley.

poiein (poiew) pres. inf. "walked" - [began] to make / do [way]. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of "began". Technically the clause reads "they began to make their way plucking ...", although it could be shortened to "they began plucking", Taylor. None-the-less the phrase is probably descriptive of the disciples pushing their way through the grainfield and so making a way/path/road for themselves to walk along, cf. Cranfield. Gundry argues that the construction is serving to separate the disciples from Jesus, ie. only the disciples are pushing into the grainfield and plucking the heads of wheat/barley. Marcus argues that the phrase is serving to describe the disciples making a way for Jesus, with the allusion to "making a way (the royal way) for the Lord" (overly subtle??). "As the disciples made their way through", Moffatt.

tillonteV (tillw) pres. part. "they began to pick" - picking, plucking. The participle is adverbial, probably modal expressing the manner in which they passed through the field. "As the disciples made a path they pulled off heads of grain", Peterson.

o} ouk exestin "what is unlawful [on the Sabbath]" - what is not permitted. "The Pharisees regarded what the disciples were doing as work", Cranfield. That the Pharisees were always present to make negative comments every time Jesus does something controversial is questioned by some commentators, so Sanders, although given Jesus' controversial ministry we would expect the religious authorities to keep an eye on him. "What the law prohibits people from doing", TH.

Jesus now relates the story of when David and his companions ate the loaves of presentation, cf. 1Sam.21:1-7, v25-26. As already noted, Jesus retells the story with some "poetic licence", although Jesus' retelling is probably best described as an authoritative "interpretation of scripture", Boring. Under normal circumstances a rabbinical argument would only stand where two texts are quoted and these not from a historical book. Jesus' interpretation stands by itself since it is given under the authority of the Son of Man.

legei (legw) pres. "He answered" - he says. Historical present for dramatic purposes.

oudepote anegnwte "have you never read" - Rhetorical question. Obviously they had read, but not understood.

o{te "when" - Introducing a temporal clause.

oiJ met autou "and his companions" - those with him.

creian escen kai epeinasen "were hungry and in need" - he had need and was hungry. The doubling up of the "need" possibly reflects "the general tendency by the rabbis to justify David's actions as being from one ravenously hungry whose life was in danger", Guelich. On the other hand, it is possible that "hungry" simply explains the need; "when he found himself in need, and he and his companions were going hungry", Cassirer.

epi + gen. "in the days of" - at the time of. Temporal.

Abiaqar "Abiathar [the high priest]" - At the time of this story Ahimelech was actually the high priest. Abiathar, a son of Ahimelech, was one of the few who escaped the slaughter perpetrated by Doeg the Edomite. Both Matthew and Luke omit the name, as do some Markan manuscripts. "In the days of" may provide a general designation, rather than a specific one (Possibly "in the section of scripture having to do with Abiathar", Wenham; "in the presence of Abiathar the high priest", Derrett), or it may be a gloss, or possibly Mark (even Jesus??) has made a mistake (so raising the issue of inspiration!). Freedman suggests that in the development of a tradition, as here, a better known name often supplants a lesser known name (Abiathar's importance relates to his association with "the house of God", ie. the temple in Jerusalem, so Gundry, and his association with David, so Marcus).

pwV adv. "-" - how [he entered into the house of God].

ei mh "only for [priests]" - except [by the priests].

fagein (fagw) "to eat" - [is not permitted, right] to be eaten. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of "is not permitted".

kai "and [he] also" - and = furthermore, in addition.

ou\sin (eimi) dat. pres. part. "to his [companions]" - [to the ones] being [with him]. The participle is adjectival, limiting "the ones", ie. David's companions; "and also to those who were with him / to his companions."

Jesus now gives his humanitarian interpretation of the Sabbath commandment. "The Sabbath was made to serve us, we weren't made to serve the Sabbath", Peterson.

dia + acc. "[was made] for" - [the sabbath was created, established] on account of, because of = for the sake of [man].

ton anqrwpon "man" - Manson suggests "the Son of Man" as properly representing the Aramaic and based on the idea that the Sabbath was given for Israel alone, so now for Jesus and his disciples. "Man" as "humanity", Cranfield.

"The conclusion to be drawn from this (ie. Jesus' radical interpretation of Sabbath law) is that the Son of man exercises his lordship even over the Sabbath", Cassirer, ie. "He who is man's Lord and Representative has authority to determine its laws and use", Taylor, so also Cranfield, Gundry ("Mark does not want the pericope to end on a humanitarian note, but with an emphasis on Jesus' authority"), Boring ("the authority by which he [Jesus] authorizes his disciples to violate the norms of tradition and Scripture is the climactic self-declaration" ..... of "the unique authority of Jesus"), Edwards ("By what authority does Jesus contravene Sabbath convention and presume to redefine it? ... True lordship over the Sabbath is invested in the Son of Man"), France, Marcus ("The Son of Man is its [the Sabbath] sovereign"), Lane...

w{ste + ind. "so" - so that, thus.

oJ uiJoV tou anqrwpou "the Son of Man" - Some have argued that the Aramaic sense "man / human" lies behind this statement, "so man is lord of the Sabbath". This certainly fits well with v27, but it is more likely that Daniel's coming "Son of Man" / messiah, the one who takes up authority and rule at the right hand of the Ancient of Days, is the "man" Jesus has in mind.

kurioV (oV) "Lord" - The capitalizing of "lord" in the NIV implies the word is a divine title, but "ruler / master / owner" = "the one who exercises authority" is surely in Jesus' mind.

kai "even" - and. Here "even".

tou sabbatou (on) gen. "of the Sabbath" - The genitive is adjectival, probably possessive, so "over the Sabbath", Moffatt.

In this second pronouncement story concerning Sabbath observance, Jesus again identifies the failure of religious Israel to see the humanitarian purpose within divine law and takes to himself the right to both proclaim and perform that purpose.

ecwn (exw) pres. part. "with [a shriveled hand]" - having [the hand having been withered]. The participle is adjectival, limiting "man", "a man was there whose hand was withered."

exhrammenhn (xhrainw) perf. pas. part. "a shriveled [hand]" - having been withered, dried up [the hand]. The participle is adjectival, limiting "hand", "a hand which had been withered". The perfect tense used to express a past event which has ongoing / permanent results. "A man with a crippled hand", Peterson.

thn ceira (ceir oV) "hand" - the hand. With parts of the body the article indicates possession, "his hand was withered", TH.

parethroun (parathrew) imperf. "some of them were looking" - they watching intently. Of studying someone intently. The imperfect being durative expresses the continued action of watching. Not just "people were watching", impersonal, so Taylor, but obviously "the religious authorities." "The Jewish leaders were watching him", Junkins.

iJna + subj. "for [a reason to accuse Jesus]" - that [they might accuse him]. Forming a purpose clause, "in order that they might accuse him", ie. "so as to get a charge against him", Moffatt.

autou gen. "Jesus" - of him = against him.

ei .... qerapeusei (qerapeuw) fut. "if he would heal [him]" - if ... he will heal [him]. The future tense is used with the interrogative ei to express the question that would be in the mind of those who were watching, ie. "will he heal him?", cf. TH / Lagrange. If a person's life was in danger it was accepted that medical care could be administered, but if not, then care should be administered after the Sabbath. Jesus happily overrides such "insect law" (Pharisaic legalism) with "camel law" (mercy). "They kept watching to see if Jesus would heal him on the Sabbath", CEV.

Jesus intentionally uses the handicapped man to make his point by bringing him into the front of the gathered congregation.

tw/ .... econti (exw) "with [the shriveled hand]" - having [the withered hand]. The participle is adjectival, limiting "man", "the man who had the withered hand."

egeire eiV to meson "stand up in front of everyone" - rise into the middle. Luke's egeire kai sthqi eiV to meson, "arise and stand into [in] the middle [of the gathering]", is somewhat more instructive than Mark's "short talk". Of course, Luke may have misread Mark, eg. "rise and come forward", Moffatt (assuming Luke used Mark rather than existing oral tradition, Q, ???).

Given that the law is designed for good (it is humanitarian), then the logic of Jesus question is that "to refuse to do good is to do evil; and it could not be right to do evil on the sabbath", Plummer.

legei (legw) "then Jesus asked [them]" - he says [to them]" - Historic present tense.

exestin pres. "which is lawful" - [is] it lawful, right, permissible, allowed. This verb is followed by four infinitives, "to do good / to do evil / to save / to destroy" ("to help or to hurt, to save life or to kill", Barclay), which form an infinitival clause, subject of the verb, "is to do good ......... lawful?"

de "but" - but, and. Here obviously adversative.

esiwpwn (siwpaw) imperf. "they remained silent" - they were silent. The imperfect, being durative, expresses ongoing action, as NIV. "No one made a sound", Junkins.

peribleyamenoV (periblepw) aor. part. "he looked around [at them]" - having looked around [them]. The participle is adverbial, probably temporal, "then he looked around [upon]", or possibly modal expressing the manner of Jesus' action, "looking around ...." A nice descriptive such that we can imagine Jesus doing the sweeping stare.

met orghV "with anger" - "Wrathfully", TH. Further describing Jesus' reaction; the looking is not overly friendly! "His gaze swept around them and there was anger in his eyes", Barclay.

sullupoumenoV (sullupew) pres. pas. part. "deeply distressed" - being distressed, grieved. "Sympathize", Cranfield, being the usual sense of the word, so Taylor, but "grieving along with" is not how the context has it, but "grieved at". The anger is not just anger, annoyance, but rather a grieving anger driven by a feeling of hurt at the inhumanity of the religious officials; a mixture of "anger and sorrow", REB. These interesting human qualities simply describe the person of Jesus, not just his humanity, since the divine is not devoid of feeling.

epi + dat. "at" - on the basis of / because of = at [the blindness, insensitivity (better than hardness, sinewiness), of the heart of them].

apekatestaqh (apokaqisthmi) aor. pas. "[his hand] was completely restored" - was restored, returned to its original soundness. The aorist expressing completed action, as NIV.

exelqonteV (exercomai) aor. part. "then [the Pharisees] went out" - going out. The Participle is adverbial, temporal, as NIV. The implied subject is obviously "the Pharisees" and their "going out" refers to their going out of the synagogue. "Upon this, [the Pharisees ...] made their exit", Cassirer.

euquV "-" - immediately. "At once joined the Herodians", Moffatt. "Immediately" indicates that the Pharisees started plotting Jesus' murder on the Sabbath, which act, according to Jesus, is unlawful, cf. v4. Note that Herod's party was a political grouping, not religious, but it would be necessary for the Pharisees to get them on side if they were to make a move against Jesus. There is only limited evidence available for the existence of this political grouping and it is interesting that Mark would mention them, given that they would be less than a distant memory with the passing of Herod. See Guelich for a discussion on this issue.

sumboulion edidoun "and began to plot [with the Herodians]" - gave / made / caused a consultation / counsel / plan. In general terms "they took counsel / plotted", ie. they are functioning as "assassins", Gundry. The imperfect is possibly inceptive, as NIV; "they started making plans", CEV.

kata + gen. "-" - against [him].

o{pwV + subj. "how [they might kill Jesus]" - how [they might destroy him]. Probably "how" as in what manner the Pharisees might be able to bring about Jesus' death, but o{pwV + subj. can replace iJna + subj. and form a purpose clause, such that the Pharisees consulted with the Herodians, a political group they would have little respect for, "in order to kill Jesus." This is the first mention of Jesus' opponents wanting to kill him.

Mark Introduction

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