v 1…And getting into a boat, he crossed over and came to his own city (Capernaum, the “village of the comforter.” He turned back around and got into the boat and went back to his home-Mark 2.1).
v 2…And behold, a paralytic, lying on a bed; and Yeshua seeing their faith (faith is action) said to the paralytic, “Take courage, my son, your sins are forgiven.”
v 3…And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This fellow blasphemes (blasphemy is calling something that isn’t holy, holy; and calling something that is holy, unholy. In this case, claiming to be able to forgive sin).”
v 4…And Yeshua knowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts (that I blasphemed)?
v 5…For which is easier (for me), to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say ‘Rise and walk’?
v 6… But in order that you may know that the Son of Man (an eschatological title “bar Enosh” out of Dan 7.13 in Aramaic, not “ben adam; and the Talmud, Sanhedrin 98a and the Book of Enoch) has authority on earth to forgive sins” then he said to the paralytic, “rise, take up your bed, and go home (he doesn’t even pray to God, he just gives a command).”
v 7…And he arose, and went to his home (this proved that he did not blaspheme. He forgave his sins, but they could not see that. So to prove his sins were forgiven, he healed him, which they could see).
v 8…But when the multitude saw this, they were filled with awe and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
v 9…And as Yeshua passed on from there, he saw a man, called Matthew, sitting in the tax office, and he said to him, “Follow me!” And he rose, and followed him.
v 10…And it happened that as he was reclining at table in the house, behold many tax-gatherers and sinners (chata’im) came and joined Yeshua and his talmidim at the table.
v 11…And when the Pharisees (probably from the house of Shammai because they limited this type of contact and had their own “chavurahs” to eat with; for more information on the Pharisees and Beit Shamnai see the teachings called “Torah and New Testament Foundations-The Pharisees, Sadducees and Yeshua” and “Torah and New Testament Foundations-Sanhedrin, Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai” on this website) saw this, they said to his talmidim, “Why does your teacher (rabbi) eat with tax-gatherers and sinners (the tax-gatherers and publicans were despised and hated)?”
v 12…But when he heard this, he said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are ill.
v 13… But go and learn what this means (Yeshua reacts by commanding them to go and learn something, a lesson that they will fail to learn and he criticizes them again in Matt 12.7), ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice (he quotes Isa 64.6),’ for I did not come to call the righteous; but sinners (showing mercy to tax-gatherers and sinners is worth more than their traditions. The Pharisees were obeying the Torah, which was right in God’s eyes, but neglecting the weightier measures of the Torah like mercy, justice and compassion-Matt 23.23. They were to do both-faith with works-James 2.17. Had they learned what Isa 64.6 meant they would have seen they were in need of a physician as well as the tax collectors and sinners).”
v 14…Then the talmidim of John (the Baptist) came to him, saying “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your talmidim do not fast?”
v 15… And Yeshua said to them, “The attendants of the bridegroom (his talmidim) cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them (it was a happy time), can they? But the day will come (in the future that fasting will come) when the bridegroom is taken away from them and then they will fast (fasting was not the priority while Yeshua was there).
v 16…But no one puts a new patch of unshrunk cloth (and a new piece of cloth is fasting after Yeshua is gone) on an old garment (Yeshua’s teachings were old because they were from God-John 7.16- and he was still with them) for the patch pulls away from the garment and a worse tear results.
v 17… Nor do men put new wine (fasting) into old wineskins (Yeshua is the old wineskin and still present with them so it was a time for enjoying the old wine=his teachings were from old-John 7.16); otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out (wasted), and the wineskins are ruined, but they put new wine (fasting) into fresh wineskins (Messiah will not be present someday) and both are preserved (there is a proper time for everything; there is a teaching in the Mishnah that compares a skilled Torah teacher to a wineskin, and his knowledge to “old wine”-Mishnah, Avot 4.20).
v 18… While he was saying these things to them, behold, there came a synagogue official (a “zekan”=elder), and bowed down before him, saying, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live (Mark 5.21-24-His name was Jairus, meaning “enlightened”).”
v 19…And Yeshua arose and began to follow him, and so did his talmidim.
v 20…And behold, a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years (Mark 5.25-34), came up behind him and touched the fringe (the tzitzit on his talit) of his cloak (fulfilling a prophecy in Mal 4.2 where it says the Messiah will come with healing in his wings, or the corners; see also Mark 6.56 as a further fulfillment of this Messianic expectation);
v 21… for she was saying to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I shall get well (see Lev 15.25-30. This woman suffered greatly, not only from her sickness, but she was not allowed to enter the Temple or live a normal life. She was to be treated as one with a chronic menstrual flow, resulting in ritual uncleanliness).
v 22…But Yeshua turning and seeing said, “Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well.” And at once the woman was made well.
v 23…And when Yeshua came into the official’s house, and saw the flute-players, and the crowd in noisy disorder (these were professional mourners),
v 24…He began to say, “Depart; for the girl is not dead (permanently), but asleep.” And they were laughing at him.
v 25… But when the crowd had been put out, he entered and took the girl by the hand (in Mark it says he wrapped her in his talit, with the fringes because he said “talitha cumi” which means “she which is in the talit, arise”-Mark 5.41, doing what Elijah did-1 Kings 17.17-24. You can see the word “talit” in this statement); and the girl arose.
v 26…And this news went out into all that land.
v 27…And as Yeshua passed on from there, two blind men followed him crying out, saying, “Have mercy on us, Son of David (a messianic title).
v 28…And after he had come into the house, the blind men came up to him, and Yeshua said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.”
v 29…Then he touched their eyes, saying, “Be it done to you according to your faith.”
v 30…And their eyes were opened and Yeshua sternly warned them, saying, “See here, let no one know about this (he didn’t want the people to get the wrong idea about his mission and going to war against Rome because it was the last kingdom in Daniel’s vision and many had the idea that that was what the Messiah would do when he came. The authorities were already against him as it was. This idea actually played out in in the Bar Kochba (son of the star) rebellion in 132 AD when Bar Kochba was declared the Messiah and he led an unsuccessful rebellion).
v 31… But they went out, and spread the news about him in all the land.
v 32…And as they were going out, behold, a dumb man, demon-possessed, was brought to him.
v 33…And after the demon was cast out, the dumb man spoke; and multitudes marveled, saying, “Nothing like this was ever seen in Israel.”
v 34… But the Pharisees were saying, “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons (or “in the name of”).”
v 35… And Yeshua was going about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the gospel (the Basar, the good news) of the kingdom (God’s movement and rule in action, which was being offered at that time. Many think that the gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of Yeshua, but if that were true, how could the gospel be preached to Abraham, Israel, Moses and the people of Israel at this time, when Yeshua had not even died yet? The truth is, the gospel was given to Israel and it is pictured in the Yovel year, or the fiftieth year after seven shemittah cycles, or 49 years. It was a time of release from debt, properties were returned to their ancestral owners, prisoners were released, freedom and much more. When the Messianic Kingdom comes, it will bring freedom and all spiritual healing. The death, burial and resurrection of Yeshua is God’s “mark” that all these things are going to be accomplished through him as king. See our article on this site called “The Basar” for more information on what the gospel is, or go the Introduction to Matthew), and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness (these were prophetic signs of the Messianic Kingdom to come)
v 36…And seeing the multitudes, he felt compassion for them (one of the attributes of a righteous king), because they were distressed and downcast, like sheep without a shepherd (the priests were to be the shepherds but they were corrupt for the most part, leaving them with no one to show them the ways of the Lord-Ezek 44.23).
v 37…Then he said to the talmidim, “The harvest is plentiful (there were large numbers of God’s elect in the cities and villages. There are set times for the harvest to be gathered, a fixed time, settled in the counsel and purposes of God before the world was founded-Eph 1.4; Acts 13.48, 18.10), but the workers are few (because there were so many to be gathered).
v 38…Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.”
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