The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (55 page)

At a practical level, the Pharisees' quest for holiness and separation was expressed in a number of ways.

(1) The Pharisees gave considerable attention to ritual purity.

They looked to the Temple and priests of Jerusalem, considering the elaborate purity requirements for priests (Lev 21-22) a fitting model for Jewish purity in the homes of laypeople. All Israelites, the Pharisees reasoned, should maintain this high level of priestlike holiness in their personal lives. Related to this:

(2) The Pharisees tightened their grip on Israel's national symbols.

Circumcision (Lev 12:3), the Sabbath day (Ex 20:8-11), food laws (Lev 11), and tithing (Deut 14:22-29) were all expressions of Israel's unique covenant with God upon which the Pharisees laid great stress. Scrupulous observance of these laws meant that the Pharisees could proudly assert their identity in the midst of their Gentile neighbors. In addition to God's written law (Gen-Deut):

(3) The Pharisees developed an entire body of personal rituals and traditions to stand alongside the books of Moses.

These embodied Pharisaic interpretations of the Law and functioned as supplements to the Law. They included practices like cleansing hands and utensils before preparing or eating food (Mk 7:3-4).

This background sets the clashes between Jesus and the Pharisees in a whole new light. The Pharisees attached themselves to the destiny of Old Covenant Israel, while Jesus was inaugurating the international New Covenant in the Church. The Pharisees tried to insulate Israel from the Gentiles, while Jesus was reaching out to embrace the nations with God's mercy. The Pharisees were religious separatists, while Jesus' proclamation of God's kingdom was open and inclusive.

For these reasons, Jesus offers a harsh critique of the Pharisees (Mt 23). Their tenacious concern for ritual exactness and outward observances distracted them from the most important matters of God's Law: "justice and mercy and faith" (Mt 23:23). The Pharisees' inordinate concern with Jewish nationalism became the idol that blocked their way into the kingdom.

In the Gospels, this smoldering tension ignited as Jesus challenged their views on the Sabbath (Mt 12:114), ritual purity (Mk 7:1-23), table-fellowship (Mt 9:10-13), tithing (Mt 23:23), and divorce (Mt 19:1-9). He charged many of them with hypocrisy (Lk 12:1) and a misplaced confidence in Pharisaic piety (Lk 18:914).

In the end, Jesus' conflicts with the Pharisees had little to do with isolated disagreements over the Torah and everything to do with God's saving plan for Israel and the world.

The arrival of Christ's New Covenant signaled the end of Israel's separation from Gentiles and the beginning of a worldwide family of God. «
Back to Mark 2:1.

2:21-22
Because the Old Covenant has become like an
old garment
and
old wineskins,
the New Covenant can neither be stitched to its worn fibers nor poured into its brittle skins. Rather, the
fasting
and anticipation of the Old Covenant must give way to the
feasting
and celebration of the New Covenant that Jesus brings into the world. 
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2:24 not lawful on the sabbath:
Although Deut 23:25 permits the Israelites to pluck and eat standing grain, the Pharisees indict the disciples under the law of Ex 34:21, which forbids harvesting on the Sabbath (Ex 20:8-11; CCC 2168-73). Resolved to discredit him, the Pharisees equate plucking grain with harvesting it. 
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2:25 Have you never read:
A stinging insult to the educated Pharisees.
See note on Mt 12:3
.
what David did:
Jesus recalls 1 Sam 21:1-6 to shed light on the present circumstances. • David was permitted to override the Mosaic ritual Law by letting his hungry companions eat the sacred bread of the Tabernacle reserved for the priests. Since Jesus is the Messiah and thus greater than David (12:35-37), he should not be condemned for suspending the Sabbath to meet a legitimate need (hunger) for his own disciples. Should the Pharisees denounce Jesus, they would unwittingly denounce the honored King David. 
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2:26 when Abiathar was high priest:
The priest who provided David with bread was actually Ahimelech, Abiathar's father (1 Sam 21:1). This apparent discrepancy causes some modern scholars to accuse Jesus of misquoting Scripture, although this conclusion is unnecessary. • Jesus probably mentioned Abiathar instead of Ahimelech to post a warning for the Pharisees. Abiathar is infamous in OT history as the last high priest of his line, who was banished from Jerusalem and the priesthood for opposing Solomon, the son of David and the heir of his kingdom (1 Kings 2:26-27). He thus represents the end of an old order that passes away with the coming of David's royal successor. As Jesus compares himself and the disciples with David and his men, he likewise draws the Pharisees into the story by casting them as figures like Abiathar. The Pharisees, then, represent an old order of covenant leadership that is about to expire, and if they persist in their opposition to Jesus, the new heir of the Davidic kingdom, they will meet the same disastrous fate that befell Abiathar. Jesus' allusion to this OT tradition was a subtle yet strategic way to caution the Pharisees against their antagonism to his ministry. 
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2:27 the sabbath:
A day for physical rest and spiritual worship (Gen 2:1-3; Ex 20:8-11). It reminded the Israelites weekly of their total dependence upon God. The Pharisees, however, made observance of the Sabbath according to their own standards a stringent test of Jewish faithfulness. Whoever disobeyed the minute Sabbath regulations codified by the Pharisees was automatically suspected of religious laxity or compromise. According to Jesus, God designed the Sabbath to benefit his people, not to burden them (CCC 2172-73). 
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3:4 Is it lawful . . . ?:
Jesus implies that doing
good
for the sake of mercy or necessity does not constitute a violation of the Sabbath. One should abstain from servile works, not good works.
or to kill?:
An alarming alternative to saving life. Common sympathy might allow for the preservation of life on the Sabbath, but not its destruction. • Jesus may allude to the precedent of 1 Macc 2:41, where the Jews temporarily suspended Sabbath observance to permit defensive warfare. This was necessary in order to
save life
from military attacks on their sacred day of rest. If Israel could sidestep the Sabbath to preserve life, then surely Jesus can heal a man's hand on the same day.
See note on Lk 6:9
. 
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3:6 Pharisees . . . Herodians:
Two religious and political groups in NT Palestine. They held opposite political stances and outlooks on Jewish life but stood united in their opposition to Jesus (CCC 574).
See note on Mk 12:13
. 
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3:7-12
Jesus gains widespread popularity with the crowds. Although they perceive him as a powerful healer and exorcist, the demons know his true identity as God's Son (3:11). Jesus' popular appeal here stands in contrast to 3:6 and the resentment of the Pharisees and Herodians. 
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3:14 he appointed twelve:
Jesus spent the entire night in prayer before selecting the apostles (Lk 6:12). • The number of apostles is symbolic: as the 12 sons of Jacob were representatives of Old Covenant Israel (Gen 49:3-28), so Jesus gathers 12 patriarchs to found his New Covenant people in the Church (Mt 19:28; Rev 21:12-14; CCC 551, 765).
to be sent out:
An apostle is "one who is sent out" as a messenger or emissary (cf. Mt 10:5; CCC 858). See chart below:
The Twelve Apostles.
 
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3:22 Beelzebul:
A pagan god worshipped at Ekron (see Baalzebub, 2 Kings 1:2-16). The name probably meant "Prince Baal". The scribes use it as a disdainful title for Satan.
by the prince of demons:
It was commonly held that weaker demons could be exorcised by more powerful ones. The scribes wrongfully attribute Jesus' power to the sorcery of Satan, the most powerful demon of all (Mt 9:34; 10:25; CCC 548). 
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3:24-25
By ascribing the power of Jesus to Satan, the scribes reveal their own collaboration with the devil's
kingdom.
Satan's
house
will fall because Christ will conquer him, not because his demons are weakened by divisions within their own ranks (Heb 2:14; 1 Jn 3:8).
See note on Mt 12:25-26
. 
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3:29 an eternal sin:
The scribes utter blasphemy by attributing to Satan what is actually the work of the Holy Spirit (3:22, 30). Their sin is not unforgivable in principle since no sin can place us beyond the reach of God's mercy. However, blasphemy
against the Holy Spirit
is a form of rebellion that is particularly grievous because it blinds people to their own need for forgiveness; in this case, sins are unpardonable when they are not confessed with contrition (CCC 1864). • The sin against the Holy Spirit was prefigured in the OT when the Israelites fashioned the golden calf (Ex 32:1-6). Instead of giving worship and thanks to Yahweh for their deliverance, they honored as their true redeemer an idol of their own making (Ex 32:4). 
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