Breaking the Law
We’ve been following the Gospel of Mark with a simple but profound question:
How does Jesus change everything?
What mark does Jesus make on the world? What does the kingdom of God offer that is different from the status quo?
As Jesus’ ministry begins to grow, so does his popularity. People are following him because they have heard about the miracles, the healings, and the authority with which he speaks. Some are coming because they desperately need something from him. Others are beginning to wonder whether this could actually be the Messiah they have been waiting for.
But as Jesus’ popularity grows, so does the controversy.
In Mark 2:13 – 3: 6, we encounter four stories where conflict and controversy centre around Jewish law and how that law was being lived out in everyday life. Through each story, Jesus reveals something important—not about eliminating the law, but about understanding its purpose.
Jesus did not come to destroy the law.
He came to reveal what the law was always pointing toward.
When Rules Become the Focus
Most of us have a somewhat complicated relationship with rules.
We appreciate the rules that keep us safe, create order, or make life easier. But we can become much less enthusiastic about the rules that restrict us or make life more difficult.
I experienced this while living in community on a ship with Mercy Ships for 3 years. There were rules about curfews, restricted spaces, appropriate activities, dress codes, and all kinds of other things.
One of the most challenging—and frustrating for me—was the rule about footwear, particularly when it came to children!
Some people love rules. They want to know exactly what is expected and exactly where the boundaries are. Others would rather figure things out as they go.
But most of us have something in common: when we encounter a rule that seems unfair or unreasonable, we get upset.
That is part of what makes these stories in Mark so interesting.
Jesus doesn’t simply ask, “Are you following the rules?”
He asks us to consider something deeper:
“Can you see that I am the one that rules are leading you to?”
Story One: Jesus Eats With Sinners
In Mark 2:13–17, Jesus calls Levi, the tax collector, to follow him.
And then Jesus does something that causes people to take notice: he eats with tax collectors and sinners.
The word “sinners” appears repeatedly in this short story. It is an uncomfortable word for us because it can sound as though there are two groups of people—those who are sinners and those who aren’t.
But the point of the story isn’t that the Pharisees are righteous and everyone else is hopeless.
The people described as sinners were those who were actively living in ways that were contrary to God’s commandments. Tax collectors were a particularly obvious example.
And yet these are the people Jesus pursues.
These are the people he invites back to the table.
The Pharisees ask:
“Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
There is an assumption underneath that question:
These people aren’t good enough to be around you.
To eat with someone was an act of fellowship. It communicated acceptance and relationship.
And the Pharisees couldn’t understand why someone who was a religious teacher would willingly spend time with people who didn’t fit the religious mold.
But Jesus demonstrates something profoundly different.
His holiness is not diminished by contact with brokenness.
Sin doesn’t “rub off” on Jesus.
Instead, Jesus’ brand of holiness moves toward the broken.
That is the heart of his mission.
Holiness is not something Jesus protects by staying away from people who need him. Instead, he enters their brokenness and invites them into relationship.
Jesus tells them:
“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
This is good news.
Our brokenness does not disqualify us from Jesus.
Our failure does not make him turn away.
Our current condition has no bearing on his desire to be part of our lives.
Jesus comes looking for us.
Don’t Let Your Pursuit of Holiness Keep You From Being With Jesus
This is where the story becomes personal.
We can easily become like the Pharisees.
We can become so focused on being good, clean, correct, or righteous that we lose sight of Jesus himself.
We can begin looking at the people around us and thinking:
“At least I’m not like that.”
But Jesus calls us away from that kind of comparison.
Our striving for perfection—however noble it may seem—comes to an end when we are brought face to face with Jesus.
He is the one who entered this broken world precisely because it was broken.
So don’t let your standard of holiness stand in the way of relationship with Jesus.
Whether you’re waiting to be baptized, wondering whether you are ready to follow Jesus:
Jesus is ready to meet you right where you are.
Story Two: Don’t Miss the One You’re Preparing For
The second story comes in Mark 2:18–22.
The question is about fasting:
“How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?”
Fasting is a meaningful spiritual practice. It creates intentional space to focus on God. When we fast from food, we are reminded of our dependence and vulnerability, and we create room to experience God’s faithfulness.
So why aren’t Jesus’ disciples fasting?
Jesus’ response is fascinating.
He essentially says: Because the one you are working to draw near to is here!
The purpose of fasting is to bring us closer to God.
But now, in Jesus, God has come near.
The kingdom is at hand.
The King is here.
The time of waiting is over.
Don’t keep preparing to meet him when he is standing right in front of you.
That is a challenge for us too.
We can become so caught up in preparation, process, effort, and spiritual activity that we actually miss the thing itself.
I’m very much a process person. I like the journey. I like the preparation. I like putting in the effort.
For me, hiking is a good example.
It’s hard work. You sweat and become breathless. But you keep going. Eventually you reach the top of the mountain.
And within minutes I think: Okay, let’s go down. No time to enjoy the view, the sense of grandeur,
Sometimes I wonder if I do the same thing spiritually.
I pray.
I tithe.
I serve.
I study.
I work hard at becoming a better Christian.
And yet, somehow, all of those things can become the destination instead of the means.
I reach the top of the mountain and walk right past Jesus because I’m too focused on continuing on.
Don’t make that mistake. Don’t lose sight of the one you’re walking toward.
Story Three: Understanding the Sabbath
The third story is found in Mark 2:23–28.
Jesus and his disciples are walking through the grain fields on the Sabbath, and picking heads of grain to eat, and the Pharisees challenge them:
“Why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”
The Sabbath was deeply important.
It was a day set apart for God—a day to stop working, to rest, to recenter, to remember that everything begins and ends with God.
There is much we can learn from that practice.
But once again, Jesus challenges the way the law is being understood.
He reminds them of the story of David and then makes a profound statement:
“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
In other words, remember the purpose.
The Sabbath is a gift, created to enjoy time with God, to become re-centered on him, and to take time to rest.
Jesus asks us to exercise wisdom.
There are times when simply following the rule, without considering its purpose, can actually move us away from what God intended and further from his presence.
The question isn’t merely:
“What does the rule say?”
The question is:
“What is the rule for?”
And that requires wisdom, discernment, humility, and a genuine desire to follow Jesus.
Story Four: What Is the Right Thing to Do?
The final story is in Mark 3:1–6.
Jesus encounters a man with a disabled hand. And once again, it’s the Sabbath.
The Pharisees are watching.
And Jesus asks:
“Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?”
The answer seems obvious.
But the Pharisees are so focused on the boundaries of the law that they are struggling to see the person standing directly in front of them and the need that they represent.
Jesus doesn’t say, “Come back tomorrow.”
He doesn’t say, “There are six other days of the week when we can deal with this.”
He sees the person in front of him.
And he responds.
There is an important balance here.
Jesus is not saying that rest doesn’t matter. It does.
We are not God. We need sleep. We need quiet. We need restoration. We need time away from the constant demands of life.
But rest was never meant to become an excuse for failing to love.
The person in front of you matters.
The Danger of a Stubborn Heart
Then comes one of the most challenging verses in these stories.
Jesus looks around at the Pharisees in anger and deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts.
At first, I find myself thinking:
Yes! He sees their hypocrisy. He sees their stubbornness. He knows they’re wrong.
But then the focus shifts.
And it falls back on me.
What does it mean for the kingdom of God to break through in my life?
Am I the person who is being judged unfairly?
Or am I sometimes the one challenging Jesus?
Am I the one saying:
“Church isn’t supposed to be like that.”
“That person doesn’t deserve that kind of attention.”
“They haven’t put in the effort I have.”
“I’ve worked hard at becoming a better Christian, and they haven’t.”
Suddenly the story becomes much less comfortable.
Because I realize that I have blind spots too. We all do.
We Need People Who Can See What We Can’t
Recently, I had a conversation with a friend who reminded me that blind spots are part of the human condition.
But that is also why healthy, deep relationships are so important within the church.
There is a tremendous gift in having someone who knows you well enough—and loves you enough—to tell you the truth.
Sometimes those friends can be annoying. But we can also be grateful for them.
Grateful that someone cares enough to say the difficult thing.
Grateful that someone is willing to challenge the stubbornness or blindness they see in us.
And perhaps we are called to offer the same gift to others.
Not with judgment or superiority, but with love.
Jesus Is Still Making His Mark
Jesus is still making his mark on the world.
And the temptations we face aren’t really that different from the ones we see in Mark.
We still struggle with complacency.
We still struggle with judgment.
We still confuse religious activity with relationship.
We still find ourselves more concerned with rules than with the people those rules were meant to serve.
And we still have stubborn hearts.
So what do we do?
First, come to Jesus with humility.
Confess the ways we have fallen short.
Ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom.
Ask God to expose the places where our thinking has become rigid or self-righteous.
Take time to examine your life.
Are you one of those people Mark might have called a “sinner”?
That’s okay.
Jesus wants to meet you.
Have you lost sight of the reason behind the rules you’re following while still expecting everyone else to follow them?
Jesus’ grace is there for you too.
Maybe there is something you need to let go of.
Maybe there is a judgment you need to release.
Maybe there is a spiritual practice that has become more important to you than the person it was meant to help you encounter.
Whatever it is, bring it to Jesus.
And then press on.
The Kingdom Is Here
Jesus loved us enough to enter our brokenness and our mess.
He came into this world not because everything was already right, but because it wasn’t.
He came to make the Father known.
He came to invite sinners back to the table.
He came to restore what was broken.
He came to remind us that the law points toward something greater.
And that something greater is him.
The kingdom of God is not merely something we are waiting for someday.
The kingdom of God is at hand.
Right now.
So take a moment to enjoy it.
Appreciate it.
Give thanks.
Slow down.
Be present.
And remember that the one who came to this earth for you sees you, calls you, and desires your attention.
Don’t miss him while you’re trying to become worthy of him.
Don’t let the rules become more important than the relationship.
Don’t let your striving cause you to walk past Jesus.
The King is here.
And he is still changing everything.