Mark 1:21

Jesus’ Authority

1:21 Then ¹  they went to Capernaum. ²  When the Sabbath came, ³  Jesus ⁴  went into the synagogue ⁵  and began to teach.

Mark 3:2

3:2 They watched ⁶  Jesus ⁷  closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath, ⁸  so that they could accuse him.

Mark 2:24

2:24 So ⁹  the Pharisees ¹⁰  said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is against the law on the Sabbath?”

Mark 2:23

Lord of the Sabbath

2:23 Jesus ¹¹  was going through the grain fields on a Sabbath, and his disciples began to pick some heads of wheat ¹²  as they made their way.

Mark 3:4

3:4 Then ¹³  he said to them, “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath, or evil, to save a life or destroy it?” But they were silent.

[1:21]  ¹ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[1:21]  ² sn Capernaum was a town located on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, 680 ft (204 m) below sea level. It was a major trade and economic center in the North Galilean region, and it became the hub of operations for Jesus’ Galilean ministry.

[1:21]  ³ tn The Greek word εὐθύς (euqus, often translated “immediately” or “right away”) has not been translated here. It sometimes occurs with a weakened, inferential use (BDAG 406 s.v. 2), not contributing significantly to the flow of the narrative. For further discussion, see R. J. Decker, Temporal Deixis of the Greek Verb in the Gospel of Mark with Reference to Verbal Aspect (SBG 10), 73-77.

[1:21]  ⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:21]  ⁵ sn The synagogue was a place for Jewish prayer and worship, with recognized leadership (cf. Luke 8:41). Though its origin is not entirely clear, it seems to have arisen in the postexilic community during the intertestamental period. A town could establish a synagogue if there were at least ten men. In normative Judaism of the NT period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present. (See the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2.) First came the law, then the prophets, then someone was asked to speak on the texts. Jesus undoubtedly took the opportunity on this occasion to speak about his person and mission, and its relationship to Old Testament fulfillment.

[3:2]  ⁶ sn The term translated watched…closely is emotive, since it carries negative connotations. It means they were watching him out of the corner of their eye or spying on him.

[3:2]  ⁷ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:2]  ⁸ sn The background for this is the view that only if life was endangered should one attempt to heal on the Sabbath (see the Mishnah, m. Shabbat 6.3; 12.1; 18.3; 19.2; m. Yoma 8.6).

[2:24]  ¹¹ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[2:24]  ¹² sn See the note on Pharisees in 2:16.

[2:23]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:23]  ¹⁷ tn Or “heads of grain.” While the generic term στάχυς (stacus) can refer to the cluster of seeds at the top of grain such as barley or wheat, in the NT the term is restricted to wheat (L&N 3.40; BDAG 941 s.v. 1).

[3:4]  ²¹ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.