Mark 2:16-18

2:16 When the experts in the law ¹  and the Pharisees ²  saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” ³  2:17 When Jesus heard this he said to them, “Those who are healthy don’t need a physician, but those who are sick do. ⁴  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

The Superiority of the New

2:18 Now ⁵  John’s ⁶  disciples and the Pharisees ⁷  were fasting. ⁸  So ⁹  they came to Jesus ¹⁰  and said, “Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples don’t fast?”

Matthew 15:2

15:2 “Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their ¹¹  hands when they eat.” ¹² 

Acts 21:21

21:21 They have been informed about you – that you teach all the Jews now living ¹³  among the Gentiles to abandon ¹⁴  Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children ¹⁵  or live ¹⁶  according to our customs.

Acts 21:24

21:24 take them and purify ¹⁷  yourself along with them and pay their expenses, ¹⁸  so that they may have their heads shaved. ¹⁹  Then ²⁰  everyone will know there is nothing in what they have been told ²¹  about you, but that you yourself live in conformity with ²²  the law. ²³ 

Romans 4:12

4:12 And he is also the father of the circumcised, ²⁴  who are not only circumcised, but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham possessed when he was still uncircumcised. ²⁵ 

Romans 4:2

4:2 For if Abraham was declared righteous ²⁶  by the works of the law, he has something to boast about – but not before God.

Romans 3:6

3:6 Absolutely not! For otherwise how could God judge the world?

Romans 3:11

3:11 there is no one who understands,

there is no one who seeks God.

[2:16]  ¹ tn Or “the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.

[2:16]  ² sn Pharisees were members of one of the most important and influential religious and political parties of Judaism in the time of Jesus. There were more Pharisees than Sadducees (according to Josephus, Ant. 17.2.4 [17.42] there were more than 6,000 Pharisees at about this time). Pharisees differed with Sadducees on certain doctrines and patterns of behavior. The Pharisees were strict and zealous adherents to the laws of the OT and to numerous additional traditions such as angels and bodily resurrection.

[2:16]  ³ sn The issue here is inappropriate associations. Jews were very careful about personal associations and contact as a matter of ritual cleanliness. Their question borders on an accusation that Jesus is ritually unclean.

[2:17]  ⁴ sn Jesus’ point is that he associates with those who are sick because they have the need and will respond to the offer of help. A person who is healthy (or who thinks mistakenly that he is) will not seek treatment.

[2:18]  ⁵ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[2:18]  ⁶ sn John refers to John the Baptist.

[2:18]  ⁷ sn See the note on Pharisees in 2:16.

[2:18]  ⁸ sn John’s disciples and the Pharisees followed typical practices with regard to fasting and prayer. Many Jews fasted regularly (Lev 16:29-34; 23:26-32; Num 29:7-11). The zealous fasted twice a week on Monday and Thursday.

[2:18]  ⁹ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “So” to indicate that in the narrative this question happened as a result of the fasting of John’s disciples and the Pharisees.

[2:18]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:2]  ¹¹ tc ‡ Although most witnesses read the genitive plural pronoun αὐτῶν (autwn, “their”), it may have been motivated by clarification (as it is in the translation above). Several other authorities do not have the pronoun, however (א B Δ 073 ˹ 579 700 892 1424 pc f g¹); the lack of an unintentional oversight as the reason for omission strengthens their combined testimony in this shorter reading. NA²⁷ has the pronoun in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[15:2]  ¹² tn Grk “when they eat bread.”

[21:21]  ¹³ tn BDAG 511 s.v. κατά B.1.a has “τοὺς κ. τὰ ἔθνη ᾿Ιουδαίους the Judeans (dispersed) throughout the nations 21:21.” The Jews in view are not those in Palestine, but those who are scattered throughout the Gentile world.

[21:21]  ¹⁴ tn Or “to forsake,” “to rebel against.” BDAG 120 s.v. ἀποστασία has “ἀποστασίαν διδάσκεις ἀπὸ Μωϋσέως you teach (Judeans) to abandon Moses Ac 21:21.”

[21:21]  ¹⁵ sn That is, not to circumcise their male children. Biblical references to circumcision always refer to male circumcision.

[21:21]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “or walk.”

[21:24]  ¹⁷ sn That is, undergo ritual cleansing. Paul’s cleansing would be necessary because of his travels in “unclean” Gentile territory. This act would represent a conciliatory gesture. Paul would have supported a “law-free” mission to the Gentiles as an option, but this gesture would represent an attempt to be sensitive to the Jews (1 Cor 9:15-22).

[21:24]  ¹⁸ tn L&N 57.146 has “δαπάνησον ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς ‘pay their expenses’ Ac 21:24.”

[21:24]  ¹⁹ tn The future middle indicative has causative force here. BDAG 686 s.v. ξυράω has “mid. have oneself shaved…τὴν κεφαλήν have one’s head shaved…Ac 21:24.”

[21:24]  ²⁰ tn Grk “and.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[21:24]  ²¹ tn The verb here describes a report or some type of information (BDAG 534 s.v. κατηχέω 1).

[21:24]  ²² tn Grk “adhere to the keeping of the law.” L&N 41.12 has “στοιχέω: to live in conformity with some presumed standard or set of customs – ‘to live, to behave in accordance with.’”

[21:24]  ²³ sn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[4:12]  ²⁴ tn Grk “the father of circumcision.”

[4:12]  ²⁵ tn Grk “the ‘in-uncircumcision faith’ of our father Abraham.”

[4:2]  ²⁶ tn Or “was justified.”