Passage: Mark 2:18-22
As we have mentioned for the last couple of weeks, this portion of Mark’s gospel records the escalating tension between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders, especially the Pharisees and their scribes. This morning’s passage sheds light on the heart of the controversy: with the coming of Messiah, dead ritual and formality in religion had to come to an end and now joy should be the default attitude of a believer. Essentially, our spiritual lives are either feast or famine. On the side of famine, we have works-based religion and an attitude of earning our standing with God. But when we realize the truth of God’s grace offered to us in Christ, and when we have truly encountered his love and forgiveness, we joyfully participate in the feast that is salvation in Jesus.