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March 13 Mark 2: 1-12
Since every work that is translated from one language into another is shaped by the beliefs and background of the translator, I decided to retranslate the passage from the Greek to allow each of you to weigh the various possible nuances of meaning for important words for yourselves. Much of the language pertaining to the scholars comes from the context of the ancient Greek philosophers and judicial debates. In this passage, Jesus returns to Capernaum and remains at home (indoors). A crowd assembled and thronged the door, rendering it impassable as Jesus spoke to them. Undeterred by the blocked entry, four men bearing a paralytic removed the roof where Jesus was and lowered the bedridden man into his presence. Jesus, "seeing their faith" (oida) addresses the paralytic "Child (teknon, as an elder addresses a younger man), your failures/faults/sins (amartias) are forgiven/let go/let fall/given up/handed over/ loosed/set free/released/acquitted/excused (aphientai)."
Meanwhile, amid the throng were learned officials/scribes (grammateon) sitting around weighing and balancing,
inwardly calculating (dialogizontai) "in their hearts", "Why this man speaks thus. He blasphemes. Who is able to forgive sins but one God." Straightway, Jesus observing/witnessing/recognizing
(epigignosko) in his spirit that they were calculating/analyzing thus within themselves says to them. "Why do you argue/reason/calculate/analyze these things in your hearts?
"What is easier? To say to the paralytic, your sins are forgiven or to say "Rise/awaken (as from the dead, particularly used in ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts in spells to help the spirit of the pharaoh rise from death to eternal existence among the imperishable stars)/stir yourself/rouse yourself/be excited by passion (egeire) and take your bed and walk?" In order that you might see/experience (oida) that the Son of Man has power/authority/license/control (exousian, a political term) to forgive sins on earth, he says to the paralytic, "To you I say Rise take your bed and go home.
And the man rose, and straightway lifted his bed and went forth. So that all were changed utterly/distraught/changed their position/departed from their old ideas (existasthai), saying to glorify God Thus we never saw.
Mark contrasts the power of undeterred faith and the inertia of careful calculation and analysis. He chooses to juxtapose action verbs of exposing or unroofing, experience, hearing, and seeing with those of judicial, legalistic wrangling and critical stewing about what was "right." Thus, we are led to appreciate those actively helping the sick and not to heed the inactive, inwardly harping on legalistic technicalities, dissecting and criticizing, but accomplishing nothing.
Susan H Allen
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