Capernaum / Sabbath Day / Synagogue

In this part of the sermon: Martin establishes Capernaum's location on the Sea of Galilee and explains its significance as Jesus' primary headquarters after His rejection in Nazareth, fulfilling ancient…

Martin uses the analogy of a 'time capsule' to encourage listeners to mentally transport themselves back to Capernaum, the Sabbath, and the synagogue in Jesus' day, to better understand the context.

Now, after the summary of what our Lord basically did in this Galilean ministry, given to us in verses 14 and 15, Mark then records the first of these specific incidents with reference to the calling of these four fishermen into a more intimate attachment to Christ in preparation for their distinctive function and office as apostles. And immediately after the calling of these four fishermen, we read in verse 21, and they go into Capernaum, possibly on the very next day, and straightway on the Sabbath day, he entered into the synagogue and taught. Because we are confronted in this verse, verse ...

5:27 - 6:54 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin establishes Capernaum's location on the Sea of Galilee and explains its significance as Jesus' primary headquarters after His rejection in Nazareth, fulfilling ancient…

Martin uses his hand to illustrate the geographical location of Capernaum on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, helping listeners visualize the setting.

that we contemplated a few weeks ago and going back and forth, backwards into that situation until we can see and sense and feel something of what the city of Capernaum was, what this institution of the Sabbath was and had become in the day of our Lord, and what this institution of the synagogue was which is so prominent in biblical revelation. So first of all, we'll try to grapple with the facts described in verse 21. And the first of them, quote, says, to the geographical location of the following events. We're going to read about our Lord's teaching and the astonishment it created, His cast...

6:54 - 8:24 Read in full sermon

Driving home: But it was that day, which in the time of our Lord had become so buried beneath the rubble of Pharisaic rules and regulations and legalistic trappings that it had become for the most part a day that could only be describ…

Martin quotes from the Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary to give listeners a concrete 'feel' for the innumerable legal restrictions formulated by the scribes regarding Sabbath observance, highlighting its burdensome nature.

I read now from the Zondervan Press, I read now from the Zondervan Press, the Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, and I'll only read a couple of paragraphs to give you a feel for what it was like for the Lord Jesus to come on a Sabbath day into a synagogue in Capernaum. During the period between Ezra and the Christian era, the scribes formulated innumerable legal restrictions for the conduct of life under the law. for the conduct of life under the law. For the conduct of life under the law.

15:52 - 16:24 Read in full sermon

Driving home: But it was that day, which in the time of our Lord had become so buried beneath the rubble of Pharisaic rules and regulations and legalistic trappings that it had become for the most part a day that could only be describ…

Martin lists 39 principal classes of prohibited actions from the Talmud (e.g., sowing, plowing, reaping, baking) to demonstrate the extreme legalism surrounding the Sabbath.

The treatises in the Talmud, that's the record of Jewish law beyond what God had given through Moses, are devoted to the details of Sabbath observance. One of these, the Shabbat, enumerates the following 39 principal classes of prohibited actions. Sowing, plowing, reaping, gathering into sheaves, threshing, winnowing, cleansing, grinding, sifting, kneading, baking, shearing wool, washing, cleaning, sifting, kneading, baking, shearing wool, washing it, beating it, dyeing it, spinning it, making a warp of it, making two cords, weaving two threads, separating two threads, making a knot, untying a...

16:24 - 17:30 Read in full sermon

Driving home: First of all, his claims to be God, and his blatant Sabbath-breaking according to their standards of what constituted Sabbath-breaking.

Martin provides specific examples of what kinds of knots were prohibited or allowed on the Sabbath (e.g., untied with one hand, tying a pail with a sash but not a rope) to show the minute and absurd detail of the regulations.

The prohibition about tying a knot was much too general, so it became necessary to state what kinds of knots were prohibited and what kind were not. It was accordingly laid down that allowable knots were those that could be untied with one hand. A woman could tie up her undergarment and the strings of her cap, those of her sash, the straps of her shoes and sandals, and skins of wine and oil of a pot with meat. She could tie...

17:45 - 18:15 Read in full sermon

Driving home: First of all, his claims to be God, and his blatant Sabbath-breaking according to their standards of what constituted Sabbath-breaking.

Martin details the specific rules about writing on the Sabbath (e.g., two letters, different inks, even from forgetfulness) to further illustrate the extreme legalism and burden placed on Jews.

She could tie a pail over the well with a sash, but not with a rope. The prohibition regarding writing on the Sabbath was further defined as follows. He who writes two letters with his right or left hand, whether of one kind or of two kinds, as also as if they were written with different ink or of different languages, is guilty. He even who should from forgetfulness write two letters is guilty.

18:15 - 18:44 Read in full sermon

Driving home: But in the synagogue, there was no priesthood, there was no sacrifice, there was no ritual. The focal point of synagogue life was the reading and the exposition of the Old Testament Scriptures.

Martin draws an analogy between the ancient synagogue practice of reading through the books of Moses once every three years (roughly 1.2 chapters per Sabbath) and the modern practice of reading a chapter a week, to make the historical practice relatable.

And we learn from other passages in the Word of God that there was always a reading from the five books of Moses. And then that there was also a reading from the prophets. This text says Moses is read in the synagogues every Sabbath. Now we learn from secular sources that many of the synagogues actually had a program of reading through the first five books of the Old Testament, reading through Moses once every three years.

27:43 - 28:19 Read in full sermon

Driving home: But in the synagogue, there was no priesthood, there was no sacrifice, there was no ritual. The focal point of synagogue life was the reading and the exposition of the Old Testament Scriptures.

Martin describes Paul's characteristic gesture of 'beckoning with the hand' when standing to preach, drawing from Acts, to add a vivid detail to the picture of synagogue activity.

Acts 13 and verse 14. But they passing through from Perga came to Antioch of Pisidia and they went, went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down. And after the reading of the law and the prophets, you see it, the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them saying, Brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say on. And Paul stood up and apparently something that was characteristic of Paul, we find it several times in Acts, and beckoning with the hand, apparently whenever he would stand to preach, stretching forth his hand, he began to expound and exhort and apply. So we...

29:03 - 30:19 Read in full sermon

The point: Don't squander the privilege of Christian parents who nurture, discipline, and are concerned for your soul.

Martin uses the example of Christian parents nurturing and disciplining their children, setting 'barriers' and being concerned for their souls, to illustrate the privilege that some children have, contrasting it with those whose parents 'could care less'.

You dear children don't squander the privilege of a Christian mom and dad who are concerned to nurture you and tell you what's right and what's wrong who are concerned to put barriers around you so that before your heart is renewed you cannot with unreasonableness and restrained abandonment follow the course of your own depraved nature and forge chains that will bite into your flesh and scar you for life. Don't despise all that God has sovereignly deposited. There are kids who can go out and carouse and run the streets and tumble into beds stoned or drunk at three in the morning and have paren...

42:50 - 43:52 Read in full sermon