In what seems to be the Passage of our Day (or at least it keeps being mentioned wherever I go) I start with:
Mark 2:1-12. "A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralysed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralysed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier:to say to this paralysed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
The important verse here is verse 5 (underlined). The point with this passage is it's passive construction. Normally we would say: I forgive you or God forgives you. These two sentences are active. That still doesn't sound to important until we consider passive construction is only mentioned ONCE in the Old Testament. That passage is:
Leviticus 4:35. "They shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the lamb of the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar on top of the food offerings presented to the Lord. In this way the priest will make atonement for them for the sin they have committed, and they will be forgiven."
There's the important part right at the end of the verse (underlined). This is only ever used of God! Along with the reference to the Son of Man in verse 10 from Daniel 7:13 Jesus is making emphatic reference and claim to being the Messiah. It's an allusion. He is alluding to the fact He is Messiah. (It's not readily obvious to us today that this is going on. It's hidden in plain speech!) Consequently, those who are present (teachers of the law) who know these things, say to themselves, who can forgive sins but God alone?
Another allusion can be found in Mark 11:15-18. "On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written:‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers. ’” The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching."
Why are they so angry as to want to kill Him? It's because of a two-part allusion this time. The two scripture passages are Isaiah 56:7 - the reference to the house of prayer. The nasty bit is in Jeremiah 7:11-12. It reads: "Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the Lord. “‘Go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a dwelling for my Name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel." It's a devastating judgment on the priesthood. This temple will be destroyed just like the one in Shiloh because you (the priesthood) are involved in wickedness. This is why they wanted to do away with Him.
So be aware, therefore, that things can be hidden in plain speech and as in these passages that Jesus is alluding or making allusion to something. I will come further reference to things hidden in future blogs.