By David L. Miner Mark, in his Gospel, ties an event with some interesting teaching that, on its face, seems unrelated to the event. In truth, I believe this passage is a subtle but powerful declaration of war on the Pharisees and especially on the established religious belief system enforced by the Pharisees. I believe Jesus, in this passage, subtly announced that he was here to more than just upset the apple cart! In chapter one of Mark's Gospel, Jesus is recorded as teaching and healing at several times. Casting out evil spirits falls under both teaching and healing, as Jesus indicated, and he does some of both. The result of all this is that by the end of the first chapter, Jesus is thronged by crowds every time he comes into town, and in chapter two, even while he is still out of town. In chapter two, Jesus is confronted by a man with "the palsy," which was almost certainly some form of paralysis. Four friends brought the man bef...