Cut The Crap

6 Mark – Cut the Crap

Mark 2:1-12

It has taken the first five weeks to get through the first chapter of Mark. In the first chapter we have seen Mark establish:

 Who Jesus is – The Holy one of God

 That Jesus didn’t just come for Religious types, but all God’s people who will listen.

 The Importance Jesus placed on spending time in prayer.

 That Jesus and his teachings carried the Authority of God.

 The Church isn’t exempt from the influence of Unclean Spirits so we need to seek God.

Those are several importance lessons.

Mark was very straight forward about the events of Jesus life. He didn’t get tied up in the nuances very much. Instead he just continually lays out what Jesus did as a matter of record. Here are the facts, straight and simple, you can argue some fine teaching points of theology, but you can’t argue with the man’s life. Jesus was serious, he came with a purpose, and you cannot deny what he did.

I sometimes like people like that; other times, they can seem a little over the top.

My best friend in high school is now a teacher, but when we were in college, he tried his hand at selling things. He worked for Amway, Long Distance Telephone services, all sorts of those door to door, sign you up, pyramid type business. I even remember him selling Kirby vacuum cleaners. No matter what he was selling, he always tried to get me to go in with him on stuff. I wasn’t a salesman, but Ricky could be. Mostly because whatever he was selling, he believed in. He believed it was the best. It was important and everyone would be better off with it. He was so excited that he made a vacuum cleaner seem interesting to a 19 year old. But there were times when I got tired of being asked to get my parents to make time to sit down for him to come do another demonstration. I wanted to block the doors and not let him find a way in, but usually Ricky would find a way around it.

It is similar to these four guys Mark tells us about today.

Mark 2:1-12

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

8 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? 9 Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins....” He said to the paralytic, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 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!”

I. Unpacking the Story

a. Jesus comes back home to Capernaum

i. When he was here, Jesus probably stayed at Peter’s house

ii. He was met with the same favorable crowd

1. They wanted to see Jesus heal more

2. Hear him teach

b. So many came that there was no room left at the house

i. Now a traditional Judean home

1. would have been of squarish shape with a flat roof and an external staircase. Outside the home would most likely be a small fenced courtyard that kept animals.

2. They were made out of clay, and limestone. The roof was formed with wooden beams and branches, clay, lime, manure, and other items compacted and rolled tightly together.

ii. The courtyard would have been filled with people

iii. No access to the inside left these four men with a dilemma

1. Do they wait

2. Do they go home since they can’t get in

iv. Certainly not – these men weren’t leaving

c. They had carried their friend to see Jesus to be healed