And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached (ëáëÝù-imp aor) the word to them.
Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered (de-roof the roof) the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed (êñÜâáôïò-poor man’s pallet) on which the paralytic was lying.
When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven (Üϕßçìé-to release, to send away) you." And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning (äéáëïãßîïìáé-to reason, debate, to balance accts.) in their hearts, "Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone? "But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, "Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?” Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise, take up your bed and walk'? "But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins"--He said to the paralytic, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."
Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed (over-awed; knocked senseless) and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"
Mark 2:1-12/MT 9:1-8
A Remarkable Ministry
Introduction – The Best Day Ever
There’s the story of the woman who woke up one morning and as she saw her husband getting ready to leave for work she said, with a big smile on her face, “Honey, I’ll bet you don’t know what day this is.” Her husband had a hard time remembering birthdays and anniversaries, but since he was about to leave for work he excused himself from the embarrassing situation by walking out of the door while saying, “Honey, how could I ever forget? This is the best day of our lives.” All during the day he kept trying to remember what month and what day his wife’s birthday was, and when their anniversary was, but he could not remember. The day wore on and it was getting close to time to get off from work and he knew he was going to have to go home and face his wife not
knowing what made this day so special. He finally thought of a plan to save his hide. He rushed into the house and said, “Honey, get your best dress on. We are going to paint the town red to celebrate this outstanding day in our lives!” While she was getting ready he rushed down to the florist and bought her a lovely bouquet of flowers. He took her to the most expensive restaurant in town. He had spent $150.00 to celebrate this day and he didn’t even know what he was celebrating. It was on the way home that he finally discovered what day it was. His wife snuggled real close to him, placed her arm around his shoulder, planted a soft kiss on his cheek and said, “Honey, this is the best Groundhog Day that we have ever enjoyed together.”
Every day with Jesus is the best day ever. This day really stands out because another life was radically changed.
Jesus begins the day in a house full of people sharing the living words of the Living God. Jesus was in the house and something was about to happen.
First, we see…
A Ministry of Explanation (1-2)
His words were Personal. Jesus met people where they were. He knew the heart of men and knew what their needs are. He does not deal in the abstract. He ministers to the mind and heart of everyone.
We also find His words Practical. He spoke words about man and his need for a redeemer. He preached concerning the kingdom of God.
His words were Eternal because people knew He had something to say. His words had depth to them. Scripture says that “never a man spoke like Him.”
Jesus was there to offer reconciliation. He offers us an opportunity to be right with God. Matthew 9:2b says, “Take courage, my son, your sins are forgiven.” Only God can forgive sin.
Second there was a…
Ministry of Interruptions for Jesus (3-4)
I don’t know about you but I dislike interruptions. I lovingly refer to them as God-cidences in my life.
Four men brought their friend to be touched by Jesus. The crowds made it impossible for them to get to Jesus. They did whatever was necessary to get their friend to Jesus. They would tear down the house!
Here we find a Profound faith. These four friends revealed an amazing faith. Perhaps they had seen the demons cast out of a family member or friend. Or theyheard about the leper being cleansed. Whatever it was, they would stop at nothing for their friend to be healed.
They worked hard at tearing down the roof. They had a Powerful faith. Nothing could deter them.
But we find they had a Persistent faith. Truly they were creative in their search for Jesus. They were also sacrificial because they did their part in carrying their paralytic friend for who knows how far.
*Doing our job
One day the mayor of a small city was driving through the city square when he noticed 2 city workers doing something rather unusual. Along one side of the main street, they were working steadily. One of the men was digging a hole in the ground and the other was filling it back up.
After watching them dig and fill several holes in this manner, the mayor, somewhat confused, confronted the 2 workers and asked for an explanation. "Well, sir," replied the first man, "we work for the city planting trees, and usually there are 3 of us - one to dig the hole, one to plant the tree, and one to cover it up. The guy who plants the tree called in sick today, but," he proudly announced, "we’re here and we’re doing our jobs anyway."
I would hope that all of us could be the type who never leave our post when duty calls.
Then there is a Ministry of Confrontation (5-11)
Sometimes the physical, moral and spiritual ugliness is exposed in people. Jesus reveals the stark nature of the paralytic. But it was the attitude and actions of the so-called “righteous” that brought out the righteous indignation from Jesus.
The scribes Quarrel. The scribes felt that Jesus blasphemed because only God can forgive sin. In essence, Jesus was claiming to be God by forgiving sin. Now, either Jesus was who he claimed to be or He was a liar. The problem was the scribes could not nor would not accept Jesus as the Messiah.
The sudden Quiet. The room fell to a deathly silence. The tension could be felt all across the house. Only God can forgive sins.
And then we have the Saviors Questions. He first pointed out the flaw in the scribes with a pointed question. Why do you reason this way? So, which is easier…?
Jesus silenced His critics by commanding the paralytic to stand up and pick up his bed and go home. His point was made.
I am sure it drove the scribes mad! Jesus could do what they though He was unable to do; forgive sins.
The FORMER paralytic picked up his bed and left with his four favorite friends! The people in the house were awestruck! They could not believe it!
Now comes the part for us! Here we are confronted with a Ministry of Evaluation (12).
Are we satisfied with our spiritual condition? Have we truly been radically changed? What can we do?
First, let’s look at the Remedy for man’s sin. Jesus is the God-man. He is Immanuel, God with us. He is the Redeemer. He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End and everything in between! Simply put…Jesus is man’s final and only hope!
It is here that we see the Revelation of God’s Son. The self righteous will not accept it and the prideful won’t believe it. The Word of God reveals the God of the Word and Jesus is His Name. Jesus came that we might have life and reconcile us to the Father.
The Reaction of the people was unbelievable! They were astounded and knocked senseless. They had never seen anything like this.
