One of the greatest science-fiction movie scenes of all time is the scene from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, in which Luke Skywalker, the young hero of the rebel forces, the man in whom we are putting all our hope, confronts and duels the leader of the evil and oppressive Empire, Darth Vader.
Darth Vader is a powerful, menacing figure. He shows no mercy or compassion. More machine than man, his mere presence strikes fear in all but the bravest souls.
In the movie’s climactic scene, Luke and Darth Vader battle it out with light sabers until Darth Vader strikes off Luke's right hand. Luke falls over a railing and clings to the side of the structure. Then Darth Vader drops a bombshell, he says:
“I am your father – join me – turn to the dark side of the force - it is your destiny.”
Luke, horrified and disgusted, can't believe what he just heard. How can that monster be his father? However, he eventually finds out it is true. Then Luke has a choice to make. Does he continue to fight for the downfall of the Empire? Or does he abandon all that he believes to join his father on the dark side of the force?
In our passage in Mark 2, Jesus drops a bombshell of much more significance than the fate of the Empire. No one was expecting Jesus to say what he said on that strange day. Those who heard him must have been shocked and confused, but most of all, they were confronted with a revelation about Jesus' authority that changed everything for them and for us. Could Jesus' words be true?
Let's read the passage in Mark chapter 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 paralyzed 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 paralyzed 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 paralyzed 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!””
Let's Pray:
Lord, Jesus. We are amazed at you. As we read through the Gospel of Mark, we see something new about you all over again. We are challenged to let that knowledge in to change us. Help us to live it out. Help us today to see you clearly, in your word, which is true. Make us into your people. Amen.
I have following Jesus for many years now and for some reason I've forgotten how much authority or power Jesus has. It struck me recently in my time of prayer that Jesus has authority over everything. There is nothing I'm concerned about that is outside Jesus' scope of authority. He has power to handle it all. Mark, the author of book we have been studying, tells an action packed story, a comic book style story – frame after frame of action. That type of story-telling intensifies this single aspect of Jesus – his authority. For Mark, this must have been central to knowing the real Jesus.
So far in the first chapter of Mark, we've seen Jesus teach with authority, as if he was the source of all truth. He would say, “You have heard it said, but I say...” He casts out demons, and commands them keep quiet about him and they obey. We've seen him heal privately and publicly, in town and out in the remote areas. People found Jesus wherever he was and Jesus kept healing and delivering people. He had power over it all. Nothing stumped him.
Even though Jesus had that much power, he certainly didn't act like the typical man in charge. Jesus was a compelling curiosity. He didn't try to meet the demands of popularity by doing what everyone else wanted, nor did he draw attention to himself, or form a fan club.
Instead he was accessible and compassionate to the most despised members of society. He was attractive, not in appearance, but in character. That level of compassion and that level of authority didn't match up. It made people ask, Who is this man?
Do you remember Nicodemus? He was a religious leader who was trying to figure Jesus out. In the book of John, we read the story of Nicodemus going to Jesus one evening and saying to him,
“Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” (John 3:1-2)
It was as if Nicodemus was begging for more information: “What does it mean, Jesus, that God is with you? What does it mean, Jesus, that you can do these signs?” Nicodemus and so many others were hungry for more of Jesus, to finally be able to put two and two together. That’s why many people continued to follow him.
The disabled man in our story today must have had that same hunger to be healed by Jesus. It's very likely he had heard the stories of others being healed. He may have seen Jesus pass by with crowds pressing around him. When he heard that Jesus was back in town, he knew now was the time. He got 4 friends to agree to take him to Jesus. By the enthusiasm and commitment we see in his friends, these 4 were just as hungry, just as eager to get to Jesus – to experience the life-giving touch or word, or whatever this unexplainable man would give them.
So here's the scene when Jesus drops the bombshell about his authority. Verse 2 says the house where Jesus is staying is crowded. That is an understatement. People are packed in row after row inside the house, sitting on the ground, not a single inch anywhere to move. People are lining the walls and standing in the door way 5,10 people deep. You can't even see in. How were they going to get this man to Jesus?
The mat the disabled man was on could have been soft, like a stuffed blanket, or a mat, or he could have been on a stiff stretcher. We don't know for sure but we can imagine that, either way, the risk these guys were taking to get him up a flight of stairs on the outside the house to get to the roof. Then, they had to tear a hole big enough for a grown man to be lowered down through. It had to be a sizable hole. And, then, the effort with just their hands to rip up the straw and mud, remove the tiles, tear out the rafters and supports. Talk about friendship!
Now think about the people inside who. with rapt attention, are listening to Jesus teach them. Remember they couldn't get enough of Jesus either. First they hear voices above them. Then some scratching or pounding. Then dust and bits of straw, sticks and mud start sprinkling down on the people in front of Jesus. Everyone looks up and sees this full grown man precariously suspended by ropes coming down on top of people. They see four faces back lit, looking down on the scene from the hole in the roof, hoping that they picked the right spot to get their friend right in front of Jesus.
Shock, panic, exclamation, protest.
“What's that?” “Look out!” “Eek!”
“What do you think you are doing? You've ruined my roof! Your insurance better pay for that?”
The scene was a chaotic interruption on an otherwise typical gathering where Jesus was teaching, but none of that mattered to these 5 people. The man's friends, looked down on the scene in the anticipation: Will Jesus heal our friend? Lord, we know you can - was their silent prayer.
What about he disabled man? What's he thinking? He allowed his friends to put him in danger of toppling off the mat. But he didn't care. He had nothing to lose. Any risk was worth a chance to get close to Jesus. He couldn't say a word, he only fixed his eyes on Jesus imploring him with his gaze. Here I am Lord, I know you can heal. Please will you heal me?
Jesus looks up, sees how his friends had demonstrated their faith. He looks down into that hollow face. He sees how this man demonstrated his faith by trusting his friends.
Jesus says “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
With that statement, the air just got sucked out of that room.
“What did he say? What is he saying – he forgives the man's sins?” They came to see a healer, now he is claiming to be the Savior? Claiming to be God himself?”
That's the bombshell. To declare “Your sins are forgiven” just like that meant you were claiming to do what only God can do.
The Jews has all the instructions in the law about how to be forgiven of every sin there is. Just read the book of Leviticus sometime. It's fascinating. To be forgiven, you confessed your sin to the priest and brought a sacrifice. It could be an an animal: a lamb, goat or bull, sometimes a dove. Flour mixed with oil was also acceptable. Some offerings were burnt, some were eaten, or waved in the air. These rituals made it possible for God to forgive the sins of the people. It's not an unheard of concept.
Being forgiven was a keenly held desire for the Jewish people. But at that time obedience to the law, and therefore gaining God’s favor, was attached to God's promise to send the Messiah. If they were faithful enough, the Messiah would also cast off Roman rule, and restore the nation to freedom and prominence. Being holy meant God would finally act on their behalf nationally.
But to just stand there and say it to a man who didn't even ask for it - In one sentence Jesus seems to be rewriting the rules, confronting their Messianic expectations. What was Jesus getting at by claiming he could do what only God can do? Could it be true? Again, what does this mean?
Just as Jesus perceived the faith of the disabled man and his friends, Jesus turned now to the teachers of the law. He perceived the thoughts of their heart as well. Was theirs a healthy curiosity in Jesus, like Nicodemus had? At the very least they did not miss the point Jesus was making.
“I know blasphemy it when I hear it,” they were thinking. “It is impossible. He's a man. He can't be God. That's blasphemy.”
Do you see the problem with their thinking? They had already decided what Jesus could and could not do as a man. They had no room for the possibility that this Jesus might be different. Shocking though Jesus claim was, the possibility that Jesus was far more than a healer and a good teacher was now on the table. Jesus is making a claim to be God, we must now decide whether we believe him or not.
In his compassion, Jesus confronts them. He calls them out and gives them a chance to understand. He asked them a question. He does not argue with them. He doesn't tell them they are wrong. He doesn't go over his resume to strengthen his position. Instead he puts himself to the test for their sake.
“Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’?”
Here's what Jesus was getting at:
Which is easier to say? In other words, which of those two actions is easier to get away with? To forgive sin is easier, because there is no outward proof. The effect is invisible. You wouldn't know for sure. You'd have to trust that Jesus could do it. Trust that he was in a position to do it. Have the authority to do it.
But if I command you to do what you physically can't do, and in my command I'm suggesting I can work a miracle, then we'd see right away if I were a phony or not. Saying, “be healed,” is harder because there will be proof right away of the healing.
Jesus' ability to heal is proof that his words are not empty. His ability to heal is proof he has authority to forgive sins as well as heal and deliver. And all other miracles by association also become proof of his deity.
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. There was plenty of space in that house now!
Everything Jesus was doing was predicted by the prophets concerning the Messiah and bringing out the full meaning of those prophecies. To heal, deliver, cleanse, and raise the dead were all in the same category of miracle as forgiving sin. It is all considered by God to be salvation. These are all signs that God is at work to bring sinful people into fellowship with a holy God.
That's exactly how Jesus answered John the Baptist. John had been in prison almost 3 years from the day we are considering. At that time John sent some people to ask Jesus if he was the Messiah or should they be looking for another.
So Jesus replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is he who does not fall away on account of me.” In other words, look at my actions - what does it look like I’m doing, Messiah-like stuff or not? Jesus' ability to heal is a sign for us to know that Jesus is as good as his word to forgive sins. He is our healer and our Savior as well.
Jesus, if he is God, could have come to earth to condemn sinners for their sin. He could have gone around killing his enemies, all the evil people that hurt others. There were plenty of those. Instead Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost. “I have come that you may have life and have it more abundantly.” ( ) But, you do not want to be left on the earth when Jesus comes a second time, because at that time, he will come for judgment! Do not wait any longer to put your faith in him.
We are all like the paralyzed man on that stretcher. We have no power, no ability to even get to Jesus. Sin like a virus has infected us so completely, we can't even change what we do, so that even if we wanted to stop sinning, we can't.
We may not be physically blind but sin makes us blind to God's goodness and wisdom as we stubbornly live our lives the way we want to live them. We don't even realize how sick and weak and helpless we are.
This is how another writer, John, describes it: [Jesus] the true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. (John 1:9-13)
Jesus has authority on the earth to forgive sins. He does not condemn, he does not criticize. He does not ridicule. He forgives. He restores. He gives the gift of eternal life to all who believe.
You are on the earth right now, Right? Does Jesus have authority on the earth to forgive sins? Yes. Do you trust him to forgive you your sins? Please do. Jesus is saying, “I want you to know I have authority on earth to forgive sin.” He made the claim. We can trust him.
Jesus went on from that day to the cross. He submitted himself to the plans of evil men. He was beaten, tortured, ridiculed, flogged, then crucified as a criminal. And on the third day he rose again. His death was payment in full for the sins of the world, for all time, in all places and for all people. God loved the world in this way: he gave his one and only son that whoever believes on him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
We come to the communion table to celebrate that victory. We share in the bread and cup to commemorate Christ’s sacrifice that sets us free from sin and death. We need help remembering.
On the night that Jesus was betrayed he took bread and after giving thanks he broke it and said, “This is my body, for you. Take, eat and remember me.” At a meal, a person breaks bread so everyone can have some. No one is left out. Jesus gave himself to us, so we might be with him now and forever. As you eat, remember Jesus said, “I want you to know I have the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Trust him now.
In the same way he took the cup after supper and said, “This is the cup of the new covenant in my blood.” Sinless, perfect blood. In this new covenant the promise is that God will remember our sins no more, he will write his law on our hearts, and we will know him. He will be our God and we will be his people.
If you are hounded by regrets, paralyzed by shame, burdened with guilt, fears, anxieties, hatred, whatever is inside your heart that is unresolved, God is doing a good work today to reveal Jesus as our Savior, our healer, our Lord. Say, "Yes, Lord, I trust you."
