The Servant Provides Series

SERIES: WALKING WITH JESUS

(Series adapted from Wiersbe’s Bible Exposition Commentary)

“THE SERVANT PROVIDES”

MARK 2:1-3:12

OPEN

Last week, we started our series through the Gospel of Mark called “Walking With Jesus.” We’re taking a very ambitious look at what Mark writes concerning Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

In our introductory study last week, we looked at the fact that the Savior had come. He came as a Servant and Mark’s Gospel reflects the work of the Servant. We looked at the Servant’s identity – that He was the Son of God. We looked at the Servant’s authority – that He had authority over Satan, Satan’s demons, and all manners of sickness and disease. We saw the crowds grow as people began to follow Him. But Jesus’ popularity caused the religious leaders to take notice and in today’s message, we see the conflict between them and Jesus blossom.

Most of all in our Scripture passage this morning, we see that Jesus provides those who would place their faith in Him three very precious and wonderful gifts. With each precious wonderful gift, we’re going to see some very concrete and practical take-it-home and live-it-out lessons for us to apply to our lives.

THE SERVANT PROVIDES FORGIVENESS

Mk.2:1-4 – “A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come

home. So many gathered 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 paralytic, 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 and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on.”

Consider these events through the eyes of Jesus himself. When Jesus looked up, He saw the friends of the paralyzed man on the roof. Our text tells us that Jesus “had come home.” Some scholars say that this was a house that Jesus rented so that he would have a place to live. Most likely, though, He lived with Simon Peter and his family.

The custom during Jesus’ day was to open the door to your house and leave it open all day. That way, anyone who wished could stop by and visit. The door was always open unless there was some definite need for privacy.

Knowing that Jesus was there, people crowded the house where Jesus was staying. It was so packed with people that not one more person could get in and people were crowded around the door.

There was a man in Capernaum who was paralyzed. He had no hope for healing except for Jesus. The best thing is that this man had some dedicated friends. They knew he needed what Jesus had to offer. So they took it upon themselves to get this man to Jesus.

We’re not told the actual number of the friends who brought this man to Jesus. Scripture only tells us that four of his friends took a corner of his bed and carried this man to see Jesus. There were probably more in the entourage.

I am told that Capernaum has an especially rugged terrain. Even today, it is not easy to travel by foot in this town. But this man’s friends decided the effort was worth it.

When they got to the house where Jesus was, they met a wall of people. These people either wouldn’t or couldn’t move to allow this man in to see Jesus. Now, if these friends had quit at this point, they could have had a good excuse or reason to go home. But they weren’t looking for a way out.

Here’s the first take-home and live-it-out lesson for us today: don’t look for excuses to avoid doing what needs to be done. It is amazing how many of us are looking for a reason to get out of doing something we know we need to do. We always have a reason for our unfaithfulness to the things of the Lord. But these men did not want to quit. They could not bring themselves to say, “We can’t.” Instead, they said, “We must.”

They were determined that nothing would stop them from seeing Jesus. Their friend had the sickness and Jesus had the healing. And they must get the two together, even at great cost to themselves.

And that is precisely what it took – paying a cost. It cost them the time to carry him to the house. It cost

them the effort to carry him to the roof of the house. It cost them the trouble to tear up the roof and let him down. It cost them the favor of the people on whose heads the rubble was dropping as they ripped up the roof.