Mark 2:1-12
When was the last time you had to rush to the hospital emergency room?
If you knew someone could help a hurting friend, how far would you go to get your friend to this person?
How about if it was a matter of salvation? How far would you go to help your friend?
We are going to look at a famous miracle from Jesus:
Read Mark 2:1-12
Mark 2:1-12 – NIV
1. A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2. They gathered in such large numbers 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 paralyzed man, 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 by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 5. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “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 this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10. But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, 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!”
If something like this happened on Sunday in your church, what would the people say:
“Let’s not get carried away?”
“Who is going to pay for the roof”?
“We’re for anything that is going to help someone”?
So there’s a lot going on in this story. There’s a huge crowd, a paralyzed man is brought to Jesus by his friends. Jesus heals the man of his paralysis. This is the miracle of the story, but as we see, it’s not the main point.
V1. A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home.
Why does it say “home?“
Is Jesus from Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jerusalem, CapernaumCeram?
Travis? I started to look this up for a quick explanation but it was quite deep.
Capernaum served as Jesus is based for his travels in Galilee.
V2. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.
Why is there such a large crowd?
The crowd is large because Jesus heals people.
Mark 3:7-12 – NIV
7. Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. 8. When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. 9. Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. 10. For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. 11. Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” 12. But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.
Are the doctors any good in this time?
Doctors are not very good. There is disease all over. The lifespan is very low. Parents live in constant fear that their children will contract some disease.
Mark 5:25-26 – NIV
25. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.
Jesus last visit to Capernaum:
Mark 1:21-28 – NIV
21. They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23. Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 24. “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” 25. “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” 26. The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. 27. The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” 28. News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.
So because the doctors are no good and Jesus heals, and he had been there before – the crowds are huge.
Jesus heals people, and this brings the people, but Jesus is main goal is spiritual:
Mark 1:14-15 – NIV
14. After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
Mark 1:38 – NIV
38. Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”
Mark 3:14 – NIV
14. He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach
Mark 6:2 – NIV
2. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing?
Mark 6:12 – NIV
12. They went out and preached that people should repent.
Mark 6:34 – NIV
34. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.
Although Mark does not record much of Jesus is preaching, he continually points out that announcing the news of the kingdom of God, was Jesus‘s primary agenda. The miracle he performed were intended as illustrations and examples of what life in the kingdom which she proclaimed would be like. However, the crowds typically were far more attracted to the fact of the miracles than to their meaning.
V3. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, 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 by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on.
This is one of those stories that you may have heard many times growing up. But have you ever stopped to actually consider what’s going on here? Put yourself in this scene. Let’s look at it from everyone’s perspective:
What do you think was going on in the minds of the following characters in this story:
The four friends?
The owner of the house?
The teachers of the Law?
The paralytic himself?
V5. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
Put yourself back in the scene here. The crowd is there, because Jesus can heal people sickness. Imagine Jesus teaching and everybody listening and all the sudden stuff from the roof starts falling down on everyone’s head as the men up above or digging through. Do you think Jesus stops talking and looks up and the whole crowd looks up? Imagine the whole crowd staring as the men are lowering this guy down on his mat and how the room is probably silent at this time. Imagine them all staring at the guy on the mat and then, as soon as he’s lowered, they all turn their eyes and look to Jesus like, “what are you gonna do?” And Jesus says “you are healed”, just like everybody expects.
Except Jesus doesn’t say that, he says “son, your sins are forgiven“
What do you think the crowd thinks when they hear this?
What is Jesus saying to everyone by saying “your sins are forgiven?”
V6. 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?”
Why did the teachers of the Law get so upset?
Teachers of the law – these are literally the “scribes” men who acted as religious lawyers, interpreting Jewish law. Originally it was their job to make copies of the Old Testament. Because of their familiarity with scripture, people consulted them about points of law, and hence their role evolved into that of teacher and protector of the law.
Luke 5:17 – NIV
17. One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick.
Luke’s account of this story states that describes had come from “every village of Galilee, and from Judea and Jerusalem“ indicating that this was an official delegation, sent to investigate the orthodoxy of this unknown, enormously, popular teacher.
In V7, the Pharisees say “this fellow”. This is a term of contempt for them.
Leviticus 24:16 – NIV
16. anyone who blasphemes the name of the Lord is to be put to death. The entire assembly must stone them. Whether foreigner or native-born, when they blaspheme the Name they are to be put to death.
The Pharisees accused Jesus of blaspheming. This is a sin that is penalized by death.
John 9:1-2 – NIV
1. As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
The people at the time believe that illness was the direct result of sin. The sick people could not recover until their sin had been forgiven by God. They also knew that God alone could offer forgiveness. So, by Jesus saying “your sins are forgiven“ he was claiming in explicit terms That he was God.
V8. 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?
The Pharisees are furious with Jesus and his actions, but in beautiful Jesus fashion, he immediately turns the situation onto the Pharisees themselves when he asks them a question. “Why are you thinking these things?“
In other words, he is saying, did you not just see the faith of these guys and what they went through to get this man to me? You’ve missed this entire scene, and you’re simply upset with me. Why is that? What is wrong with you, that you are thinking that way?
9. Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’?
Asking this question is obvious. Of course, it’s easier to say your sins are forgiven. Nobody can prove if sins are forgiven or not. But you can prove if a man who is paralyzed, gets up and walks. So Jesus is taking the Pharisees own logic and twisting it back on them. Because the man gets up and walks who is paralyzed, it means that Jesus must be God. The Pharisees are linking physical healing to forgiveness of sins, so this is what Jesus uses.
V10. But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, 11. “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”
Daniel 7:13-14 – NIV
13. “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
This is the first time Jesus refers to himself as “the son of man“ in the gospel of Mark. He will use this term many times throughout the gospels. It can be linked back to Daniel 7.
Notice in verse 10, Jesus refers to himself as the “son of man.” This term is more like saying, sir, or a human being. But what is different inverse 11?
Jesus says the son of man has authority to forgive sins, so “I“ tell you take your mat and go home”
This focuses attention on the authority of Jesus himself. He takes it from a neutral, sir, and makes it “I”.
V12. 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!”
Look back at v5 quickly, when Jesus saw “their “faith. Here Jesus is referring back to the friends who lowered the paralyzed man through the roof. He was amazed at the friends, Faith. Now Jesus is speaking to the paralyzed man himself, asking him to commit an act of faith.
He is asking him to commit two acts of faith actually. What are they?
First of all the Faith to get up and walk. This guy up to this point is still laying on the mat. He hast to have faith that Jesus actually healed him and get up.
Secondly, he is going to get up and walk straight out past the Pharisees. He is now placing his faith in Jesus over the local law. Imagine doing this in front of evil authorities here and being ready to face whatever consequences that brings. It’s as if he’s saying to the Pharisees F you right in front of everyone.
What exactly is the miracle here:
A physical heal-ing?
A healing of crippled emotions?
A spiritual healing?
Why didn’t Jesus just heal the man like everyone expected?
What is the closest you have come to experiencing this kind of healing in your life?
What is the closest you have been to being in a support group that cared for you when you were hurting?
Do you feel comfortable sharing with this group the area in your own life where you need healing?
Do you have the faith that the four friends had in the healing power of Jesus
Serendipity house, 201 – deeper group Bible study series. 13 miracles from the life of Christ.