Sermon Tone Analysis

Why did Jesus leave Gadara and go to Capernaum?

Because the Gadarenes asked Him to leave after He cast out the demons from two men!

One commentary makes the point “There is no record of His ever entering their coasts again.

He obeyed their wish.”

This enforces a harsh reality - He will never force Himself on anyone or any society.

Have we all heard the description of times today as “the great falling away”?

It begs us to think, who fell away?

Who moved?

Who turned from the other?

Why are we not as close to God as we once were as individuals or as a nation?

Maybe it’s because we have told God we do not need Him, and do not want Him.

But in these first 8 verses we see something different.

We see some people (plural) bringing a paralytic to Jesus.

Why?

Because they had faith He would heal their friend.

They not only cared deeply for their friend, they cared deeply about his healing, and his restoration.

And, they knew someone who could help.

A Paralytic Healed

This man was disabled - he was helpless on his own as a paralytic.

He could do nothing on his own to get himself to Jesus.

But his friends saw his need, and cared enough about him that they set out on a mission to get him to Jesus.

Not only did they make a bed to carry him in comfort, but Mark chapter 2 says there was no room for them to carry their friend into Jesus and they took him to the roof, removed a portion of the roof, and lowered him down to Jesus.

Wouldn’t you want friends like these!

Friends that could not be stopped until they got their friend to the feet of Jesus?

Do we know anyone as sick as this paralytic?

Would we go to these efforts to get them to Jesus?

Honestly all humans are disabled and sick spiritually!

And we (like these friends) must have the same mission of getting them to Jesus! *NOTE* WE CANNOT SAVE THEM, but we can point them to the one who can!

Notice what Jesus said about their task of bringing their friend to Him - He saw their faith.

Shew, it is only through FAITH that we can do anything, even bringing a person to Christ so that they can see the need for salvation and deliverance.

It was their FAITH of both the man and his friends that caused Jesus to recognize something different and it was by FAITH that he was healed.

Jesus will never fail to acknowledge a faith like this.

He couldn’t miss it!

A faith that had bore the weight of their friends needs.

A faith that had labored over carrying him to Jesus.

A faith that would not stop when the world blocked their way.

A faith that made sure their friend knew Jesus.

The actions spoke louder than their words.

As a matter of fact, we do not see anywhere where these friends spoke, or their words were of no significance.

But their actions, by faith, sure got the attention of Jesus.

Jesus said to the paralytic, your sins are forgiven.

That caught the attention of the scribes.

Jesus’ power to forgive sins was questioned.

He was silently accused of blasphemy.

Note: it was the religionists who thought that Jesus could not forgive sins, and the thought was whispered among themselves.

The most devoted of biblical scholars questioned Jesus’s authority.

But notice what Jesus did - knowing their thoughts - He called them out.

The Scribes’ evil was their thinking that Jesus, the Son of God, was not of God, and that He did not have the power to forgive sins.

The crowd at least recognized His power as being the power of God, but not the Scribes and religionists.

In their pride and hardness of heart, they rejected Him, refusing to ascribe any authority to Him.

He knew exactly what they were thinking.

Oh, you might be able to fool the preacher… You might be able to talk behind others backs.

You might think unChristian like thoughts of others.

But you won’t hide it from Jesus.

Jesus suggested something: a test.

It is much easier to say something than to do something.

Therefore, Jesus suggested that He be put to the test, that He prove His deity by act and not just by word.

Jesus was acknowledging that profession only was inadequate evidence for a claim.

Action is also needed.

Jesus’ purpose was to demonstrate that the Son of Man has power to forgive sins.

God has committed all judgment into the hands of Jesus, a judgment that either forgives or condemns a person.

It is much easier to say something than to do something.

Jesus proved that He was not just speaking words, not just professing to have the power of God to forgive sins.

He forcefully spoke, and the man arose.

He proved His power.

He healed the man.

He proved His deity and that He was the true Messiah, the son of the living God.

As such, He did have the power to forgive sins.

But it also proves that God does care: He cared enough to send His only Son into the world to heal and to save the needy and the hopeless.

And the most wonderful part of it all… The man rose and went home.

Not only was he physically healed, but spiritually healed also.

Calling of Matthew

This is one of the most heart-warming and touching scenes in all the Bible.

It is Matthew’s personal testimony.

Imagine his sitting and writing about the experiences of so many others that we have just read about in Chapters 1–8.

Now he comes to his own personal experience.

He was a man bitterly opposed, talked and gossiped about and hated, not by just a few, but by everyone.

He was so detested that he was classified with the worst of sinners.

He was a tax collector for a conquering nation.

He had become wealthy by extortion, so wealthy that he was able to own a house large enough to handle a huge crowd and a large feast.

He was immoral, unjust, money-hungry, and worldly-minded.

He cared more for possessions and wealth than for people.

Through the years he had become unloving, hard, difficult, bitter—and worst of all, without love, purpose, meaning, and significance in life.

There is, of course, so much more; yet he covers all in these few simple verses.

What is so heart-warming and touching is that he shares his own personal conversion in one simple verse, and then he moves on to share how Jesus came to save sinners such as himself.

He does not talk about himself nor about the details of his sin and shame, but He lifts up Jesus and the glorious salvation Jesus came to bring.

He emphasizes not his own conversion, but the fact that Jesus came to save all tax collectors and sinners such as himself.

Jesus “saw a man,” a sinner who needed a cause.

The people saw not a man, but Matthew, a tax collector for the Romans.

They hated him and all other tax collectors.

(They served the Romans, they were dishonest, and they were assuming rights the Jews thought belonged only to God by requiring taxes).

Jesus called this man - Follow me.

There were no questions, there was no mistaking His command.

It was direct and to the point.

Oh, isn’t this the way Jesus is with salvation?

He is direct, to the point, and then we must decide to follow Him.

Just like Matthew.

An immediate and total commitment…or nothing.

Matthew responded: he arose and followed Jesus.

He got up and left all to follow Jesus.