Miracles of Jesus - paralytic man

Background

continue miracles of Jesus and find some encouragement

Mark 2:1–12 NASB95

1 When He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. 3 And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. 4 Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying. 5 And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? 9 “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’? 10 “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, 11 “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.” 12 And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

Mark 2:1–2 NASB95

1 When He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them.

This is a story from the early stages of the ministry of Jesus

Born in Bethlehem, fled to Egypt, Raised in Nazareth a town in the Galilee area, but in his adult life, headquartered in another town in the Galilee area called Capernaum . . . “at home” = home base

In Mark 1, we find Jesus teaching in the synagogue of Capernaum, teaching with amazing authority, and even cast out a demon

Healed Peter’s mother in law, people started bringing sick to that house

Whole town turned out and them watched him heal people of various diseases, and cast out demons

Jesus said we have to go the the rest of the Galilee area - more healings, cast out more demons, Even healed a man with leprosy

so as Jesus fame has spread, and Jesus returned back to Capernaum with even more excitement and curiosity surrounding him before he left

the house is so packed, that there is no room

let’s take a detour to another gospel, to get a real clear picture of the situation

Luke 5:17 NASB95

17 One day He was teaching; and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing.

Stop doubting

Understand the picture . . . doubters are part of this large crowd

the Pharisees and the teachers of the law - they have come from all over Galilee and as far away as Jerusalem (78 miles) to doubt

and the Bible says that power of the Lord for Him to perform healing was present

wonder working power is in the room, it is available to the Pharisees and teachers of the law too, but they spend all of their time doubting, looking for reasons NOT to believe

(prop) it’s like having that 1.35 billion winning lotto ticket . . . you have the matching numbers, but you won’t come forward because you are too busy doubting

no way, they probably reported the numbers wrong

the store probably sold me a fake ticket

no one really wins these things

they probably don’t have the money to pay me anyway

doubting when you should becoming forward in faith

throughout the ministry of Jesus, Jesus kept doing what the prophecies said the Messiah would do . . . . the numbers matched . . . . but the Pharisees spent so much time doubting that they didn’t see the long awaited Messiah was right in front of them

in whatever you are facing, double check the numbers (Bible), and if the numbers match then come forward in faith

that scripture fits me, verse fits my situation, that Bible narrative directly pertains to what is going on in my life . . . I need to come forward in faith

stop doubting . . . James says have faith without doubting, quit being back and forth like the waves of the sea

warning - All the numbers have to match, understand the scriptures in correct meaning and in context

don’t go around naming and claiming cause you got two numbers right

but if the numbers match . . . stop doubting

Mark 2:3–4 NASB95

3 And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. 4 Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying.

imagine the four men as they came up with the idea to carry their friend to Jesus

I personally know Peter, and his mom was real sick, but Jesus healed her

I heard he healed a man who had leprosy

I’ve got a cousin and an aunt who were both healed by Jesus

last time he was here, Jesus cast a demon out of the man who owns the corner store

I wish he would come by here and heal our friend

the four of us can pick him up, let’s take him to Jesus

I am sure they had a lot of hope as they neared the house . . . but imagine their disappointment when they saw the crowd and realized that they couldn’t get through

people don’t want to give up their spot

probably other sick people trying to get in too

maybe one man could maneuver through the crowd, but not four carrying a cot

often when you make an effort to get to Jesus, connect with Jesus, you decided to stand on a promise of the Bible . . . you go from hope to disappointment

I thought this idea would work

I’ve come all this way

I’ve put in all this effort

sometimes like these men you can say, “I’m not even doing it for me”

I can’t get to Jesus

some of you are feeling this type of disappointment

I’m trying my best to please the Lord

putting in effort - pray, study, gather with the saints, give, serve, praise God . . . and it seems that I can’t get to Jesus . . .and some of the stuff I am seeking is not even for me

at this point they could have returned home . . . we tried

or they could have waited outside with other sick who couldn’t get in . . . maybe by and by

but these men did not doubt, they decided to go to the next level

Jesus is worth you going to the next level

they did not give up, they pressed on

we thought this idea would work, and it will work

we’ve come all this way, so we might as well go further

we’ve put in all this effort, and we’re not letting it go to waste

we’re not doing this for ourselves, our friend needs us, so I must press on

we’re disappointed that we could not get in through the door, but that won’t stop us, we will just go higher!

some of you are disappointed that your walk of faith has not panned out like you thought it would, like the picture in your mind . . . but let me encourage you to not give up, but go higher,

you put in so much effort, work, planning, sacrifice and you are feeling disappointed and let down . . . but Jesus is worth you going to the next level

we must learn to say, “things didn’t pan out on this level, so I’ll just got to the next level”

I can’t get to the door, so I will make my own door

the regular pathway is blocked, so I will forge my own path

I can’t get through the crowd, so I will go over the crowd

if I gotta go higher, then i just gotta go higher

if i have to go over the top, then I’ll just go over the top

it will be worth it

my journey is different, it may be more difficult, but it will be worth it

so they go through the roof . . . I wonder whose idea it was

it is important to surround yourself by people who believe . . . someone who will say “don’t give up”

“he didn’t bring you this far to leave you”

“what about the roof?”

Mark 2:5 NASB95

5 And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

so they let this man through the roof, imagine the commotion

Faith can be seen

Jesus saw the faith of the friends - He saw their actions . . . . going so far as to drop their friend down through the roof is proof of their faith

no one will do all that unless they believe Jesus can and Jesus will

For those who say, “I have faith!” . . . can it be seen?

I can tell what you really believe, by what I see you do

I know you have strong faith in these companies - drive to work, work two weeks to a month before getting any money . . . you have utmost faith that they will pay you

we trust in these companies with all our heart

you say, “you can’t beat God giving” . . . check your account statements to see if you believe

God can save anybody . . . see who you have reached out to

God will take care of me . . . check how many hours at night you’re sleeping

God gave you an idea/plan/dream . . . what steps have you taken to fulfiull it?

stop doubting, Jesus is worth going to the next level, and faith can be seen

I should be able to see that you went to the next level

“Son, your sins are forgiven”

God will bypass what you want in order to give you what you need

for God’, the internal is almost more important than the external

Some of you think God is not on the case, and has let you down, but what he is doing is changing you before he changes your circumstance

he is getting you right, before making things right

he is doing something in you before doing something for you

preparing your cup, before filling it up (filling up a leaky vessel)

some of us are complaining when God is giving us what we need

Mark 2:6–7 NASB95

6 But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?”

scribes say he is blaspheming, only God can forgive sins . . . bingo!

Jesus is all that!

this is where most people fall short . . . they don’t believe Jesus is all that

what people say/believe about Jesus is always the dividing line . . . Ask, “who is Jesus?” and it will reveal a lot of things

to some he is a holy man, good teacher, prophet, one of many religious founders

but Jesus is Immanuel, God with us

had a discussion with a man, who believes Jesus was not God

one thing they often say is that Jesus never said he was God, his disciples did

cap, not true . . . here is one example, early in his ministry, where he is claiming to be God

Mark 2:8–10 NASB95

8 Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? 9 “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’? 10 “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic,

Jesus is aware of what they are thinking, so he breaks it down for them

false teachers make it difficult to confirm their declarations and revelations

somebody in here is having health issues

someone in here is having financial issues

someone in here has been hurt by others

in 2023, you will come into some money

my regular paycheck?

credit card points?

find $20 bill

how do I judge if what you said came to pass?

God is going to do something awesome in your life

what, when, where?

if you say nothing happened

they will say, “you woke up this morning, that was awesome!” . . . yeah, but

So Jesus is saying, I could have said your sins are forgiven, and sent the man on his way

but no one could know if his sins truly were forgiven

and I could claim success

but I am going to be precise, give you verification, it will be easy to see confirmation of my power to forgive sin

cause Jesus was all of that! He wasn’t just talk and presenting theories, and possibilities. He demonstrated power!

he healed the sick

raised the dead

fed thousands

walked on water

controlled the winds and the waves

Jesus is all of that

you’re wasting your time if you are trying to be in-between with Jesus

“I just try to follow some of his teachings . . . I believe some of them are relevant today”

eventually you will have to pick, choose . . . to make him Lord or ignore Him

cause this man says he can forgive sins

this man says, he is the resurrection and the life

he said before Abraham, I am, gave himself the Holy Name God used in the OT

I don’t mean to offend but Jesus was a crazy man or God in the flesh

I’m like Thomas, he is my Lord and My God!

so stop doubting, Jesus is worth going to the next level, have faith can be seen, know that God IS giving you what you need, remember that Jesus is all that

Mark 2:11 NASB95

11 “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.”

“pick up your pallet and go home”

this man is laying there hearing what’s going on

Jesus says one thing, Pharisees say another

Whose report will be believe?

and in this life you are bombarded with different reports

Adam and Eve trending on twitter- different reports on creation, so many doubters

this man has to decide who to listen to

the doubters? . . . just lay there and make no effort to change

Jesus . . . make an effort to change and depend upon the power of Jesus to make it happen

this man listened to Jesus . . .

Mark 2:12 NASB95

12 And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

the man immediately got up, picked up his pallet and went home

When you listen to Jesus you can walk among the doubters

while you’re doubting, I’m walking

while you’re doubting, my issue is being turned into a testimony

helped, stengthened, changed

so stop doubting

Jesus is worth going to the next level

have faith can be seen

know that God IS giving you what you need

remember that Jesus is all that . . .and you will be able to walk among the doubters

Invitation

Jesus is God

that’s how much he cared

he came and dwelled among us