Jesus: Preeminent in Health

Simplicity

good morning

welcome

you can turn in your Bibles to Mark chapter 2, we will get there in a minute

I’m going to show you a couple of images, I’d like to see if you can guess the answers, so let’s look at the first one

6+4+3=2 who knows what this math equation means?

Here’s another

Simple math equations

I like things to be simple and obvious

I like that 1+1=2 and that it’s constant, that will never change

Or if this then that statements or scenarios, they’re predictable

The consequence or the outcome is known beforehand, it’s predictable, logical

One time in Italy, dealing with the Germans at our camp, talking about order and design in creation, I used this example or analogy

A man, study in the garage in the backyard.

On his way, on a calm day, he took leaves from a tree and arranged them in a north south then east west, then north south, then east west pattern.

Later, his wife came bringing him lunch and asked him why he did that.

He questioned her, why did I do what?

She answered, do that with the leaves, arrange them in that pattern.

To which he responded, how do you know I did that? How do you know that they didn’t just fall out of the tree and land that way.

To which she said, “that’s impossible, they could never just land in such an organized way.

Now, if it’s impossible for leaves to arrange themselves like that, or for origami to just be folded in that way, how much more intricate and ordered is creation, and man.

If the leaves and origami need an intelligent designer, how does our world not, or how do we not???

To which the Germans, thought for a second, said, “huh, that’s interesting.” And then said, “yeah, we still don’t believe.”

I thought I had hit a home run, only to find out that I struck out.

Well, let’s look at this story in the Gospel of Mark, and you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Mark 2:1–4 ESV

And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay.

the scene, crowded house, jesus is deep in the house, in the family room, sitting next to the fireplace.

He’s teaching, probably about living in the Kingdom of God, normal subject matter for Him

Then, if you can picture it, dirt starts falling from the ceiling, which causes Jesus to pause, and watch

It wasn’t uncommon then to have a flat, thatch roof, mud and straw

You could access the roof with a ladder

Then pull out a section of mud and thatch

Can you picture this scene??

The reaction of some as dirt and straw are falling in the room, on the people??

The owner of the house, possibly Peter, now that a hole is in his roof

But most importantly, can you picture Jesus, what’s the look on His face?? Is He annoyed, his teaching has been interrupted??

Is He frustrated, another distraction, a delay in how long He’ll be there now?

Does He feel bad for the homeowner?

Is there a smile on His face? Pleased at the lengths some will go to get to Him, to get their friend in front front of Jesus??

This display of “faith” of belief that Jesus can and will heal their friend.

And “they” came, bringing to Him a paralytic carried by four men.

The friends are the focus of this verse, not the paralytic.

They removed the roof, the friends made the opening, they let down the bed through the opening,

English Standard Version Chapter 2

5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6

So when Jesus saw “their” faith, it’s referring to the faith of the friends.

Point 1, the faith of others, faith on behalf of someone else, can move Jesus to action.

This story does not exist, is not in our Bible, if these friends didn’t have the audacious faith that they did.

Don’t stop begging, pleading, God to act on the behalf of your friends and love ones, God sees and is pleased with these displays of faith.

Mark 2:5–12 ESV

And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

Jesus then focuses His attention on the paralytic, who up to this part in the story is a neutral character.

We have no idea if he begged his buddies to get him to Jesus

We have no idea if he has any faith, if he thinks of believes that Jesus can or will do something for him.

Jesus, addresses the paralytic as Son, a term of endearment, but then says something no one is expecting.

It’s at this point, the whole place would have been confused by what Jesus says here, and for a variety of reasons.

“Son, your sins are forgiven”

First we’ll put ourselves in the shoes of the paralytic, not the words he’s been longing to hear

No, he wants to hear, son, get up and walk

So do his buddies, they have no plan B, they lowered him down and had no intention of pulling him back up.

Same with the crowd, they love Jesus’ teaching, maybe not all of them, but we no they loved His miracles

But, there’s another group present, and we’ll talk about them in a minute.

Maybe the paralytic, like most of us, believes his paralysis is due to some sinfulness.

This was the common mentality for the people of God.

If you were healthy, wealthy, had positions of power and influence, then you were blessed by God, He’s clearly happy with you and you must not be a sinner.

But, if you were sickly, disabled, poor, of little influence, then you very well might have been cursed by God because of your sinfulness.

Remember the disciples question to Jesus about the blind man, Rabbi, who sinned this man or his parents.

This man is blind because of sin, that’s how God is paying him back, but who’s sin, his or his parents.

Do you see it? Don’t we think like that at times?

This is happening in my life, God is paying me back, it’s because I did this or said that.