Mark 2_1_12 outline

Mark 2:1-12 “_______”

Harmony of text: Mark 2:1-12, Matthew 9:1-8, and Luke 5:17-26

Thesis: Jesus alone exercises authority to forgive sin on earth; we must come to Him for forgiveness and bring others along too.

Historical Context: This episode takes place after Jesus finished his first preaching tour of Galilee. We have learned that the Leper whom Jesus healed told everyone of what Jesus did and people from all over were coming to Him. In this episode Jesus has returned to Capernaum and a very large and excited crowd had come to His home, the house was full and people were busting out of the doorway. Luke 5:17 informs us that in this crown were Scribes and Pharisees from every village in Galilee, Judea, and even Jerusalem. It seems the healing of the Leper got their attention and an investigation was opened by the Sanhedrin as to learn just who this Jesus is.

While Jesus is preaching four very persistent men come bringing their paralyzed friend on a stretcher to Jesus. Since the house was full and people were bursting out of the seems they climbed upon the roof of the square shaped house most likely using the steps that most homes had leading to the roof, they removed the sod and tile roof lowering the paralytic to Jesus. When Jesus saw this realizing the faith of all who were involved Jesus forgave the sins of the man.

The members of the religious community reasoned in their heart that Jesus was committing blasphemy because only God can forgive sin. Jesus being aware of this asked them a question, “Which is easier to say, your sins are forgiven you or arise and walk.” Jesus then did the harder, telling the paralytic to arise, pick up your pallet, and go home.” He did this so that they would come to the understanding that He was the Son of Man and alone had authority to forgive sin. The crowd which had gathered was truly amazed and glorified God.

Soon after this took place Jesus walks by the seashore and calls Matthew into discipleship. In turn Matthew throws a celebration and invites all of His friends who happen to be the low down of society, sinners and tax collectors. The religious community who had opened an investigation into Jesus asked His disciples why He ate with such low down people, Jesus responded that He had come to call repentant sinners into Salvation not those who are righteous according to their own standards.

As we can see the passage of Mark 2:1-12 is connected to the preceding verses as Jesus demonstrates His ability to purify the defiled as He heals the Leper, we then see that He heals the paralytic man who is absolutely unable to do anything for Himself but lay on a bed which proves to us that salvation is not based on works but on faith in Jesus’ works. Finally we see the connection of Jesus forgiving the sin of the most hated and unlikely redeemable people in Israel, tax collectors and associates.

Furthermore, we see a connection in these scenes that proves the importance of bringing people to Jesus. This connection is seen in the four persistent men who brought their friend to Jesus and Matthew who invited his friends to the banquet he threw for Jesus.

While asking ourselves, how would the original audience have taken these episodes we have to remember the purpose for Mark’s writing of this Gospel? He writes to persecuted Roman Christians giving them an apologetical biography of the Servant of God who was rejected by His own people. They would have noticed that the Jewish religious leaders denied Jesus’ deity because they thought his announcement of His authority to forgive was blasphemy. They had such presuppositions and hardness of heart that even after seeing the miracle that followed (which by the way, they probably hoped to see) they were unable/unwilling to repent of their sins and believe the Gospel that God’s time had been fulfilled and the Kingdom was at hand through His visitation. But, for the audience they could find hope in knowing that Jesus did have the authority to forgive their sins even though they too were outsiders and deemed the outcast of society.

This text screams God grace to forgive sin by faith in Jesus alone and should move us to excitement because we have hope in the future that we have entered into His family and will one day experience the Kingdom of God where we will find no sickness, suffering, or sin. This episode should also move us to have compassion on the lost around us and to bring them to the physician of man’s soul, Jesus our Savior and Lord.

Key Words: The following words are the key to understanding the lesson that Mark is trying to relay.

Preached (vs. 2)…. Verb, laleō = to talk, to tell. He was speaking (ongoing communication) to the crowd

Word (vs. 2)… Noun, logos = the message of God. The Word of God. (Mark 1:14).. The message of salvation>

Forgiven (vs. 5)… Verb, aphiēmi = leave, pardon. The man not merely cured of his affliction but he underlying reason of all affliction and separation.

God Alone (vs. 7)… theos heis, = single one.

Know (vs.10)… Verb, oida = to have understanding

Son of Man (vs.10)… huios anthrōpos

Glorifying (vs. 12)… Verb, doxazomai = praise

Exegetical Outline

Speaking the Message of the Kingdom of God (1-2)

Applying The Message of the Kingdom of God (3-5)

Defending the Message of the Kingdom of God (6-11)

Results of the Message of the Kingdom of God (12)

Speaking the Message of the Kingdom of God. (1-2)

Jesus has finished His first preaching tour through Galilee and because of the healing of the Leper (40-45) large crowds follow and gather where ever He is. Jesus has returned to Peter’s house in Capernaum and when the people learned he was there large crowds gather. This crowd was an excited crowd because they had heard all that Jesus had done and contextual were there to see miracle like they had heard about. Luke tells us that in this crowd were Pharisees and Scribes from all over Galilee, Judea, and even Jerusalem which was sixty (60) miles away.

This crowd had gathered in the home of Peter. Historically 1st century Israeli homes were square and singe story, outside steps lead to the roof which was made of branches, rush, and dried mud. This home was full of people so much that they were busting out of the door. While Jesus had this crowd began to speak to them the word of God. Mark uses the Greek noun Logos which means the message of God. This message is one of salvation which ultimately means deliverance from sin and its consequences. As previously mentioned (over the past couple of weeks) Jesus’ healings had been salvific pictures of the forgiveness of sin and a glimpse into what the future holds for the Christian.

Sin is man’s greatest sickness, it encompasses the entire created order, it is the root cause of suffering and affliction, and its penalty is certain death. The Bible teaches that every man has gone astray (Is. 53:6a) but that Jesus came to earth to seek and save that which was lost (Luke 19:10) and through faith our iniquity has fallen on Him the suffering servant (Is. 53:6b). Since sin is man’s greatest sickness salvation is the greatest miracle!

The message which Jesus is speaking is found in 1:15, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” This message is that of visitation from God, that after all this time of waiting for God He has finally come in the person of Jesus. But sin has masked this great truth from the hearts of many, the people had teachers who left the written Word of God and was teaching a supplement created by man, thus the people had been led astray and missed the mighty wonder of Emmanuel. As Jesus spoke this message it is clear for the Gospel student to see that the Kingdom was at hand, or near. The miracles of Jesus demonstrated what His Kingdom looked like. This message and previously worked miracles were to lead people to repentance.

Repentance literally means to turn away from sin while simultaneously turning towards God in belief. Repentance and faith are key elements of salvation, one can never be forgiven of sin unless they forsake sin and even while one forsakes sin they can never be forgiven without faith in Jesus’ saving work. All this is brought about by the grace of God which we will shortly see.

Application: The message of Jesus is quite simple, repent of your sin and trust Him to save you from your sin. In order for this message to be applied to your heart you must have greater understanding than just intellectual knowledge, it must be your life’s blood. Have you came to the place where you truly understand your state and see yourself as God sees you, helplessly lost, defiled, and separated from Him. Do you acknowledge your sin issue and will you have a change of heart shifting your desires to His desire for you, which is repentance and faith. Will you come to the altar and sacrifice yourself upon it leaving your sin and embracing the Lord Jesus in Love and affection.

Jesus came to earth to seek and to save that which was lost and like the message Jesus was teaching in Peter’s house, I bring to you in the church house. The time came, Jesus visited humanity and ultimately shed His life’s blood for the forgiveness of sin and that leads us to the next point.

Applying the message of the Kingdom of God.

In preaching we often talk about application, while we must repent of our sin and believe the good news of God this message can’t be applied by human effort it is only applied by Jesus through His grace. In other words salvation does not come by anything you have done, good works, walking down an aisle at church, or even praying a prayer. This is a miracle that is applied to your being by the hand of grace.

While Jesus is in Peter’s home teaching, a desperate man, paralyzed and lying on a pallet is brought to Jesus by four persistent men. Now it is important to note that this man could do nothing for himself, he was in a state of helplessness, and was totally dependent upon other people, in fact all he could contribute was dead weight. But these friends had resolve and though they ran into an obstacle it did not halt their mission. They were determined to get their friend to Jesus so they climbed the steps outside the house, dug through the roof and lowered the man while in his bed to Jesus, this reminds me f a story I once heard.

Illustration: A young fellow wanted to be a star journalist but lived in a small town (not much possibility). One day the dam upstream broke and the town was flooded. He got in a rowboat and headed out to look for a story. Found a lady sitting on her rooftop. He tied up the boat and told her what he was after. (They both watched as various items floated by). She says, "Now there's a story." "No, that's not a story." Finally a hat floats by and then does a 180 degree turn, goes upstream a ways and does another 180 degree turn, etc. The fellow says, "There's a story." "Oh no, that's not a story. "That's my husband Hayward. He said that he was going to mow the lawn come hell or high water!"

These men were determined because they had faith in Jesus,

Mark 2:1-12 “Personal Forgiveness”

There's a Spanish story of a father and son who had become estranged. The son ran away, and the father set off to find him. He searched for months to no avail. Finally, in a last desperate effort to find him, the father put an ad in a Madrid newspaper. The ad read: Dear Paco, meet me in front of this newspaper office at noon on Saturday. All is forgiven. I love you. Your Father. On Saturday 800 Pacos showed up, looking for forgiveness and love from their fathers.

The greatest need that mankind has is love and forgiveness. Now, all men are sin stricken but God has made means for both love and forgiveness. Love comes from God’s loving nature towards all mankind and forgiveness is proof of His love through the ministry of Christ Jesus.

Forgiveness of sin is personal; it involves God forgiven you and each individual that comes to Him by grace through faith. As we look at Mark we see a biography full of hope, but also an explanation as to what the Jews did not receive their Messiah. Part of this reason is that many understood forgiveness f sin to be nationalistic, in other words their sins were given due to their ancestry as a nation through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob but here in our text today, forgiveness of sin fall on a single helpless individual.

Last week we saw a picture of Jesus’ willingness, ability, and authority to forgive sin as He miraculously purified the Leper. Now the word is out and many have gathered in excitement to see Jesus work more miracles, and He will not disappoint as He shows the crowd the greatest miracle of all, forgiveness of sin which reconciles estranged sons/daughters to their heavenly Father. Then that forgiven person has a God given responsibility and that’s to bring others to Jesus so they too can be forgiven.

CPS: By grace alone through faith alone in Christ Jesus alone we can be forgiven of our sin then we must spend the rest of our lives bringing the sin sick one by one and laying them at the feet of Jesus so they too can be forgiven.

Jesus preaches the Gospel Vs. 1-2

The main verb in this section is preached (KJV), laleō which mans to talk, to tell

The setting

The crowd

The message (1:15)

Application: This is the message we speak, it may sound a little different because Jesus has came and we are able to see the whole picture that is revealed in the Scriptures. The gospel was unfolding before there very eyes but it has been unfolded to us. At the right time in History Jesus came bringing news of the Kingdom of God. You don’t have to die in your sins and face God’s wrath He came to pay the ransom, then was resurrected, and now seated by the Father.

Jesus forgives the helpless Vs. 3-5

The main verb is Forgiven aphiēmi = leave, pardon

The helpless (Show Grace)

The determined

Illustration: A young man wanted to be a star journalist but lived in a small town so there wasn’t much possibility of that. But, one day the dam upstream broke and the town was flooded. He got in a rowboat and headed out to look for a story. As he rowed he found a lady sitting on her rooftop. He tied up the boat and told her what he was after. They both watched eagerly as various items floated by. She says, "Now there's a story." "No, that's not a story." Finally a hat floats by and then does a 180 degree turn, goes upstream a ways and does another 180 degree turn, etc. The fellow says, "There's a story." "Oh no, that's not a story. "That's my husband Hayward. He said that he was going to mow the lawn come hell or high water!"

The results (Forgiveness)

We must come to Jesus the same way this helpless paralytic came, with nothing to offer and rely solely on Him to forgive. Then we must become the determined friend and lay people at His feet so they too can be forgiven.

Jesus rebukes the critics Vs. 6-11

Their reasoning (God Alone… they were right but so far off)

His statement (Son of Man)

The evidence (He did the harder so they would see easier)

Illustration: There are a lot critics out there and far too often they are inside the church house, I recall a story that an old time preacher once told… after a Sunday morning message a lady approached him saying “Preacher you used an improper word this morning.” He asked, what word was that, she said pants when you should have used trousers.” The preacher asked what else she remembered from the message; she said “I guess that’s it.” He replied “so had I not said pants you would not have remembered anything.”

When the religious leaders in that house heard Jesus’ marvelous statement of forgiveness everything else went right out the window. They could have been forgiven themselves but their critical spirit kept them from receiving the greatest miracle of all.

Jesus Marvels the CrowdVs. 12

The man cured

God was glorified

Conclusion: Now in this text Marks original audience, Gentile believers would have picked up on the emphases of this account, the forgiveness of one man who was brought to Jesus. Thus, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the God of all people able and willing to save anybody who comes to Him by grace through faith in Christ Jesus. They would have seen that since they have been forgiven of their sins that they must become determined soul winners like those who carried the paralytic to Jesus. In their day of oppression and persuection determination was a must because they would find many obstacles hindering their mission.

In a like manner we must bring people to Jesus one by one and lay them at His feet, regardless of the difficulty. You see soul winning is personal; it starts with a burden for the lost which can’t be manufactured but must be prayed in. You see that Jesus is concerned with each and every individual soul, in fact had there been just one person to live in the world and he fell to sin then Jesus would have come and died for that single person. When we are burdened for the souls of the lost each personal sinner will matter to us.

I recall a story that a great preacher was told; there was great storm that occurred and after that storm, thousands, and tens of thousands, and hundreds of thousands of starfish had been swept up from the ocean floor and thrown up on the beach. And the tide had gone out, and those starfish were left stranded. When the sun came up, they would die. And a man walking down the beach early that morning was seen picking up starfish and throwing them back in the water. And a friend came alongside of him and said to him, “What are you doing?” He said, “I’m throwing these starfish back in the water so they won’t die.” “Oh,” he said, “what difference wills that make? There are hundreds and thousands of star fish on this beach.” He said, “It will make a difference to this one.”

So today I challenge you to take to heart to find one person who is unsaved and do what it takes to bring them to Jesus, then find another. There are billions of star fish waiting to be cast back into the sea, but it has be done one by one with the determined and caring hands of us Christians.