The Four Friends Mark 2:1-12

A British publication once offered a prize for the best definition of a friend. Among the thousands of answers received were the following: "One who multiplies joys, divides grief, and whose honesty is inviolable." "One who understands our silence." "A volume of sympathy bound in cloth." "A watch that beats true for all time and never runs down." The winning definition read: "A friend is the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out."

-Jesus is able to heal and forgive sins because He is the Son of God.

I. The Problem vv. 1-4

When we pick up the account, Jesus has returned to Capernaum and is teaching in a home there in the city

I think we need to pay attention to this; the ministry of the Word and the proclamation of the Kingdom continue to be central to the ministry of Jesus

There is a relationship between the proclamation of the Kingdom and the presence of the King; where Jesus is, there is Good News

In this passage, we see the intersection of a broken man with a ruling King:

Four friends take a friend who is paralytic up a set of outside stairs and lower him through the roof into the home, right into the presence of Jesus

Recognizing Jesus’ authority over disease, these men take drastic action, tearing the roof apart to get their friend to Jesus

It’s a beautiful picture of three critical characteristics in the life of God’s people:

Faith- they believe that Jesus is able to heal disease

Hope- they hope that Jesus will be willing to show mercy and heal their friend

Love- they love their friend enough to do whatever it takes to connect him with the One who can heal

In important ways, they may not understand exactly who Jesus is, but they know that He is the only one who can meet the need in their friend’s life.

A man walks into a pet store and says, “I want a talking parrot.” The clerk says, “Yes sir, I have two birds that talk. This large green parrot here is quite a talker.” He taps on the cage, and the bird says, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” “It knows the entire Bible by heart. This red one here is young but he’s learning.” He prompts, “Polly want a cracker.” The bird repeats, “Polly want a cracker.”

The man says, “I’ll take the younger one if you can teach me how to make it talk.” “Sure I can teach you,” says the pet store owner. He sits down with the man and spends hours teaching him how to train the parrot. Then he puts the bird in the cage, takes the man’s money, and sends him home to start the training regimen. After a week, the man comes back into the store very irritated. “That bird you sold me doesn’t talk.” “It doesn’t?

Did you follow my instructions?” asks the clerk. “Yep, to the letter,” replies the man. “Well, maybe that bird is lonely. Tell you what. I’ll sell you this little mirror here and you put it in the cage. That bird will see its reflection and start talking right away.” The man does as he was told. Three days later, he was back. “I’m thinking of asking for my money back. That bird won’t talk.” The shop owner ponders a bit and says, “I’ll bet that bird is bored. He needs some toys. Here, take this bell. No charge.

Put it in the bird’s cage. It’ll start talking once it has something to do.” In a week, the man comes back angrier than ever. He storms in carrying a shoebox. “That bird you sold me died.” He opens the shoebox, and there is his poor little dead parrot. “I demand my money back.” The shop owner is horrified! “I’m so sorry, I don’t know what happened. But tell me … did the bird ever even try to talk?” “Well,” says the man, “it did say one word, right before it died.” “What did it say?” the clerk inquires. The man replies, “It said: ‘Fo-o-o-o-od.’

II. The Promise vv. 5-7

Confronted by the paralytic, Jesus goes completely off script!

Instead of healing the paralysis, Jesus offers something more significant: the forgiveness of sins

Bodily healing is important, but Jesus is able to offer so much more than this

Three things really stick out to me about this moment:

Jesus’s compassion: He refers to the man as His “son”. Jesus has genuine affection for the paralytic and respect for the friends and their faith

Jesus’s authority: He speaks to the forgiveness of sins based in His own authority; there is no reference to God’s work to forgive. Jesus appeals to no higher authority than His own

The crowd’s response: Immediately, the scribes question because they understand the implication

If Jesus truly has the ability to forgive sins, then He is unlike any other prophet or teacher who has ever come before Him.

Yes, we need to listen to Him and we can come to Him for hope and healing

However, what He offers to us goes much deeper than this

His is an invitation to a restored life, lived under His authority, as part of His Kingdom!

What is it that you need most? No, it’s not that girl or that new car that you’ve had your eyes on. It’s not that promotion you’ve worked so hard for or that vacation you’ve dreamed of. No, it’s not the perseverance to lose the weight you know you need to lose or the discipline to climb your way out of debt. It’s not a closer circle of friends or a solid church to attend. It’s not freedom from physical sickness or restoration to your estranged family. It’s not freedom from addiction, fear, depression, or worry. All of these things are very important in their own way, but they don’t represent your biggest need. There is one thing that every human being desperately needs, whether he knows it or not. This needs gets to the heart of who you are and the heart of what God designed you to be and to do. Your biggest need (and mine) is a fully restored relationship with God.

Taken from New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp, © 2014. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org.

III. The Proof vv. 8-12

Jesus understands the question in the hearts of the scribes:

If Jesus is a liar, then He is a blasphemer also; this is not a secondary issue

As we consider the scribes, I hope that we don’t give them too hard of a time, because the claims of Jesus are fantastic

Jesus responds by offering proof, in the form of physical healing

Jesus understands that forgiveness is not something that the crowd can observe; there is no visual proof of what has taken place here

However, Jesus wants them to believe so He does a work of healing

This is good for the paralytic, someone Jesus loves and longs to show mercy to

However, it is also good for the scribes who will gain an insight into who Jesus is and the hope that He offers

When Jesus speaks, we see the evidence of total transformation:

The paralytic walks- He is the Creator with authority to heal

The sinner is forgiven- He is the Sacrifice with the authority to forgive

The crowd is amazed- He is the Son of God and He is here among us

When we consider the evidence, we must believe!

750 Engaging Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers and Writers 34: Belief

Robert Chesebrough believed in his product. He’s the fellow who invented Vaseline, a petroleum jelly refined from rod wax, the ooze that forms on shafts of oil rigs. He so believed in the healing properties of his product that he became his own guinea pig. He burned himself with acid and flame; he cut and scratched himself so often and so deeply that he bore the scars of his tests the rest of his life. But he proved his product worked. People had only to look at his wounds, now healed, to see the value of his work—and the extent of his belief.