Jesus' Authority to Forgive Sins

Good morning

Let’s pray

Today we are going to be in Mark 2:1-12.

Last week we looked at Jesus going around Galilee preaching and healing and casting out demons. The news of what He was doing spread so fast, that He couldn’t go into the towns anymore. He had to stay in the outskirts and have the people come to Him. Remember that it had been over 400 years since God last spoke to the Jews through the prophets. Jesus wasn’t just speaking for God, He was God. He talked like no one had before. He had an understanding of the Tora that the scribes only dreamed of having. He was healing and casting out demons like it was common place. He had an authority that had never been seen before. Today we are going to look at a healing that Jesus did back in Capernaum. Jesus reveals His full authority. He provides healing for humanities greatest need, SIN!

Please stand as we read God’s Word.

Mark 2:1–12 (NASB 2020)

1 When Jesus came back to Capernaum a few days later, it was heard that He was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer space, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. 3 And some people came, bringing to Him a man who was paralyzed, carried by four men. 4 And when they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and after digging an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralyzed man was lying. 5 And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 But some of the scribes were sitting there and thinking it over in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins except God alone?” 8 Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were thinking that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you thinking about these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralyzed man, ‘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 paralyzed man, 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!”

It had been several days since Jesus had left Capernaum to preach and heal and cast out demons. By this time everyone had heard of what He was doing and they all wanted to see Him and experience what they had heard about. It says that when they found out that He was back in town, that they gathered to see and hear Him. So many gathered that there was not even room near the door. It was literally, standing room only. These people were eager to see and hear Jesus. This is a preachers dream, a standing room only building with people who want to be there! There were no teenagers that had drug problems, there parents drug them there. It was full of people who didn’t have anything better to do. They were all there for one reason only and that was to see and hear Jesus.

Jesus began to speak and teach, when this group of 4 carrying their friend on a bed. This is the kind of friends that everyone needs. They didn’t have to bring the paralytic to see Jesus. They could have said it was too far to carry him. They could have said, there is no way to get into the building. But they didn’t say any of that. They were not going to let this opportunity pass by for their friend. They did whatever they had to to get their friend in front of Jesus. It was common in that day for the roofs to have a sitting area on them with stairs on the outside going up to that area. So there was easy access to the roof. The construction of the roofs would have been made of slabs of burnt or dried clay that would have been placed on supporting beams which stretched from wall to wall. Then the builder would have spread a uniform layer of fresh clay across the roof to act as a sealant against the rain. It would have been work to make a hole big enough to lower their friend down to Jesus. But they did it. They removed the top layer of clay to reveal the slabs, and then removed enough slabs to get their friend down to Jesus. Those were true friends. All that the friends did to get their friend to Jesus was visible evidence of the faith that they had in Jesus to heal him. They only way for their faith to be visible was for them to do something to show it. The fruit that they produced that day was the fruit of faith. Now we do not know if it was the fruit of saving faith, but it was faith none the less. Just like we have been talking about in Wednesday nights, the only way people can know that we belong to Jesus, is by our fruit, our actions. Can people tell that we are Christians just by watching and observing us? Would be as obvious as these friends lowering the paralytic down? Our faith is called to be an active one. One that loves like Jesus did. Jesus healed so many people that from what the Bible says, never demonstrated saving faith, but He healed them none the less. That is the love we must show, not a love for those that can do something for us, but a love regardless of the fact that they can or can’t do something for us.

Seeing their faith Jesus said something to them that more than likely no Jew had ever said before. He told them that their sins were forgiven. By saying this, Jesus is revealing who He is! Another sign that He was God, was that the scribes that were there, didn’t say anything out loud, they were thinking in their hearts. Jesus knew what they were thinking. Now, they were correct in saying that only God can forgive sins. They were wrong in saying that Jesus was blaspheming, Jesus was God. He even told them what they were thinking in their hearts. Jesus knew what they would think and that is why He said what He said. He wanted to demonstrate who He was. He was the Son of Man! This is title that Jesus called Himself to identify Himself as human but also at the same time the Messiah, who had been given authority by the Most High and reigns over His kingdom. The scribes would have known what this title meant. They would have known who Jesus was saying He was. Jesus knew that they would know. He was about to show them His authority over sin. We don’t know if the man’s paralysis was due to sin. They Jews believed that all disease and affliction was a direct result of one’s sins. So by Jesus saying your sins are forgiven, He was addressing the reason all the people in the building thought the man was paralyzed for, his sins.

Next Jesus asks a question, which is easier to say, your sins are forgiven, or take up your pallet and walk. It was easier to say your sins are forgiven, because there is no way to visibly see if that happened or not. He could say that and no one could argue it. The harder thing is to say get up and walk. Because there is a visible sign if it happens or not. The man either walks or continues to lay there. There is much greater risk in saying get up and walk. So that they would know that Jesus has the authority to forgive sins, Jesus gave the command to get up and walk. Nothing in Mark happens slowly, we see again the word immediately. Immediately he picked up his pallet and went out in front of everyone. Now don’t miss this little detail. They had to go up on the roof and tear the roof up to lower him down to Jesus. After he is healed, he walks out the front door! The people made a path for the man that was just healed. His friends were probably the most re-leaved that they didn’t have to haul him back up through the roof.

Everyone was amazed Mark tells us. They were glorifying God for what they had just witnessed. That is the true response to a miracle! Not the response of the leapers who Jesus healed and only one came back to Him. Here Mark tells us that they were all glorifying God! What an amazing scene that would have been. I can only imagine the look on the faces of the scribes when the man got up and walked. They were like what just happened here? How did He do that? It was a day that no one in that town ever forgot!

A fun thing that I started doing is trying to find myself in these stories in the Bible. So, lets take a minute and think about all the different possibilities of who we could be.

We are not Jesus! let’s just get that out of the way up front!

We could be the paralytic. We need to be forgiven of our sins. We have a greater need that physical healing, we need spiritual healing. The healing that only the Son of Man can give.

We could be the friends who have been praying for a loved one, or close friend for a while. Don’t give up. God see’s your faith. He hears your cries for them. Continue to do whatever is needed. Continue to pray.

We could be the by standards. We came to hear about Jesus. We have heard about Him, but want to hear more. We want to learn if what we heard was true. We know we need something, but not quite sure what it is. He is the answer to your questions.

We could be the scribes. We have all this religious knowledge. We know who God is. We have know everything we need to know, it just hasn’t made it to our hearts. We still have a hard heart. We haven’t got the wisdom that Jesus gives. We don’t know what to do with all the knowledge we have. Only He can soften and give you a new heart.

All these people need Jesus for various reason, just like we do. Let’s take a moment and think who are we in this story?

Who ever you identified with in the story, you need Jesus. As we sing you pray and ask Jesus for what you need.

Pray