How Expectations Can Shape Experiences

Last week we left Jesus traveling through the countryside of Galilee. He had set up headquarters in Capernaum, and began teaching in the synagogue on the sabbaths. There comes a time where a demon possessed man is liberated by Jesus during one of these synagogue sessions, and it causes the people of Capernaum to bring all of their sick to Jesus along with those in the community who were also possessed by evil spirits. That evening, Jesus spends his time in Peter's house healing all who came to him, including healing Peter's mother-in-law of a very serious fever.

As morning draws close, however, Jesus gets up and sneaks off to go and spend some time in prayer, but Peter and the other disciples (at this time comprised of Andrew, James, John, Phillip, and Nathanael) follow Jesus. Word spreads that Jesus has gone out of the city limits, and everyone that needs healing starts to gather around that area too.

This disciples tell Jesus that he needs to go back to Capernaum because so many people need him, but Jesus leaves Capernaum despite the physical need. He understood that Capernaum was readily receiving the miracles but was not listening to the message of repentance or of Jesus' Messiah-ship. So Jesus leaves, stating that he needs to go into all of Galilee (approx. 204 other towns in villages) and preach and teach there.

As they go traveling along, they run into a man full of leprosy who asks Jesus to cleanse him. When Jesus does, he instructs the man not to tell anyone, but to just show himself to the priests at the temple so that he can be readmitted into society. However, the man goes and tell everyone about Jesus healing him, and he does such a good job of spreading the news that Jesu scan't go into the towns and villages anymore to preach. His miracles now overshadow his message and that is what most people are after now. So Jesus is forced to preach in desert places.

We pick up today with Jesus returning to Capernaum as he concludes his first Galilean preaching tour. The book of Mark mentions that he returns after "some days," indicating it has been quite a while since Jesus left. Turn with me this morning to Mark 2:1-2 And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. 2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.

Notice the phrase "it was noised that he was in the house." Again, the house that he was probably staying in was either Peter's or one of the other disciples that were from that area (Andrew, Jame, or John). Matthew, Mark, and Luke all give an account of the event we are going to study today, but Luke includes a detail that would lead us to believe that this was not an impromptu meeting, but a planned one. Perhaps even coordinated by Jesus himself.

Luke 5:17 And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.

So you have these scribes and Pharisees that were sitting in Jesus' presence, and they have come from all over Galilee, Judea, and even from Jerusalem. This was very likely planned. I want you to notice also that even though the Pharisees and the scribes and other religious leaders are, at best, skeptical of Jesus and eventually outright opponents of him, Jesus has provided, not only an audience with them, but seating as well.

To us, that might not mean much, but in that culture, to offer someone a seat was to give them respect. These men were honored above the rest of the crowd who would have been standing, for it was the posture of teachers and those that were an authority of a matter to sit, and for the listeners to stand (quite opposite of what we are accustomed to now).

So Jesus shows honor and respect to men who would probably be some of the very men who would eventually preside over the trial would sentence Jesus to death.

But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. We are in Capernaum, in someone's house (presumably Peter's), and word has gotten out that Jesus is preaching. And there is a multitude of people coming to hear Jesus. Word reaches the ears of four men who have a friend that is very sick. Luke 5:18-19 And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. 19 And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.

Mark is the one that tells us that he being carried by 4 others.

Mark 2:3-4 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. 4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.

Where There's a Will, There's a Way

And the men don't give up when normal means of getting this man to Jesus don't work. When the multitude blocks access through the front door, the men find a way to get onto the roof of the house, break up enough of said roof to make a hole large enough for this man to be lowered on his bed, and then let their friend down.

It seemed to these four men that it was a "now or never" situation. Perhaps they believed that if they waited another day, Jesus would once again travel away for "some days" and they wouldn't see Jesus for a very long time. Perhaps, eve, this man that was paralyzed was near death, and the thought of waiting through the day for Jesus to finish preaching and talking with the Pharisees seemed to risky for them.

Whatever the driving factor was, the need was pressing, so without regard for the consequences of destroying someone else's property, they climbed the roof, made a hole, and let their friend down.

Before we go on to the next part of the story, I want you to think about what was happening. Enter, if you will, into the mindset of the Jews in Galilee. Enter into the mindset of the Scribes and Pharisees. Chronic illnesses or afflictions like leprosy and palsy were not viewed as we view them today. Few would have been the people that would have known this man that would have thought, "What an unfortunate guy. Too bad he's paralyzed and can't lead a normal life."

Instead, what was the prevailing thought on the cause of illnesses and conditions like this? Sin! That's right. People would have looked at this man and wondered in their hearts what sins he had committed to receive such a punishment from God. There would have been little pity. The law of Moses did, after all, required people to give generously to those in need, but all the while, the thoughts would have been present.

We do not know the life of this man, but by the way that people respond to what Jesus tells him, it may be that this man had lead a life that was outwardly sinful. Who knows? What we do know is this, this man, along with his four friends, had faith in Jesus.

Mark 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.

The Effects of Great Faith

The four friends of the sick man showed their faith by being so bold and persistent in their mission to bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus. The Paralyzed man showed great faith in allowing his friends to do all of this for him.

And look at the way that Jesus addresses this man. He calls him "son." This is a term of affection that the scribes and Pharisees would not have use toward this man. These doctors of the law would have been too far removed from such sinners to speak this kindly to them. But Jesus looks at him and calls him "son." A term of endearment; a term of acceptance.

But why does he call this man "son"? It is because he saw in this man faith. Yes, his friends had faith for healing, but I believe this man had a different kind of faith, and in the same way that Jesus will in just a moment see the hearts and minds and thoughts of the Pharisees that are around him, he sees the heart of this man lying before him. I believe that this man had faith in Jesus and who Jesus said he was, the Messiah. He would have been one of the few who truly sought Jesus, not merely for physical healing, but because he accepted his message of repentance.

And looking into this man's face, he saw that faith, calls him son, and then pronounces the most amazing words any person could ever hear, "Your sins are forgiven."

Matthew adds that Jesus includes another statement with this as he says, "Son, be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven." (Matt. 9:2)

This causes a silent and internal uproar within the minds of the Pharisees and scribes present, and we read about it in Mark 2:6-7 But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, 7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?

Since man had sinned against God in the garden, forgiveness of sin had never been authoritatively uttered by man's lips. This power resides with Jesus alone. Others have mistakenly claimed to have the power to forgive sins, but even the disciples did not claim such authority, and in fact told others that they needed to repent before God so that God could pardon their sins (Acts 8:22).

Those who profess the power to be able to forgive sins should be able to make good on their claim by being able to heal diseases or otherwise being able to remove the consequences of sin. If they cannot, then it is justifiable to have them under suspicion of blasphemy.

And this is exactly what the religious leaders thought of Jesus

To BLASPHEME, in classic Greek, means to speak evil of or to slander a person, and it is used this way a variety of times in the New Testament. However, the ordinary New Testament use of the word blasphemy is quite different. There are three general types of blasphemies.

to attribute something unworthy or unholy to God,

to deny the word of God,

or to claim any attribute, power, or authority which belongs exclusively to God

It is under this last category that the Pharisees and scribes present are accusing Jesus within their hearts. We cannot be quick to judge these men, however, because their thoughts are completely justifiable had Jesus not been the Son of God.

The Pharisees were not faulty in their logic, but were mistaken in the identity of Jesus.

And this is why Jesus doesn't deny their doctrinal stance on the messiah, he simply corrects their application of it to himself when he shows them that he is able to heal this man's condition.

Mark 2:8-11 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? 9 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? 10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) 11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.

This is the first ever recorded indication of hostility on the part of the scribes and Pharisees, and as you can see, it starts in their minds. Jesus immediately is able to discern their thoughts, and this was a characteristic of the Messiah stated in Isaiah (9:2-3). This is also an attribute that is peculiar to God.

Matthew notes in 9:4 that Jesus asks them also, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?" Their first thought was a thought to attribute evil to Jesus. They did not stop to consider what he had said could possibly mean; they immediately attributed the evil of blasphemy to Jesus, which, ironically, is truly blasphemous!

But Jesus could see invisible sin and could forgive it or condemn it as the conditions moved him. The power of discernment, forgiveness, and condemnation are what make him the perfect Judge.

But then he asks the Pharisees, "What is easier to say, your sins are forgiven, or Arise, take up your bed, and walk?"

Think about the Scribes and Pharisees. Put yourself in their shoes. You've come to Capernaum to talk to a man who has been throughout all of Galilee supposedly healing others and preaching this doctrine of repentance and about a new kingdom, the Kingdom of God. Your a skeptic, and skeptically you wonder if all those so-called "miracles" weren't just plants, people planted within the crowd acting like they were sick and then suddenly being "healed" by Jesus who has made some very bold claims about being the Messiah.

A meeting is set up to meet this Jesus, and you along with companions from all over Galilee and Judea are going to sit and have a Q&A session with him.

While you are talking, a crowd has gathered to hear the discussion, and all of a sudden, the roof is broken up and a man is being lowered on a bedroll by four others. This man is clearly paralyzed and not in good shape. Obviously he has sinned in some grave way to anger God so much that he would be under such punishment.

But maybe you are about to witness one of these famous "healings." So you watch closely. Trying to see any act of deception unfolding. You are a scholar, after all, and not easily fooled by such scams.

To your utter amazement, Jesus, instead of ordering that this man be taken away and rebuking those other men for daring to interrupt him, looks at this sinner of a paralytic and calls him "son." As shocking as that is, it is nothing compare to the shock of the next words. Jesus does NOT say, "Son, be healed," but instead, "Son, your sins are forgiven." You have two issues with this:

Only God can forgive sins, so is this man Jesus claiming to be God? That is blasphemy! The punishment for such a thing is death! This man is either very bold or very stupid.

Or maybe he isn't as dumb as this statement sounds. You all expected him to "heal" this man, but instead he says, "Your sins are forgiven"? Well it's pretty easy to say that, because no one can tell if this man's sins were actually forgiven!

And while you're thinking all this, Jesus meets your eyes and says, "Why do you think evil in your heart? Why do you wonder about what I just said?" Almost as if reading your mind. He continues and says, "Is it easier for someone to say your sins are forgiven, or to say get up, pick up your bed, and walk?"

Nope, he definitely reading your mind now...

Well, neither one of those is easy to say, but I guess the hardest one to prove would be the forgiveness of sins, sins that resides in the realms invisible.

So Jesus, understanding all these thoughts that are going on about the situation, says, "So that you know that the Son of Man [remember that this is the title give to the Messiah by the prophet Daniel] has authority on earth to forgive sins," and then he turns to the paralyzed man and says, "Arise, take up thy bed, and go into your house."

And this is the moment. This is the test of his power and authority. The prevailing thought of the day was that a diseased person could not be healed unless they were first cleansed of sin. This would require sacrifices which Jesus had not performed here.

So all eyes turn to the paralytic, and this is what happened:

Matthew 9:7-8 And he arose, and departed to his house. 8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.

Notice the reason that the people glorified God: that he had given such power to men.

Again, the message of the gospel and of forgiveness of sins has been successfully overshadowed by the miracle. The people present still do not see Jesus as Messiah, they see him as a man that has received power from God to do miracles. Capernaum would be remembered by Jesus as a faithless and unrepentant city, stating that if the ancient city of Sodom would have seen the works that were performed in Capernaum, they would have repented and remained, but the people of Capernaum would suffer greatly for their unbelief.

There was a multitude at the house that day from varying socio-economic backgrounds, but only 5 walked away understanding the message that was being preached - the ex-paralytic and his four friends.

Everyone else left with a misunderstanding because they came to Jesus with preconceived notions.

The Pharisees came as skeptics, and left as opponents to Jesus. They did not come to Jesus in the spirit that Nicodemus had come earlier in Christ's ministry, truly seeking answers, willing to analyze Jesus' response.

The crowd came as curious people waiting to see a man do and say marvelous things, and they left believing that a simple man had done and said marvelous things. They came to to hear a man, but because they didn't come to hear God, when God worked right in front of their eyes, they missed the true meaning of it all. Luke 5:26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day.

They were looking for something cool and they found something cool. But they did not find the Messiah because they did not believe in Jesus as the Messiah, no matter the proof presented that day.

The paralytic and the four friends however came in faith. Sure, the paralytic and his friends came so that Jesus would heal this man, but they came in with an understanding that Jesus was much more than just a healer, he was Messiah.

I don't know what you came to church looking for this morning or expecting, but you will often find exactly what you came looking for. That phrase that Jesus spoke, "Seek and ye shall find," rings true on so many levels.

God's word has been preached today, His name has been glorified in song, and shortly, His word and His work in us will be discussed in the home groups.

But sometimes we miss that because we come seeking something else.

Some people come to church on the defensive, expecting to be offended, aggravated, or annoyed. 9/10 you know how they'll leave? Offended, aggravated, or annoyed - someone sat in my spot, someone didn't shake my hand, some body else looked at me funny.

Others come looking for faults in the program. Guess what they will find every time? Faults in the program - the slides didn't change in time, the pastor isn't wearing a tie, the kid's notes could be better, the music is too loud, the sermon is too long, the chairs are too close together, the toilet paper is too rough.

Some people come expecting nothing new or impacting to happen in the service, and for them, nothing new or impacting will happen in the service. God could show up, work literal miracles in this building, and people would walk away unphased.

Some of you will go to home groups this afternoon expecting nothing from the discussion time, and you will get just that. Some of you have not gone to home groups and don't plan on going because you don't expect to get anything out of it, and that is exactly what has happened. Let me ask you this- If you are not part of a home group, why not?

Sometimes, you pray without really expecting an answer. You pray out of obligation. If all you ever say is empty words, don't expect something to happen out of nothing. The Bible says, in Hebrews 11:6 that it is impossible to please God without faith. It continues to say that we are to come to God in faith, as he is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him.

We run about 60-70 or so on a Sunday morning. But how many prayed with us before the service that God would show up, that he would speak to our hearts, that he would do something amazing in our church, and that he would show us his glory? I dare say that of those that leave this service having experienced God work in their lives today, most of them would probably be in that group. Can I ask you this? If you're not in on that prayer group before church starts, why aren't you? Is it because you don't think that it will help much? If that is the way you approach it, it will be true, but the book of James tells us that the fervent prayer of a righteous man has great power in its working. Can you imagine what would happen if 30 adults would gather to pray for our services on Sunday morning?

There was a church in Germany in 1727 that were convinced of a need of approaching God with faith and fervent prayer. A year into the practice there were 90 different groups of 5-7 people that rotated hourly to pray together. The average age of those involved in the group was 30 years old. They had two stated goals: 1- to praise God and offer up the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for his kindness, and 2- to lay before the Savior those whom were distressed or unsaved either in their community or outside their community. From August of 1727 there existed a 24-hr prayer and praise chain in the village of Herrnhut that did not break for over 100 years. That community experienced revival in every age group and hundreds of missionaries were sent from there around the world.

What would happen if we would commit to just praying before the service on Sunday? Could God stir us up more? Would we see the Lord at work in our service? Would God inspire such a prayer chain to take hold here? I sure would hope so.

And you know what? There are some people that come to the service expecting God to speak to them, to move in them, to touch their hearts, and to do great things. When those people hear a sermon from a preacher that says 'um' too much, guess what they get? They get God speaking to them. They leave reinvigorated. They leave this place changed, not because of me or because of the worship teams, but because they came looking for God, and that was what they found.

Teachers and children's ministry workers, in a couple of weeks we resume our kids classes. If you go in there negatively, do not expect to have a positive experience. If you go in expecting the kids to get on your nerves, they will. But if you go in expecting God to work his love and grace through you, and you go in expecting God's word to touch kids' lives, that is exactly what will happen, and you will be a conduit for that happening.

What do you expect when you come to church? What do you expect when you read your Bible? What do you expect when you pray? What do you expect to get from the Life Groups and Home Groups?

More often than not, you'll end up with what you were looking for.

Home Group Questions

Jesus first forgave the paralyzed man before he healed him, even though the expectancy of the man and his friends was simply for the man to be healed. How does this mark the differences between our priorities and Christ's priorities?

The people marveled at the miracle but seemed to miss the deeper message. How can we ensure that we don't get distracted by the miraculous and miss the spiritual truths being conveyed?

The Pharisees and scribes had certain cultural expectations and judgments about illness and sin. Have cultural beliefs ever been a factor in how we in the U.S. treat others?

Does it still play a role in how we view or treat others?

Can our expectations hinder or enhance our experience in church?

How do your expectations shape your experience at church?

How can we cultivate a mindset of expecting God's presence and transformation when we gather for worship?