The Tale of Two Miracles

Open your Bibles with me to Mark chapter 2.

We are in our 7th week of our series on Mark called The Son of God

The thing that we have to remember as we read the Bible is that from cover to cover, the Bible is about Jesus.

Jesus is the subject of the whole Bible.

He is there in Genesis 1, when God creates the entire world by speaking.

He is there in every verse, every chapter, every page of Scripture.

But my favorite section of Scripture has to be the Gospels.

The word Gospel means Good news.

It’s the same word from which we get the word Evangelism, which is the sharing of good news.

And the Gospels are good news because they are all about the life of Jesus.

All four of the Gospels tell the same story, but they are different

They are different because the writers are different people.

But they are also different because each writer is writing his account for a different purpose in helping us understand who Jesus is.

John puts Jesus on trial as the Son of God, and He wants us, the jury, to decide for ourselves if He is.

Matthew writes as a Jew to a Jewish audience to help them see that Jesus is the promised Son of David, the King of Kings and Messiah.

Luke shows Jesus as the compassionate Savior who brings salvation to anyone who believes.

And Mark presents Jesus as the Son of God who has come in power to call people to repentance and obedience as they follow the Messiah.

Mark wants us to see the power and splendor of Jesus the Son of God, even as we are challenged to count the costs to become His followers.

Mark wants you to meet the King of your life, who will meet you right where you’re at, but who loves you too much to leave you there.

And this morning, as we dive into chapter 2, that will continue to be the case.

We’re going to begin this morning with Mark 2:1, and as we do, I invite you to stand with me in honor of the reading of God’s Word.

Mark 2:1–12 CSB

When he entered Capernaum again after some days, it was reported that he was at home. So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and he was speaking the word to them. They came to him bringing a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they were not able to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after digging through it, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying. Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” But some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts: “Why does he speak like this? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Right away Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were thinking like this within themselves and said to them, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat, and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he told the paralytic—“I tell you: get up, take your mat, and go home.” Immediately he got up, took the mat, and went out in front of everyone. As a result, they were all astounded and gave glory to God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Pray, invite them to sit.

In the spring of 1995, I was in the 8th grade and in love with football.

I had waited my entire life for the moment I would start the high school career that would propel me to the University of Florida.

I was a little undersized, but I was fast and super athletic

But one week before JV tryouts, I was playing backyard ball with friends and got really hurt.

I backpedaled to catch a ball and didn’t know that the wall of the school was right behind me.

I turned to run and I hit the wall so hard I cut a bleeding imprint of a brick into my forehead and split a bone fragment out of my knee cap.

When I got to the hospital, the doctors, the nurses, and my family were all worried about my head.

All that I was worried about was my knee

They were worried about my life. I was worried about football.

Obviously, both got better as I’m standing in front of you.

We’ll come back to this illustration this morning, but for now, let me say this:

OFTEN, THE HEALING YOU NEED MOST IS NOT THE HEALING YOU SEEK FIRST

In our passage this morning, Jesus shows that He is God’s Son through His power to forgive sin.

That wasn’t what the man came for that day, but it is what he needed most.

Freedom from sin and death is the single greatest need in your life as well, and

You can only experience freedom from sin and death through Jesus.

There are three spiritual truths in our passage that will help us to see why. Let’s look at them together:

verse 1:

Mark 2:1–4 CSB

When he entered Capernaum again after some days, it was reported that he was at home. So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and he was speaking the word to them. They came to him bringing a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they were not able to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after digging through it, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying.

The first truth that we need to see is this:

Faith in Jesus is the doorway to forgiveness.

This man and his friends were not coming to Jesus for forgiveness of sins, but they were coming to Jesus in faith.

They didn’t know what he needed, but they did know two things:

The man was broken and needed healing

Jesus was the only one who could heal Him

Christianity is the only faith in the world that believes that everyone is broken.

Every other religion teaches that man is basically good, and through an aided pursuit can be lifted up until you are with God.

But the Bible says it like this:

Romans 3:23 CSB

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;

Psalm 14:1–3 CSB

The fool says in his heart, “There’s no God.” They are corrupt; they do vile deeds. There is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the human race to see if there is one who is wise, one who seeks God. All have turned away; all alike have become corrupt. There is no one who does good, not even one.

You and I are naked and poor and wretched and blind without Jesus. We have no way out of our brokenness on our own, just like this man.

In our passage, in these verses, we see that there is a crowd that has come to see Jesus

They wanted to see His power

Some of them wanted healing

but not all of them were there in faith.

These men went up and tore a hole in the roof of the house because they were desperate.

All that they knew was that they needed to get to Jesus because they were hopeless on their own.

This is what faith is! It is belief in action. It is living life relying on God to do what He has promised.

Ephesians 2:8–9 CSB

For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast.

You can do nothing to help your own sin-you need the grace of God.

It can only come as a gift-you can’t earn it.

And the gift can only come to those who believe.

Do you believe that Jesus can free you from sins? Maybe today is the day you come to Him in faith. Let’s continue in verse 5:

Mark 2:5–7 CSB

Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” But some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts: “Why does he speak like this? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Can you picture this scene?

The roof opens up with a hole as dust and debris rains down.

In the crowded room, a mat comes slowly down through the hole causing even more of a commotion.

Then, everyone looks at Jesus in anticipation-He’s about to heal this man.

BUT instead, Jesus has a mic-drop moment:

“Your sins are forgiven.”

The scribes weren’t wrong in their question, they were wrong in their conclusion.

They were right that God is the only one that can forgive sins.

But what they failed to see is that this is exactly who Jesus is.

This leads us to our second truth we need to see, that:

Jesus is God the Son, the only one who can forgive your sins.

A lot of people believe that there are many ways to God.

But Jesus tells us that He is the only way.

John 14:6 CSB

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Acts 4:12 CSB

There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”

You can be a good person that does good for other people

You’ve still sinned and broken God’s law.

You can give to charity and live generously

You’ve still sinned and broken God’s law.

Every single one of us is a sinner in need of forgiveness for our sins.

And only Jesus can give you that forgiveness because He is the only person that is also God.

People come to Jesus for all kinds of different reasons.

He has appeared on Time Magazine 16 times.

He is quoted as a teacher and prophet, even in other religions

People who aren’t even believers pray and ask Him for help in their hours of greatest need.

THIS MAN WAS COMING TO JESUS FOR HEALING, BUT what he got was infinitely greater:

Jesus saw past the needs of this temporary moment and place to the heart of what the man really needed. It was something that only Jesus can give, and it is the same thing that you and I need.

Our sin is what separates us from God and brings us into death.

Romans 6:23 CSB

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

It amazes me that science is still searching for the answer to why things die

I saw articles on ideas to prevent death even this last week

And yet the cause and it’s solution are right here in the Bible.

Today, if you put your faith in Jesus, He can give you the same gift that He gave to this man.

I don’t know what is happening in your life. I don’t know the healing you would seek from Jesus.

Financial relief.

Health problems

broken relationships

Anger, depression, bitterness, grief.

Jesus can help you with all of these things; but none of them compares to your need for freedom from sin and death. This leads us to our last truth.

Look at verse 8

Mark 2:8–12 CSB

Right away Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were thinking like this within themselves and said to them, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat, and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he told the paralytic—“I tell you: get up, take your mat, and go home.” Immediately he got up, took the mat, and went out in front of everyone. As a result, they were all astounded and gave glory to God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

The final truth we need to see is this:

Freedom from sin and death is the only healing that matters.

Do you notice that the scribes aren’t concerned with the power of healing? What they are upset about is that Jesus forgives sins

It was something only God can do

AND, it was something that had to come he shedding of blood.

At first glance, this thought seems backwards, doesn’t it?

To just say to someone the words, “your sins are forgiven,” seems really easy.

On the other hand, to heal a man of lameness, to make someone with no use of their legs capable of using them, that is a miracle!

To our human eyes, the physical healing they were asking Jesus for seems so much more difficult.

But we only think that way for two reasons:

The only thing we can see with our eyes is the here and now.

We do not fully understand the depth of our sin or the cost of our forgiveness.

It is one thing to say “your sins are forgiven.” It is another to actually be able to forgive sin.

Hebrews 9:22 CSB

According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

You see, Jesus healed physically healed this man in an instance, but without forgiveness he was still dying.

The forgiveness this man receives from Jesus here is through faith, even as Abraham had faith.

But His forgiveness was accomplished by Jesus on the cross.

It was a work that only Jesus could do because Jesus was fully man and fully God.

This is what Jesus is getting at when HE asks which miracle is greater: A physical healing to a body that will die or forgiveness of sins that will lead to eternal life?

I promised I’d return to my story.

It was such a fitting image that day of concern for healing towards life versus healing for football.

It was fitting because healing is what Jesus brought to me through that day

Because of that injury, I never got to play High School football- I did get to play at a higher level later on, but not at the University of Florida

But because of that injury, I met the people that would lead me Jesus.

I wanted healing-and that is exactly what I got.

That day changed the trajectory of my entire life. Today, that could happen to you.

We’re going to do something different this morning.

Worship team, would you come and take your places.

Jesus is ready to meet you this morning.

He is ready to give you the same healing that the man in our passage received.

God the Son will forgive you of your sins this morning and fill you with His life.

All you have to do is to come to Him in faith.

This morning, if you are ready for the forgiveness only Jesus can give, I would invite you to come.

The worship team is going to play our song of reflection.

And if God is stirring in you today, I invite you to come as they play.

Come share with me what He is saying to you

Let me pray with you and encourage you as He brings you healing.

Let today be the day that your journey begins, or the day that you get back on the path.

It is time to get off of the mat of your sin and walk in the life that only Jesus can give you.

Pray