From Roof to Road

Text

Mark 2:1–12 ESV

1 And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. 3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. 5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

Roof

Let’s look at this text again closely

If you know me, you know that I believe every word of the Bible is important

It is when we slow down and pay attention to the words

we see what is there

and what is not there

In verse 1 we see this word “reported”

Mark 2:1 ESV

1 And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home.

Prior to this verse, if we go back to the end of chapter 1

We see Jesus healing a leper

and after the leper is healed

Jesus says, don’t tell anyone about it.

but, the leper told everyone about it.

Mark 1:45 ESV

45 But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.

Some people are curios as to why Jesus would tell the leper to keep quiet

And I will admit, it is a bit strange

Wouldn’t Jesus know that it is impossible to keep that kind of miracle silent?

What was his purpose for secrecy?

It seems the simplest answer is found here in the text

He could no longer openly enter a town

Jesus wanted to be around the people

But when news got out that he had power over even leperousy

He couldn’t even enter the towns

He had to stay outside the cities

out it in the wilderness

away from the people he came to seek and to save

and then the people had to come out to him

huge crowds came to him.

And when Jesus made an attempt to come back into the city.

It says everyone reported that Jesus was in the house.

Mark 2:1 ESV

1 And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home.

Jesus couldn’t go anywhere without the crowds finding him.

pressing in to get to him

If Jesus is in the house

those who have been with him

those who know him

they are going to report it

They are going to tell people about him

We should be no different

How often does God speak to us in this house

and we only talk amongst ourselves about it

how many miracles have we seen

and we pass by people that need the same miracle

and we don’t report it

Was what Jesus did for you not worth reporting?

Did he not save you?

Did he not heal some of you?

Did he not speak directly to you in prophecy

or in dreams and visions

and answer a specific thing you needed answered?

And yet, we pass by people in the streets

who need the same healing

the name prayers answered

and the same miracles that we have seen and heard

and we don’t report it.

We don’t tell them what Jesus did for us

and we wonder why the house isn’t full

And we wonder why there are empty seats

Perhaps it is as simple as reporting it

I’m not talking about reporting the empty seats

I’m not talking about inviting someone to church

I’m not talking about telling them how messed up they are

or how lost they are

I’m talking about reporting what jesus has done for us

If we do that

watch and see how much room we have left in this place

because when they begin to report that Jesus was in the house

It says…

Mark 2:2 ESV

2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them.

Maybe instead of preaching the word to people

We just need to report what Jesus has done for us

and let them get into his presence

and let his word come to them

and let them experience what we have experience

when we come into the presence of Jesus.

Don’t just invite them here

Report what Jesus has done for you in this place.

Mark 2:3 ESV

3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.

Many people can hear the report and they will come gather before Jesus

But there are others that need to be carried here

Some are going to need us to give them a shoulder to lean on

because some people have going through some things that we haven’t gone through

and they are going to need some of us that have being carried ourselves

to carry them into the presence of Jesus.

And when we are being carried

We feel like a burden

but for those that are taking the time to carry us

they are the type of people that have probably been carried themsleves

and they know they wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for someone else carrying them

And to those kind of people

it isn’t a burden at all

it is a blessing to be able to get someone you love

into the presence of Jesus

where you know He will change their life forever

and do for them what He has done for us.

So, these four men carry their friend to Jesus

but it says, they didn’t have room to enter the house.

Mark 2:4 ESV

4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay.

Notice it doesn’t say they went straight to the roof

But it was only when they couldn’t get near him that they removed the roof

And they could not get near him because of the crowd.

They knew this man had a need

a need that could only be met by Jesus

and they could not get near Jesus

because of the crowd

Lord, I pray that I never get between you and someone in need

Lord, I pray that I’m never the reason that someone can’t see Jesus

How many people would be in the presence of Jesus except for the crowd?

How many people might come to a church in another place, in another town

but for the crowd that is there

A crowd that is keeping Jesus from being seen

a crowd that is keeping people in dire need from being near their savior.

Oh, what a shame that would be

I know it isn’t us

I know we would never

I’m not accusing anyone here

but oh, what a shame it would be

to find out that I’m the reason someone couldn’t get near Jesus.

It says.. “they could not get near him because of the crowd”.

my. my. my.

because of the crowd

I pray today, that we are always part of the 4 who are carrying people closer to Jesus

Instead of a crowd that keeps people away from him.

Lord, don’t ever let us get so large

that we are not welcoming to the stranger in need

Mark 2:5 ESV

5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Notice what Jesus saw

It was not “his” faith

It was “their” faith.

When we bring people to Jesus

It is part of “Faith”

People want to talk about how we are saved by Faith

and then define faith as simply believing that Jesus existed

but Jesus looked at four men carrying another man to meet him

and said.. that right there is faith.

Those 4 men didn’t just believe Jesus exisit

They took that believe and acted on it

they went out and carried someone else to Jesus too

And that is Father.

James 2:19 ESV

19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

If all we needed to do was believe in Jesus

Then the devils would be saved

But let someone leave the crowd and go out and carry someone to Jesus

And Jesus said….

Now, I can see your faith

How many knows faith is something you can SEE

I can’t see what you believe

but I can see when you start teaching Bible Studies

I can see when you start carrying someone that needs carrying

just like you were once carried

That is faith!

James 2:18 ESV

18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

The word “Works” here is the Greek word

Ergon

and It means:

BDAG ἀγαθοποιέω

to do that which is beneficial to another,

James said, if you really have faith

Then we should see you doing that which is beneficial to another

and Jesus saw 4 men who, instead of standing there in the crowd

keeping people from getting close to Jesus

went out and carried someone down through the roof

So that he could be near his savior

They did — “that which was beneficial to another”

Not — that which was beneficial to themselves

Mark 2:5 ESV

5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

And when Jesus saw “Their” faith

He forgave the sins of THEIR Friend

You want your friends and family to be saved

Show Jesus YOUR Faith

and Carry them like he Carried you

Now, I don’t mean dragging them here

or begging them to come

or nagging them over and over to be here

That’s not carrying them

THat’s going to drive them away

If we want to carry them

We’ve got to use what God has given us

To help them

These 4 men had legs that worked

and they had arms that worked

and they used them to get their friend help

You’ve got a testimony about what God has done for you

And you are a living testimony as well

We need to always have our testimony on display

Let people see and hear what God has done for us

People can see a difference in you when you’ve allowed Jesus to change you.

They can recognize it

Yesterday, my family and I walked out of a busy gas station

and we saw some travelers getting out of their car

we knew right when we saw them they were Pentecostal

And they knew we were too

and we both smiled at each other like we were old friends

People can tell

And we must be aware that they can tell

and so we’ve got to make sure our testimony is pointing people to Jesus

and not to this world

Mark 2:5 ESV

5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

So, Jesus saw the faith of the 5 men

and as a result he forgave the sins of the paralytic

You say that only the paralytic had to have faith to be saved

but keep in mind that the paralytic can’t get to Jesus

unless by faith, four other men carried him there

And that’s why Paul said

How can they hear without a preacher

yes, the Gospel Saves

but how can they hear the Gospel unless we carry them to it

So, it is by their faith

and our faith

that they are really saved

Even if God speaks directly to them on the road to Damascus

it still took the faith of Ananis to sit down and teach Saul of Tarsus about baptism

Mark 2:6 ESV

6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts,

Of course there will be those sitting in the crowd

Those who kept the man in need from getting near Jesus

who will then pipe up and question whether or not the stranger

who came in through roof is saved or not

Can Jesus really save him?

He isn’t in the crowd

He came from somewhere else

He doesn’t look like us

He is different

Yes, those are the scribes sitting there with questions

Notice their position

they are sitting down

while 4 other men are out on the road

walking— who knows how far

carrying another man to meet Jesus

and these scribes are SITTING down

Spectating

and questioning in their hearts

Judging whether or not this stranger can be saved by Jesus

Oh, Lord, don’t let us be the Scribes

Don’t let us sit while others carry people to Jesus

Don’t let us judge what God is going in the lives of those who were carried in here

Oh, Lord, let us not be Scribes sitting in the Crowd

but let us be faithful friends on the roof

carrying people closer to Jesus

…

So, these Scribes were questioning in their hearts.

And here is their question

Mark 2:7 ESV

7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

They did not believe Jesus had the authority to forgive sins

The Scribes didn’t have faith

That Jesus Christ

Could do anything to help this man Spiritually

Now, they were gathered because they heard about how Jesus healed the leper

And so, the crowd believed that Jesus had the ability to heal

or at least, they came to see if he could do that

and Jesus decided to announce to them who he really was

and why he really came

He didn’t just come to heal people

even though he did that

He came to seek and to save those who were lost

and it for the forgiveness of Sins that Jesus really came

Not for the miracles

But these Scribes knew very well that Only God can forgive sins.

Like we talked about last week

When David Sinned,

it was against God and God alone

He didn’t sin against Uriah when he had him murdered

and Uriah wasn’t the one that could forgive David

Not just because he was dead

but because it was God’s law that was broken

And so, only God can forgive sins

We can let go of the offense, and the hurt, and the debt

but only God can let go of the sin itself

So, if only God can forgive sins

and Jesus is here forgiving sins

then Jesus is either God

or he is blaspheming

and the Scribes are assuming the later is true

Since they said “He is Blaspheming”.

Mark 2:8 ESV

8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts?

Right there they should have realized that Jesus was God

Because, not only can God alone forgive sins

but God alone knows the thoughts and intents of our hearts

So, when Jesus read their minds

That should have been a huge clue

that this man was not just a man

But he is God

Only God knows what is in our hearts

He knows our questions before we even ask them

and he read their minds and told them what they were thinking

and that’s what he can do for you too

He can see what is on your heart in this place today

He knows what questions you have on your mind

He knows the answers before you even ask the questions

God cares about you

whether you think he is listening or not

God is always mindful of you

Whether you’re on the roof

or in the crowd

God knows what is on your mind.

Mark 2:9 ESV

9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’?

The word “Easier” here is only found 7 times in the Bible

One place Jesus said it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away

than for one word of the Scriptures to pass away.

Another place, Jesus said it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle

than for a rich man to get to heaven.

Based on the context and the way this rare word is used by Jesus

The word “easier” means that both of these things are equally possible or impossible.

In other words

If forgiving sins is something that is impossible for a man

then healing this paralytic is also impossible for a man

They are both equally impossible for men

and they are both equally possible for God and God alone.

So, if Jesus can do one

Then Jesus can do both

Because God alone can heal

and God alone can forgive

The healing is something they can see

but the forgiving is something only God can see

Mark 2:10 ESV

10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—

So, Jesus is about the heal the man so the Scribes can see it

and then they will know

that even though they couldn’t see the forgiveness of sin

That forgiveness of sins did take place

So, when God forgives someone

You might not be able to see it

They may still look paralized

and broken

and they may still be laying in a bed being carried

but God forgave them

and forgiveness of sins took place

And sometimes we can be like the Scribes here

Who, just because they couldn’t see the forgiveness

they questioned whether it happened or not

but we need to leave people’s sins up to God

and keep being the ones that carry them

and not the ones questioning what God did for them

Well, I don’t see a change

You don’t need to see a change

God is the only one that can see the changes in our hearts

We just need to keep carrying people until they are well enough to walk on their own

Mark 2:11 ESV

11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”

Jesus addressed the spiritual before he addressed the physical

That man came for physical healing

but Jesus dealt with the heart first

Why?

Because the heart is more important

I’d rather have my heart right with God and die without healing

than to have a miracle and live with my heart not right.

The heart is what matters

Get your heart right with God

and if he heals us, we rejoice

but as long as my heart is right

I’m going to rejoice anyways

because one day I’m going to a place

where I won’t ever need healing anymore

Jesus commanded the man to stand up

and carry something

and hit the road

He came in through roof

and he going out down the road

He came in being carried

and he leaving carrying something with him

And the bed that he carried

Symbolizes his past

Jesus didn’t say,

Get up and leave your bed here

He said, take your bed with you

Why?

Because I want you to remember how you were once carried

and I want you to go down that road with something in your hands

to remind you that now you have the ability to carry things yourself

You were once carried

but now you are able to carry

Don’t come to Jesus and sit in the crowd and question what God is doing

Get out there on the road

and find something to carry

Mark 2:12 ESV

12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

That man had to be carried

But he left able to carry someone else

and that is how the Gospel is supposed to work

we are to have our sins forgiven

and then we are to go carry someone else to Jesus

He didn’t heal you so you could pull up a chair next to a scribe

He didn’t deliver you so that you could stay in the crowd

and make it hard for people to get near Jesus

He carried you

So you could carry someone else

and then they could carry someone else

and then they could carry someone else

That’s the only reason any of us are here tonight

Because someone carried us to church

Because someone carried us to a bible studie

because someone carried a testimony to our front door

Because someone went from being carried

to being someone that carries

I’m coming to a close

Don’t you worry if you are here tonight and you feel like you are being carried

you are not a burden

you are a blessing

Because whoever is carrying you

is probably someone that was once carried themselves

and they are happy to be able to carry something

If you are here tonight

and you feel like you are bing carried

These altars are open if you want to get closer to Jesus

There isn’t anyone here that wants to keep you from getting closer to him

And if you’re here tonight

and you feel like you’ve been in the crowd too long

and you’re ready to get out on the road

and find someone to carry

these altars are open for you too

because God wants you to carry someone to him

He wants you to make a disciple

He want to give you the courage and boldness to carry someone else