What (Wo)Men Need (not want)

Kid’s talk

[Show picture of the healing. Point to the various people in the picture, and ask, “What did this person want?”

Paralytic — to be healed; His friends — to have their friend healed; Scribes — to be respected and powerful; People — to be encouraged, healed, or entertained; Jesus — to save his people from eternal death]

[Go back through the people asking, “What did this person need?”

Paralytic, Friends, People — to be forgiven their sins; Jesus — nothing, he acts only out of love, not need.]

[Ask: other than Jesus, can you think of other people who give you what you need, rather than what you want? E.g. parents.]

[Ask: why do they give you what you need? Because they care about you.]

Point out that Jesus knew that the crippled man would die, even if he was healed, and that only forgiveness could give him eternal life. So Jesus’ first priority was to give him what he needed. God loves us so much that he always gives us what we need, if we let him.

Kid’s Church

Prayer

Introduction

Well, we’ve had a bit of a preview of what this account in Mark reveals to us, but how did we get there?

If Stephen was right last week when he said that the gospel of Mark can be seen as a Passion narrative with a very long introduction then we must ask the question, “How does this story prepare us for the radical idea that God has come in the flesh to die for our sins?” When we look at the context, we see that this story is about the controversy between people’s expectations and Jesus’s purposes. Mark 2:1-12 is the first of five stories in which Jesus clashes with the authorities in the form of scribes and Pharisees.

Mark clearly intends us to understand how Jesus came to overturn human religion and worldly desires, both of which are powerless to save, and to replace them with his own power which can both forgive sins and heal bodies.

What people want

Now that we understand that, it’s important to look at the different characters in the story, and what they bring to Mark’s lesson for us.

The first character mentioned in the story is Jesus himself. He returns “home” to Capernaum, probably to Peter’s house, but he is hounded by the hungry people.

Jesus’s desire here is eloquently expressed in his own words, uttered later on his way into Jerusalem:

Luke 13:34 ESV

34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

Or, in his response to the disciple’s surprise in finding him talking with a Samaritan woman:

John 4:34–35 ESV

34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.

The second group of characters are the people. We see what they want most clearly in John’s account of Jesus conflict with the people in John chapter 6:

John 6:26–27 ESV

26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”

There is a little more than this, of course, since they do react to Jesus’s teaching, too.

Mark 1:22 ESV

22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.

But, at heart, the people are hungry for the physical rewards of Jesus’s ministry.

Next is the paralyzed man. It’s pretty clear what his desire is: physical healing.

His friends, too, desire his healing, although the way that Jesus sees their faith and responds by forgiving their friend’s sins suggests that they trust Jesus to know what’s best.

Finally we see the scribes. The fact that they are described as “sitting” reminds us that they were leaders, since sitting was the prerogative of the leader, the elder, the one in authority. The way they sit in judgement of Jesus indicates their own estimation of their position: they are there to judge this upstart rabbi. Their desire is to reinforce their authority, their position.

However, we should note that the scribes do get something right: only God can forgive sins. Their study of theology has not been completely pointless, since it provides them, and us, with a key piece of evidence in understanding who Jesus is.

Jesus’s authority

And Jesus responds to that challenge, not by denying his divinity, but by demonstrating it. He asks,

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’?

And, knowing the answer the people will give, goes on to command the paralyzed man,

Mark 2:11 ESV

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

Notice that Jesus does nothing but speak to the man, and yet the result is complete and immediate healing. Not only does the man obey Jesus, but his crippled body does, too. The fact that all of nature obeys Jesus words, in a very visible way, demonstrates his divine authority and power, and seals his claim to be able to forgive invisible sins.

Forgiveness vs. healing

But that leaves the question of why Jesus would choose to forgive sins before healing a body, doesn’t it? And that’s down to a difference in perspective between us humans and God.

God dwells in eternity. He is spirit and has always existed. In contrast this world, as grand as it is, is but a spark swirling through darkness compared to the grandeur of God. We are stunned by the instant healing of a completely crippled body. But God’s aim is eternal. He wants us to dwell with him for all eternity. Forgiveness of sin is the gate into heaven, the gate forged in Jesus death on the cross.

Incredibly, even though Jesus’s mission on earth was to lay down his infinitely holy life to pay for all ours, he still understood that we needed teaching, like children. And so he performed the temporary, trivial miracles of the flesh to fan our weak faith into flame. God descends to us not only by taking on flesh, but by caring for ours, even though his goals go far beyond our tiny lives.

Our perspective

Do we, as 21st Century followers of Christ, share Jesus’s perspective? Or are we obsessed with our homes? (Photo from Gold Coast Bulletin)

Yet how easily are they washed away (think of Townsville)! (Photo from Sky News)

Or do we focus on our bodies, their health and appearance? (Photo by Vic)

Yet how quickly they can betray us! (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Stephane Belcher.)

Perhaps our careers dominate our thoughts?

How fragile are even the most successful! (picture of Ken Henry). (Photo ABC News)

God’s perspective is not the world’s perspective. Just as Jesus needed to spend years with his disciples, preparing them to understand his mission to die, we need to spend years with Jesus’s words. That’s why the Bible, and reading it is so important.

We know that God will give us what we want. Our goal should be to want what we need.

Psalm 37:4

Discussion

What has consumed your time so far this year?

What are your goals or hopes for this year?

What do you think God wants for you this year (how does he want to prepare you for eternity)?

How might God prepare you for eternity? (Offer suggestions to each other)

Does anyone want to share with us all?