Carrying Power
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Mark 2:1-12
Mark 2:1-12
Introduction
Healing is a powerful miracle. The healing of the man with palsy who was brought to Jesus by four friends. The desperation and the way this all occurred was not your everyday happening.
The healing of the paralytic took place in Capernaum, in a village Matthew calls Jesus’ own town (). Jesus’ head quarters was in this place and he performed many miracles here. This included healing of the centurion’s palsied servant (); the healing of the nobeman’s son (); and the healing of the paralytic carried to Jesus by four friends ().
Crowds surrounded Jesus when he spoke in Capernaum . The house, the doorways, and the yard was packed. During the course of his preaching something unusual took place. Four friends of a paralytic let him down through the roof of the home into Jesus’ presence. When Jesus saw their faith, he said: “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee” ().
A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
People are Helpless
People are Helpless
Mark described the man as “one sick of palsy” in verse 3. This man could not walk because of his paralysis, and it had ruined his life. The man’s disability was the result of a moral problem. Jesus did not just focus on the mans physical illness but knew there was more to his problem than the physical, Jesus saw beyond that and spoke to and healed the man’s spiritual condition.
Jesus said “Son, thy sins by forgiven thee”.
No doubt the man had tried doctors and no avail. But none the less Jesus spoke to him first about His sins. Because of his sins, he was wretched, helpless, and hopeless. All of us sinners are. Sin paralyzes sinners so that they cannot help themselves, only Jesus can set them free.
Use your imagination this morning and set the scene to what was going on here in our text. We have read this many times, heard lessons and sermons taught on it. This is familiar to us, but today I want us to take the time to really think about what was happening here.
Jesus was “at home” and the crowds flocked to hear him. He was probably staying at Simon Peter’s house in Capernaum.
Four men brought their friend to be healed by Jesus. What faith they must of had in Jesus. Ever wonder why they decided to bring their friend to Jesus?
I wonder if we can find out a reason in .
Here we read that Jesus performed many miracles:
After Jesus left the synagogue with James and John, they went to Simon and Andrew’s home. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a high fever. They told Jesus about her right away. So he went to her bedside, took her by the hand, and helped her sit up. Then the fever left her, and she prepared a meal for them.
That evening after sunset, many sick and demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. The whole town gathered at the door to watch. So Jesus healed many people who were sick with various diseases, and he cast out many demons. But because the demons knew who he was, he did not allow them to speak.
A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” he said.
Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed. Then Jesus sent him on his way with a stern warning:
Had these four friends seen the miracles Jesus performed to heal the sick and demon possessed man? or the man with leprosy?
We will never know but I think there is a good chance they had.
But for whatever reason, the man’s friends wanted to bring him to Jesus to be healed. But they could not get into the house where Jesus was, because of the mass of people around Jesus. So they went up on the roof and then let him down through the roof.
People need those who will bring them to Jesus
People need those who will bring them to Jesus
We know the paralytic had at least four friends. And evidently they were the right kind of friends, they told him of the One who could set him free of his infirmity.
We know these guys took their friend to the roof. Think about that now, if I were to scale my roof it would be quite the task alone forget bringing the additional weight and work of a paralytic friend.
If I tried to get to my roof carrying a friend in a stretcher I would probably break my neck, because of the slope of my roof. And if I did succeed, I would have quite the job taking the tiles off and trying to get through the structure.
However, in Jesus’ day and in many houses in the Middle East today, roofs were flat and generally there were stairs going up on the outside wall of the house.
Roofs were used for rest and quiet, for drying clothes and storing things.
We read in other parts of scripture how roofs were used.
, Elijah lived on the roof.
, Peter was up on the roof praying.
The roof was usually made of beams about 3 feet apart and these beams were filled with twigs, then packed and covered with dirt. It would have been easy to dig between the beams without doing much damage to the house. And it would have then been easy to lower the paralyzed many to Jesus.
Does anyone think I can juggle these two balls?
Who thinks I can do it?
Who doubts that I can?
Unless we see it happen we doubt don’t we?
Jesus in our text told the Jews around him that the sins of the man were forgiven. They knew that sins could be forgiven - but that the only person who could do it was God. But they did not believe that He could forgive sins. And let’s face it saying I forgive sins is not something we can see with the eye is it.
But keep following here. Some of you didn’t think I could juggle, but you did believe that I could when you saw me do it. When I showed you I could do it - you really believed me.
The Jews didn’t believe that Jesus could forgive sins so Jesus said:
Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”
Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said,
And he did.
Jesus gave the proof. He gave the proof that he could forgive sins by making the man walk.
Jesus said three things to the paralytic:
Some people brought to him a paralyzed man on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven.”
Be of good cheer
Your sins are forgiven
3. Arise, take up your bed and walk
So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”
‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
are not least among the ruling cities of Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’ ”
Hindrances must be overcome for one to come to Jesus
Hindrances must be overcome for one to come to Jesus
Hindrances often keep people from coming to Jesus
People can stand in the way of other people coming to Jesus
They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus.
You would think that seeing these four men coming with their paralyzed friend the people surrounding Jesus would step aside to let him in but that was not the case.
2. Property can stand in the way of people coming to Jesus. In order to get the man to see Jesus these men had to be persistent and creative to get him there which meant wrecking someone’s roof to do so.
3. Propriety can stand in the way of people coming to Jesus.
The dictionary defines “Propriety” as being proper or fitting. The four friends of the paralytic man did the improper thing when they tore up the roof to let the man down into Jesus’ presence.
We are often worried about how it looks and what other think.
4. Religious leaders can stand in the way of people coming to Jesus. The Pharisees and scribes did not want this man to be healed or saved. They did not believe that Jesus was God and they were blinded by their prejudice. They were enemies rather than friends of Jesus.
Well meaning people are often wrong. They stand in the way of others coming to Jesus. There are still people today who do not understand Jesus, who witness against him and stand in the way of others coming to him.
This morning we need to be mindful of these things and make sure that we do not contribute to these efforts that stop someone coming to Christ.
Conclusion:
Do not be afraid of Jesus. When He spoke to the paralytic He used the word teknon which means child. Jesus spoke tenderly to the paralytic as He would have spoken to a child. Only Jesus can say to you “Thy sins be forgiven” ()
God has called us, like the four friends in our text this morning to bring our friends and neighbours to Jesus for healing - spiritual healing - which forgiveness brings.
Why do we need forgiveness?
Because it is our sin that separates us from God. Forgiveness provides the power to liberate us from the past. Forgiveness enables us to have a relationship with God. Forgiveness is the power to deal with guilt, not by ignoring it, but by eliminating it.
Forgiveness heals us at the deepest level of our being.
We all need forgiveness!
When we come to Jesus we receive forgiveness and we are called to forgive.
No wonder Jesus, in the Lord’s prayer said:
“Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us”.
If we take one thing away from this message this morning let it be a resolve to come to Jesus for forgiveness and to forgive others as God himself has forgiven us.
Trust Him now for salvation, healing and a victorious life!