Fully Forgiven (Mk. 2:1-17)

Introduction

· Last week in our Bible Study time, we saw Jesus cast out a demon, heal a woman with fever, and heal a man stricken with leprosy. The crowds are growing ever larger, forcing Jesus out to the countryside. But in ch. 2, he sneaks back into the city. Things don’t stay quiet for long.

· Read Mark 2:1-17

· “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Have any more beautiful words ever been spoken? It sounds almost too good to be true.

· Have you seen these Honda commercials? A representative goes into a county office where a man and wife have just exchanged vows and says he is sending them on a honeymoon to Hawaii. He meets a woman in a dealership and says they are buying a new car for her. He walks into a beauty shop and says today the tab is on us. The news is almost too good to be true. Really? They ask. But it is true!

The Savior’s Promise (1-5)

· As was his custom, Jesus is preaching the word.

· House is crowded. Bodies are crammed in tight. Curious by this new teaching. Heard of his miracles. Perhaps some even standing, waiting to be healed. These people were definitely breaking fire code!

· Suddenly, some noise above. Ceiling is creaking. Then scraping and banging. Shuffling of feet. Dust begins to fall. Then a splinter of light. Hole gets larger a hand can fit through it. Men are above removing tiles.

· Jesus was probably in a house something like this one (show slide of first century Israelite home). Courtyard. Flat roof. Ladder or stairs.

· By now I would guess Jesus’ sermon has probably come to a stop altogether. The people have backed away as dust and clay falls in larger chunks. Then a body dangled by four ropes tilts and wobbles down until it lands on the ground.

· And there, before them, is a “paralytic” -- a paralyzed man! Most likely, he was unable to move his legs or feet. He probably had some damage to his spinal cord, either at birth or some later injury. Today, we’d call him a paraplegic. Unable to walk himself, four friends believed Jesus could help him, and agreed to carry him there. Their trip was first met by disappointment, for there was no way they could get to Jesus, and apparently being able to get to him, did the only reasonable thing – they went to the roof and made a hole!

· After so much effort, the man is finally laying right in front of Jesus. It had been a risky plan from the start, but now it was all worth it. He looks up at Jesus with eager eyes.

· Perhaps like the leper, he says, “If you will, you can heal me.”

· Mark 2:5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “I will, be healed.”

· Does it say that? No, it doesn’t! It says, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

· Given the option, which would you choose – a clean bill of health, or forgiveness of sins? Every day, these bodies seem to wear down a little more, like a ship battered at sea. We feel uncertainty about future. Lots of commercials target physical ailments. Whole aisles are devoted to physical health. But how often do we think about our spiritual health? How often do we really stop and think about it?

· This verse reminds us that our deepest need is not physical healing, but spiritual healing.

· Debt is never a good thing. Some debt may be necessary, to buy a house for example, but we should all try to get out of debt as soon as possible.

· The Bible says we owe a debt that is too great to pay. A spiritual debt. We were born into this world already inheriting this debt from our ancestors, and we have continued drawing against it each day of our lives. Every sinful thought and action sees the cost rise. It is a crushing debt. We drag it around everywhere we go, like a ball and chain. We try to clean it up, but it’s like trying to wash your car right before a duststorm. It immediately gets dirtier than it was to begin with. We can laugh it away and call it our “choice,” but we know deep inside it is more like a “slave-master.” We can try to ignore the debt, but quickly, we are reminded of it again. Matt. 18 an infinite debt.

· George Muller – debtors prison. An awful place. Many died there.

· One day, God will come collecting on that debt, and will tell us to pay up. Because we cannot pay up, he will do the only fair thing. He will send us forever to hell, and He has every right to do so.

· But Jesus comes and says, “your sins can be forgiven.” Look to the cross, and the debt will be paid in full. Look at these wounds. They paid your debt. Look inside the empty tomb. This proves that God was satisfied with my and the debt was paid in full.

· Colossians 2:14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

· Forgiveness is free, but it is not cheap. It came through the expensive blood of Jesus Christ.

· >>”Your sins are forgiven.” This wasn’t what the paralytic expected to hear. He was still laying there on the floor. Was he confused? Disappointed? Jews believed that sickness was God’s judgment on sin, so it is possible the paralytic knew this was the first step toward healing. His body still lay limp on the floor, but on the inside, I have to believe his spirit was leaping for joy. Yet not everyone is happy.

The Scribes’ Protest (6-12)

· Some of the Jewish scribes and religious leaders scribes have been watching this whole chain of events, and Jesus’ statement fills their hearts with rage. They don’t say anything, but there was no doubt a sudden change in their appearance.

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

· The scribes’ reasoning goes something like this: Only God can forgive -> Jesus is not God -> Therefore, Jesus cannot forgive and is blaspheming!!

· They are correct on the first part. Only the God of the Bible can erase our debt and pardon us from sin.

· This morning, thousands of Hindus will get up and go down to the Ganges River. It is believed that it washes away all their sins. But that will not cleanse them. (show photo https://www.flickr.com/photos/jacksonlee/59712004/?)

· Micah 7:18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance?

· Psalm 130:4 But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.

· In saying that the paralytic is forgiven, Jesus is claiming to do something only God can do. He is claiming to be God.

· The scribes believe He is guilty of blasphemy. Under Jewish law, the punishment for such a crime was to take him to a public place and executed by throwing stones and crushing the skull of the criminal.

· Ask people today who Jesus is, and some will say a prophet, or a moral teacher, a legendary character. But there is no room for Jesus to be merely a “good man.” C.S. Lewis was right. He is either a liar, lunatic, or He is Lord! He either deliberately lies about his identity and invites the crowds to follow a con man, or he belongs in an insane asylum, sincerely believing He is God while He is just an ordinary human being. Or there is a third option. He really is who He claims to be. He is Lord.

· In this passage, He proves He is the last. He is the Lord.

· Read vv. 8b-12a

· Which is easier? Jesus asks. The scribes assume it is easier to say you are forgiven, for in their eyes, it’s an empty promise that can never be disproven. But Jesus says he did the harder first. He will suffer and die and pay for the sins of this man, absolving him by faith of all guilt. Healing the man? Oh, that is an easy thing in comparison. Here, get up and walk.

· And the man immediately stands up, pushes his way through the crowd, and walks out the door. The crowds let out a gasp and are amazed. Read 12:b

· They knew God must be responsible for this miracle.

· >>In this miracle, we have proof and assurance that our sins can be forgiven! Jesus can be trusted. And His ministry of forgiveness continues to expand.

The Sinners’ Party (13-17)

· If Jesus were to show up today, where would we find him? At church? At camp? At seminary? Oh I’m sure He’d be there. But I imagine we’d also find him at the prison. At the half way house. The homeless shelter. Perhaps even at the bar.

· Read verse 13-17

· This afternoon, we drive through Vegas, and I have to be honest. I’m not looking forward to it. Later this week, we drive our kids back through Vegas. I’m looking forward to that even less. It’s called “sin city” for a reason. There is no shame left in this city. Anything goes. It is the moral armpit of the West. But I have to remember, Jesus loves these people.

· Oh, he does not love their sin. But He loves them and specializes in saving the outcasts of society.

· We have a tendency as Christians to isolate ourselves. Instead of taking our light and shining it in the darkness, we take our light and head for the hills! Protection turns to forgetfulness. Forgetfulness turns to revulsion. Revulsion turns to anger, sarcasm.

· And suddenly, the church ceases to be a place for sinners.

· The church is not a hotel! It’s a hospital! It’s not a resort! It is a rescue mission!

· I want you to ask yourself, What is the worst sin I can think of? Would that kind of person be welcome here? Would I push them away, or invite them to meet Jesus? We don’t approve of sin. But first, before a person can be saved and changed, they have to hear the gospel!

Conclusion

· People will not seek a remedy until they know there’s a problem. Bad news comes first. But even the vilest sinner can be cleaned.

· Jesus says, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” Which one are you?