The Greater Miracle

Introduce the Text

Read the Text

Preach the Text

1. Introduction

Jesus returns to Capernaum, the same town he had he healed many in and suddenly left. So we pick up from last week with Jesus returning to the same place. Maybe this is why Jesus healed many and not all, because he knew he would be returning. However, I would say that is not the reason, because as we witnessed last week, he came to preach, and in the encounter today he is only preaching when the paralytic is brought to him. You will notice that when I preach parables, that I might preach them differently than how you may have heard them before. This isn’t just because I want to be different or that I am displeased. It’s because I want to be different and I am displeased, but also because when it comes to the parables of Christ we often misinterpret them and miss the point entirely.

2. Read

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!”

3. Preach.

Introduction

Often time when this story is preached, or at least how I have heard it preached, it goes along the lines of this:

Exegetical Analysis

Vv. 1-2 Jesus returns home to Capernaum

V. 3 The paralytic and the understanding of sin and sickness

V.4 The faith of the friends to fight through the crowd and bring him to Jesus

V.5 The faithfulness of Christ and the faith of the paralytic

V. 6 The wickedness of the scribes

Vv. 8-10 Jesus’ divinity displayed

a. V.8 Jesus knows the thoughts that have rose from within their hearts

b. V.9 If it is greater to forgive sins, how much easier is it to heal someone?

c. V. 10 Jesus commands him to walk

V. 11-12a The man leaves as if he had never been a paralytic

V. 12b All were amazed and glorified God

The Greater Miracle

The greater miracle is that his sins were forgiven

Before Christ went to the cross his sins were forgiven

This miracle has been shown to all believers.

The Role of Faith in the Community of Believers

To be spurred on towards love and Good deeds

to make intercession on behalf of others

to bear the struggles of others

Introduction

Often time when this story is preached, or at least how I have heard it preached, it goes along the lines of this:

“This story shows us that if we surround ourselves with faithful friends then God will bless us”. Or “God healed the paralytic because of the faith of his friends, do don’t say who your friends are don’t matter.”

In other words, this story is often turned into some sort of guide on how to pick your friends or some life guide on being surrounded by believers. Not only are these wrong, but they are dangerous. They’re dangerous because in order for us to read the story this way we must read ourselves into the story and make it about us and what we must do in order to receive some type of blessing from God. Not only is this narcissistic because we make it about us, it tells us that if we are to receive God’s blessings then we have to some type of work in order to obtain God’s favor, which is the opposite what Scripture tells us; that we are saved by grace through faith.

Exegetical Analysis

Vv. 1-2

Mark 2:1–2 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.

Capernaum is the town where he healed Simon's mother-in-law. This is the town where he healed many and where he departed from unexpectedly in order to preach. It was here that he told his disciples the reason he came was to preach. How often he visited this town may suggest that this was his home as well. His "hometown" was Nazareth, however, we see here that he is home. Not only is he home, but he is residing in a house. It is not until later in his ministry that Jesus implies that he is homeless or a type of vagabond. (Luke 9:58, Matthew 8:20)

Being the same town that Jesus performed miracles in in the chapter before, it is possible these people had gathered hoping he would heal those he had left behind. It is possible that they marveled at his teachings and where hungry for more. Whatever it is, the place was filled and had attracted the attention of the pharisees. 

V. 3

Mark 2:3 ESV

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

Although physical ailments were often attributed to sin, whether it was by the sins of the individual or the parents, Christ later refutes this. This is largely just a way of first century Jews attempting to make sense of sicknesses and diseases and perhaps even showing their piety in their able-bodies.

John 9:1-3

English Standard Version Chapter 9

9 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, c“Rabbi, dwho sinned, ethis man or fhis parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but gthat the works of God might be displayed in him.

Jesus was proved by the disciples question of who sinned which led to him giving them the answer. It is silly to assume that only this one blind man was blind so that the works of God might be displayed through him. These scribes and and even some of the people in the town, may have held this idea, that he was paralyzed because he sinned or his parents sinned.

Indeed, the works of God were displayed through this paralytic. Both the paralytic and Christ benefit from this. His sins were forgiven and his body made whole, thus proving the sovereignty and divinity of Christ astonishing even all of those present and drawing to himself the very sinners he came to call. (Mark 2:17) So in his healing he is receives healing and life and Christ is glorified.

V. 4

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.

The faith of the friends was not sufficient to lead to the forgiveness of their friend. Only the faith which Christ has granted to the individual can lead to the forgiveness of sins. Christ cannot pardon others on behalf of my faith. Through faith, they interceded on behalf of the paralytic to do what he could do(walk) in order to bring him (the paralytic) to Christ so that Christ could do what they could not (healing and forgiveness). Christ is the pioneer and perfecter of faith. He is the one who gives the very faith that he uses to justify us. Neither the friends not the paralytic can boast in themselves, but only in Christ. 

V. 5

Mark 2:5 ESV

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

The word "Their" has multiple usages with one similar meaning. Whether it is one person or multiple people it means they where of the same mind/same accord. "Their faith" was not just the faith of the four friends but also the faith of the paralytic. It was the faith of the paralytic that lead to his sins being forgiven. 

V. 6

Mark 2:6 ESV

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

The condition of the heart without Christ rejects God. Is is deceitful and filled with all wickedness (Jeremiah: 17:9, Genesis 6:5). In display of his divinity, Jesus, being creator of all, knows their hearts. He knows they are ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never listening (Mark 4:12, Isaiah 6:9). The saw with their own eyes and heard with their own ears and still rejected him. 

V. 7

Mark 2:7 ESV

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

The scribes display their piety and by showing they know the Scriptures - that only God can forgive sins. However, in their self-righteous piousness they neglect that Christ is the one who the prophets foretold; the one who could take away the sins of the world.  (Isaiah 53:4-6)

There is a type of piety that is true piety. One that is evident as the fruit of salvation. A piety that boast only in Christ, never being puffed by simply knowing Scripture, but being lowly by knowing God and being undone by the richness of his grace and mercy. True piety does require anyone to prove they are Christians but delights, in the completed work of Christ. False piety will leads to pride and self-righteousness. It is puffed up and teaches us to trust in ourselves and look to ourselves and our faculties as the evidence of salvation 

V.8

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?

"Jesus, perceiving in his Spirit..." again proving his divinity, Christ shows that he knows the thoughts of all people. Who can know the thoughts of all people? Only the God who created and crafted all people. Those of outward holiness and perfection, but completely dead on the inside, are not Children of God. The Pharisees were such, some even being considered blameless by the standards of the Law (Philippians 3:6), yet they did not know Christ. (Matthew 15:11,18-20)

V. 9

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’?

"Which is easier" That is to say if only God can forgive sins how much easier is it to heal someone? It remains that the great miracle of this story is not his healing, but his forgiveness. This great miracle has been bestowed upon all believers, yet we have not believed in miracles because we claim to see no proof. We would rather look to ourselves as some proof of miracles rather than looking to christ who has accomplished all things in order that he would be glorified and we would dwell with him forever. 

V. 10 Mark

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—

Jesus commands the man to walk proving he is healed. The paralyzed walk at the very words of God’s commands. Only God can do this and the people are amazed.

V. 11-12a

Mark 2:11–12a ESV

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!”

This either makes not sense or deepens the extent of his healing. A paralytic would have muscles like that of a baby, undeveloped, weak, and would have to learn how to walk. There are only three possibilities. 1. He was never paralyzed (Jesus would have known however) 2. He did not immediately pick up his bed and walk (This makes Scripture a liar) 3. Christ did not simply restore feeling and fix the nerves, but strengthened the muscles, working together tendons and ligaments in order that he could walk as if he had done it all his life. 

V. 12

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!”

Perhaps these scribes were of the elect and the healing was how they came to believe. (This seems unlikely) In their praising of God it never says they acknowledged Christ, rather they could have just worshipped God in their own custom believing he was a prophet. Not since the time of the prophets, 400 years earlier, had someone been healed. 

Again, Jesus attracts towards himself the very sinners he came to call which glorifies himself.

The Greater Miracle

The Greater miracle in this story is not that the man was healed, but that his sins were forgiven. To say the same thing as last week, it is not, “blessed is the one who is healed”. It is, “blessed is the one whose sin is covered”. By the mercy and faithfulness of Christ we see him heal people who did not have faith in him. We see him heal ten people and only one returns to give him thanks and when he returns Christ tells him, “your faith has made you well”. (Luke 17:11-19)

We see Christ heal a man because he had pity on him (Mark 1:41). We see Jesus heal a man who did not even know him (John 5:5-9) If faith come by hearing the word of God and this man didn’t know Christ, then Christ healed a man with no faith. Faith is not a condition for healing, faith is the condition in which we are forgiven and justified by God. God will heal who he wants to heal.

It may seem from last week and this week that I am against healings miracles. That’s not true. The problem I have is so often we have misunderstood Scripture and especially the parables of Christ and we believe that if we want miracles we need faith. This tells us to take the focus off of Christ and put it on ourselves. When we do that we are in danger because we start looking to ourselves and trusting in ourselves and we are no longer looking to Christ. What happens if someone dies from their sickness. If we believe this we’re basically saying that you didn’t have enough faith and your responsible for your own death. This is harmful for our assurance because it tells us to always be performing or doing something and if we messed then we failed. If we believe that Christ is enough even in sickness and suffering then we have peace. If we believe that Christ came in order that our sins would be forgiven so that when we die we would live forever, is there not so much more hope in that. If we boast in God in our sicknesses and suffering and we praise him are we not suffering with him? Those who suffer with him will also be glorified with him (Rom. 8:17)

The Role of Faith in the Community of Believers

Even though this is not a message on how to pick your friends or why you should have faithful friends, we can learn about the role of faith in the community of believers.

The example of the four friends teaches us that if we live by faith we will:

Be spurred on towards love and good deeds (Heb. 10:24). One of the reasons why the faithful members of Christ meet is do this very thing and we have witnessed this as the friends did good towards their brother who was afflicted.

Make intercession on behalf of others (1st Tim. 2:1). The friends interceded on his behalf to bring him before Christ

Lastly, we see them bearing the burden of their friend (Eph. 4:2) It was a great burden to be weak and unable to walk, yet his friends bore this burden, literally, as they carried him, and figuratively, as they were with him in his weakness.