“When Jesus saw their
faith, he said to the paralytic, “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 the paralytic, 'Your
sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? But
that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive
sins . . . ." He said to the paralytic, "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’”. (Mark 2:5-12)
Observations:
I asked myself who are the
main characters involved!
- Jesus
- Paralytic
- Teachers of the law
- Crowd
Observations:
I asked myself what role
they play!
Point 1:
Jesus
- Jesus saw their (four men who brought the
paralytic) faith.
- Jesus said to the paralytic, “Son, your
sins are forgiven.”
- Jesus knew in his spirit what the teachers
of the law were thinking in their hearts.
- Jesus asks the teachers of the law 3
questions.
- Jesus tells them He has the authority to
forgive sins.
- Jesus tells the paralytic 3 things.
Point 2:
Paralytic
- The paralytic got up.
- The paralytic picked up his mat.
- The paralytic took his mat and went home.
Point 3:
Teachers of the law
1.
The teachers of the law were sitting there when Jesus told the
paralytic his sins were forgiven.
2.
They thought to themselves ‘why does this fellow talk like
that?’
3.
They thought to themselves, ‘He’s blaspheming!’
4.
They thought to themselves, ‘Who can forgive sins but God
alone?’
Point 4:
Crowd
1.
The paralytic walking amazed the crowds.
2.
The crowds praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything
like this.”
Observations/Interpretations:
I decided to focus on the first 2 actions of
Jesus today.
I asked myself what is the
significance of Jesus’ actions?
Statement 1: Jesus saw their (four men who lowered the paralytic) faith.
When Jesus saw their faith, He intervenes in the
life of the paralytic. This is so cool because what this tells me is the
importance of intercession. These men interceded on behalf of the man
for his healing and Jesus took notice. We are not told if the paralytic
believed but only the actions of the four men. It is possible that
‘their’ could have meant the paralytic too but we don’t know.
This has valid implications for our own lives
because Jesus does take notice of intercessory prayer. I know I have
prayed to Jesus for people who do not even know Jesus that they would be
helped or forgiven for their actions and I believe Jesus has helped them
and forgiven them because I have prayed.
There is precedent for this in the Old Testament
too! When people were sinning and going their own
way, they were bit by a snake and many were dying. When Moses saw that,
he pleaded with God and interceded on behalf of the Israelites. When
Moses’ intercession reached God, God told Moses to lift up the serpent
on a pole and whoever looks up to the pole, would be healed. Those that
looked up were healed.
Statement 2: Jesus said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
It is so interesting that even though the man is
paralyzed, Jesus does not address his physical condition first but
addresses his spiritual condition. This is evident by the statement,
“Son, your sins are forgiven.”
Jesus also gives the man identity by calling him
‘Son’. This makes me think that Jesus was letting him know that he wants
the man to belong to him. It is possible that his physical condition may
have been caused as a direct result of sin but we do not know. Sometimes
things happen in our lives because we live in a sinful world and other
times they happen as a direct result of our own sin.
Implications:
I know the man was paralyzed and Jesus told him
that his sins were forgiven as he called him, ‘Son’. I believe Jesus
calls us sons and daughters too. The question is whether we are willing
to acknowledge Him, as our Heavenly Father! This passage also makes me
think of areas in which we are paralyzed.
I ask you now dear friend,
where does paralysis take hold of you?
Dear friend, paralysis is not always physical
but it could also be spiritual or psychological.
We can be feeling so guilty about something that
we keep racking our minds on it to the point that we freeze ourselves
from forgiving ourselves or accepting other people’s forgiveness. Jesus
does not want that to happen and wants to free us from whatever guilt we
are facing for He already paid the price to set us free. The hardest
thing is forgiving self from the guilt. The Good News is that
there is now no condemnation to those who are in
Christ Jesus for the power of the life giving Spirit frees from the law
of sin and death. Yes, it does friend. Jesus will bring healing
for you from the paralysis of guilt as you turn to Him and receive His
forgiveness. What occurred may not be changeable and God knows that. He
still forgives you and wants you to pick up your mat and go home. The
paralyzed man was stuck to the mat just as guilt maybe sticking to you.
With Jesus’ help the man separated himself from the mat and you can
separate yourself from the guilt and go home. Home is usually a place of
shelter and the Lord wants to give you shelter from this paralysis.
Maybe guilt is not what paralyses you but it
could be fear. You can be so fearful of something because of what
happened to you in the past that you are paralyzed by fear. The Lord
Jesus does not want that for you. He wants you to know that
‘God has not given us a spirit of fear but of
power and of a sound mind’. The type of fear that paralyses is
from the devil and Jesus is here to free you from that fear. No matter
what fear you are facing, please take it to the Lord in prayer. He loves
you so much. Yes, He does. You are never out of His love; you are never
out of His reach.
Whatever paralyzes you, you know about it. It
could be interfering with your daily activities and what you need to do.
You don’t have to lose hope. The paralytic took the help from the men
who carried him. There are times we need to be carried to Jesus with the
baggage we have. It is wonderful to know there are those out there who
want to help people through their paralysis whether it is physical,
spiritual, or psychological. Take the help that comes your way and know
Jesus wants to be your Great Physician.
If you are using Internet Explorer, listen to
the song, ‘Never out of His Love!' and take the words to heart.
"Paralyzed, Always
Remember Almighty Lord Your Savior In Situations!" (P.A.R.A.L.Y.S.I.S)
Make this your prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you so
much for interceding on our behalf. You love us so much that you died
for our sins and came back to life to save us. Lord, you know the
paralysis each of us face in our own lives, you know what hinders us
from moving on, picking up our mat and going home. More than anything it
is sin Oh Lord. It is sin that captivates and paralyzes us but we know
you are there to help us. So Jesus, come and please help us to overcome
things that paralyze us. Help us to receive the help you offer and not
be so individualistic. Please take our guilt, fear, or whatever we face
and cover us with your loving presence please. And Jesus there are those
that are physically paralyzed that need your loving touch and help in
their lives. Please help them in all they need to do. Give them strength
to endure and bring your healing in their lives please Jesus. Thank you
Jesus we are never out of your love and never out of your reach no
matter where we have been. Thank you we can talk to you for you are our
Great Physician. Thank you for your cleansing blood to heal us. In Your
Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!
Love in Christ, Ramesh