Mark part 12…April 8th 2015
Mark chapter 2: 1- 12
In chapter one we saw where Jesus
demonstrated His authority over disease,
demons and satan.
Jesus now wants to prove His authority
to forgive sins.
We know from chapter one that Jesus’
base of operations was in Capernaum.
Actually it was the home of Peter and
Andrew.
In verse 1 we see Jesus after being away
for awhile comes back home.
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We know where Jesus has been by
reading 1:45.
In the middle of the verse it says Jesus
could not enter a city because of a man
He healed with leprosy.
Jesus told that man what to do and what
not to do after He healed him…
And the man totally disobeyed Jesus and
his disobedience was very costly.
Jesus told the man to go to the priests to
be declared clean…
And Jesus told the man not to discuss
what He had done.
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We covered that last week so you know
the cost to Jesus over this man’s
disobedience.
Not only did the priests not get the
message and proof the Lord had for
them…
But it caused Jesus to not be able to
preach in any large city because of the
crowds.
Jesus didn’t come to heal He came to
preach the Word of God.
But instead of wanting the message the
people wanted to be healed.
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Things have cooled down so Jesus
returns home.
When He arrives home we see Marks
favorite word immediately many
gathered together so that there was no
longer room to receive them not even
near the door.
It was a mob the house was full, the yard
was full, the doorway was packed and
jammed.
There was no longer room to receive
them means it was packed tight.
But Jesus didn’t get upset Mark tells us
Jesus preached the Word to them.
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The Word means the Gospel, the Word
from God, the Word about salvation, the
Word about the kingdom, the Word
about repentance and faith.
It was the same message Jesus gave at
Nazareth that we see in Luke 4.
Where Jesus preached the gospel to the
poor, the blind, the oppressed, and to set
the captives free and proclaim liberty.
The people listening got upset and
offended by the message.
The reason they got upset and offended is
because it showed them their own sins,
spiritual poverty, lack of liberty, and
spiritual oppression.
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The people did not want to see
themselves like that…
So instead of confessing their sin…
At the end of the sermon the people got
together and tried to throw Jesus off a
cliff and kill Him for what He preached.
Let’s go back to the house in Mark.
Jesus is preaching the Word to them…
Then Mark tells us in verse 3 then they
came to Him bringing a paralytic who
was carried by four men.
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Now this was a common scene because
every where Jesus went there were sick
and crippled people.
Verse 4 tells us they got the man there
And then they could not get him to Jesus
because of the crowd.
Now this shows us the crowd was just a
curious crowd not a sympathetic crowd.
A sympathetic crowd would have made a
path for them to get the man to Jesus…
A curious, self seeking, self serving
crowd wouldn’t want to lose their view
or their standing place.
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I want to add something here that you
may never thought you would here a
Pastor say…
But the truth is the truth…
As much as we Pastor’s like large crowds
of people crowds are never a measure of
ministry success.
Crowds are never a measure of spiritual
success.
Many times a large crowd consists of the
spiritually indifferent, the spiritually
uncommitted.
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Much of those in the crowds around
Jesus wanted a free meal, healing, and
their needs met.
They were not concerned with their soul.
The large crowds around Jesus really
obstructed Jesus and made it difficult to
preach and teach.
They couldn’t get the man in so they
went up on the roof and where He was.
Now the words where He was refers to
Jesus it means the four men had to see
where Jesus was and calculate exactly
the place Jesus was standing.
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When they had done that Mark tells us
they broke through the roof.
It actually means they removed the roof
above Jesus.
Homes in that day were one story and
they had a large center room or great
room.
They had an outside staircase that led to
the roof.
The roof was made up of beams, and
then between the beams there were
smaller pieces of wood sticks and then
twigs and mud would hold it all together.
Then they would put tiles on top of that.
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So this means they had to remove the
tiles and then breakthrough the twigs,
mud and sticks.
Every public speaker has to learn to do
certain things…
One is not to focus on the crowds facial
expressions.
Two is to overcome distractions.
You see them you hear them and you
have to keep yourself focused and on
track with what you are saying.
I am sure every speaker can give you
plenty of stories on distractions while
they spoke.
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But I have never been speaking and mud
start falling out of the ceiling…
I have never been speaking and twigs hit
me in the head…
I have never been speaking and had
someone make a 4x6 hole in the roof…
And I have never been speaking and had
a man lowered through that hole right in
front of me.
As they pulled the roof back Jesus is
preaching and all the crowd is staring at
the ceiling.
The hole gets bigger and bigger and
here’s Johnny.
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The men on the roof do not say excuse
me Sir for the mess or the interruption.
They let the man down and high five
other and probably yell out right on
target.
Verse 5 says when Jesus saw their faith.
The men knew Jesus could heal
otherwise I don’t think they would have
torn a hole in another man’s roof.
Jesus seeing their faith said to the man on
the bed…
Son you sins are forgiven you.
Sins who said anything about sins?
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They let him down in front of Jesus
because he is handicap or crippled.
Not because he is a sinner.
Has Jesus got mud in His eye or
something?
The man is paralyzed otherwise he would
have walked in.
Know before I go any farther let’s look at
their faith because Jesus saw their faith.
What did Jesus see in their faith that was
so outstanding?
They all had faith Jesus could heal.
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How did they have that faith?
They had that kind of faith because it
was proven Jesus could heal.
Jesus had been doing it everywhere He
went.
This kind of faith is called natural faith.
The kind of faith that we use to go to a
restaurant and eat…
The kind of faith that lets a person you
don’t know put you to sleep and then
take a knife and cut on your body in a
hospital.
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It is the kind of faith that you put into
nurses and doctors because of their
training and experience.
The kind of faith you have in the seat you
sat in tonight.
I didn’t see anyone look under the seat to
see what was holding it up we just sit
down.
Human experience or human faith…
We use it all the time.
The kind of faith that tells us that
something can be counted on.
That’s the kind of faith these men had.
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They fully believe Jesus will heal this
man if they didn’t they would not have
torn a hole in another man’s roof.
The kind of faith knowing they would
have to pay for the damage.
As well as the kind of faith that
overcame the embarrassment.
But it was human or natural faith.
But with the paralyzed man there was
something more than human faith.
The reason we know that is because
Jesus narrowed His statement down and
He said specifically to the man…
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Son your sins are forgiven you.
Jesus saw in him a faith that was not
visible to everyone else.
In this man Jesus saw a real spiritual
faith.
This man’s faith was not limited for
healing, but it was for salvation.
This man believed that Jesus was the One
who offered salvation to those who
repent.
And what Jesus saw in this man was the
real deal.
Not a human faith but a spiritual faith.
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Jesus saw in this man not the other four
the kind of faith that saves the kind of
faith that doesn’t come by experience…
But that comes by conviction and
wanting to be right with God.
By the way people saw paralysis in that
culture as the wrath of God.
Jesus said son your sins are forgiven you!
You have what you came for.
Jesus knew the man wanted to walk but
He knew more than that the man wanted
to be well in his heart and soul.
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I have heard many sermons and I have
preached them myself on the four men
who carried this man to Jesus.
I have always thought they were the
spiritual ones who saw this man and with
a heart of compassion took him to Jesus.
I now have to really look at that and say I
believe it was the man who convinced
them to carry him to Jesus…
And maybe they were so persistent
because he may have even paid them to
get him in front of Jesus.
He knew his sinful condition and he
wanted to be forgiven.
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Look at the effort he made and the price
he paid to get forgiveness.
This is the first mention of faith in Mark
and it is linked to action.
James says faith without works is dead.
Faith acts, faith overcomes, and faith
pursues and faith strives to its object.
The crippled man wanted forgiveness
and he got it…
Jesus forgave the man of all of his sins.
Verse 6 and some of the scribes were
sitting there and reasoning in their hearts.
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This is exactly why they were there, they
wanted a reason to accuse and get rid of
Jesus.
And when Jesus said the words your sins
are forgiven…
They thought in their heart we got Him
for blasphemy because only God can
forgive sin.
They were right by the way only God can
forgive sin and Jesus is God.
Now make sure you see the words they
reasoned in their hearts.
This means they are not talking out loud
they were only thinking it.
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The heart is equal to the mind in Hebrew
thought.
When we talk about the mind we think of
emotion…
They thought about thoughts.
So Jesus is reading their minds.
In their minds they are thinking Levitical
Law which sentences a blasphemer to
death.
Verse 8… Jesus reads their minds so He
asks them why are you thinking these
things…
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Verse 9…which is easier to say to
paralytic your sins are forgiven you or to
say arise take up your bed and walk?
Blasphemers don’t know what a person
is thinking only God does.
1st Sam. 16:7 The Lord looks on the
heart.
1st Kings 8:39 For You know the hearts
of all men.
1st Chron. 28:9 For the Lord searches all
hearts and understands every intent of the
thoughts.
Jeremiah 17:10 I the Lord search the
heart.
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The proof that Jesus was not a
blasphemer was the fact He read their
minds or thoughts.
And blasphemers can’t create new limbs.
Jesus is proving that He can forgive sin
by proving He is God.
That’s what He explains in verses 10 and
11.
When He says…so that you may know
that the Son of Man has power on earth
to forgive sins…
Then Jesus said to the paralytic…
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I say to you arise take up your bed and
go to your house.
Now this is a powerful command and it
hinges on the man’s obedience.
If the man will do what Jesus said to
do…
Then it proves Jesus is God and not a
blasphemer.
And if He is God then He can forgive sin
something only God can do.
If the man obeys the Word it will
validate the fact his sins are forgiven.
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Only God can do both heal the body and
the soul.
God forgives sin and over rules the
affects of sin.
Jesus wanted them see that what carried
the man in the man carried it out.
Jesus wanted them to see that what once
had control over him he now has control
over it.
Verse 12 remember the last healing the
man disobeyed Jesus and it cost the Lord
tremendously.
But here in 12 the man immediately
arose took up the bed and went out in the
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presence of them all, so that they were all
amazed and glorified God saying we
never saw anything like this!
Jesus read the scribes heart but He gave
the man a new heart.
Jesus this to show that He was God so
that He could say He came to not only
forgiven sinners but to provide the
sacrifice on which forgiveness is based.
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