Not Just a Fun Story

I loved that story in Mark about the healing of the paralytic. You remember that one. Jesus came home to Capernaum and started teaching the word (Mark 2:1-2). Interesting. Not “the gospel.” Not “healing.” He was “preaching the word to them.” Okay, so some people brought their paralyzed friend in to get healed by Jesus, but they were stopped. There was apparently a crowd (Mark 2:4). What do we know of this crowd? Well, the King James Version makes it clear. The media types were there. You know, the Jerusalem Chronicle and the Nazareth Tribune and the Capernaum Courier … like that. How do we know? The KJV says, “And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press …” (Mark 2:4). See? Okay, maybe not. So they took their ward up on the roof, dug a hole, and dropped him down in front of Jesus.

Imagine that. Jesus is doing what Jesus was supposed to do—being about His Father’s business, preaching the word. Then the ceiling gets ripped out and a sick guy drops out of the sky. The text says something very interesting. It says, “When Jesus saw their faith,” He responded (Mark 2:5). Not his faith; the faith of his friends. And He healed him … right? Well … yes and no. Jesus’s first concern was, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” You can hear His disciples hissing and warning Him not to … but … Jesus healed the man’s spiritual condition by forgiving sin … which can only be done by “God alone” (Mark 2:7). Jesus doesn’t hesitate. He knows what they’re thinking and says, “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins …” and then told the man to take up his bed and walk (Mark 2:9-11). You understand how that works, right? Saying, “Your sins are forgiven” and “Pick up your bed and walk” are both outlandish ideas, but only one is verifiable. So He did both to prove that He could do the unverifiable. Well, the man walked and Jesus made His first big claim to be God while confirming He was a man (to the great dismay of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and other Arians). And the crowd was amazed and glorified God (Mark 2:12).

What’s the “take home” on this? I see a few. First, Jesus considered preaching the word to be His primary mission. Not healing or feeding the poor or any of that. Second, faith does not have to be complete to be “enough.” Jesus healed the paralytic on the basis of the faith of his friends. Third, Jesus had no hesitation claiming to be God in flesh. Neither should we. Finally, Jesus practiced what He preached (Matt 5:16). So should we.