Mark began his gospel by asserting that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of God. He then proceeded to give us proof of his identity. Thus far, we have seen that Jesus taught with divine authority, He healed the sick and cast out demons with divine authority, and in our passage today, we will see that He forgives sin with divine authority.
Jesus is now back in Capernaum after being away for some time preaching and teaching throughout Galilee. And on this day, He is at a house preaching the word and a large crowd has gathered: sick folks, scribes and Pharisees, and the general public. Mark then draws our attention to four men who came carrying a paralyzed friend on a stretcher; and not finding a way to get to Jesus, because of the crowd, they do something very bold. They go on top of the roof and remove part of the roof and drop their friend right down in front of Jesus. Jesus commends their faith and not only heals their friend, but forgives him of all of his sins. The man is made completely whole, body and soul.
As you read this passage, consider the following questions:
- What do you learn from the men’s faith and perseverance in bringing our needs to the Lord? What are some of the obstacles that would cause us to give up?
- Why did Jesus focus on this man’s sin first instead of his obvious need for healing? How should that shape our thinking when coming to Jesus with our problems?
- Where did the paralyzed man get the strength to obey Jesus’ command to rise and pick up his bed and walk? How should that help us in obeying difficult commands in scripture?
- How does the man’s instantaneous and complete healing foreshadow what we will experience when Jesus returns?
- What was the crowd’s response when they saw Jesus’ authority in healing the man? How should that instruct our response to what Jesus has done in our lives?
May we see more of His glory this Sunday!