Mark 2:6-12

Mark 2:6-12 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!”

Last week we saw that when the paralytic's friends boldly brought him to Jesus, when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”  (Mark 2:5)  Now some teachers of the law who witnessed this event are thinking Jesus is blaspheming because they do not believe in him.  In their minds they say, "Who can forgive sins but God alone?”  But if they had spiritual discernment, they would know God was in their midst.  Knowing their thoughts and the motivations of their hearts, Jesus addresses these faithless religious teachers by questioning them.  He asks them why they are thinking such things.  He questions whether it is easier to say the man's sins are forgiven or to tell him to take up his mat and walk?  Then as a sign of who He is, the authority He possesses, and the power that rests in him through the Holy Spirit, Jesus says to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”  As the people watch this miracle with amazement, praising God because they had never before witnessed such an event, the man obeyed Jesus, got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all.  Indeed, when  Jesus is in the room: Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’?  When Jesus walked this earth, He constantly revealed the heart of God to bring the lost sheep into the fold and to show the Father's heart for his people.  Jesus could heal the sick and raise the dead, but most importantly, He came to free mankind from the chains of sin and the sting of death, to be the Great Shepherd of the sheep.  He said, I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.  All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.  I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.  He will come in and go out, and find pasture.  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.  “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (John 10:7-11)

As Jesus went about doing good, He looked for faith, for those who would take up the cross and follow him.  But He constantly faced unbelief and division as well as threats against his life.  Right after he spoke of being the good shepherd, we read that the Jews were divided against him, and some said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?”  When someone said, "If you are the Christ, tell us plainly,"  Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe.  The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.  My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.  (John 10:25-28)  This made the Jews so angry they picked up stones to kill him for blasphemy, but Jesus escaped from them.  They asked for an answer but did not want to hear the truth.  They witnessed miracles but could not accept or acknowledge the source.  Even the disciples struggled with understanding Jesus, his works and his mission.  One time when they spoke amiss after one of his miracles, He cried out to them: Do you still not see or understand?  Are your hearts hardened?  Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear?  (Mark 8:17-18)  Jesus not only had to open physical eyes that were blind since birth: He had to open the spiritual eyes of even his closest followers.  Part of the reason Jesus was so pleased with the actions of the friends who brought the paralytic to him was that they did not let obstacles get in the way of their faith.  They did not go part of the way and stop because of the crowd.  They did not say, "Well, maybe we should just go home.  Jesus might not heal him anyway."  No, when they could not get in, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on.  (Mark 1:4)  They had eyes to see a solution and faith to go forward to see Jesus.  Jesus was waiting: the Good Shepherd, the Healer was waiting!

This morning as you read this breakfast, we pray your heart was touched by the Word of God.  We pray your faith was strengthened.  Every time we write, we are encouraged as we read the Word, listening to that still small voice, and writing words we believe will glorify the Lord.  We are mindful that we want the anointing of the Holy Spirit to guide us.  We want fresh manna for today, not stale bread from a day long past.  Today, the Lord seems to be saying, whatever your need is, He is here to meet with you.  He is not limited by any human circumstance or situation, and He is more powerful that any spirit of darkness.  When writing about evil spirits, John said, 

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

  (1 John 4:4)  God is with you, in you, for you.  If you need forgiveness, it is yours.  If you are weary, come to him and He will give you rest.  Seek his healing touch if sickness has laid you low.  He is your Good Shepherd and wants to lead you by green pastures and still waters.  He will restore your soul, equip you for the work He has called you to do for his glory, and strengthen you with his holy joy.  Nothing is too hard for God as you trust him and walk by faith.  We close with a beautiful prayer from Paul for each of you that resonants with all that the Lord has for us.  We do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.  (Colossians 3:9-14 NKJ)  

Mark 2:1-5

Mark 2:1-5  A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home.  So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.  Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them.  Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 

Faith is a belief grasped as reality.  This reality in God's domain is as real as anything concrete, spatial, or tangible in our physical world.  When we place our faith in the realm of the Spirit, faith is as real as anything that we can determine or identify in our biological existence.  This substance, which has been the core to Godly men throughout the ages, cannot be substantiated by our senses or by physical proof.  Faith, although a reality to believers, is also a supposition that God is real, a belief that opens the door to his eternal domain.  God will not allow men to come to him through the door of the rational mind, through empirical methods.  He demands unadulterated faith from us that HE is and that He is a good God.  As the Word says, And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.  (Hebrews 11:6)  We must believe, even though we do not have absolute tangible proof of his existence.  Yes, for many Christians life itself indicates there is a God.  The intricacy and complexity of the universe gives us meaningful evidence that God exists.  The uniqueness and diversity of plant and biological life also supports our supposition.  The exact relationship of the sun to the earth: size, density, distance, and so on affirms our belief in a supreme being.  We know any other relationship would negate life on this planet.  We see God's hands in the composition of the atmosphere, knowing that any other ratio between the gases would eliminate the unique balance for life to prosper.  As we examine the necessary components that allow humans here on Earth, we magnify God and his greatness.  As Christians, we marvel at God's "blue planet" and boldly declare a supernatural design behind all that we see, hear, taste, and touch.  But to the secular world this concept of God is nonsense.  They view all that we know as life as an accident, mere happenstance.  Their supposition is if you throw a few billion years into any environment of elements, life will eventually spawn from inert substances.  Their substance is science as they see it.  Our substance is faith.  We believe faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  (Hebrews 11:1)

In the above scripture we see men who are acting on their belief that Jesus is a healer.  They believed so much that they put actions to their belief by choosing to bring a paralytic man to Jesus to be healed by his hands.  They are motivated by their faith in God, knowing in God's kingdom all things are possible--realizing even the prophets of old performed many miracles.  The Bible says you must believe in God and that He is good.  They believed, but their belief was not one of the mind only; they put feet to their belief.  They tore open the ceiling of the dwelling place, to lower the paralytic down to Jesus.  James said, What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?  Can such faith save him?  Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.  (James 2:14-17)  The men in this story illustrate clearly what James is talking about.  Their deeds were obvious that day.  In Acts we read about a crippled man who had been lame since birth.  He was listening to Paul speak.  Paul looked at this man and saw he had the faith to be healed.  Paul said, “Stand up on your feet!”  At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.  (Acts 14:10)  Paul had faith the Lord would heal this man because the man had faith to be healed.  God met these two and a great miracle took place.  They glorified God with their faith that day and many witnessed the miracle and praised God.  Paul was moved with compassion by this man's physical needs and he did not ignore him.  Paul put his faith in action just as the man put his faith in action by believing in the words of Paul.  

Sometimes putting feet to our prayers means continuing to pray even though we don't see evidence of anything happening, especially in the way we desire.  If we fail to continue to pray, we are like the people of the world who require empirical evidence before they will believe.  We will only believe in what we see, hear, taste, or touch.  But Jesus says that God is not unjust, so he told his disciples a parable about an unjust judge and a persistent widow to show them that they should always pray and not give up.  This woman wanted justice with her adversary and because she kept coming to the judge, he finally granted her wish.  He said, Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!  Jesus used this to instruct his disciples. Listen to what the unjust judge says.  And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?  I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.  However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?  (Luke 18:1, 4-5 & 6-8)  Can we believe that?  Will we trust God when He asks us to endure difficult circumstances and to rejoice in all things?  Are we sure He hears us and answers our prayers or are we like the world, demanding facts?  God does answer prayers, but He answers with his perfect wisdom and for his glory, not ours.  That is a statement of faith, of spiritual facts.  That is the substance that we Christians believe in.  Whether the answer is in the package we desire is another story.  Or whether it is in the time element we desire remains yet another story.  God hears our words.  He knows our hearts.  Can we believe that or are we just like the world, waiting for empirical evidence?  Jesus says if we are like the world, not really believing in a good God, will he find faith on the earth, saving faith, active faith.  God is looking for faith that is based on trust, the trust Job expresses when he says, Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.  (Job 13:15)  Are you walking by faith, standing in the freedom of Christ, knowing you can trust him or are you walking with the foolish people of this world, trusting empirical evidence, discounting faith in Christ.  If you are trusting in this world, your house is built on sinking sand, and you will not withstand the storms of life.  Cry out to Jesus in faith today.  He is waiting for you right now.  He will heal your broken heart and spirit.  He came to set the captives free and to give you a new song of praise.  

Mark 1:42-45

Mark 1:42-45 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”  Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

In our last study, we watched Jesus respond with his healing power to the simple faith of a leper who said, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Now after healing this man, Jesus instructs him not to tell anyone about his healing but to offer sacrifices for this cleansing miracle at the temple and also according to Jewish law to have the priest declare him clean.  But rather than obeying Jesus, this former outcast from society goes out and speaks freely, spreading the news.  When people hear of this miracle event, they throng to meet Jesus, making it impossible for him to enter the town, so He seeks out lonely places; yet even there the people still came to him from everywhere.  Sometimes in our enthusiasm, we miss the perfect will of God.  Jesus told the man to go, show yourself to the priest.  He did not do this to have the priest verify the man's healing.  Jesus knew the disease was gone.  He wanted him to go to the temple and stand before the priest and the religious leaders in the house of God as a testimony to them.  This was his perfect will, to bring glory to his Father in the presence of those who opposed his Son.  The man shared his testimony but with the wrong audience.  He may have thought he was doing a "good" thing as he excitedly shared the details of his healing, but he had ignored Christ's instructions; he had strayed from the straight and narrow way of the Lord.  Jesus said, Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.  (Matthew 7:13-14)  We heard an evangelist preach a sermon where he said, "The good can be the enemy of the perfect.  We must do the perfect will of God and not what seems good in our eyes."  

Jesus had a plan for the man He healed, but the man did not follow that plan.  Did that mean the situation would bear no fruit--that no good would come from the situation?  Of course not.  God is not limited by our mistakes or our lack of good judgment.  We do well to remember God is God and we are not.  We cannot ruin things for him.  He always has a plan B, a plan C, and so on.  If the plans of God depended upon the decisions and behaviors of flawed men and women, God would have a very difficult time accomplishing his will.  Fortunately, He is not limited by our limitations.  One of the devil's biggest lies is telling people that some action they have taken has placed them in a pit of unforgiveness and shame, and they can never come out.  It does not matter what name you put on your pit, God will make a way out for you if you come to him with a repentant and an open heart.  As the psalmist wrote: The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.  (Psalm 51:17)  Even some churches limit the grace of God, saying if you have been divorced or if you still smoke or if you have children who are not serving God, then you are out of God's will and out of his favor.  This is not true.  Now is the year of the Lord's favor.  If you divorced and remarried, that is your reality.  Repent of any sin that is in your life, seek God this very hour with your whole heart, and serve him with your life.  If smoking is an issue for you and you have tried to stop and failed, put that on the altar before the Lord.  He loves you, smoking and all.  If you have given your heart and life to him, trust him with everything.  He will perfect what concerns you as you seek him.  If your children do not know the Lord, love them and pray for them.  By your kindness and goodness lead them to Jesus.  Jesus did not hide in a cave to avoid the people when they came to him in the lonely places: He met their needs.  When he arrives by boat and meets a crowd, He does not get back on the boat and look for a place without any people.  The Bible says, When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.  (Mark 6:34)  When people were hungry, He did not send them away to find food, He performed a miracle and fed them.  He is a God who works within the given circumstances to bring glory to God.

Today, everyone reading this breakfast has places in our lives where we have taken the wrong path when we thought it seemed right at the time.  Later we realized we could have gone a different way and things may have gone better or we could have made a different choice and had a much more pleasing outcome.  Perhaps we lost a loved one and wished we had another chance to tell that person how much he or she meant to us.  In life we cannot go back; we must go forward.  We do not have to remain stuck where we are, overwhelmed by guilt or shame, unable to function, thinking we are unworthy to do the Father's will.  When Jesus walked this earth, He sought needy people.  When the Pharisees questioned why Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners, He said, It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  But go and learn what this means: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.  (Matthew 9:12-13)  Jesus remains in the healing business.  He came to set captives free.  Whatever binds us to lethargy, brokenness, self-pity, condemnation, regret, and the like, Jesus came to set us free.  We are free in Christ.  Paul told the Christians at Galatia, It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.  (Galatians 5:1)  They were letting false teachers take them back to the Law.  Anything can become a law to us, even our unbelief if we put it ahead of Jesus: "I can't serve Jesus because I am unworthy."  If you believe that, you are saying you are a special category of person, and the blood of Jesus was not powerful enough to cleanse you from all unrighteousness.  You have made a new law for yourself.  My sin is greater than God's grace.  If you live by that law you will perish.  The devil is a hard taskmaster.  If you start living by his rules, you are going to lose.  We know what Paul wrote is true: the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Romans 6:23)  Rejoice, brothers and sisters!  Put every hindrance aside, and follow Jesus.  He has a perfect plan for your life no matter where you are on your journey.  Come to him with an open heart and hear his voice.  Today is your day to give testimony to his miracle touch upon your life.  

Mark 1:40-42

Mark 1:40-42  A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”  Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!”  Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.   

In our last study, we saw Jesus desiring to go to other places so He could "preach there also."  There were needs where he was, and his disciples said, "Everyone is looking for you," but He was compelled to go forward to carry his message to others because he said, "That is why I have come."  Jesus was continually focussed upon his purpose to do the will of God and to reveal the Father's heart to his people.  After stating his plan, Jesus travels throughout Galilee where He preaches in synagogues and performs many miracles.  In today's passage, a leper comes to him with a somewhat strangely worded request.  The afflicted man does not say, "Please heal me, Lord," or any of the petitions for help we might normally expect.  He does not offer a timid hope for healing.  He does not come with a lengthy request, trying to prove the merits of his need.  Instead he appeals to the nature of Christ.  He has already decided this man is a healer and a man of compassion. The leper has decided, if He wills, I will be cleansed from this wretched disease.  This man came in faith.  This outcast in society boldly believes his healing is assured if Jesus chooses to take action in his behalf.  Therefore, he comes into the presence of Jesus, breaking all the rules for lepers, gets down on his knees, crying out by faith, "If you are willing, you can makes me clean."  Jesus is ready for this man of faith.  So He does not hesitate; He does not instruct; He simply meets him where He is and answers his call.  This Bible description brings tears to our eyes as we look at this scene, thinking of how it must have played out those many years ago: Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!”  Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.

We do well to remember who Jesus is.  We do well to remember his words, his deeds, his purpose for coming to Earth.  God's heart has always been toward the needy.  We read in Psalms 12:5: “Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says the LORD.  Many times we have comforted a hurting soul with Jesus' words: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  (Matthew 11:28-30)  Jesus was constantly true to his nature.  When his disciples told him of John the Baptist's violent death, Jesus withdrew by boat to a solitary place, probably to pray and to meditate; but when the crowds heard of this, they followed him on foot.  Jesus would have had every right to ask them to wait a while, to give him some time to himself.  Instead we see Jesus react as He does in every scene where there are hurting people.  When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.  (Matthew 14:14)  When Mark gives his account of this event, he adds a metaphor that speaks to our hearts and again describes Jesus' mission on Earth: When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.  So he began teaching them many things.  (Mark 6:34)  Here we see the Shepherd of the sheep not only healing the sick but teaching them the words of the Father, sharing the message of light and love.  Immediately after this when evening comes and the people are hungry, the disciples suggest they send the people home; but mindful of their needs, Jesus performs the miracle of feeding thousands of people with five loaves and two fish.  When we look at the life of Jesus as He touched people's lives in various ways, He let the world know God is love.  He cares about his people.  The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.  (Psalm 116:5)  Jesus said, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father."  He came to reveal God's salvation plan--a grace gift beyond our human comprehension.  He was the Light that revealed the path to eternal life through his death and resurrection from the grave through the power of the Holy Spirit.

As we study the gospel of Mark, we see a God of compassion revealed through his Son.  So often we must ask ourselves how we reveal this love and compassion to others.  When we read the epistles we see many verses that compel us to allow the Holy Spirit to direct us to show the tender mercies of the Lord and to reflect the loving kindness of our Savior.  Paul told the church at Colosse, Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.  For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  After talking to them about putting to death their earthly nature, he goes on to say, Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.  (Colossians 3:1-3 & 12-14)  These are memory verses, verses to tack on the wall, tape to the bathroom mirror.  We need to wear compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  As each of us thinks upon these verses, we must ask ourselves what we are wearing.  We pray your hearts will be warmed by the Holy Spirit.  We pray we will all have the heart and the faith of that leper.  If we have diseases, the Lord is near.  He can heal us if He is willing, and we know He is willing.  Cry out to him today.  "Lord heal my lethargy, my willingness to be distracted."  "Lord forgive me for ignoring you."  "Lord help me to see the oppressed and the needy."  "Forgive me for my selfishness."  Each of us has a prayer, a cry to Jesus.  He stands beside us, saying, "I am willing."