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)