INTRODUCTION
‘A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers 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 paralyzed man, 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 by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ 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 this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.’ So, he said to the man, “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!’ Mark 2:1-12
JESUS FORGIVES AND HEALS A PARALYZED MAN
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘This is one of those ‘mighty works’ mentioned by Jesus in his reproach of Capernaum, Matthew 11:23 / Mark 2:1. Important details are mentioned in Mark 2:1-12 and Luke 5:17-26, which are not contained in Matthew 9:1-8. Mark says that he was carried by four men, and Luke relates the breaking up of the roof to let him down to Jesus.’
As a result of His teaching and miracles, Jesus’ popularity grew rapidly. So many wanted to hear Him that they filled the house in Capernaum where He was teaching and crowded around it, Mark 2:1-2.
Just then, five men arrived, eager to see Jesus too. One of them was paralysed and the other four carried him on a stretcher, Mark 2:3. It was impossible for them to get in through the door, so they climbed up on the roof, dug a hole in it and let the paralytic down through the opening they had created, Mark 2:4.
We can imagine the commotion among the crowd in the house below. We can only imagine what is going through the minds of those who owned the house.
Notice Jesus saw their faith, Matthew 9:2 / Mark 2:5 / Luke 5:20, but He speaks directly to the lame man and tells him that his sins were forgiven, Matthew 9:2 / Mark 2:5 / Luke 5:20.
Did the lame man demonstrate any faith or was it just his four friend’s faith? It’s hard to tell from the text but it does appear that Jesus is speaking about the faith of the four men.
The lame man may have demonstrated his faith in Jesus by allowing his friends to take him to Jesus in such a dramatic way with the hope of being healed. Maybe his four friends told him about Jesus and they believed Jesus could heal him and so the lame man just went along with the idea thinking he had nothing to lose.
Nevertheless, Jesus tells the lame man his son are forgiven, Mark 2:5. That was probably not what the man or his four friends had expected, but it is every man’s greatest need.
We are not told what the man’s disability was, perhaps he had an accident, perhaps he was born with his disability. Perhaps as the popular view was at the time, his disability may have been caused by some sin he was involved in during his life, John 9:2. We can’t be sure, but we do know that sin can have a devastating consequence in our lives.
Notice the lame man, those who brought him in and everyone else didn’t say a thing, it was only the teachers of the law who were present who thought Jesus had blasphemed because God alone can forgive sins, Mark 2:6-7.
The scribes and Pharisees, Luke 5:21, thought it blasphemy to assume the position of God by forgiving sins, John 10:31-36 / Leviticus 24:15-16. Although they were right, they didn’t recognise that Jesus was indeed God in the flesh, John 1:1-3 / John 1:14.
Jesus knew in His spirit what they were thinking and so He read their minds and asked, ‘Which is easier to say, your sins are forgiven, or get up and walk? Mark 2:8-9 / Matthew 12:25 / Psalm 139:2 / Luke 6:8 / Luke 9:47 / Luke 11:17.
The answer to this question was simple, both were possible with God, but impossible with men, Mark 10:27. If Jesus has the power to heal someone, then He certainly as the Son of man, has the authority to forgive someone’s sins, Mark 2:10 / John 3:2 / John 20:30-31 / Acts 2:22.
To prove His ability to forgive sins which was something invisible and therefore impossible to verify, He healed the paralytic who then got up and walked, Matthew 9:6-7 / Mark 2:11-12 / Luke 5:25. Jesus proved His power to conquer the invisible, that is, spiritual problems by overcoming a visible, physical problem.
The crowd was dumbfounded, Matthew 9:8 / Mark 2:12 / Luke 5:26. They had never seen anything to compare with Jesus, Mark 2:12 / Luke 5:26.
Who will Jesus reach?
Consider the five men as they approached the house in which Jesus was teaching. They had come in order to see Him, but their way to Jesus was blocked by a big obstacle, the crowd. Many would have simply turned around and gone back home. Not these men.
They were determined, even desperate, in their desire to see Jesus. Their procedure, un-roofing the roof, was radical but it worked. Even today, those who want to come to Jesus frequently encounter barriers in their path.
The only ones, who actually reach Him, are those who are absolutely determined and who refuse to allow anything to keep them from following Him. How determined to be with Jesus are you?
