Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Jesus Christ who forgives our sins .
Mark 2:1-12“My son, your sins are forgiven” (Mk.2::5)
In today’s scripture Jesus heals the paralytic. The story begins with Jesus at a home where He was staying in the town of Capernaum. There was a large crowd of people there to hear our Lord's teaching and probably to experience some of the miracles of healing that they had heard he'd been performing wherever He went.
So when a group of men tried to get their friend to Christ, they couldn't do it because of the crowd.
So they carried him up, made a hole big enough for the man's pallet to be lowered through and got him to Jesus. It took the love and the faith of his four friends to get him there.
The Scripture indicates in Mark 2:5 that the persistent and aggressive faith of the friends of this man impressed Jesus. They truly believed that Christ could heal their friend. So they went to great lengths to get Jesus to help him.
And Jesus answered their faith by saying to him:
"Son, your sins are forgiven."
Many in Jewish culture believed that all disease and affliction were a direct result of one's sins. Although sometimes that is true, it isn't always the case. We see this by looking at another episode of healing when the Master is asked regarding a man that is born blind whether or not he or his parents had sinned because he was blind. Jesus made it clear that neither had sinned. However, it happened that the works of God might be displayed in him (John 9:1-3).
It isn't clear in this present passage in Mark whether or not this man became paralyzed by a sinful lifestyle. Also, this man certainly might have believed this and would have welcomed having his sins forgiven by the Lord. And this may have played a part in Jesus' forgiving this dear man first. He did it to let him know that his sins would never stand in the way of healing. However, the primary reason for forgiveness first is to demonstrate that Jesus had the power and the ability to forgive anyone he chose.
Many of the Pharisees that were there got upset because they believed Jesus was blaspheming. They said: "How is He blaspheming? Who can forgive sins but God alone!"
Jesus knew what they were thinking. Here is what Mark tells us:
"Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them: 'Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven or to say: 'Get up and pick up your pallet and walk.' But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins."- He said to the paralytic, 'I say to you, get up pick up your pallet and go home. And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying: 'We have never seen anything like this!" (2:8-12).
What are the lessons learned from the paralytic and his friends?
First Lesson: Jesus Wants to Reward Our Faith in Him
The first lesson that we can glean from these verses is that God is impressed by our faith and longs to reward those who diligently seek Him. These men were willing to go out of their way in order to help their sick friend. They didn't let seemingly impossible situations stand in their way. He was so pleased that He did for their friend even more than they bargained for. They only were asking for bodily healing. He gave them spiritual healing as well by forgiving the man's sins.
Jesus once talked about faith as small as a grain of mustard seed in Luke 17:6.
If that is true of a small faith in God, how much more could we accomplish if our faith was greater. The lack of power isn't in God; it is in our faith in Him. We could all truly accomplish great and marvelous things if we just trusted God more.
Lesson Two: Sometimes We Need the Help of Faith-Filled Friends
The second lesson is that sometimes we need faith-filled friends. Most of the time, what we want to do involves others. And sometimes our faith falters. It is for those times we need to be cultivating good friends that would be willing to go out of their way in order to help us. Like the paralytic we are, at times, powerless to do what we desire to do on our own. It is a blessing to have people that will take us to Jesus in prayer and hold us up before the throne of grace and help us in our projects that require faith.
We see the book of Proverbs talk about this kind of companion. It tells us:
"One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." (Proverbs 18:24).
Lesson Three: Our Faith Affects Many Others
The third lesson that we can glean from these verses is that our faith affects others. As we saw, the faith of the four men who took the paralyzed man before the Lord, affected many others around them as well. And that's the way it is. Our faith changes, not only us, but the people with whom we come in contact. Some will glorify God as did the crowd. And some will scoff like the Pharisees. But faith always makes a difference in the world.
It should be our endeavor in life that people see our faith and because of us see the same great God.
So when a group of men tried to get their friend to Christ, they couldn't do it because of the crowd.
So they carried him up, made a hole big enough for the man's pallet to be lowered through and got him to Jesus. It took the love and the faith of his four friends to get him there.
The Scripture indicates in Mark 2:5 that the persistent and aggressive faith of the friends of this man impressed Jesus. They truly believed that Christ could heal their friend. So they went to great lengths to get Jesus to help him.
And Jesus answered their faith by saying to him:
"Son, your sins are forgiven."
Many in Jewish culture believed that all disease and affliction were a direct result of one's sins. Although sometimes that is true, it isn't always the case. We see this by looking at another episode of healing when the Master is asked regarding a man that is born blind whether or not he or his parents had sinned because he was blind. Jesus made it clear that neither had sinned. However, it happened that the works of God might be displayed in him (John 9:1-3).
It isn't clear in this present passage in Mark whether or not this man became paralyzed by a sinful lifestyle. Also, this man certainly might have believed this and would have welcomed having his sins forgiven by the Lord. And this may have played a part in Jesus' forgiving this dear man first. He did it to let him know that his sins would never stand in the way of healing. However, the primary reason for forgiveness first is to demonstrate that Jesus had the power and the ability to forgive anyone he chose.
Many of the Pharisees that were there got upset because they believed Jesus was blaspheming. They said: "How is He blaspheming? Who can forgive sins but God alone!"
Jesus knew what they were thinking. Here is what Mark tells us:
"Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them: 'Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven or to say: 'Get up and pick up your pallet and walk.' But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins."- He said to the paralytic, 'I say to you, get up pick up your pallet and go home. And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying: 'We have never seen anything like this!" (2:8-12).
What are the lessons learned from the paralytic and his friends?
First Lesson: Jesus Wants to Reward Our Faith in Him
The first lesson that we can glean from these verses is that God is impressed by our faith and longs to reward those who diligently seek Him. These men were willing to go out of their way in order to help their sick friend. They didn't let seemingly impossible situations stand in their way. He was so pleased that He did for their friend even more than they bargained for. They only were asking for bodily healing. He gave them spiritual healing as well by forgiving the man's sins.
Jesus once talked about faith as small as a grain of mustard seed in Luke 17:6.
If that is true of a small faith in God, how much more could we accomplish if our faith was greater. The lack of power isn't in God; it is in our faith in Him. We could all truly accomplish great and marvelous things if we just trusted God more.
Lesson Two: Sometimes We Need the Help of Faith-Filled Friends
The second lesson is that sometimes we need faith-filled friends. Most of the time, what we want to do involves others. And sometimes our faith falters. It is for those times we need to be cultivating good friends that would be willing to go out of their way in order to help us. Like the paralytic we are, at times, powerless to do what we desire to do on our own. It is a blessing to have people that will take us to Jesus in prayer and hold us up before the throne of grace and help us in our projects that require faith.
We see the book of Proverbs talk about this kind of companion. It tells us:
"One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." (Proverbs 18:24).
Lesson Three: Our Faith Affects Many Others
The third lesson that we can glean from these verses is that our faith affects others. As we saw, the faith of the four men who took the paralyzed man before the Lord, affected many others around them as well. And that's the way it is. Our faith changes, not only us, but the people with whom we come in contact. Some will glorify God as did the crowd. And some will scoff like the Pharisees. But faith always makes a difference in the world.
It should be our endeavor in life that people see our faith and because of us see the same great God.
Prayer
Father God, We surrender and commit ourselves at the foot of the cross. We are sinners and we need a cleansing today. Lord we plead that you heal us, cleanse us and make us worthy to be called children of God and give us the assurance of eternity. Amen
Thought for the Day
As we go through the lent season we need a true transformation and it shall come from deep inside. Unless we are ready to truly repent, realize and return there will not be any transformation and we continue in our sinful life.
Rev. Eapen Abraham
St.Thomas Mar Thoma Church ,Santacruz, Mumbai.
St.Thomas Mar Thoma Church ,Santacruz, Mumbai.