The story pivots us from the introductory days of Jesus' ministry to the controversial ones. We know Jesus wasn't popular with all people at all times—he was, after all, crucified. And most of us know that Jesus became disliked by the religious leaders of his day. So, his popularity must have become mixed with opposition at some point.
This opposition is introduced in this episode. The religious leaders will object to Jesus' claim to forgive a paralyzed man's sins. After this first story, four shorter stories will follow. In each, Jesus will run afoul of the religious authorities. They will wonder why Jesus ate with sinners (2:16), why his disciples didn't fast (2:18), why he broke their Sabbath rules (2:24), and why he healed on the Sabbath (3:2). In each episode, Jesus will supersede the Torah and the traditions of the elders. He will not act as the religious leaders expected the Messiah to act.
For this first story, our plan is simple. First, I will explain its context and situation. Then, after absorbing the episode, I will point out three lessons Mark seems to want us to grapple with.
The Episode
1 And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them.
Back Home
In the previous story, we saw Jesus adopt Capernaum as his new hometown (1:21). There, he cast out the demon in the synagogue, healed Peter's mother-in-law, and launched into a massive healing and deliverance campaign (1:21-34). But, because he didn't want to be a mere miracle worker, Jesus departed with the disciples to preach to other towns (1:38). Now, after some days on the road, he returns (1).
Still Famous
Mark wants us to know Jesus was still famous in Capernaum. The second he returned, people started reporting on his whereabouts (1). Once they heard he was in the house, many gathered together (2). The crowd was so huge there was no more room, not even at the door (2). Houses in that region were usually small, single-room dwelling places, so the house filled up quickly and spilled out onto the street. This scene is Mark's way of showing us the magnitude of interest in Jesus at that time. He is popular. He is famous.
The Word
Jesus, though, is not portrayed as healing and casting out demons in this episode. Instead, Jesus preached the word to them (2). This shouldn't surprise us; he had already told his disciples that his mission was to preach to the next towns (1:38). Jesus knew preaching the kingdom was the real need of the crowds.
And this theme will repeat during the first nine chapters of Mark's gospel. Almost forty times, Mark will refer to the crowds of Galilee coming to Jesus. And, though Jesus loved the crowds and they listened to his teaching, they are never turning to Jesus in repentance and belief. The crowds are generally a passive group—fickle—and are never seen as evidence of Jesus' success.
Instead, the reader is meant to feel the crowd's need to turn from Jesus' miracles to Jesus' identity as the Son of God, who is the Messiah-Savior. We are to root for them to go into Jesus' kingdom by pushing past the miracles and into his word (2).
This is how we should feel here. The crowd gathered at the house. They wanted miracles. They hadn't invited their friends to hear a Bible study, but that's what Jesus gave them.
3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay.
Mark's Style
I love Mark's writing style. So many of his sentences begin with and when or and immediately or and he. This one begins, and they came (3). The suspense! Who came? What happened? Jesus' teaching was interrupted by someone. Who was it?
The Four Men
Mark tells us four men brought Jesus a paralytic (3). They wanted Jesus to heal the man. But, when they arrived, they discovered the house was full to overflowing. So they removed the roof above Jesus, made an opening, and let down the bed on which the paralytic lay (4).
Galilean Houses of That Era
This event comes as a shock to modern readers. We have a hard time imagining a step so drastic. Did they get out a Sawz-All and a sledgehammer? Did they wear safety glasses? Did they cut the power first? Did they even get a permit for this?
Houses in that era and place were more conducive to these events. Often, homes there were small but with flat roofs made of a combination of wood beams, clay, mud, plaster, branches, and even tile (Luke 5:19). Rooftops were used as porches or balconies for drying laundry, getting fresh air, or finding solitude (Acts 10:9). But, because of the materials used to construct the typical roof, one could "dig up" a roof.
Still, this was a noteworthy event. It's not like they went around digging up each other's roofs all the time. No, Peter was there. This was probably his house. I think it shocked him. And it probably shocked everyone in the room below.
5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 "Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
Major Movement
This is the major movement of the story. It is meant to jolt us when Jesus, after seeing the faith of the four men, and perhaps the paralytic also, said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven" (5). He did not heal him, but instead, forgave him. We'll talk about this in a moment.
The Scribes and Their Objection
But some of the scribes were sitting there (6). They had come to listen to and observe Jesus. Scribes were considered experts about the Law or Torah of the Old Testament. Ezra (of the book of Ezra) is the most famous scribe—his love for Scripture led him to study and obey the Scripture. But they had sucked the life and love and joy out of scribal work. By the time Jesus came around, many scribes were mere legal experts, which is why we sometimes refer to them as lawyers.
One of their expert opinions was that God alone can forgive sins (7). They were right. Though we often apologize and forgive one another, ultimate forgiveness, the elimination of sin, must come from God. All sin is ultimately a rejection of his natural or Scriptural laws, so all sin is ultimately against him. So, only God can ultimately forgive sins. Hearing Jesus forgive the man made them question in their hearts (6).
8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, "Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your bed and walk'? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"—he said to the paralytic— 11 "I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home."
Jesus Confronts the Scribes' Thoughts
Jesus perceived in his spirit what the scribes were thinking (8). It's unlikely this was Mark's way of saying Jesus tapped into his divinity. Their doubt might have been obvious—picture them off to the corner, whispering and muttering to themselves, anger on their faces. But it's also possible Jesus was given insight from the Spirit, the gift of the discerning of spirits Paul mentions (1 Corinthians 12:10).
Which Is Easier to Say?
After Jesus learned of the thoughts of the scribes, he questioned them, asking why they questioned these things in their hearts (8). He asked them which was easier to say to the paralytic:
- Your sins are forgiven.
- Rise, take up your bed, and walk.
Jesus asked, Which is easier to say? What's the answer?
Well, if Jesus had asked, Which is easier to produce?, then the answer would be take up your bed and walk. Healings are easier to produce than forgiveness. If the gospel of Mark teaches us anything, it shows us the massive difficulty and pain Jesus had to endure to forgive sins. It was much easier for him to heal than to provide for our forgiveness.
But Jesus asked, Which is easier to say? And it's easier to say, or claim, forgiveness because it's subjective. You tell a person with paralysis to arise, and everyone will know if he's been healed or not. You tell a person with paralysis he's forgiven, and no one can tell. He might sense it internally, but it isn't an objective or verifiable act.
Then, after questioning the scribes, Jesus said, "But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, I say to you (the paralytic), rise, pick up your bed, and go home" (10-11).
12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"
The Response of All
Everyone there was amazed and glorified God (12). Some even think the scribes responded this way. No one there had ever seen anything like this (12). The man was healed. The man was forgiven.
But what are we intended to learn from this story? I suggest three lessons.
1. Jesus Is Divine
The entire passage points us to the divinity of Jesus.
- He heals a tremendously hard case.
- No one has ever seen anything like this event.
- Jesus perceives the thoughts of the scribes.
But this first lesson is most apparent from Jesus' interaction with the scribes. They understood forgiveness as something only God could grant (7). They thought Jesus was blaspheming when he took up a divine activity and granted forgiveness to this paralyzed man (7).
Some, trying to downplay Jesus' claims to divinity, say Jesus only meant something like, God forgives you. You're forgiven by God.
But this is not how the scribes understood Jesus' words. And it's not how Jesus understood their objections. He responded by saying, That you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...rise! (10-11). He knew they thought he claimed to have authority. And he wanted them to know he did, and does, have the authority to forgive sins.
But why does Jesus act like he's God, forgiving sins? Because he is God in the flesh, walking among us. Jesus claims the exclusive right to forgive because he is divine. Listen to God's description of himself:
"...forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin..." (Exodus 34:7, ESV)
So Jesus came along, doing God things. John called Jesus the Word, who was there at the beginning, with God, and who was God, all things being made through him (John 1:1-3). John then said:
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14, ESV)
The creator, the eternally preexistent Word, who is God, came to dwell among us. This is who we are learning about when we study Jesus. Jesus is divine.
2. We need forgiveness.
Jesus Forgives!
A second lesson this text shows us is our need for forgiveness. It is our primary need.
Jesus, of course, knew this. The man was lowered down to him. Everyone there expected and hoped for Jesus to heal this difficult case. They wanted to see the paralytic walk. Could he really do it? We've watched him heal many, but can he heal an injury so serious? But everyone was jolted when Jesus forgave instead of healed.
Remember our last story in Mark? We watched Jesus' kingdom collide with that of the world. Jesus confronted the invisible spiritual dimension that is opposed to God, the brokenness of the natural world, and the spiritual uncleanness brought on by sin (1:21-45). He's driven out demons. He's healed. He's cleansed. And now he forgives!
Their Society
Now, I should mention the way their society often viewed illness and injury. They thought disabilities were a sign of personal sin. When Jesus came, he began correcting this thinking. Personal brokenness is sometimes a result of personal sin, but it always a result of universal sin.
For example, everyone dies because sin has entered our universe. Adam's sin became universal, and we will all become sick and die. So sin is, in a sense, responsible for all illness and injury. But, it is also sometimes the direct cause of our ailments. For instance, when a long-term alcoholic's body begins deteriorating, it is a direct result of their way of living.
But they felt injury and illness was usually or even always caused by someone's personal decisions. They thought your own—or even your parents'—decisions led to all forms of personal brokenness. They were like Job's foolish friends, people who think trials are an indicator someone is doing something wrong. So when they looked at this paralyzed man, they saw a sinner.
His Truest Need
All that said, it also seems the paralyzed man also thought of himself as a sinner. I think he and Jesus both knew what his truest need was. When Jesus forgave him, he did not object. Perhaps he knew forgiveness was his deepest need.
And I love how Jesus always knows what we really need. The paralytic's most apparent need was healing. His issue was so visible. Ask a hundred people what great event could change this man's life, and a hundred people would say, healing. But Jesus saw the man's true need. He knew he needed forgiveness above all else.
By the way, I am thankful Jesus knows what we really need. We often focus on our circumstances when Jesus wants to deal with the root. So we ask God to remove us from a trial, but he will sometimes leave us in it because of our deeper need.
A Childlike Longing
So Jesus forgave the man. The Bible presents human suffering as ultimately residing in our separation from God. Without closeness to God, we are without true peace and joy. We are designed to know God, so if sin separates us from him, how can we find fulfillment?
Think of a toddler taken from loving parents. No matter how much you try to console them, a longing within them will yearn for their parents. And if the separation is long-term, though they will cope and adjust, there will still be a deep longing and grief for that which was lost. Everything about their biology and psychology will cry out for their parents.
This is what we are like. We are designed to know God. But our sin separates us from him because he is holy. So we need forgiveness above all else so that we can be reunited with him. And this story shows us that forgiveness can be found in Jesus Christ. He can forgive us of our sins!
3. People need friends.
Good Friends
Another lesson of this passage is that people need friends. The paralyzed man could not bring himself to Jesus but required the help of the four men who carried him to Christ.
They were good friends, too. They would stop at nothing to get the man to Jesus. They were creative and inventive in bringing him to Christ. No barrier would deter them. They were persistent.
And our world is in need of persistent, loving, creative Christ-followers who will stop at nothing to introduce others to Jesus.
This is where it is good to ask a question: Are we very good at this?
Obstacles
The truth for many of us is that it is often hard for us to reach out with the love of Jesus. Sometimes this is because so many people have bought the narrative that the church is what's wrong with our world. To them, the church is an impediment to real progress. This is a definite obstacle to sharing Jesus with others.
There are other obstacles, of course. Lack of boldness. Lack of zeal. Apathy. Disobedience. Lack of opportunity. But one is an inability to speak intelligently and lovingly about the issues our society is most concerned about.
So, to help us become better friends who bring others to Christ, let's adopt a lifestyle of learning so that we can wisely and winsomely articulate the faith. Read books like Rebecca McLaughlin's Confronting Christianity, C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity, and Tim Keller's A Reason For God. Each will build your ability to lovingly and biblically respond to the challenges of our time. Resist politicized voices that use fear to push you into isolation. Instead, pursue material that answers society's questions with winsome orthodoxy.
Doing this can help us become better friends, people who can remove every hindrance and get people to Jesus. Our goal is not to win a culture war but to love our neighbors as ourselves, working for their ultimate good as these four men did for the paralyzed man.
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For the entire Mark series, go here. Thank you.
