When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you"

 

 And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door.  And He preached the word to them.  Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.  And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was.  So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.  When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you."  And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, "Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this?  Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, "Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise, take up your bed and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the paralytic, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"

 

- Mark 2:1–12 

 

Yesterday we read that as soon as Jesus and His disciples had come out of the synagogue in Capernaum where He preached, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.  But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.  So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her.  And she served them.  At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.  And the whole city was gathered together at the door.  Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.  Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.  And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.  When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You."  But He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth."  And He was preaching in their synagogues and throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.  Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed."  As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.  And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself t the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."  However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.   

 And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door.  And He preached the word to them.  Again, we observe that Mark's Gospel emphasizes the quick growth of Christ's ministry.  Once Jesus was known to be in the house of Simon and Andrew's family, a sort of Galilean ministry headquarters in Capernaum, immediately many gathered together.   The house is so full that there is no longer room to receive more, not even near the door.  How does Jesus respond to the crowds?  He preached the word to them.

Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.  And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was.  So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.  When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you."  My study Bible asks us to observe that this healing of the paralytic shows that faith is an indispensable condition for salvation.  It notes that faith is collective as well as personal, for it is the faith of the paralytic's friends that also helped in his healing.  

And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, "Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this?  Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, "Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise, take up your bed and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the paralytic, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"  My study Bible points out that one purpose of Christ's coming into the world is to forgive sins, which frees humanity from its bondage.  To forgive sins is a greater power than physical healing, it says, for, as the scribes correctly assert, God alone can forgive sins.  Therefore, the easier task is to grant physical healing.  Although Christ is fully God and holds the authority to forgive, He condescends to those who are gathered in the house, healing this man in order to draw people to God, whom they glorified.  Additionally, we're asked to note that there are three signs of Christ divinity shown in this passage.  First, He knows the secrets of hearts (see 1 Samuel 16:7; 2 Chronicles 6:30).  Second, Christ forgives sins, which is a power that belongs to God alone.  And finally, He heals by the power of His word (Genesis 1:3).

In the "immediate" nature of the people's response to Christ, and His growing ministry that results, we may make a new observation of the people's efforts to get to Him.  They seem desperate for Him, and for what He is offering.  The healings possible through Him could certainly explain this.  But there is more to the story, as what Christ responds with to the initial full gathering inside this house is preaching.  He preaches to them the word of the gospel, a message they need to hear.  It is as though they are hungry, and this is the way He feeds them, offering us one facet of meaning to the feedings that will take place in the wilderness (Mark 6:30-44, Mark 8:1-10).   Then we observe the great efforts made by the paralytic's friends to get him before Jesus.  They not only make a physical effort to go the "extra mile" (so to speak) to lift a part of the roof and lower him down into the midst of the house, they've also first made the creative plan to do so, and executed the plan.  This is a rather creative and adaptive thing to do in a situation that presents difficulties and possible complications.  Perhaps for that house and in that place and time it is a simpler concept than for a modern building of some type, but nonetheless we can see the various efforts they exert here.  But the thing to observe is that Jesus praises them, for this is the effort that displays their faith.  It is the expression of the faith that Jesus says is responsible for the healing.  So what we may observe in these obstacles and difficulties (i.e. the paralytic cannot move himself in the first place, neither can his friends easily bring him into the house without some sort of clever plan and the will to carry it out) is that they bring out the faith of the paralytic and his friends.  Their resourcefulness, their action, their capacity to respond to obstacles with creative plans and the will to execute them, are all expressions of faith and the actual living of that faith.  They were emboldened through their faith; they took courage in their efforts because of faith in Christ and their objective to reach Him.  In this same sense we must view our own lives when things don't come easily to us, when we seem to be surrounded by obstacles we have to think and work and plan and create alternatives around in order to find our way forward toward Christ.  In so many places in the Bible, we're asked to see that it is in this living of our faith -- especially around obstacles and difficulties -- that our faith is displayed, pulled out of us, drawn out, and discovered.  In Mark chapter 7, Jesus seemingly insults a Syro-Phoenician woman who is begging Him to free her young daughter from an unclean spirit.  He responds to her, referring to the Jews as God's children, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs."  But she takes up this challenge, this obstacle thrown in the way of her objective, and meets it with both cleverness and humility.  She tells Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs."  For this effort, He replies to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."  See Mark 7:24-30.   There are all kinds of ways in which we may observe the inherent power found in the efforts of human beings to live their faith in the stories of the Gospels, especially in the challenges met by people who are desperately seeking to encounter Jesus, or even the challenges Jesus Himself places before them in meeting Him.  It seems that we are repeatedly asked to understand that it is in the living of our faith, and the efforts we must make to use our physical capacities, our intelligence, our creativity, and the audacity and courage in our strength to pursue that faith and to discover its depth and power, that God takes delight.  All of the stories of the Bible, from Israel's forty years of wandering in the wilderness, to exile, to the struggles of the faithful individuals and burgeoning communities that fill the New Testament, teach us about challenges that reveal our faith, and call upon every resource we have to express it and live it.  Indeed, we may come to know and understand that this is what it means to "work the works of God" (John 6:27-29).  God, in this sense, seemingly challenges us to come to God, and this mysterious journey is worth every effort for what it gives us, and teaches us about ourselves.