Mark 2:1-2 – 1A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.
When Jesus entered Capernaum again, the crowds all came, wanting to see him and what he would do. He began to preach the word to them, that being the reason he was there. So many people packed into the house that there wasn’t any room inside or outside the door.
Mark 2:3-5 – 3Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. 5When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
There was a paralytic who had four friends that wanted to bring him to Jesus. I am sure they were hoping that Jesus would heal him, just as he had healed others. The place where Jesus was preaching was so packed that they couldn’t get near him, so they went up on the roof of the house, dug a hole in the roof, and lowered their friend down to Jesus. I love this story. This is wild. Can you see this? These guys hear that Jesus is back in town, and they decide they have to get their friend to Jesus, believing that Jesus can heal him. If you need to be healed, it would be a good thing to have four friends like these guys. They didn’t let anything stand in their way. They knew they had to get their friend to Jesus…so he could be healed. How many of us are like these four crazy friends? How many of us would climb up on the roof and dig a hole and lower a mat to get a friend to Jesus? Anyway, these guys are standing outside the house, they can’t get close, and one of them probably gets an idea. This is the crazy friend. There is usually one in every group. This is the buddy that’s been arrested a time or two. He always has some wild idea that could possibly get everyone in trouble, but he’s passionate. Maybe he hatched this plan and had to convince the others that it would work. Anyway, these guys climb up on the roof of the house, somehow hoist their paralytic friend up there, and they dig a hole in the roof. This house was probably made of mud with wood supports, and branches on the roof. This wasn’t like they removed a panel or something. These guys dug a hole through the roof. I can imagine being someone inside the house, listening to Jesus, and then dirt from the ceiling starts falling on your head. You begin to hear a commotion up above. Then more dirt starts falling, and you are seeing sky and hands as this hole emerges in the roof. It gets bigger and bigger, and the next thing you know, a guy is being lowered down through the hole into the house. Can you imagine if this was your house? What the heck? They just dug a hole through my roof! This is wild! Anyway, there is no room in the house, so people begin to pack even closer together to make space for this guy on the mat that is being lowered. He finally reaches the ground, and now everyone can see that he is paralyzed. His friends are still on the roofed, anxiously peering down through the hole, waiting to see wait would happen.
This is where Jesus enters the scene. The scripture says Jesus saw their faith and said “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Wow! That’s huge! Why in the world does Jesus say this? I think there are a lot of reasons. Let’s start with this one. Here was a man who came to be healed. He obviously had significant physical problems. He was a paralytic. He couldn’t walk. He couldn’t take care of himself. He had extreme physical needs. He came to Christ to be healed. By telling him his sins were forgiven, Jesus is saying, “Yes, you need to be healed, but there is something more important than your physical condition.” Jesus spoke to his spiritual condition, and the greater need he had to have his sins forgiven. This is huge! Despite all of his physical needs, what he truly needed was to be forgiven! What a lesson for all of the people in the crowd. I don’t know what Jesus was preaching on at the time, but I have to believe this was an awesome illustration for his sermon. Here in one sentence, he speaks volumes. “Son, your sins are forgiven.” He healed his greatest need, and demonstrated to the crowd their need as well, to have their sins forgiven.
Okay, what’s another reason that Jesus said this? I believe that Jesus had been waiting for an opportunity to confront the religious leaders and the teachers of the law. We see in the next few verses how this plays out. Jesus was demonstrating his authority again, and we will get into that in a minute.
One more thing…verse 5 says, “when Jesus saw their faith…” he acted. We are saved through faith. In Luke 7:50, after telling a woman that her sins were forgiven, Jesus tells here that her faith saved her. Ephesians 2:8 tells us we are saved through faith. Faith saves. When Jesus saw their faith, he forgave sins.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Monday, October 8, 2007
Mark 1:40-45
Mark 1:40-42 – 40A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” 41Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.
I love this story, this picture. A man who needs to be healed comes to Christ, on his knees, begging to be healed. He believes that Christ can heal him and make him clean, if only he (Jesus is willing). Jesus is always willing to heal those who come to him with faith. This man come to Jesus, has faith, and is humble. He is on his knees. Jesus sees him, and is filled with compassion. Jesus, full of compassion, reaches out and heals the man. He has compassion for this man, and for us. He wants to heal. He came to heal. That is why he was there, to heal sick people, to change lives. He touches the man, and says, “I am willing. Be clean!” This is beautiful. Jesus had compassion on him, and was willing to heal him. He has compassion on us, and is willing to heal us. He is waiting for people to come to him in faith, asking to be healed, asking to be clean.
Jesus, again, in this account, demonstrates his authority. He simply touches the man, saying “Be clean!” and he is healed of his leprosy. Verse 42 says that immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured. When Jesus touches you, when he heals you and makes you clean, you are clean. There is no need to wash off or go through rituals to make yourself clean or cleaner. You are clean, just as this man was immediately cured and made clean by Jesus.
Mark 1:43-44 – 43Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44“See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”
Jesus tells this man to go, and not to tell anyone about his healing. He directs him to go to the temple and show himself to the priests, offering the sacrifices that Moses commanded. Jesus says to do this as a testimony to the priests. I think this is very interesting. This man is a testimony to the priests, because he was healed and made clean outside of their system. The priests and religious leaders were caught up in a system of ritual and sacrifice, and had everything invested in the people needing to come to them, paying and offering sacrifices to be made “clean.” However, this man had been healed and made clean without going through their system. He had gone straight to Jesus.
I think there are a couple of reasons why Jesus told him not to tell anyone about this. First, I think Jesus was waiting for the appointed time to confront the priests and religious leaders. He wanted them to see that this man had been healed, but didn’t want to confront them just yet. Secondly, I think Jesus wanted people to believe him and love him apart from his miracle working. His miracles were always for the purpose of demonstrating his power and authority, so that people would believe in him. However, Jesus knew that many people, having seen or heard of a miracle, would simply come to him to see if he could work a miracle for them, not because they truly wanted to follow him or believe him. I think Jesus did this to prevent these type of people from coming to him.
Mark 1:45 – Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.
Although Jesus had told the man he cured of leprosy not to say anything, this guy couldn’t keep quiet. He went out and began to spread the news, telling everyone what Jesus had done. When Jesus changes someone’s life, when he heals you, this should be the response. A person who has been touched by Jesus can’t help but tell everyone about it. This guy had leprosy, and Jesus touched him, told him “Be clean!” and he was clean. He was healed. It was a miracle, and he couldn’t help but spread the news to everyone. As a result, everyone wanted to come to Jesus. Many were probably curious. Many probably wanted to see a miracle themselves. I am sure there were others who wanted to be healed. There were so many people who wanted to see Jesus that he couldn’t openly enter a town due to the crowds, but instead stayed outside in lonely places. I think it interesting that Mark uses the adjective “lonely” for the places Jesus stayed. With all of the people that wanted to come to him, you would think he wouldn’t be lonely, but Mark tells us he stayed in lonely places. Ministry is often times a lonely occupation. Being a missionary can be a very lonely existence at times. It encourages me to know Jesus experienced this, and despite having all the crowds desiring to see him, he stayed in lonely places. He knew what it was like to be lonely, to not belong. He was other. He was different. He stayed outside in lonely places, away from the crowds. I also think it very interesting that he didn’t use his newfound popularity for personal gain, but kept to himself. I think this is something we continually see with Jesus, that he wasn’t concerned with popularity or being important, but was simply there to do the work of his Father.
I love this story, this picture. A man who needs to be healed comes to Christ, on his knees, begging to be healed. He believes that Christ can heal him and make him clean, if only he (Jesus is willing). Jesus is always willing to heal those who come to him with faith. This man come to Jesus, has faith, and is humble. He is on his knees. Jesus sees him, and is filled with compassion. Jesus, full of compassion, reaches out and heals the man. He has compassion for this man, and for us. He wants to heal. He came to heal. That is why he was there, to heal sick people, to change lives. He touches the man, and says, “I am willing. Be clean!” This is beautiful. Jesus had compassion on him, and was willing to heal him. He has compassion on us, and is willing to heal us. He is waiting for people to come to him in faith, asking to be healed, asking to be clean.
Jesus, again, in this account, demonstrates his authority. He simply touches the man, saying “Be clean!” and he is healed of his leprosy. Verse 42 says that immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured. When Jesus touches you, when he heals you and makes you clean, you are clean. There is no need to wash off or go through rituals to make yourself clean or cleaner. You are clean, just as this man was immediately cured and made clean by Jesus.
Mark 1:43-44 – 43Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44“See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”
Jesus tells this man to go, and not to tell anyone about his healing. He directs him to go to the temple and show himself to the priests, offering the sacrifices that Moses commanded. Jesus says to do this as a testimony to the priests. I think this is very interesting. This man is a testimony to the priests, because he was healed and made clean outside of their system. The priests and religious leaders were caught up in a system of ritual and sacrifice, and had everything invested in the people needing to come to them, paying and offering sacrifices to be made “clean.” However, this man had been healed and made clean without going through their system. He had gone straight to Jesus.
I think there are a couple of reasons why Jesus told him not to tell anyone about this. First, I think Jesus was waiting for the appointed time to confront the priests and religious leaders. He wanted them to see that this man had been healed, but didn’t want to confront them just yet. Secondly, I think Jesus wanted people to believe him and love him apart from his miracle working. His miracles were always for the purpose of demonstrating his power and authority, so that people would believe in him. However, Jesus knew that many people, having seen or heard of a miracle, would simply come to him to see if he could work a miracle for them, not because they truly wanted to follow him or believe him. I think Jesus did this to prevent these type of people from coming to him.
Mark 1:45 – Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.
Although Jesus had told the man he cured of leprosy not to say anything, this guy couldn’t keep quiet. He went out and began to spread the news, telling everyone what Jesus had done. When Jesus changes someone’s life, when he heals you, this should be the response. A person who has been touched by Jesus can’t help but tell everyone about it. This guy had leprosy, and Jesus touched him, told him “Be clean!” and he was clean. He was healed. It was a miracle, and he couldn’t help but spread the news to everyone. As a result, everyone wanted to come to Jesus. Many were probably curious. Many probably wanted to see a miracle themselves. I am sure there were others who wanted to be healed. There were so many people who wanted to see Jesus that he couldn’t openly enter a town due to the crowds, but instead stayed outside in lonely places. I think it interesting that Mark uses the adjective “lonely” for the places Jesus stayed. With all of the people that wanted to come to him, you would think he wouldn’t be lonely, but Mark tells us he stayed in lonely places. Ministry is often times a lonely occupation. Being a missionary can be a very lonely existence at times. It encourages me to know Jesus experienced this, and despite having all the crowds desiring to see him, he stayed in lonely places. He knew what it was like to be lonely, to not belong. He was other. He was different. He stayed outside in lonely places, away from the crowds. I also think it very interesting that he didn’t use his newfound popularity for personal gain, but kept to himself. I think this is something we continually see with Jesus, that he wasn’t concerned with popularity or being important, but was simply there to do the work of his Father.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Mark 1:35-39
Mark 1:35-37 – 35Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”
I love how Jesus got up very early in the morning, and went to spend time talking to God. He made it a priority, the first thing he did, to spend time with his Father. This is a great example for us. He went to a solitary place, where he could be alone, spending time talking to God.
Simon and the other guys must have been a little concerned, not knowing where he went, so they go looking for him. The day before Jesus had amazed everyone with his teaching, his healing, and by casting out demons. Everyone was looking for him. I can imagine the whole town again showing up at the house in the morning, looking for Jesus. He must have known this, so he went to a solitary place to be alone and pray. The guys must have thought, “What is he doing way out here? Everyone wants to see him.”
Mark 1:38-39 – 38Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else – to the nearby villages – so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
Jesus tells them that he wants to go somewhere else, possibly away from the crowds in Capernaum. He wants to preach in the nearby villages. He says that this is why he has come. He gives his purpose here, to preach, and in as many places as he can. He wants to go out into the villages and spread his message to as many as possible. We should be doing the same thing. The easy thing for Jesus would have been to stay in Capernaum, where he was already drawing a big following, and where he was becoming very popular. Instead, he left there to go preach in places where the people had not yet heard the good news. So Jesus left Capernaum, and traveled throughout Galilee, preaching and driving out demons.
I love how Jesus got up very early in the morning, and went to spend time talking to God. He made it a priority, the first thing he did, to spend time with his Father. This is a great example for us. He went to a solitary place, where he could be alone, spending time talking to God.
Simon and the other guys must have been a little concerned, not knowing where he went, so they go looking for him. The day before Jesus had amazed everyone with his teaching, his healing, and by casting out demons. Everyone was looking for him. I can imagine the whole town again showing up at the house in the morning, looking for Jesus. He must have known this, so he went to a solitary place to be alone and pray. The guys must have thought, “What is he doing way out here? Everyone wants to see him.”
Mark 1:38-39 – 38Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else – to the nearby villages – so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
Jesus tells them that he wants to go somewhere else, possibly away from the crowds in Capernaum. He wants to preach in the nearby villages. He says that this is why he has come. He gives his purpose here, to preach, and in as many places as he can. He wants to go out into the villages and spread his message to as many as possible. We should be doing the same thing. The easy thing for Jesus would have been to stay in Capernaum, where he was already drawing a big following, and where he was becoming very popular. Instead, he left there to go preach in places where the people had not yet heard the good news. So Jesus left Capernaum, and traveled throughout Galilee, preaching and driving out demons.
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