RUN TO JESUS AND BE BLESSED
Mark 2:1-12
HIS FAME, GOD’S GLORY, RELIGIOUS HATRED
The fame of Jesus was spreading rapidly among the people. I think because of
His ability to heal and cast out demons. I think his hatred among the religious
leaders was spreading because He spoke the truth and drew large crowds.
When Jesus spoke in the Synagogue in Nazareth, his childhood home,
the religious leaders got angry at His teaching and attempted to throw him
down a hill (Luke 4:28-30). So He moved His home to Capernaum a small fishing village on the sea shore of the Sea of Galilee. The village was the home of Peter, James, John, Andrew and Matthew.
It is evident that Jesus did not own a house there or anywhere else for He
said in Matthew 8:20, that birds have nests, and foxes have holes but the
Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. One of the families of the village
may have provided a room for Him. Throughout Jesus' ministry, He taught
in the Synagogues and the homes of those who believed in Him.
The first point of this lesson is to make room for Jesus in your heart and He will
always be in your home.
RUN TO JESUS AND BE BLESSED
V.2:1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.
When you teach the Word of God it would be encouraging if people came because
of their love for the Word. I think many in the crowds that Jesus drew were because
He was a doctor. The cure for everything. To clean a fish, you have to first catch
the fish. Jesus was a fisher of men. His bait was his healing power and the
cleaning was the Word of God (Matthew 4:19).
Since faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, we need a way
to get people to the hearing stage. I think God places needs in our lives that
can only be satisfied by Jesus. We have heard, we have seen and we have
testimonies to His work in the lives of others and ours. This should be enough
for us to run to Jesus.
We will crowd the stadiums to see a popular singer. We will pay hundreds of dollars
for a night of entertainment to someone who doesn't know us and could care
less about us. Let me suggest we don’t make excuses to get to Jesus. Let me also
suggest that we pay our tithes and offerings to the one who gives us life and
all we need. Let's run to Jesus for His Love, compassion, and forgiving spirit.
WE ARE BLESSED BY OUR BELIEF IN JESUS
V: 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4 Since 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.
We have four, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit and ourselves to
to bring others to one who can help. We are all broken in some way and need the
help that only Jesus can provide. To have friends who recognize our needs and
take the time to bring us to Jesus is a great blessing. The paralytic was blessed
with friends.
The friends came determined to get to Jesus. By the time they got to the house,
there was standing room only. Can you imagine climbing to the top of a roof and
hoisting a man on a stretcher? Can you imagine someone tearing a big hole
in your roof without your consent for any reason? Can you imagine seeing the
hole in your roof with debris falling on the floor and a man coming
through on a stretcher? Quite a sight to the spectators, but maybe quite a horror
to the owner of the house. Who fixed the hole in the roof when Jesus left
the house?
To get to Jesus, sometimes protocol, rules, and regulations have to be disregarded.
Jesus will help us face the consequences of our actions to bring a soul to Him.
Is the salvation of a person worth a hole in a roof? While the text does
not tell us, I am sure the roof was repaired by the men who created the hole.
HEALED BY FAITH
V:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
Notice Jesus only calls believers Sons. I conclude that the paralytic and his friends
were believers. Jesus is not surprised by what we do to get to Him. He honors our effort and determination to do good. Was it the faith of the four men or the faith of the five
that caused Jesus to heal the paralytic? Jesus does not tell us, but the important
thing is God got the glory.
Three things Jesus did in His response to their faith. He established before the crowd
that He had the power and authority to forgive sin. He also established that sin
is the cause of all illnesses. He was not an ordinary man. He was a man with the
power of God.
Every religious person will not be pleased with your faith in Jesus. Some will find
fault in what you do. Sometimes too much education is the reason some cannot
believe in Jesus. It was only the educated teachers who could not see the
glory of God. They were too educated to believe the prophecies about the
Messiah that they taught. They called Jesus a blasphemer having watched Him
do the work of God many times before. Some people show up at church
looking for gossip to spread. Wouldn’t it be nice if the gossip was about the love
and compassion of believers?
YOU CAN’T HIDE YOUR THOUGHTS FROM JESUS
V:8 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? 9 Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'?
Jesus is always a step ahead of your thoughts because he is omniscient. Whatever
you are thinking, He knows the reason and the motive. Jesus has the proper response
to bring light to a dark situation. It is just as easy to say something good as it
is the say something bad. It is just as easy to encourage as it is to discourage.
Jesus gave two choices, both were good and appropriate. Your sins are forgiven
which He has the power to do. Take up your mat and walk which was His authority
to heal. Jesus stepped down out of heaven to be the ransom for our sins and
to make us whole.
OBEY THE COMMANDS OF JESUS AND BE BLESSED
V: 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 tell you, get up, take your mat, and go home." 12 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!"
The phrase the Son Of Man indicates Jesus' humanity, While fully God, He was also
full man closed in flesh and blood. He came down from heaven with the same power and
authority He had in Heaven. He showed those who refused to believe in Him
that He had the authority to forgive sins and the power to heal
The man was paralyzed not able to walk or stand on His feet. Notice the healing
was instantaneous. The paralytic man did not have to learn how to walk. At Jesus'
command blood flowed to his legs and feet, his muscles were strengthened,
and balance was given to him. He did not have to think about whether he could
walk, He got up and walked. It took faith to believe he got what he came to
Jesus for.
The second point in this lesson is this;
It is up to us to believe when we come to Jesus with a prayer request, that
it is granted as soon as it is received by Jesus.
The Apostle James said it best;
James 1:6-8
But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
The third point in this lesson is we are all given trials and tribulations to grow
our faith, to be a testimony to other believers, and most importantly to glorify
the Father. The Apostle James said it this way;
James 1:2-5
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
NIV
James 1:12
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
NIV
Be blessed my brothers and sisters by the Word of God.
Rev. M. Mitchell
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