Kingdom Forgiveness

Mark 2:1-12 Manuscript

January 25, 2009

We are a church that is trying to embody the message and mission of Jesus everywhere that God sends us. Therefore, it’s crucial that we have a good sense of who Jesus is and what he’s done.

Mark 1:1 introduces Mark’s gospel by saying that this is an account of the gospel (good news, not advice) of Jesus Christ (Messiah—the anointed deliverer of Israel), the Son of God (God come in the flesh). Jesus announces that “the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15), and then goes on to demonstrate that this is more than just words. The kingdom of God has not just come in talk, but in power.

Last week we saw Jesus manifest the kingdom by casting out a demon, by healing Peter’s mother-in-law, and by healing a leper. We saw that Jesus didn’t catch the leper’s uncleanness but that Jesus caught the leper’s cleanness. He is the source of cleanness and so, with a word and a gentle touch, Jesus restores this man to wholeness. That’s a picture of the kingdom of God. When God’s kingdom comes in its fullness, there will be no more tears, no more pain, and no more suffering.

One of the key ideas that we were introduced to last week was the idea of “authority.” In Mark 1:22 it says that “they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.” Jesus didn’t have to quote anybody else’s teaching—he is the source of powerful, authoritative teaching. After Jesus cast out the demon with just a word, Mark records that “they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, ‘What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands event the unclean spirits, and they obey him’” (1:27).

In today’s passage we see that Jesus’ authority does not just include the ability to do miraculous signs and wonders that demonstrate the kingdom, but that he also has a spiritual authority that belongs to God alone.

As a result, we see the beginning of the controversy that will eventually lead to Jesus being put to death. Chapter 1 was a chapter that described the overwhelming excitement and approval of Jesus and his ministry. It began with God the Father saying that he was well pleased with Jesus and ended with Jesus’ being so popular that he couldn’t freely enter a town because there were so many people clamoring to see him. But chapter 2 is a chapter of opposition. Some people—religious people especially—begin to have a problem with Jesus. The more specific Jesus gets about who he is and what he’s come to do, the more resistance he faces.

This is how it is in our lives too. People think that Jesus is a wonderful guy—especially when he’s teaching about loving your enemies or healing hurting people. But as soon as Jesus begins to demonstrate that he isn’t just a good human teacher but God himself, people begin to resist. If you’re a Christian who loves on people and does good works that bless people, you will likely receive a warm welcome. People will want you to be around them. But the more specific you get about Jesus and the more you think of him as the only true way to God, the more people will resist what you are saying.

We’ve been asking the question, “Who is Jesus?” Well, in today’s passage, the focus narrows just a bit. We see that he’s not just a good teacher. He’s not just a miracle worker. He’s much, much more.

The first few verses give us the setting.

Mk 2:1-2 - And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 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.

The last chapter ended with Jesus traveling all around Galilee and doing ministry with tremendous popularity and following. Now we see that Jesus is back to his home-base in Capernaum and word gets out that he’s back.

Sure enough, as soon as people hear that Jesus is around, they flock to be around him. Jesus is “preaching the word” and the house is filled and overflowing. Now many people have speculated about whose house this is. Where are they? Most commentators believe that it was Peter’s house, some have suggested that it was Jesus’ house, and others say that it was probably a house that somebody in Capernaum was letting Jesus use. The text doesn’t really say, so we could only speculate. But whoever owns it is about to experience a big surprise.

Mk 2:3-4 - And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 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.

You may recall that the last time Jesus was in Capernaum people brought all kinds of sick and demon-possessed people to Jesus so that he could heal them (1:32-34). Well, now that word is out that Jesus is back, we’d expect it to happen again. Sure enough, here comes four friends carrying their paralyzed friend on a bed so that they can get near Jesus.

Now, they weren’t hauling him around on a Sleep Number mattress—it was probably a cot of some kind. We also don’t know exactly the condition of the man. The text says that he was a paralytic, but we don’t know how severe it is. Is it head to toe? From the waist down? Can the man talk? We don’t know. But it was apparently severe enough that it took four men to carry him. This is the picture of a totally helpless man.

Well, they get to the house and it’s absolutely packed. People are coming out the door. Have you ever had a time when you showed up somewhere and it was totally jammed? This happens to my wife and I every time we go out to eat on a weekend night. We usually forget that other people like to go out on weekends too and we end up showing up somewhere and going, “Oh, duh! Of course it’s packed—it’s Friday night!” So we just end up going somewhere else instead. After all, there are lots of restaurants.

But for these men who had carried their paralyzed friend for who knows how far, there were no other options. There wasn’t another Jesus in the nearby shopping center. They had brought their friend to be healed by Jesus and nothing would deter them.

Now, it’s quite common for people to face obstacles as they are trying to get to Jesus. Mark records a number of stories who are looking for Jesus and find that their faith and determination is tested. For instance, in chapter 5, there’s a man named Jairus whose daughter is very sick. On the way home with Jesus, he gets the report that she has died—but he perseveres and Jesus raises her from the dead. In the same chapter, there’s a woman with an issue of blood. She’s gone to all kinds of doctors and healers and had dealt with the problem for 12 years. The crowd was overwhelming. But she persevered and touched the hem of his garment and was healed. In chapter 10, there is a blind man named Bartimaeus who is calling out for Jesus but gets rebuked by the crowd. They tell him to be quiet, but, the Scripture says, “he cried out all the more.” He would not be deterred.

The same thing happens to us, doesn’t it? You decide to start investigating who Jesus is and suddenly these trials take place in your life that you didn’t expect. You have trouble at work, lose a job, face opposition from your friends or family, or something else goes wrong. Perhaps you decide that you want to go to church on Sunday and all of a sudden Sunday morning becomes a nightmare. The alarm doesn’t go off. The kids are cranky and slow moving. You get in a fight with your spouse.

What are we to learn from this? Well, it seems that the Lord allows these tests for two reasons:

To test our genuineness. Do we really have confidence in Jesus? Do we think that he is as powerful as the Bible says he is?

To test our sense of need. The people described in Mark’s gospel are at the end of their rope. They don’t have any other option. There is no other solution than Jesus. He’s their only hope. Listen, Jesus is our only hope too. And these challenges reveal whether we are truly willing to surrender all to Jesus.

These men can’t get their friend near Jesus, but that won’t stop them. They take matters into their own hands.

Now the way that houses were situated during this time was that there was a flat roof that people would often sleep on or use as an extra room, but the bottom would be their main dwelling. There was usually an outside staircase that would enable you to get up there. So, unfazed by the crowd, these men decide to carry their friend upstairs on the roof and they begin to dig.

The Greek phrase translated “removed the roof” literally means “unroofed the roof” and the phrase translated “made an opening” literally means to dig or tear out. These guys didn’t just remove a few shingles—they literally dug a hole in the roof tearing out clay, and digging through the layers.

Just picture this happening. You’re in a crowded house listening to Jesus teaching and all of a sudden you start hearing banging up on the roof. You begin to see some dust particles break loose and then some chunks of dirt and clay begin to fall. Think that would be very distracting? Finally, after lots of banging and digging, a hole pops through and rays of sun shine in. You look up and see a group of men looking down at you, gearing up to lower their paralyzed friend.

What do you think these people were thinking? What do you think the homeowner was thinking? What was Jesus thinking?

[There’s a good little lesson here—the interruptions of life are often great opportunities for ministry. Here Jesus is teaching a great lesson and all of a sudden there’s an interruption. There’s a huge distraction. And yet it provides a great opportunity for ministry. We also have lots of times when we get distracted or interrupted. A friend calls at a time when we are in the middle of something. Our children ask us a question when we’re in the middle of something. Don’t resent interruptions—embrace them as potential God-moments. Don’t let your schedule override your purpose.]

Well, the suspense is building and as the paralyzed man is lowered, and every eye turns to Jesus. What will he say? Will he chastise them for tearing a hole in the roof? Will he pronounce a dramatic healing? Will he make a joke? What will he do? What will he say?

Mk 2:5 - And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Wow. This is not what anybody expected.

What was it that the paralyzed man wanted? Healing. What was it that the four friends wanted? Healing. What was it that we expected from reading so far in Mark? Healing.

What does Jesus pronounce? Forgiveness.

Huh? Where does this come from? What is going on here?

Well, while we’re wondering why Jesus didn’t give the guy what he came for, there’s another group of people—the scribes—wondering about the implications of what Jesus just said.

Mk 2:6-7 - Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Jesus has just said something extremely provocative, and the point has gotten across to the scribes. When Mark talks about the “scribes,” he is talking about a group of men who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees. The word Pharisee means “separatist,” and the Pharisees prided themselves on living a morally righteous life that worked hard to obey the laws of God. They had seen the moral decay of their nation and the way that many Jews had assimilated into Roman culture and they decided that they would stand up for God. They would not stand for worldliness. They would commit themselves to radical obedience to every part of God’s law. Well, the scribes a subset of the Pharisees—a group of people who were experts in the law. They weren’t just committed to a morally upright life, but they had also received training in the scriptures and the rabbinical teachings and traditions. They were smart guys. They had studied. Jesus wasn’t going to make a comment like that and have it get by them.

They begin to think, “Hold on a minute! How can Jesus forgive this man’s sin? Only God can forgive sin!” Their argument makes sense.

Think about it this way. Suppose I walk up to Bruce and he hits me in the arm. Who has he offended? He’s offended me! So it would be inappropriate for Bonnie to tell Bruce that she forgives him. She wasn’t the one offended! It’s not her place to offer forgiveness. That’s my role because I’m the one who was offended.

But when we sin, there is always somebody else who’s offended: God. He’s often the unnoticed one in our sin. Every sin that we commit—either against another person or against ourselves—is a sin against God too. That’s why God is the one throughout Scripture who forgives sin.

· Is 43:25 - “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.

· Is 55:7 - let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

· Da 9:9 - To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him

So when Jesus tells the man that he is forgiven, he is claiming the role that belongs only to God. And that’s precisely what bothers the scribes. And it should—how can this man claim this? Who does he think he is? This is blasphemy! He’s dishonoring God!

Are they right? Is Jesus blaspheming? Well, the only way that he isn’t is if he actually has the authority to forgive sin. The only way he isn’t being absolutely wicked and deceitful is if he is truly God.

You know, when we think about Jesus, there are only three options.

He’s a liar—he said he was God come in the flesh and it just wasn’t true.

He’s a lunatic—he said he was God but he was really just a wacko on par with David Koresh and the Hale Bopp Comet people.

He’s the Lord—he is actually God.

There’s a common misconception that Jesus was a good moral teacher but not truly God. But we don’t have that option. Good moral teachers don’t intentionally lie. Good moral teachers aren’t lunatics. The only way to say that Jesus was a good moral teacher is to acknowledge that he was actually God—that his claims were actually valid.

So, which is it? Is Jesus just a quack who is claiming all kinds of things that he can’t back up? Or is he actually God and actually able to forgive sins?

Well, Jesus isn’t surprised that they are thinking this. It wouldn’t take a lot to guess that this is what they are thinking and Jesus picks up on it. Jesus has them right where he wants them.

Mk 2:8-9 - 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? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’?

Jesus now confronts their question head on. They are questioning these things in their hearts because they wonder whether Jesus actually has the authority that he just claimed to have. That’s the question—does Jesus have the authority to do this?

Notice that Jesus doesn’t correct them and say, “Oh, you misunderstood me. I was just trying to say that God has forgiven him.” No, Jesus confronts the issue directly and demonstrates that he does have the authority not just to pronounce forgiveness but to do the forgiving himself.

So Jesus asks them a question: Which is easier to say—“Your sins are forgiven” or “Rise, take your bed and walk”?

Which is easier to say? Well, anybody can say “your sins are forgiven” and we wouldn’t really know whether it was true. There’s no physical way to see whether a person is forgiven before God. There isn’t a scanner that measures that (though it would be nice to have). But if he tells the paralytic to get up and walk, everyone can tell whether it actually happens. If nothing happens, he’s going to eat some serious crow.

Mk 2:10-11 - But 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, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”

Jesus wants to demonstrate that he actually does have the authority to do this so he says the thing that is harder—“get up and walk.” Jesus says “Fine, let’s test it. Do I have the authority to forgive sin or not?”

What happens?

Mk 2:12 - 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 man who had to be carried in by four friends now gets up, rolls up his mat, and walks out—totally healed. Why? So that Jesus can demonstrate that his authority isn’t just over health and demons? He has the authority that only God has—he can forgive sin. He is God.

Lessons:

1. Sin is a much bigger problem than you realize.

“Almost certainly, Jesus’ behavior was surprising to the paralytic and his friends. Surely they expected Jesus to heal him. Instead, Jesus forgives his sins! Jesus is therefore vividly showing that there is something more radical and basic and necessary than physical health — namely, being right with God... The only disease that can really kill you is sin — the one medicine that will really cure you is forgiveness. So to be right with God is the real miracle.” (Tim Keller, Mark Study Guide)

Jesus is the only source of forgiveness.

He was a faithful substitute.

Can Jesus see your faith?

How far would you go to get your friends to the one person who could truly help them?