Jesus, More than We Imagine

Mosaic of Jesus from the wall of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. 

Scripture:

Mark 2:1   When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. ² So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them. ³ Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. ⁴ And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. ⁵ 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 fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” ⁸ At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and he said to them, “Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? ⁹ Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and take your mat and walk’? ¹⁰ But so 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, stand up, take your mat and go to your home.” ¹² And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Observation:

The fact that the leper told everyone that Jesus had healed him made it difficult for Jesus to return home. If he did not show himself to the priest, this would have complicated the matter even more. For people to be declared clean, they needed to appear before the priest. The people of this time connected physical infirmity with sin, and only the priest had the authority to declare the forgiveness of sin. If the leper did not follow Jesus’ instruction, the ire of the religious leaders would have been raised. Jesus came home and the people were waiting to see him, and this included the scribes and the Pharisees. 

When the home is opened to the guests, it is the religious leaders who rush in the door. They want a front-row seat to Jesus’ teaching because they are jealous. They want to know why this man is gaining so much attention, and whether he is remaining true to following the Law of Moses. 

Imagine everyone’s surprise when suddenly the roof is take apart. Jesus remains calm and cool, unfazed by the situation. He knows that those who have gotten the front-row seats are not there because of their faith and so he welcomes the ones with true faith. This changes the whole dynamic of the situation because now Jesus can reveal that he is much more than what they have all imagined. 

The shocking act of Jesus is that he pronounces the forgiveness of the paralytic’s sins. This work was reserved for priests and there was a ritual that should have been followed to pronounce this forgiveness. The religious leaders and incensed, certain that Jesus has just blasphemed. This charge will continue to be held against him over and over again by the scribes and Pharisees, eventually leading to his death. Mark lays out for us that Jesus has nothing to hide, even here at the beginning of his ministry. 

I’m sure that the front-row critics are stunned when Jesus responds to their questions that have not been verbalized. He throws a question in their direction regarding the forgiveness of sins. They all know that the priest can say to someone “your sins are forgiven” and for this there is no outward sign. In essence, it is easier to day “your sins are forgiven.” So, because it’s actually harder to heal a paralytic, Jesus shows them that he has more authority than they imagined and tells the man to take up his mat and go home. 

In that moment Jesus refers to himself as the “Son of Man” for the very first time. Later in Mark we will hear the phrase, but not until the end of Jesus’ life and ministry. This is Old Testament language, found in Daniel, a phrase that connects Jesus to the power of God. So does the healing of a paralytic because we read in Isaiah 35:6, “then the lame shall leap like a deer,

and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.” Everything that Jesus was doing in that house pointed to the nearness of God. The final phrase “We have never seen anything like this!,” even if it is said with amazement and disdain toward Jesus, ends up glorifying God. 

Application:

Sometimes I wonder where I would find myself in this story. In the modern era with all of our scientific understanding we try and explain away the things of God. Would I be sitting with the scribes and Pharisees, pushing my way onto the front row, trying to catch Jesus in some type of subterfuge? The religious leaders thought that they had everything put together in their own lives and that they didn’t need anything from Jesus. All that they wanted was to figure out how they could gain the same type of attention that he was receiving. 

The real point of faith is found in those who could not get near to Jesus. It’s the people out on the margins who have the greatest faith and who know their need. They don’t try to play any games but do all that they can to come to the One who can set them free. Somehow, in the simplicity of their faith, they know that Jesus is more than they can imagine. They don’t try to figure it out or try to explain it — all they know is that there is hope in that house, and they want to get as close as possible. 

The paralytic must have been dearly loved and cared for by friends and family. Without the generous care of loved ones a paralytic dies. The four friends have faith, just as much as the paralytic. The healing is not just for the paralytic but for the entire community of friends and family who spent hours a day in caring for this man. 

The ones who tried to place themselves in the inner circle with Jesus were there for the wrong reason. They read their own motives into the life of Jesus, thinking that he simply enjoyed the attention and doing tricks. They weren’t ready to see him for who he really was and so, throughout the gospel we discover the religious leaders moving further and further away from the center of activity around Jesus. Those who are invited into the center are the ones who were on the margins. The rag-tag group of disciples eventually replace the scribes and Pharisees and become the great leaders of the church that would come into being on the day of Pentecost. That’s because they were able to accept that Jesus was much more than they imagined. 

Prayer:

Lord, in a world that wants concrete answers, may my faith continue to grow as I believe and trust in you. Amen.