These are my notes for my Junior Church Lesson for Sunday.
Mark 2:1-12 (Same story is in Matthew 9:2-9 and in Luke 5:17 – 26 )
“1A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home.
2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.
3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, 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 by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on.
5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “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?”
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 this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’?
10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man,
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!”
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OK, so let’s replay the story.
These men heard that Jesus was in town. They had heard of Jesus. He was a famous teacher and preacher. Everywhere Jesus went, large crowds followed him.
On this particular night, Jesus was teaching in a small house.
There were a lot of people there.
Why did they come to see Jesus?
- His friends who wanted to see and hear him
- They wanted to see a miracle done
- Curious about him
- Catch him in a false teaching. These were the false religious leaders who came only to criticize him and find fault with him.
The scene would have been pretty chaotic. People were pushing to get in. The house was crowded to the point not one more person could fit in there. Yet somehow, Jesus is there. He’s calm. He’s made a makeshift classroom and he is teaching and healing people.
There was this group of men who decide to try to take their paralyzed friend to see Jesus. Nothing is really said about the paralyzed man except that his only way to get to see Jesus was if his friends took him. We don’t know where they came from. We don’t know how far they had to carry him but when they got to the house it was full. There was no way they were going to get anywhere close to Jesus.
Houses in that day had flat roofs. They typically even had stairs to the roof. People often used their roof as a place to sit and rest.
Then the friends have a crazy idea. If we can’t get in from the ground, we’ll get him in through the sky.
Now what? How are they going to get him down to see Jesus? They start ripping the roof apart.
What do you think the people inside the house thought when they heard noises on the roof and then the roof starts to come apart?
Perhaps tiles fell down on the inside. Most likely dust and dirt fell down on the people below. Suddenly, the sun breaks through a hole and shines into the house.
The men on the roof are working quickly. They want to get their friend down through the hole before someone stops them from tearing the roof apart. Imagine if you were the home owner!
What do you think Jesus was thinking?
- If you believe that he knows all things, then he knew this event was about to happen.
- Perhaps he was sitting back smiling and thinking “it’s about time you all got here.”
- I’m sure he loved their determination and he admired their love for their friend. They were willing to do anything to get their friend in to see Jesus.
- Perhaps Jesus even chuckled at their efforts.
I’m sure the people around Jesus weren’t laughing. They were probably mad.
What would they have been mad about?
- mad about the disturbance
- mad about the noise
- mad about the dirt
- mad that these guys “cut in line” to see Jesus
Finally the man is lowered through the roof and lands in front of Jesus.
I wonder if he had a soft landing or if he kind of got dropped.
He was excited and anxious. Would the “mad” people in the house beat him? Would Jesus heal him?
Jesus had already decided he was going to heal the man. In just a couple of seconds, Jesus shared a quick dialog with the paralyzed man.
Jesus did two main things with this man. What were they?
- He first forgives him of his sins. Jesus saw that the man's need in his heart was greater even than his need to be well.
- Then Jesus heals him physically. The muscles in the man’s legs were rejuvenated and the man stood up. His legs might have been a little wobbly at first but he was standing. He was probably grinning ear to ear.
Jesus' words made the religious leaders very angry.
What do you think they were saying?
- Who is this Jesus Who pretends to forgive sins?
- Does He think He is God?
- Only God can forgive sins.
Jesus could read their minds; no one needed to tell Him what these men were thinking.
Turning to them, He said, "Is it easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'?"
Jesus did not wait for an answer—the question was too easy to require one.
Everybody knew that to forgive a person's sins and to cure a paralyzed man were both too hard, and impossible, for a human being to do.
So Jesus went on to tell the scribes and Pharisees that He would show that He had the right to forgive sins by proving He was the Son of God.
Then, speaking to the man, He commanded, "Rise, take up your bed, and go on home, for you are healed!" Immediately all the stiffness left the sick man's body, and his strength came back.
What about the paralyzed man …. What did he do next?
He thanks Jesus. He has been healed. His life has been changed. He leaves praising God.
The people did not know what to think. Some were afraid; all were amazed! How they praised God. People began to say to each other, "We've never seen anything like this before!"
I started thinking about the man’s friends this week.
Here are some of their qualities that stood out to me.
1. They were in agreement. They were able to work as a team to accomplish their goal.
2. They had a common goal. These four men had the common goal of getting their friend to see Jesus – no matter what. Their goal was focused on someone else – not themselves.
3. They were determined. When they arrived, there wasn't even anymore standing room. It appears that these people were standing shoulder to shoulder. Too often, Christians give up and think that there is no way to get their loved one to Christ. But, these four men were determined.
4. They were creative. When faced with the obstacle of the crowd, they didn’t quit. They simply came up with an interesting solution – a hole in the roof.
5. They took their responsibility seriously. These men took upon themselves the responsibility of getting their friend in to see Jesus at all costs.
6. They took a risk. What risk – what about the wrath of the homeowner whose roof they disassembled.
7. They didn’t want the credit. Notice that these men are not identified. They didn’t need their names in lights or a citation from the mayor. They didn’t care that no one knew who they were. They were there for their friend and not themselves.
Are you like one of this man’s friends? Will you stop at nothing for one of your friends to meet Jesus? Are you that determined that no matter what obstacle you encounter, you will not quit. These men refused to be denied and their friend left with his life changed.
We need to do whatever it takes to see Jesus and to bring our friends to see Jesus.
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