Mark 2:5-7
Sometimes
people say some pretty outrageous things. They claim they have done things that
just aren’t possible. Or they say they saw something, or experienced something
that is beyond belief. When we hear these types of things most of us listen
politely, but we don’t believe what we hear. We have learned to doubt those
things that are outside of the realm of our own reality, the things we have
experienced or been able to verify. We might hop on the web and do a search to
see if others can corroborate the story. We have learned to be skeptical. We
have learned to doubt.
A
paralyzed man is brought to Jesus and Jesus tells him his sins are forgiven. I
see two things that jump out at me. If I were one of the friends who had worked
so hard to bring my friend for physical healing, I might want to stop Jesus and
refocus Him on the physical. I want my friend to be able to walk. I am not sure
I would care about his sins! I don’t want to have to carry a forgiven man all
the way back home.
The
second thing I notice is exactly what the religious leaders noticed. Jesus is
claiming to be able to do something that only God can do. People don’t have the
right to forgive sins. Two people are offended when we sin against another
human being. We offend the person hurt and we offend God. Jesus was not a
Jewish Priest operating in his official capacity at the Temple after the
prescribed sacrifices were made. Jesus had no official position that made His
words acceptable. He was not allowed to do this on God’s behalf. In our day
only the President can give a Presidential pardon. If you aren’t the President,
you have no right to grant a pardon.
And
why did Jesus say these words? Our text says that He saw their faith. We don’t
know exactly whose faith Jesus saw. Was it the men who carried the man? Was it
the paralyzed man and his friends? Was it some other combination of people? We
don’t know. We do know Jesus saw their faith. I wish we had a video so we could
know what faith looks like. Do you know? Could you describe it? I can’t. Jesus
could.
So
Jesus sees their faith, their faith in Him to be able to heal, and He declares
to the paralyzed man that his sins are forgiven. The common belief back then
was that sin caused sickness and disease. We hear echoes of this belief other
places in the Gospels. Jesus rejects this belief. But He uses this belief as a
way to prove who He is.
The
religious leaders hear Jesus speak these words and know that He is claiming
Divinity. They know He is claiming to be God. That is why they think He is
blaspheming. Blaspheming is claiming for yourself some ability or characteristic
that only the LORD possesses. In this case Jesus is claiming to be able to
forgive sins, something even the religious leaders know only God can do.
Do
you ever stepped beyond the bounds of your authority or experience and
exaggerated the facts? Have you ever lied, claimed something that wasn’t true? Jesus
was the one person who never did. And He will prove it.