2024-03-17 

Pastor Jonathan Falwell 

Mark 2:1-12 And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. 2 Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them.

• After traveling throughout Galilee preaching as stated in Mark 1, Jesus returns to His homebase and “immediately” the crowd came to see Him
• Verse 2 tells us He began to preach (laleo) the Word (logos) which was the good news of the Gospel

1. Four faithful friends would stop at nothing for a miracle for their friend

Vss 3-4 Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. 4 And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.

• Luke 5:19 gives this account – “And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus”
• Here, as in chapter 8, “they” meaning some friends brought a paralytic for healing
• Even though “they could not come near,” they made a way to bring their friend to Jesus
• This was most likely the home of Peter and Andrew, or maybe Peter’s mother in law’s home in Capernaum

1. They got more than they hoped

Vs 5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

• Jesus saw the faith of the friends, but certainly of the paralytic, and He declares forgiveness of his sins
• The friends had only hoped to take advantage of the stories they’d heard about this man who could heal yet here they got so much more

1. Doubt persists

Vss 6-7 And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

• The religious leaders knew only God Himself could forgive sins so they were instantly outraged at the supposed blasphemy of Jesus’ statement

1. Jesus gives mercy, grace and more!

Vss 8-12 But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Yoursins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, 11 “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 12 Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!

• Clearly the easy way out would have been to simply say “your sins are forgiven” as no one could truly know if this were true but Jesus wanted to show His power and His deity by healing the man
• Jesus uses the phrase “Son of Man” 80 times in the New Testament to describe Himself, more than any other title

            Daniel 7:14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.

Application:

1. The miraculous often happens when someone takes the first step
2. Trusting Him for the small things often results in far bigger things
3. In order to experience God’s greatest gifts, we must overcome our doubts
4. In many ways, the greatest hindrance to the miracle is us not Him