| From the TeachingtheWord Bible Knowledgebase |
Part one of a series.
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Four different kinds of people were in the crowd when Jesus' preaching was interrupted by the appearance of a paralyzed man on a bed. Which would you have been?
Today we begin a series examining the account of Jesus' healing of a paralytic, as recorded in the beginning of Mark chapter 2. As we shall see, much more is happening than at first meets the reader's eye, and there is rich truth here that applies to the life of every Christian who desires to see lost sinners come to saving faith in Christ:
And again He [Jesus] entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house.
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.
Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.
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.
When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you."
And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, "Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
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? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise, take up your bed and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" - He said to the paralytic, I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."
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!" - Mark 2:1-12
This account is also recorded, with different details, in Matthew chapter 9 and in Luke chapter 5. I tend to think that the fact that this account is recorded for us not once, not twice, but three times in the Word of God is an indication of the importance of this record, and the truth that is here before us. important for us to consider. So let us look together at what takes place. There is more here than first meets the eye, and there are lessons here that we need to apply to our own hearts and lives here and now.
The Setting
Let us take notice, first of all, of the setting in which these events took place. We read in verse one that Jesus had once again "entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house."
In the opening chapter of Mark's Gospel, we read that Jesus had been preaching in Capernaum. But then He left Capernaum to go and preach in the synagogues of the surrounding towns throughout Galilee. But now He has returned again to Capernaum. Capernaum is at the northern end of the Sea of Galilee, and it was Jesus' base of operations for much of His early ministry. And in chapter two, verse two we find that Jesus has entered a house. We are not told whose house it is for certain. But we are told in the previous chapter that Jesus had spent time in the house of Simon Peter and Andrew, so it may well have been their house.
But the one thing we are told is that when people heard that Jesus was in the house, a crowd gathered. Jesus drew crowds everywhere He went. Multitudes followed Him throughout His earthly ministry. And as always, people were in this crowd for many different reasons, some good, and some bad.
Four Kinds of People
Some people came because they wanted to hear what He had to say, and by the working of God the Holy Spirit their hearts were opened to the truth, and they believed.
Other people came only because they wanted to see His miracles. They wanted to see a show. To put it is modern terms, they wanted to be entertained. "What is He going to do next?"
Other people came because they hated Jesus Christ. They hated His message. They hated His claim that He was the Son of God. The scribes and Pharisees and Sadducees hated Him because He was a threat to their established religious order. They hated Him because He would not subject Himself to their corrupt authority.
Throughout His ministry Jesus demonstrated to the people who followed Him that the Pharisees and Sadducees had replaced the pure Word of God, the Old Testament Scriptures, with the traditions of men. For example, in Mark 7:6 said to the Pharisee and scribes,
Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: "This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men."
In so doing, they had led the people astray. They were leading them to eternal death. As Jesus said in Matthew 23:15,
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves
These haters of Jesus Christ wanted to try to catch Him in His words (see for example Mark 12:13 and following). They tried to trip Him up, to prove to the people that He was an imposter. But they were never able to trip up the Son of God, not even once.
But other people came, as we shall see, because they believed that Jesus Christ was indeed the Son of God, the Messiah of Israel, the One who could heal the sick, who One could cleanse the leper, the One who could cause the blind to see, the One who could free the demon-possessed, the One who could make the lame to walk. People with such infirmities came to Jesus themselves. And others, as we shall see, brought those who were in need to the Messiah to be healed.
Dear reader, what kind of person would you have been, had you been in that crowd? Are you among those would who want to be entertained by a miracle worker? Would you hate Him openly? Or would you be open to the truth about Jesus Christ?
Next: The Living Word Preaches About Himself
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