Jesus Heals

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I went to church today with my kids and we sat in the second row from the front (we love it up front).  Our pastor was reading from the bible in Mark chapter 2 verses 1-12 about the story of four friends who take their paralytic friend to see Jesus in hopes of healing him.  However the house where Jesus was speaking was too crowded to get inside from the doorway, so these four friends hoisted their buddy up on the roof, cut a hole in it, and lowered him inside.  Jesus goes on to forgive this man his sins, and heals him.  When I first heard this story I totally didn’t understand why Jesus would forgive his sins FIRST before healing him.  But then my pastor explained that Jesus could see this man needed his spiritual needs met first which were forgiveness, and then he moved on to his physical impairment.  How amazing huh?  After my pastor explained the passage, it gave me a whole new understanding of this story.  I just love going to church and getting taught the word of God, getting my weekly spiritual batteries recharged, and courage and confidence to face another week.

What I thought was really really neat was what my 12 year old said after the pastor read the fifth verse {And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."}.  My son said “that’s cool”.  Wow!  My son is getting it, and I was there to witness it.  That’s amazing stuff that God is working in my sons life too!

Mark 2:1-12

English Standard Version (ESV)

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

1 And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. ² And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. ³ And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. ⁴ And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. ⁵ And 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 man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” ⁸ And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? ⁹ Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? ¹⁰ But 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, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” ¹² And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”