True Genuine and Lasting Hope Is on the Way
Tom Shrader walks through Mark 2:1-12, the account of four men who lower a paralyzed friend through a roof to reach Jesus, using their bold faith as a model of visible, active trust in God. Jesus responds not first with healing but with the declaration that the man's sins are forgiven, which Shrader identifies as God's greatest gift because it meets humanity's greatest need. The healing that follows serves as proof of Christ's divine authority to forgive, and Shrader closes by calling both unbelievers and Christians to respond — the former to come to the cross, and the latter to live in a way that makes their faith visible to those around them.
“Forgiveness of sin is God's greatest gift because it meets man's greatest need.”
— Tom Shrader
Series: A Study Of The Life Of Jesus Christ (2003/2004)
Recorded: 2004 at East Valley Bible Church
Duration: 48 min
Themes: hope, forgiveness, faith, healing, sin, bold faith, coming to jesus, serving others, feeling hopeless, struggling with guilt, new believer, seeker, friend of an unbeliever, young adult, doubting god's power, carrying burdens for others
Scripture: Mark 2:1-12, Matthew 9:1-8, Luke 5:17-28, Mark 1:21-45, Matthew 5, John 4, John 9, Leviticus 14, Genesis 3, Psalm 103:12, James 2:14, Ephesians 4:31-32
Theological Themes: justification, forgiveness of sins, christology, divine authority, atonement, sanctification, saving faith, incarnation
Full Transcript
Setting the Scene in Capernaum
In the life of Christ, I want to invite you to open your Bibles to Mark, chapter 2. The parallel passages are found in Matthew, chapter 9, verses 1 through 8, and Luke, chapter 5, verses 17 through 28, but we will focus our attention on the Gospel of Mark.
True, genuine, lasting hope is on the way. Whatever hope and assistance the things of this world give you will ultimately fail in the greatest quest you have, and that is to find remedy for your sin and a godly life. True, genuine, lasting hope is on the way.
Mark, chapter 2, verse 1 says, "When He had come back to Capernaum, several days afterwards, it was heard that He was at home." To understand where Jesus is, consider the larger map of Palestine at the time He roamed the earth. To the south is Judea, to the north is Galilee, and Samaria lies in the middle. Although the temple and so much of the religious activity was located in the south, around Bethany, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem, Jesus is in the north at this point.
Capernaum, situated on the Sea of Galilee, becomes a focal point for ministry in the northern part of Palestine. Jesus is there, and He has returned to the area after a period away.
What Happened Just Before
To understand what brings us to this moment, we need to look back at chapter 1, verses 21 through 45. It says, "When they went to Capernaum, immediately on the Sabbath, He entered the synagogue and began to teach." The plural pronoun refers to Jesus, Peter, Andrew, James, and John. Jesus is really launching His public ministry here, and He has with Him four interns who are traveling with Him.
Verse 22 tells us He teaches and the people are amazed — literally thunderstruck. They are saying they have never heard anything like this. He teaches as one having authority, not like the scribes. The scribes would say, "Well, so and so says this, and so and so says that." Jesus, as we saw in Matthew, chapter 5, comes along and says, "Here is what you have heard, but I say to you." He is one teaching with authority.
In the middle of this teaching in the synagogue, a demon-driven man appears. Jesus confronts him, saying in verse 25, "Be quiet, come out of him," and indeed the demon does. The people in verse 27 are amazed, asking, "What is this? A new teaching with authority — He commands even the unclean spirits." News spreads throughout the entire area.
In verse 29, Jesus and the interns head to Simon's house for dinner. Peter's mother-in-law is sick with a fever — not a fatal disease, but Jesus heals her, and everyone begins to see this. Peter comes to Jesus, who has retreated a little way from the city, and tells Him that everybody is looking for Him. In verse 38, Jesus responds, "Let us go somewhere else, to the towns nearby, in order that I may preach there also, for that is what I came for — I came to preach."
In chapter 1, verse 40, Jesus is confronted and begged by a leper with an unusual request. The leper says, "If You are willing, You can make me clean." He acknowledges that Jesus has the power to cleanse him, but wonders whether Jesus is willing. Jesus says, "I am willing," and cleanses him. He then instructs the man to go and tell the priest, which was part of the Levitical law — we saw that in Leviticus 14 — but to tell no one else. The man, however, cannot keep this a secret. Consequently, verse 45 tells us that Jesus could no longer publicly enter the city, but stayed out in unpopulated areas, and they were coming to Him from everywhere.
Jesus Returns and the House Fills
Some time has passed. Chapter 2, verse 1 brings Jesus back into Capernaum. He is there several days, and the word gets out that Jesus is at home. We cannot say for certain that Jesus has His own residence there. It is likely He is back at Peter's home, but we cannot be sure. What we can be sure of is this: the word spreads that Jesus is back, and based on everything we have already seen about how people react, we know exactly what happens next.
Verse 2 tells us that many gathered together. Jesus is back, and the crowd comes. He is in this house — again, we cannot say for certain it is Peter's house, it could well be someone else's — and there is no longer room, even near the door. He is speaking the Word to them. This is exactly what Jesus said He came to do: preach. The room is filled, the hallways are filled, and people are out the doors. His friends are there, His disciples are there, and those who are genuinely seeking Him are there.
The Scene in Capernaum
There is also a group that are probably just there because they want to see what He is going to say and do. Luke chapter 5 tells us the power of the Lord was present for Him to heal the sick. So now there is anticipation — what is going to happen? Mark and Luke also tell us the scribes and the Pharisees are there. They are there out of envy and jealousy, because Jesus is beginning to attract large crowds and they want to see what this is going to do to them.
Against this backdrop, verse 3 tells us they came bringing to Him a paralytic carried by four men. Here is this paralytic on a pallet, or a cot, or a stretcher, and there are four men carrying him. We cannot isolate and say it is this specific disease — this man is paralyzed, immobile, cannot move, his motor skills deteriorated. Interestingly, in all twelve verses we are going to look at, the only one who speaks is Jesus. We do not know if the disease has affected his vocal cords. What is clear is that this man is stricken and unable to move.
Getting to Jesus
Verse 4 tells us they were unable to get to Him — that is, to Jesus. These men are bringing this one man on a pallet, but they cannot reach Jesus because the crowd has filled the space. So they removed the roof above Jesus, and when they dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying.
Let me fill in some gaps here. Most of the homes in Capernaum at that time would have been two-story homes. The second floor was used for entertaining and socializing — when Jesus gathers the disciples together, they are in the upper room, that second-floor room. So Jesus is likely in the upper story of a two-story house. Families would also sleep on the roof to catch a cool breeze on a hot night, so there was likely a stairway leading up to it.
The roof itself was constructed by laying wooden beams parallel, two or three feet apart, then crossing those beams with sticks and branches, and finally pressing down a foot of earth on top to seal it against rain. The roof would have been anywhere from a foot and a half to two feet thick.
Four Determined Friends
These four men arrive. They take an inventory of what they see around them and decide they are going to get their man in to see Jesus. He is a paralytic, and their hope is that Jesus will heal him — that seems entirely reasonable. We have no clue who these men are. We do not know if they are family or friends. But if they are friends, what extraordinary friends to have.
They are the last ones to arrive. Everyone else is already there. These men have been hauling this pallet and this man across the way, which may explain their late arrival. Undeterred, they climb up onto the roof and begin literally digging the earth away. They dig that earth away, rip the roof open, and lower the man down on his pallet.
Consider three perspectives on this scene. First, look at the men themselves — their determination, their courage. They are extraordinary. Then think about the people inside the building. Jesus is speaking, and He is known to be an outstanding teacher. Suddenly, someone feels something hit him on the head. Then another thing falls, and now it is raining branches and dirt all around them, and everyone is trying to figure out what in the world is happening.
The figure who captures me most, though, is the homeowner. He is looking around thinking, what is this? In my darker moments I can picture myself — even in the middle of God doing this great work — wondering what it is going to cost, how it all gets sorted out, and who pays for it. Maybe even thinking, well, if He can heal a man, maybe He can heal the roof too. It is a remarkable scene.
One author summarizes it this way: "What a picture. Above, with the light streaming past them and dusty beams, four sweaty, impish, determined faces. Below, the Pharisees and the scribes shaking dirt from their robes, and in the midst, the Prince and the paralytic. History would remember this Capernaum caper."
Seeing Faith
Our emphasis, though, returns to these men. Look at verse 5 — what a magnificent verse. "Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, 'My son, your sins are forgiven.'" Jesus saw something called faith. We do not typically think of it that way. When we talk about faith, we tend to think of it as an abstract thing — I have faith. But what Jesus is showing us here is that faith needs to be something that can be seen.
James speaks directly to you and me on this point. James 2:14 says, "What use is it, brethren, if a man says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him?" James is a controversial book. There are many Bible-believing Christians who are uncomfortable with it. Martin Luther despised the book of James, because it is so often used by other religions to argue that salvation is by works. But that is not what James is saying. James is simply posing a question: if you have faith, it should be visible. If you have faith, there should be evidence of it.
Faith Made Visible
If you have faith, there should be evidence of it. Jesus sees their faith. Here is an application point to you and me: do the people around you see your faith? What would a person of faith look like? Well, they would come in all different shapes and sizes, and faith would manifest itself in different ways. At the core of it would be this: obedience. You are going to see my faith when you see my obedience. If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
So the question for you and me, right here and now, is do people see your faith? School has started — Chandler School was last week, and most of you are back on the 12th. When you walk on that campus at Mesquite or Rhodes or Gilbert High or Tempe Prep or Hamilton or wherever, or back down to the university, do the students on that campus see your faith? And if they do not, James is saying: what is the point of this faith? If there is not a distinctiveness about the way you live, then what is the point of the faith?
The same thing is true tomorrow when you head to the office. If the people around you could never tell in a million years that you were a Christian — if you were to say to them, "I'm a Christian," and they replied, "I would have never dreamed that" — something is wrong. People are watching. Just as Jesus saw the faith of these men, He should see faith in your life.
These men were bold, daring, and courageous. Whatever thinking outside the box looks like, that is these men. It would not have occurred to most of us to say, "Let's go up on the roof, tear it apart, and drop him right in front of Jesus so He will have to do something." Ray Stedman adds to this that they were unorthodox. Stedman writes: "I love that quality of Christianity. I hope we never lose it — the ability to defy the status quo. Nothing is more deadly in a church than the attitude which can so easily set in, and which is expressed as, 'Come well or woe, our status is quo,' because the members are afraid to do anything which might be criticized." But these men dared to be unorthodox.
That is a great reminder for you and me — we must make certain that we too are not afraid to make unorthodox moves. Come well or woe, our status is quo.
Forgiveness Before Healing
Now look at the second part of this. "My son, your sins are forgiven." In the original language, the order is reversed. It reads: "Forgiven are your sins." The emphasis is on God's forgiving love. This is where it gets significant.
On the surface, this is an odd comment. They bring a paralyzed man through all this effort — digging an opening in the roof, probably moving timbers around — and they lower him down in front of Jesus. What are they looking for? They are looking for a healing. Jesus does not heal him. He says, "Your sins are forgiven." Now, if you are unfamiliar with the story, Jesus is going to heal him here shortly. But there is a point being made here, and it is a huge one.
Jesus is taking everyone present up a notch. He has been healing and teaching, but now He is making a specific point — to the men who brought the paralytic, to everyone in the room, and especially to the scribes and Pharisees and the Jews who were present. He is making this point so plainly they cannot miss it: I am God. So when people say to you that Jesus never claimed to be God, this passage is exactly what you point them to.
Sin, Sickness, and the Jewish Mindset
Let me give a little background. Remember in John chapter 9, Jesus and the disciples are coming into a town and they see a blind man. The disciples ask Jesus, "Who sinned? Did this man sin, or was it his parents?" In the Jewish mind, when you saw a disease like that, it was caused by sin. This understanding runs all through the Old Testament, and it was clearly part of the teaching of the scribes and the Pharisees. In their minds, when you saw a disease like this, sin was involved — there was no question.
So here is this paralyzed man — we do not know how long he has been this way — and he is living among a culture that believes an illness like his is the result of sin. Imagine the stigma, the pain, and the embarrassment of that. Every Jew he encountered would be wondering in their mind: who sinned? You? Your parents? There must be sin involved.
Now, as we apply this in a broad, general sense, we understand that the condition of the world around us is because of sin. Consider the news today. Three percent of the population of Iraq is Christian, and for the very first time believers were being attacked while they were worshiping. The same thing is happening in Sudan, in Nigeria, and all over the world. Tom Ridge and the Department of Homeland Security — and I do not think these men are making this up — are saying that specific communications from various sources indicate an attack is being planned. How did we get to this place? Genesis chapter 3 tells us how. In a general sense, everything we see around us is the result of sin.
Even some physical sickness is the result of a specific sin on the part of a specific person — but not all of it. We would not subscribe to that blanket view entirely.
The Greatest Gift: Forgiveness of Sin
We wouldn't walk up to somebody who's in a wheelchair and say, "Well, who's sinned, you or your mom or your dad?" We wouldn't do that, because we know that is not necessarily a connection there at all. That certainly was the thought in that day and age. So Jesus sees him and He says this: "My son, forgiven are your sins."
The word *forgiven* carries the basic idea of sending away, driving away, or doing away with. Your sins are done away with. Psalm 103:12 says, "As far as the East is from the West, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." It is significant that the psalmist says East and West, not North and South.
If I start heading North on I-10 and I just keep going North — even if I get a plane and keep heading North — at some point I start to head South. I go North far enough that I get over the top of the planet and begin heading South. But if I head East, I can never go East far enough that I am going West. That is how far He has removed our transgressions from us. Scarlet, white as snow — your sins are forgiven.
Here is a sentence worth writing down: forgiveness of sin is God's greatest gift because it meets man's greatest need. We don't think that way. We look around and say, "Here's what I need — a new house, a new car, a date, new clothes, a different school, a new job." But your greatest need is to deal with the sin in your life. The greatest need you have is: what am I going to do with this sin?
John MacArthur writes this: "The most distinctive message of Christianity is the reality that sin can be forgiven. This is the heart and lifeblood of the gospel, that men can be freed from sin and its consequences. The Christian faith has many truths and values and virtues, each of which has countless application in the lives of believers. But its supreme overarching good news is that sinful man can be fully cleansed and brought into an eternal fellowship with a holy God." That is the good news. That is the gospel — that the greatest gift God could give us is forgiveness of our sin, because that is our greatest need.
Freed from the Consequences of Sin
Notice a phrase right in the middle of that quote: "that men can be freed from sin and its consequences." There are three things to consider here. The first is the consequence of hell. When you and I come into this world, we come in with a death sentence — not just physical death, but eternal death, eternal separation from God. That is the condition of every person who comes into this world. As we grow older, we begin to understand more and more that there is a heaven to be gained and a hell to be shunned.
That was a huge motive for me personally. When we sing that song "You Are Enough, You're All I Need," I spent thirty years trying to find something to fill me up. I tried every sort of thing I could imagine, and many perversions that are an embarrassment to me — but that is what a pagan does. Every one of them came up empty every time. They would satisfy for a moment, some for a week or two, some even a little longer, but ultimately they all failed.
In my misery, I remember saying, "Wait a minute. Let's get basic here. Is there a heaven? And if there is, what do I have to do to go there?" When I heard the gospel, it said: there is a heaven — and Tom, you are not headed toward it, because you came into this world a sinner and you need to be converted. You need to be a Christian. You need to understand who Jesus is, what He said about Himself, what He would do, and what He said about you and me. When we believe that to be true, not based on anything we have done or anything we would do, God gives us grace and mercy and we are saved.
That phrase says it plainly: man can be freed from sin and its consequences. You do not have to go to hell. I was talking to Tyler this week, and he has been dealing with a young man who is absolutely petrified of hell. He is scared he is going to hell. That is a good thing. If you are here and you are not a Christian, you should be petrified.
Freed from the Bondage of Sin
The second thing is this: you are freed from the bondage of sin. You do not have to sin anymore. I love watching television — TV Land is one of my favorites. I love Green Acres. Mr. Haney is my favorite character on that show — he is my John Wayne. Whenever they bring on a new show, they do a marathon, and a couple of weeks ago they had a Flip Wilson marathon. It was funny because the kids were in and out all day — Tim was over, Tyler was over. They had no clue who Flip Wilson was. He is funny. I forgot how funny he was. It is so great to watch a show come on and see every one of those episodes. Pretty clean. Pretty funny. I forgot he filmed that show kind of in the round — what a novel way to do it. Pretty incredible, watching him doing all his characters.
Freedom from Sin's Power and Consequences
As Christians, we can never say "the devil made me do it." We have been freed from the bondage of sin. You cannot cop out with that excuse — you are committing that sin because you want to. You are not addicted to it; you love it, even as destructive as it is. But you have the power to overcome.
Here is a third thing we rarely talk about. You are free from the consequence of sin — meaning hell — and you are free from the bondage of sin. More than that, you are free to be the person God made you to be. That is huge.
Freedom to Be Who God Made You
I am going through a maturity growth spurt right now. You would think at some point I would have this figured out, but I do not. Over the last thirty days, I have been seeing a lot of things all around me, and one of them is something you already know: people are just different.
You can take some people, give them a computer, a tutorial, and a thick instruction book, and they are happy forever. That is their Christmas. You put them in a room and you will not see them for days. I, on the other hand, would rather die than do that. I have no interest in it. The guys here will try to explain things to me, and every time they will say, "Now, here's why," and I have to tell them I do not want to know why.
Sarah and Tim moved yesterday. I had a wedding, and after the wedding I went over to help when it was pretty much all done — I know, that is bad. The guy next door had cable TV hooked up in his garage. I love that concept, though it implies you are spending a little too much time in the garage. But there he was, in 110-degree heat yesterday afternoon, sawing and cutting and building what looked like a bookcase. I kept thinking: does this guy not know where Robin Stuckey is? You can go buy these things already assembled. But that is his deal. That is just who he is.
The Pressure to Conform
Here is my point. We seem to put a great deal of pressure on one another to conform to our expectation and image of how someone ought to be. But I am saying you are free to be the person God designed you to be. That does not mean you rebel against authority or against God — it means He has wired us differently.
In any relationship, that difference is going to create tension. Even in a church like this, where you have a group of Spirit-filled Christians coming together, there is still going to be tension. Everyone brings their own background and history. Some people are half-full people; some are half-empty. Some care desperately about one particular thing while others do not care about it at all but care intensely about something else. That is simply the way we are made.
So when a decision comes up and someone asks whether it is a good decision or a bad decision, the problem with that framing is that it carries a moral implication. Many times it is not a moral issue — it is a preferential issue. You are going to exhibit who God made you to be in a different way than the person next to you, and you are free to do exactly that.
Forgiveness at the Vertical Level
"My son, your sins are forgiven." Jesus does not take sin lightly — in fact, He takes it very seriously. It does Jesus no good for someone to simply walk away and deal with their guilt alone. What you need is to hear that you are forgiven. If you are here tonight and you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can find forgiveness for your sin right now, here, in this place.
Forgiveness Flowing Into Horizontal Relationships
I want to pause for a moment and go in a slightly different direction. The focus we have been on is our vertical relationship — we find forgiveness in Him. But that now has enormous implications for our horizontal relationships with one another.
I have probably been a little outspoken over the years about not really enjoying doing weddings. That changed for me, I think, when Haley got married. I saw the change, and I saw how important it truly is. In the last year to year and a half, I have had a wonderful time doing weddings. Part of what I enjoy is being with two people who are about to make the most important decision of their lives and who have absolutely no idea what they are doing. They have not got the foggiest clue.
You can counsel them and sit with them, and they nod along, but they all think they are the exception. Did you not feel that way? You really did. You think: I know other people have problems, but we will never have problems. We love each other. She makes me tingle. He is such a man. We will never have problems. It is amazing.
What I like to do in the wedding ceremony is remind them of exactly what they are about to say. In a moment you are going to recite these vows — better, worse; richer, poorer; sickness, health. Implied in those vows are problems. You are going to hurt one another. You are going to tread on one another. You are going to mistreat one another. And you have to decide right now that you are going to forgive one another. In fact, what I read to them is this: every marriage, every —
Forgiveness Rooted in Grace
Relationship provides infinite opportunities for forgiveness. In your marriage there will be mistakes, failures, and wrongs. Decide now that you will forgive. Paul writes this: "Get rid of all bitterness and rage and brawling, slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you." Just as God has forgiven your sin — not based on your deserving or earning that forgiveness, but based on His grace and mercy — decide now that you will forgive each other.
Here is what Paul is saying: because you have been forgiven this way, now you can forgive this way. Forgiving is hard, because what is implied in that is that somebody has done you dirty, somebody has done you wrong, somebody has sinned against you. That is hard to let go. Why should I forgive? He is a jerk. She is a witch. I believe you — I have met with people, I have seen it, I understand it. But here is the deal: you do not forgive because the other person deserves it, and you do not even forgive because you feel like it. You forgive because you understand how much God has forgiven you in Christ Jesus.
There is a whole side issue here we could explore and go down that road, but I just want to touch on it and have you see it. One Dutch poet calls man's guilt the root of all human problems. A British psychologist calls man's sense of having been forgiven the most healing force in the world. Some of you can experience the most healing force in the world tonight.
The Healing Power of Forgiveness
I love to read biographies and autobiographies — especially about Christians, and especially Christian men who have had a tough, sinful life. There was a man by the name of Harold Hughes, whom some of you might know. He became governor of Iowa and wrote an autobiography called *The Man from Ida Grove*, and it really is a powerful story. At one point in his life he is sitting in his bathtub with a shotgun in his mouth, ready to take his own life. In the midst of that moment, he puts the gun down and God saves him.
He records in that autobiography what I have read in many other biographies and heard from many other people — in fact, there was a man in the last service who was weeping as I talked about this, because it was his own experience. Hughes writes that that night was the first solid night's sleep he had had in years and years, because the guilt was gone. You do not have to carry that burden anymore. When Jesus says, "Come to me, all you who are burdened and heavy laden," that is what He is talking about.
You do not have to go it alone. You do not have to carry this guilt. You can find forgiveness, but only in one place — only at the cross. That is what Jesus did there. He died on the cross for our sin so that you might have eternal life and your sins might be forgiven.
The Theology of the Scribes and Pharisees
Look at verse six. Some of the scribes — and Luke tells us the Pharisees are there as well — are reasoning in their hearts. Remember what I said: the only one to speak in these twelve verses is Jesus, yet now there is a dialogue going on. What is really interesting is that only one person is speaking verbally while the others are simply thinking. They begin reasoning in their hearts: "Why does this man speak this way? He is blaspheming. Who can forgive sin but God alone?" Their theology is dead right — only God can forgive sin. But their question is: who does this man think He is?
These Pharisees and scribes and others at Capernaum never do get Jesus. They never understand Him. J.C. Ryle writes this: "We forget the amazing power of unbelief and the depth of man's enmity against God. We forget that the people of Capernaum heard the most faultless teaching and saw it confirmed by the most surprising miracles, and yet remained dead in their trespasses and sins. We need reminding that the same gospel which is the savor of life to some is the savor of death to others, and the same fire which softens wax will also harden clay. Nothing, in fact, seems to harden men's hearts so much as to hear the gospel regularly and yet deliberately prefer the service of sin and the world. Never was there a people so highly favored as the people of Capernaum, and never was there a people who appeared to have become so hard."
Religious Unbelief: The Hardest Heart
I mention that because every once in a while I will be talking to someone and they will say, "I'll bet it's really hard to deal with people who are on drugs, or alcoholics, or adulterers." And I say: those are not the hard ones. I will tell you who is hard to deal with — religious unbelievers. They are the tough ones. People like the Pharisees who say, "We do not need anybody. We do not need forgiveness. We do not need anything like this. We have it all together."
Speaking of these Pharisees, one writer offers this important observation: unlike the paralytic, those men — the scribes, the Pharisees, the religious — saw no need for forgiveness because they considered themselves already to be righteous. They resented Jesus offering forgiveness not only because they did not believe He was God, but also because they considered it unjust for a person to be forgiven simply by asking for it, instead of by earning it, as they thought they had done.
Listen carefully to this sentence, because you need to understand it as you deal with unbelievers: two great barriers to salvation have always been, first, the refusal to recognize the need for it — "I don't think I need it" — and second, the belief that it can be earned or deserved. How does that apply to us? You see it in so many ways.
The Danger of Familiarity Without Conversion
I see it in different settings all the time. I'll meet people who've been in church all their life that are no more converted than this piano is. You see it especially in kids and students. Because God has been so gracious, and there is here an environment where some of you have been for years and years. It amazes me to see students who are 13 or 14 years old for whom essentially all they have ever known in terms of church is East Valley Bible Church. Because of the work that Lorraine does, and Sam does, and Matt, and Mike, and Justin, and Tim do, they have been around sound teaching all their lives.
You know all the words. You know what to say. You know the answer to the question. You know what your parents are looking for, and what your discipleship leader is looking for. You learn that by the time you are in the third grade. And so you can appear compliant — maybe even be compliant — but not converted. You are the tough ones. You are the hard ones. So you have to ask yourself: are you really converted?
How would you know? You would see the faith. A converted person would be obedient to their parents, would get along with a brother and sister. It is always interesting after summer camp when somebody comes back and says, "I think my kid really got saved." I ask how they know, and they say, "He's been hanging out with his sister. He hasn't hit his sister in two weeks. Not locking the little one in the closet." See, there ought to be evidence of genuine conversion. That is what I want you to see about the religious men in this passage — they are the religious guys.
What Is Easier to Say?
Moving now to verse 8, Jesus is aware in their spirit that they are reasoning this way. He said, "Why are you reasoning these things in your heart?" Then in verse 9: "What is easier to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or 'Take up your pallet and walk'?" Well, it would be far easier to say "Your sins are forgiven," because there is no way to measure that. No one can see it. But say to the man, "Take up your pallet and walk," and if he just lies there, everyone will say the speaker is a fraud. Saying "Your sins are forgiven" cannot be quantitatively measured.
So Jesus knows exactly what they are thinking, and He says, here is what He is going to do. "In order that you might know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sin," He said to the paralytic, "I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home." And immediately he rose, took up his pallet, and went out in the sight of all. They were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this."
Jesus understood their reasoning, and He also implies here that He is going to connect some dots for them. The scribes — and it is the scribes He is dealing with here — were convinced that this man was on that pallet and paralyzed because of sin. So Jesus says, in effect: I am going to heal him, and then you will know that when I said his sins are forgiven, they truly are. He says get up, and the man gets up. He takes that pallet and away he goes, and the place is filled with awe.
Reverential Awe in the Presence of God
Notice it there in verse 12 — they are amazed. Oftentimes when we read through the Gospels and see Jesus doing something, we hear that people were amazed and think of it simply as impressed wonder. But the idea here is not casual amazement. It is fear. It is reverential awe. It is very similar to the account of Jesus with the disciples on the boat. A storm surrounds them, and these rugged fishermen — men accustomed to torrential rains, winds, and violent weather — are afraid. Jesus is asleep. They wake Him and say, what are You going to do, save us? He says to the storm, "Be still," and it becomes like glass. The next verse says they were now very much afraid. They were afraid before, but now they are petrified, because they understand that whoever this is, He is not one of them. He is God.
An Invitation to Come to the Cross
If you are here tonight and you are carrying around a burden, a load in your life — maybe an emptiness, maybe you are like this man, and you understand that you simply cannot get rid of the guilt — and you go from counselor to counselor, book to book, you do not need to keep going to those things. You need to come to the cross. Come to Jesus, and He will save you. Hundreds of you have been saved and freed from the consequence of sin and the bondage of sin, and you are free to be the person God created you to be.
And to those of you who say you are Christians — that faith ought to be visible. It ought to be clear to you and to everyone around you.
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for these four men who loved their friend so much that they lowered him down so that Jesus could perform this miracle and demonstrate to all who were gathered there — and to us here 2,000 years later — who He really is. He is God, come in the flesh. We pray for those who might be here tonight who do not know this truth, that You would save them from their sin and that they would know and experience the joy of following You. For those of us who are Christians, the promise is not an easy road or a smooth road. It is not that we will have no hurt or pain, but that we have Your Spirit living in our hearts. God, thank You for that. Let us live in a way that people see our faith. Father, we pray this to You in Jesus' name, amen.