Mark 2:1-12 Digging Down to Jesus

Today's reading is probably familiar to those of us who grew up with Bible stories and flannelgraph Jesuses. But wow, there's a lot to unpack in these verses! Let's have at it.

Mark 2

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man

 ¹ A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. ² They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. ³ Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. ⁴ Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. ⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”  ⁶ Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, ⁷ “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
 ⁸ Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? ⁹ Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? ¹⁰ But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, ¹¹ “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” ¹² He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Whenever you read something that you're really familiar with, there's a tendancy to gloss over things, get so caught up in what you THINK you're reading that you don't read what's actually there. So I read this a couple times, and DID see a couple things I had never thought about before.

What's going on (who, what, when, where,why):

Jesus is back in Capernaum, preaching the word and eventually healing a paralyzed man whose friends DUG THROUGH THE ROOF OF THE HOUSE to get him to Jesus. That's commitment, my friends. What if we were just as determined to bring our loved ones to Jesus?

But here's what I noticed--the text says Jesus was HOME in Capernaum. Huh? Jesus wasn't from Capernaum, he was from Nazareth. So what is this "home" they're talking about, and whose roof is being demolished?

Looking back in the text, I would assume they are talking about Simon (Peter) and Andrew's house. Now, it's not that unusual that you have two brothers living in the same house, but what IS interesting to me is that Simon Peter's mother-in-law lives there too. ??? As I understand it, sons commonly built on to the family home and lived there with their wife and children. But the fact that Simon Peter's mother-in-law lived with him AND Andrew is an interesting bit of trivia that I had never noticed or thought about before.

What is the author trying to say? 

I think Mark is trying to communicate the beginning of the strained (to say the least!) relationship between Jesus and the religious establishment of his day.

What's the main idea?

Hmm. I think the main idea communicated here is that Jesus has the authority to forgive sins, and that we need spiritual healing more than we need physical healing.

Other questions:

Okay, so Jesus heals the paralyzed man to prove that the "Son of Man" has the authority to forgive sins. But he's still trying to keep his identity under wraps, not allowing the demons to talk because they knew who he was. So what was he saying when he refered to himself as the "Son of Man?" Was it a reference to his messiahship, or his humanity? And if it was a reference to his humanity, do humans have the authority to forgive sins? (I don't think so!) Or perhaps just proclaim the forgiveness of sins based on the other person's faith in Jesus? And if you want to be technical, wasn't he the son of a woman? (Okay, that's just silly, but I had to say it, LOL!)

But my big question is, what is Jesus saying by refering to himself as the "Son of Man"? If he's dropping hints that he is the messiah, then why is he silencing demons because they knew who he was? Did he want people to know at this point of time, or not?

How might this apply to my life?

I see two obvious things here. First, how determined am I to bring my loved ones to Jesus? How hard do I pray for my children? My friends? My family? Am I willing to work and sweat and get dusty and tired and dirty just for the privelege of laying my loved ones down at Christ's feet, and allowing him to control the outcome?

Second, DON'T BE A SELF-RIGHTEOUS SNIT so concerned with being right and correct about everything that I miss what God is doing right in front of me! God works in a lot of different ways, through a lot of different people, and who am I to judge the way my fellow Christians are ministering to others, especially if the fruit of their ministry is good? I'll be honest--there are Christians with whom I vehemently disagree about certain issues, and others who just plain piss me off. But instead of grumbling and stewing, I should be thanking God for the ways in which He is working through them.