Mark 2:1-12
New Living Translation (NLT)
Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man2 When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. 2 Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them, 3 four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. 4 They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. 5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.”6 But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves, 7 “What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”8 Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? 9 Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’? 10 So I will prove to you that the Son of Man[a] has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, 11 “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”12 And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, “We’ve never seen anything like this before!”
On Sunday, Dec. 23, a friend of ours was the guest teacher in our Sunday school class. The lesson was on the "wise guys" as he referred to them. One of the points he made was "It will always cost us to seek God." I made a note that day to spend time in my quiet time studying the verses regarding "seeking" God. Yesterday's blog was fruit of that study. When I finished typing the blog, it clicked with me that seeking is the evidence of faith and I immediately thought of the passage above. Jesus had the advantage of knowing their hearts, but their seeking Him out was proof they believed He could heal their friend. I've tried to put myself in the place of the friends and wondered what my attitude would have been like if I were in that situation. Would I have been enthusiastic about carrying my friend all the way from his home to where Jesus was hanging out? Would I have complained when it was time to mount the roof and start moving away the tiles to drop him down to Jesus? Would I have grumbled that "all of them were only there to visit, but we had business to take care of?" I hope like these guys I would have been faith-filled and determined that my friend was finally going to have his moment with the Lord regardless of what it cost me. I remember times in my life when I have been the one to carry the sick person and times when I have been the one who was paralyzed by some unforeseen circumstance and Jesus restored me. It's hard waiting in those times. It's hard to keep pressing on and pressing in to Him. I'm praying for those of you who today find yourself in a similar situation that you will find strength in seeking Jesus. He wants to spend time with you . Will you take a minute now to look up this passage and let Him encourage you through HIS Word? If you don't have access to a copy of the Bible, try looking it up at Bible Gateway. I Peter 1:3-9
You are welcome to leave your thoughts, reflections, and comments below. Have a wonderful day!
This also reminds me of my responsibility toward my friends. I wonder how many times a friend continued in her "sickness" because of my lack of faith. I pray that God will use me to change the lives of those around me as he did with these men. And that I will be unselfish with my time and energy as these friends were.
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