PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
Mark 2 (click the link)
KEY VERSE:
Jesus saw their faith. So he said to the man, "Son,
your sins are forgiven." (Mark 2:5, NIRV)
REFLECTIONS:
7171.
It’s been 7171 days that I've been stuck in this broken,
paralyzed body.
It’s been 19 years, 7 months, and 18 days that I’ve been unable
to do the simplest of tasks.
Almost 20 years of living like an overgrown infant—totally reliant
upon others for such things as going to the restroom, taking a shower, getting
dressed, and eating breakfast.
Because of our common situations, I often feel a certain
affinity for biblical characters who suffered from paralysis. I find myself
drawn into their stories with a unique and intense curiosity.
Take, for instance, the man in verses 1-12. I wonder about him.
Did he have a spinal injury, like me? Or did he, like Mephibosheth,
suffer a traumatic injury as a child (2 Samuel 4:4)? I wonder if he might
have suffered a stroke? Or maybe he had Multiple Sclerosis or Spina Bifida?
Whatever the cause, it's obvious that his needs were great. A
debilitating disease/injury left him unable to care for himself or provide for
himself. The doctors of the day had given him no hope for making a recovery.
The religious leaders looked at his physical condition as a form of punishment
for sin or disobedience. There seemed to be no way to ease this poor fellow's suffering.
But then Jesus—the prophet/teacher/miracle worker—made a
trip to his hometown of Capernaum. Suddenly, there was hope!
His friends became consumed with a passion to get this man
to Jesus. They were willing to do whatever it took to get their friend to One
who could help him walk again.
These guys would not be denied! No barrier would get in
their way! They literally ripped off a roof and scattered the crowd below
because nothing was more important to them at that moment than seeing their friend's
body made whole!
I can only imagine what it must have been like in that
crowded house as Jesus was teaching and then a speck of the ceiling falls down…
then another… and another… until there is a gaping hole in the roof… one large enough
for a grown man and his mat to fit through.
What if that was your house? Wouldn’t you be saying, “Stop!
What are you doing? I will ask Jesus to stick around after everyone leaves,
just quit ripping my roof!”
But to the friends, there was a sense of urgency. Nothing
was more important.
There's just one problem… When the friends finally get the
paralyzed man to Jesus, he offers forgiveness rather than healing. Instead of
"Rise and walk," they hear Jesus say, "Your sins are
forgiven."
The Bible doesn't say this, but I can't help but wonder if
the man and his friends were disappointed in what Jesus had to say.
I wonder if the man's inward response went something like: "What?!?
My sins are forgiven? My friends and I didn't go through all this trouble so
that my sins could be forgiven! We came to you so you could heal my body! I
WANT TO BE MADE WELL!!!"
What stands out to me is the stark difference in
perspectives.
The paralytic and his friends were thinking of his physical
needs, and understandably so. They knew all too well what his daily life was
like. They understood the pain and struggles he faced on a daily basis and
desperately wanted him to be healed from his paralysis.
Jesus looked at the paralytic and saw the man's deeper
needs—the spiritual needs of freedom and forgiveness. Jesus understood that sin
is the most debilitating disease of all. Jesus saw past the physical needs to
the heart of the matter. He understood that sin was (and still is) the most
debilitating disease of all.
I am not saying this man was a paralytic because he was
sinner; I'm only pointing out that he was marred and disfigured by the
devastating reality of sin. Jesus understood that no matter how great the man's
physical needs were, he ultimately needed forgiveness above all.
It's the same with us. Jesus knows our deepest needs, too. He knows that the need to be forgiven is
the greatest need in all of us. He understands that we need to be restored from
the inside out, to have those broken places of our inner being made new and
whole by his redeeming grace.
Sometimes it is easy to look at the physical problems
surrounding our lives and miss the deepest problem of sin. However, sin wreaks the
greatest havoc in our lives. Its devastating effects are far-reaching, damaging
our relationships with others and choking off our relationship with God.
But Jesus is the one through whom forgiveness flows.
When the religious leaders questioned Jesus’ ability to
forgive, he blew their mind by doing what only God could do. The religious
leaders were blinded by a karma-like mindset, believing the man's physical
condition to be a curse from God for some sin or wrongdoing. So when Jesus
spoke forth his healing words, granting restoration to the man's broken body,
it was a sign to everyone that he indeed possessed the power and authority to
forgive.
So, today, let us rejoice and give thanks for the redemptive
heart of God. Let us celebrate the miraculous, forgiving touch of Jesus. Let us
invite God to examine the inner places of our being, to look for the places of
sin might lie hidden to our sight. Let us pray the prayer of the psalmist:
"Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life."
—Psalm 139:23-24
WHO AM I?
Hey gang! I'm Tres Sansom and I've been privileged to serve
as the youth pastor of PRF for the past seven years. I've been married to my
smoking hot wife, Kate, for almost 2 years. I love tossing the frisbee to my Border
Collie, eating Mexican food, hanging out with friends, and laughing so hard
that my face starts to hurt.
