LEARNING DAILY

Mark 2:3-4, And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 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.

Pastor Ed Newton’s message this weekend was about the four men who took a paralytic to the house where Jesus was preaching. Pastor said that Jesus was not just preaching the Word: He was the Word. He was not just speaking about God; He was God. He was not just preaching about salvation; He was the Savior. He was not just speaking about healing; He was the Healer.  Jesus did ministry in the homes of people because “every place Jesus shows up is holy ground” (EN). The importance of this statement is for Believers to do ministry in their home, beginning with their family!

Notice that the names of the four men are never mentioned. Pastor said, “When the name of someone is not mentioned in the Word, it is a good time to put your name there”. There is no explanation of these men’s relationship to the paralytic. They knew they needed to get this man to Jesus. Who do you know that you need to get to the Savior for His tough, whatever might be that person’s need? They got him there and the house was too crowded to get in; the doors were blocked, the windows were blocked, but that did not stop the men. “When you realize Jesus is the answer to one’s need, you find a way to get the person to Jesus. You do not take ‘no’ for an answer! The four men said whatever it takes!” (EN). They took the paralytic to the roof, created a hole and lowered him to Jesus.

And when Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." (v. 5). Jesus looked at the faith of the men letting the paralytic down to Him. Their faith was not passive, as can be seen by what they did. They were driven by their conviction that Jesus could help the man; “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17). They did what they believed they needed to do.

In the second part of verse 5, Jesus forgives the man’s sins and heals the man’s condition. “When Jesus said, “Son” He did not look at the man’s past or look at His present situation, He spoke to his eternal condition” (EN). The paralytic said nothing and professed nothing but Jesus healed, forgave, and changed his identity. “Jesus did what He did by speaking as God because He is God!” (EN). He looked not only at the hearts of the four men; He looked at the heart of the paralyzed man and knew his need – to be forgiven. That should have been enough for the scribes who were there. But they failed to recognize Jesus for who He was because they wanted to maintain their power and position and not meeting the need of the paralytic or anyone else.

"I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home." (v. 11). Pastor said, “The mat becomes a message.” It was to be a reminder of what Jesus had done for him. “The mat, where he had laid on had been a symbol of his paralysis. People had seen him on it and perhaps labeled him with it. It would be a reminder of what he could not get up from on his own and example of what others could not get set free from on their own” (EN). But Jesus had healed him with a word, and had forgiven him, setting him free with a word; only God could do that! He tells him to go home!

There are those around us who need help getting to Jesus – for salvation, for healing, to have other needs be met by Him.  Pastor’s statement about when we know Jesus is the answer, we find a way to get the person who has a need to Him, should stick in every Believer’s mind! Then we put our faith into action! The other aspect of the message that stood out was that each of us has a mat that we carry. Each of us has something to share about what Jesus has done for us, how He has changed us, how He has changed our identity! We just need to share it when we can.