Mark 2:1-12
After a few days, Jesus returned to Capernaum, and word got around that he was back home. A crowd gathered, jamming the entrance so no one could get in or out. He was teaching the Word. They brought a paraplegic to him, carried by four men. When they weren’t able to get in because of the crowd, they removed part of the roof and lowered the paraplegic on his stretcher. Impressed by their bold belief, Jesus said to the paraplegic, “Son, I forgive your sins.”Some religion scholars sitting there started whispering among themselves, “He can’t talk that way! That’s blasphemy! God and only God can forgive sins.”
Jesus knew right away what they were thinking, and said, “Why are you so skeptical? Which is simpler: to say to the paraplegic, ‘I forgive your sins,’ or say, ‘Get up, take your stretcher, and start walking’? Well, just so it’s clear that I’m the Son of Man and authorized to do either, or both . . .” (he looked now at the paraplegic), “Get up. Pick up your stretcher and go home.” And the man did it—got up, grabbed his stretcher, and walked out, with everyone there watching him. They rubbed their eyes, incredulous—and then praised God, saying, “We’ve never seen anything like this!”
June 13th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
Hi Having a go at my first entry…
“A crowd gathered, jamming the entrance so no one could get in or out. He was teaching the Word.”
A crowd - gathered and jammed He taught the word, last weeks it was preaching. Makes you wonder why so many clammerred to hear and yet we don’t see that today. How can we bring worth and value to preaching and teaching.
Cheers
Paul
June 13th, 2007 at 1:02 pm
thanks Paul.
Good point. I guess more would be interested in the words if they saw more aciton with it (paralysed people walking, etc). But I thnk it’s more than that too.
I was fascinated to read one “expert” who reckons this all happenned at Jesus’ own house!.. huh I didn’t think he had a house. Sort of blows my picture of him out of the window (roof?). Maybe if I heard his preaching and teaching it would blow my idea of what those are supposed to be like away too!
June 13th, 2007 at 6:16 pm
“we don’t see that today”?
Not even with the Pope?
Sorry - being picky. God’s great and we need to do things that get people excited about him and we’ve got so many other ways through technology to do it now that people should be able to get even more excited than back then.
Greenbelt’s a good example? (I’m guessing cos i’ve never been)
June 13th, 2007 at 8:50 pm
Yep - Greenbelt was great the one time I went - even in the rain - and all the tents looked pretty packed out at some time or another. However, I reckon Paul’s probably dreamin’ of that happening in all Churches every Sunday ….. how fantastic would THAT be!!!
That aside … this is one of my fave passages because it says so much to me about the value of Christian community. I read somewhere (maybe it was John Ortberg I can’t remember) about how sometimes when we feel we just can’t make it alone, the prayers and actions of our friends uphold us/carry us through. He cited this passage, and called this
June 13th, 2007 at 8:53 pm
[sorry - me post got chopped] …. the “Fellowship of the Mat” (because in his Bible the guy was lowered on his mat).
I kind of spurs me on when my prayer time feels like a dry chore, because I’m reminded of the value of my prayers and actions for others. It must have been hard work carrying that guy so far and hoisting him up to a roof etc. So - if taking time to pray/be helpful to someone feels like hard work - tough - as a Christian I’m in the “fellowship of the mat”. Simple but I liked it!
June 13th, 2007 at 9:00 pm
ooh fellowship of the mat - I like it. I know there have been several times when I’ve hit the mat (down but not quite out) and I’ve been carried in prayer by friends, in a way that’s really made a difference…