Verse: Mark 2:3-5
3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4 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. 5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
Devotional Thoughts:
Can you imagine that scene? The house in which Jesus is teaching gets so full that no one can even get in the doorway. So four men take their paralyzed friend, dig a hole in the roof, and lower him down in front of Jesus.
Jesus had been traveling around Galilee, preaching, performing miracles, casting out demons. The people gathered around knew that, so you can picture the entire room going silent, waiting in anticipation of a miracle.
But Jesus doesn’t do that, at least not yet. He takes one unexpected moment, and reacts with an unexpected response. He doesn’t say, “Get up and walk.” Rather, he looks at the paralyzed man and tells him, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
Why would Jesus respond that way? The man isn’t there to be forgiven; he’s there because he wants to walk. Is Jesus confused about what he wants?
Obviously, Jesus is not naive. He’s teaching this man something here, and we need to listen too. Jesus is essentially saying to this man, “I see what you’re going through, I see your circumstances, but your issues go much deeper and are much bigger than those problems. Your biggest problem is your sin.”
Points to Ponder:
The idea that sin remains our biggest problem is not necessarily a newsflash. But this tends to be an area where, though we know it in our minds, we don’t always know it in our hearts.
We often think that, if we can just fix our biggest problems, then we will be happy and content in life. You know this paralyzed man had to be thinking that. If I can just walk, I will never be unhappy again. If I can just walk, life will be wonderful from here on out – you can imagine what he’s thinking. And Jesus is telling him that his lack of contentment stretches far deeper than his ability to walk.
The same is true with us. It’s a delusion to think that if we were able to fix *that* – whatever the problem is – then we will be happy. Fixing our problems doesn’t fix our discontentment. And like I said, we often know this with our heads but not our hearts. Even more, sometimes we’ll even turn to God to help us out in granting our wish. A problem arises in our life, and we start reading our Bibles, saying our prayers, and making sure we’re at church every week. Why? Many times it’s because we think if we turn to God then maybe he’ll help us along in getting what we really think will make us happy.
Jesus had the power to heal this paralyzed man. And he has the power to grant us our wishes too. But what we don’t need is some sort of divine genie in a bottle. We need a Savior who forgives us of our sin. That’s the only way for our dissatisfaction with life to be healed.
And if you follow Jesus, if your identity is founded on following him, you’ll find that he fulfills your deepest needs. You’ll find that he is the one that brings satisfaction, fulfillment, and joy. You’ll see that in him you have contentment.
Let me leave you with Paul’s words in Philippians 4:11-13:
11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
