F.R.A.N.gelism!
Mark 2:1-12
Introduction:
The evidence of the Fall is all around us every day: sickness, suffering, sin,
injustice, evil, and death. What is the
greatest benefit that Christianity has to offer to the world? Specifically, are
our physical needs our greatest needs? Liberal
theology would say yes. This story is about four men and their needy friend. Friends
are people you can count on, people who are there when you need them. Someone commented
on this passage: “The greatest day of that man’s life was when his four friends
‘let him down’!” Truth! They let him down – not by disappointing him – but let
him down through the roof, and into the presence of Jesus! They came looking
for healing, and, at least for the paralytic, they found also healing of soul
that comes with forgiveness. How does relief from physical suffering relate to
reconciliation with God? H.A. Ironside said,
When Jesus was on earth proclaiming
the gospel of the kingdom, it was specially fitting that the blessings of the
coming age should be manifested, and thus the people be given a sample of what Israel
and the whole world will enjoy in its fulness when God’s King reigns on Mount
Zion and blessing goes forth to all the earth.
The miraculous physical healings that
Jesus did, looked forward to the day spoken of in Revelation 21:4, when “He will wipe away every tear from their
eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying
nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” He was giving
glimpses of the future kingdom! In that day the only trace of the Fall the
redeemed will see are the nail prints in his hands… Until then…
The BIG Idea: With faith, we can overcome
difficulties and bring our friends to Jesus, the (only!) One who can meet their
deepest need.
I. Friends bring friends to Christ despite the challenges (1-5)! Pastor and evangelist Greg
Laurie used the acrostic F.R.A.N.gelism, Friends, Relatives, Associates,
and Neighbors as our first mission field, and the opportunity we have to
bring them to Jesus… It’s another perspective on the same “Oikos”
principle we’ve talked about…
And when he returned to Capernaum
after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 And many
were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door.
And he was preaching the word to them. 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, "My son, your sins are forgiven."
The setting for this miracle story is described in verses 1 and
2. Even though the growing fame of Jesus made it impossible for him to openly enter in the cities and towns of
Galilee, he does return quietly to Capernaum after some time out in the
countryside. Notice that Capernaum is now described as “home” for Jesus… Even
though He apparently slipped quietly back into town, the report of his return soon
got out, and word spread quickly – Jesus was back! “Many” were gathered at the
house where they were staying—standing room only it seems!
Jesus was not just visiting with friends, literally it says he was “…speaking the Word to them…” Rather
than the usual words for “preaching” (kerusso) or “proclaiming
the gospel” (euangelizo) Mark simply says, “He was speaking the Word to them…” Later in this Gospel, in
Mark 4, when Jesus is explaining the parable of the Sower to his disciples, He
will say that “…the sower sows the Word…”
The idea of speaking the Word to people is essential to our mission in the
world.
We live our faith before others, and we hold forth the Word of Life. But
rather than thinking exclusively about times of formal preaching or teaching or
evangelism, we need to be sensitive to opportunities in our day-to-day life,
those occasions when God might providentially open a door to simply “speak the
word,” to share the truth of His Word with the people we come in contact
with. And take heart, because (as we’ll
see in that parable) some “soil” will be prepared to receive it, and
bring forth 30, 50, or 100 – fold. Yes, in many cases the ground will be hard,
dry, or shallow, unreceptive to the word or distracted by the world. But even
so, we are to sow the Word! Some in the
house where Jesus was speaking were hearing and receiving His teaching. Others
would not listen, they were hard, rocky, or shallow soil. But this story is about some who were
destined to hear the Word of Life and didn’t yet make it into the house.
Faithful friends will go out of their way to help a friend in need
(3,4). These four men came carrying their paralyzed friend on a stretcher. We
don’t know much about the man, or how he came to be in this condition - was it
an accident? An assault? Some kind of chronic condition or disease? Was his
condition related to his own sin (cf. John 9:1-3)? We just don’t know. The
point is that together they believed that Jesus could help. So, they came.
And they encountered a wall of people, elbow to elbow, blocking the way to the One
who was their Hope! Not to read too much
into that, but it is a fair question: is it possible for people to get in the
way of others coming to the Lord? Here the crowd seems to be an obstacle!
They are thinking of their needs. Some maybe were simply curious. Others,
like the scribes, may have been waiting for an opportunity to accuse Jesus.
Some may even be there because they saw others gathering! (A friend who was living
in Russia said that when they were there certain items were in such short
supply that whenever people saw a line forming, they got in it first, and then
sought to find out what they were selling!). The four friends and their
paralyzed brother were seemingly blocked by the crowd from approaching Jesus.
Or were they?
The obstacles to bringing their friend to Jesus were not going to stop
these determined friends. How determined are we for our friends to come to
Jesus? Perhaps, one of them got an idea: we can’t get through the crowd, let’s go
through the roof! In much of the world
today, roofs are covered with clay tiles. This was not quite that. Mark says
they opened the roof, and “dug through…” Dr. Mark Strauss explains,
Palestinian roofs were generally flat
and made of wooden crossbeams covered with thatch and a layer of dirt. They
were sturdy affairs and were used for work, storage, drying fruit, and sleeping
on warm summer nights. An external staircase or ladder provided access…
They apparently went up that outside
staircase to the roof and got to work. (Luke does mention “removing the tiles”
and it could be that there were tiles on top of the hard, dried clay, or that
the surface of the clay, baked in the sun, was hard and “tile like” and so Luke
used language that his Hellenistic readers could understand). The verb
translated “they made an opening” only occurs a few times in the New
Testament, and it has the idea of “gouging” a hole. It wasn’t easy, and the
process no doubt got the attention of the crowd below, as dirt began dropping
down on people, and then, shockingly, a stretcher is lowered down into the midst
of the crowd!
These friends were determined, and they were taking a risk! How would
the homeowner react? What would Jesus think? How did the crowd feel about what
was happening? Someone cuts in line in front of you at the grocery store, or
swerves in front of you in the car, or sits in front of you at the game… how do
you feel? We hear almost nothing from Mark about the reaction of the
crowd to what was happening.
Freeing Forgiveness (5). The reaction that is reported by Mark is
that of Jesus, doing the unexpected, rather than first healing the physical
need, He addresses the spiritual…
5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "My son,
your sins are forgiven."
Notice that Jesus “saw their faith.” Remember the words of James, “You show me your faith apart from your works,
and I will show you my faith by my works!” (James 2:18). Jesus saw
the faith of the four friends (and maybe the paralytic). We’re not sure about
the nature and extent of their “faith.” How much did they understand about who
Jesus is? What did they know about the depth of their sin and the need for a
Savior? They surely believed that
Jesus could help their friend and heal his infirmity. But he had an even deeper need, that only Jesus could meet—forgiveness. Do we have faith that Jesus can meet the
deepest need of our friends, relatives, and neighbors, those people that God
has purposefully put in our lives? There may be obstacles: their stubbornness,
their past, other people in their lives who are seemingly blocking the way, our conflicting schedules, our fear…
whatever. Do we believe that God can meet their need? Then step up, do something! God is bigger than any obstacle. Because with faith we can overcome
difficulties and bring our friends to Jesus, the only One who can meet their
deepest need.
Notice what Jesus does: He meets the man’s greatest need, and at the
same time He asserts His authority as the Son of God. He speaks to him
tenderly, affectionately, calling him “Son…” The word is literally, “child,” [teknon].
Considering that Jesus himself was a young man in his early 30s, for him to use
this term the paralytic was probably younger, and Jesus was also already
respected beyond his years—He spoke with authority. And the healings Jesus
did also pointed to some aspect of our spiritual need. H.A. Ironside
alluded to this connection when he said,
Every form of disease healed by our
Lord Jesus seems to picture some aspect of sin, which is like a fever burning
in the soul, a leprosy polluting the whole being, a palsy making one utterly
unable to take a step toward God, and like a withered hand incapable of true
service. Whatever form sin may take, Jesus can give complete deliverance from
it.
So, He begins with the deepest need
of the paralyzed man: forgiveness… reconciliation with God. Remember Jesus was revealing himself to
Israel, speaking with authority, not as the rabbis. He claimed and showed that
He has authority that only belongs to God… including forgiving sins. Friends, that ministry of reconciliation has
been entrusted to us. Your friends, relatives, associates, and neighbors have all
kinds of needs… but they have one principal need, one thing that is more
critical than anything else: God’s solution to the problem of sin. That points us back to the truth that with
faith we can overcome difficulties and bring our friends to Jesus. He alone can
meet their deepest need.
II. Jesus has the power to meet the deepest need of every human (6-12).
6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their
hearts, 7 "Why does this
man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God
alone?" 8 And
immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within
themselves, said to them, "Why do you question these things in your
hearts? 9 Which is easier, to
say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your
bed and walk'? 10 But that
you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"-
he said to the paralytic- 11
"I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home." 12 And he rose and immediately
picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed
and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"
Then, as now, many people failed to recognize the authority of Jesus
(6,7). Some of the scribes were there, religious leaders, authorities in the
Scriptures and the traditions of the Fathers. And Jesus’ words of forgiveness
sent up a red flag – Who did this man think He was? They were correct in saying
that no mere man could pronounce forgiveness of sin. Sin is ultimately against
God, only He can forgive sin!
C.S. Lewis said,
“He went about saying to people, ‘I
forgive your sins.’ Now it is quite natural for a man to forgive something you
do to him. Thus, if someone cheats me out of five pounds it is quite
possible and reasonable for me to say, ‘Well, I forgive him, we shall say no
more about it.’ What on earth would you say if somebody had done you out
of five pounds and I said, ‘That is all right, I forgive him’” Jesus
could forgive because He was God in the flesh, and ultimately all sin is
against God.
They understood what his
pronouncement of forgiveness implied – divine
authority! He was claiming, essentially, to speak for God – even to speak
as God! And of course, He spoke the truth. He is God, God the Son. That’s the point! Remember the questions
Mark is answering: Who is Jesus? Why did He come? What does it mean to follow
Him? Who is He? The Eternal Son
of God, God the Son. Why did He come?
He came to call sinners to repentance, to provide the redemption price to allow
all who believe to be reconciled to God. And as we grow in our understanding
and appreciation of those two truths, we follow Him, using our
gifts in His church, for His glory, and bringing others to Him. Jesus’ divinity
is further revealed in this story… He knows the thoughts of the scribes and
responds to them before they speak a word…
Jesus knows what we are thinking – and He still loves us
(8,9)! It is clear in this scene that Jesus’ divinity is revealed at several
levels. He forgives sin, He heals infirmities, He also knows the thoughts of
people – like the scribes here who are reasoning in their hearts, “Who does this guy think He is! Only God can
forgive sins!” (paraphrasing Mk 2:7). Yes, and only God knows what we are
thinking. In the Fourth Gospel, John
comments, “But Jesus on his part did not
entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear
witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man…” (John
2:24,25). Mark simply says “And
immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within
themselves, said to them…” (Mark 2:8). He knew their thoughts! Jesus is
constantly provoking the religious leadership, drawing them out, forcing them
to choose. We'll see a series of controversies in this chapter. A few, like Nicodemus in John 3 seem to be searching, inquiring,
perhaps hoping… Many, as these scribes, will not believe.
This miracle, like all miracles, was a sign, revealing His authority
(10-12). One writer said, “He did the
miracle which they could see in order that they might know that He had done the
miracle they could not see…” Which is easier to say? You are forgiven? Or,
get up and walk? Again, he provides a sign, revealing Himself to those with
eyes to see. Reminding them of what the Messiah came to do. Think of the part
these four unnamed friends had in the story! Yes, they let their friend down…
into the presence of Jesus!
What is God saying to me in this passage? With faith we can overcome difficulties and bring our friends to Jesus, the One who can meet their deepest need. By that I mean we can expose them to the Gospel, and urge them to believe and be reconciled to God. Only God can open their hearts, and by His kindness lead them to repentance and faith.
What would God have me to do in response to this passage? This passage is a reminder to us of
who Jesus is and why he came. Healings were only a glimpse of the future, a
promise of the day the curse would be undone. He came to provide the redemption
price that would make possible reconciliation with God. Rejoice in His grace!
And he has committed the ministry of reconciliation to us. That is a key
part of what it means to be a Christ follower. Does that scare you? It
shouldn’t! He also said, “I am with you always!” We’ve been talking over
the last year or so about our calling to be witnesses right where we are, to
the people that God has placed on the “front burner” of our lives. It is not a
new principle...
Greg Laurie used the term “F.R.A.N.gelism,” to talk about sharing our
faith with Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors.
The LaserChurch ministry tells us that on average we have 8-15 people in our
close sphere of influence, our oikos (literally,
“house” or “household”), and some of those are likely unchurched or unsaved. Whatever the exact number in your life, you
are Christ’s ambassador. You have some people that God has put in your life,
and you in theirs, so that your experience with God can be shared — as you
live your faith, and share the Word of life. Let’s do it! AMEN.
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