I am reading the Gospel of Mark right now. Mark is wonderfully succinct and to the point. Not a lot of elaboration – just quick, staccato like statements about Christ. No editorializing. I am at the part where Jesus is teaching in a home in Galilee and his popularity has grown to such a degree that there is no room in and around the home – it is packed with people.

 

I am the kind of person who, when confronted with such a situation, would go home and try to see Him on a less busy day. But then Mark tells us that four men came carrying a paralyzed man on a pallet. Seeing that they could not get in through the front door so they carried him to the roof, dug a hole in it, and lowered the man in his pallet to the floor before Christ. Now – I would think this a bold intrusion but Mark says "…Jesus, seeing their faith said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven." Now when He says this it ticks off the local scribes (religious teachers) who knew that only God could forgive sins. Jesus notices their discontent and says:

 

The first thing I notice is that Christ honors the faith of these men. The kind of courageous faith that will go through the roof to get to Christ. There is no one saying "let us come back tomorrow when He is available" it is the kind of faith that seeks Christ out at all costs. Nothing will stop them from seeking His healing power. It causes me to pause and ask – do I have that kind of faith? Would I go through the roof to get to Christ? Would I seek His healing forgiveness not even for myself but for my friend?

 

The second thing I notice is that Christ does not challenge the scribes perspective – He affirms it – they say only God has the authority to forgive sins and Christ says "you are correct and this is my authority". Then – since the scribes cannot see the inner healing God’s forgiveness wroughts Jesus heals the paralytic before them all…an outward sign of an inner grace.