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Today: [Mark 2] Healing and Forgiveness of Sin: In chapter 2 of Mark four men vandalize Peter’s house, breaking up the roof in order to get to Jesus. Rather than reproving them, Jesus marvels at their faith. When He heals the man, the scribes sitting nearby are exasperated because He equates healing with forgiveness of sins. This is still controversial today, because we are taught by religious authority that God always forgives sin, but He doesn’t always heal. If that is true then why does Jesus over and again equate healing and forgivenss of sin as the same thing?
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[Mar 2:1-28 KJV] 1 And again he entered into Capernaum after [some] days; and it was noised that he was in the house. 2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive [them], no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. 3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. 4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken [it] up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. 6 But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, 7 Why doth this [man] thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? 8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? 9 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, [Thy] sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? 10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) 11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. 12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion. 13 And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. 14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the [son] of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.
After spending some time ministering in the open places because of the magnitude of the crowds resorting to Him, Jesus returns to Capernaum, presumably again to Peter’s house. The news of His presence is made known and multitudes gather, so much so that there was no access of approach to the door of the home. In the intense crowd, four men, carrying a paralytic friend, mount the roof and break up the tiles to lower him to Jesus. Can you image the surprise of those within the house to look up at the sound and see daylight where the ceiling had been a moment before? This is impetuous Peter’s home as well, and no doubt his initial reaction might have been one of dismay or even alarm, but before they can respond, ropes drop down and here comes the trembling, shaking form of a man in the spasms of a paralytic condition, unable to speak but looking plaintitively at Jesus for a touch from heaven.
Jesus sees their faith and tell them man his sins are forgiven which immediately offends the scribes that are present in the room. Now, remember Capernaum is not a center of learning for the Jewish people. Capernaum is a backwater town in an unpopular region of Israel, known more for being the hiding place of brigands and robbers than for erudite academics in Jewish culture and religious law. Yet here we see these men, so assured in their religious authority that they would dare to interrupt a miracle in the making with accusation of blasphemies on Jesus’ part. The men make their charges not speaking to Jesus but gesticulating to the crowd as though to incite them against the Master for His alleged wrongdoing.
We might separate ourselves in our thinking from this accusation leveled by the scribes but on further consideration, Jesus’ remarks are controversial still today. Jesus tells the man in the act of healing him “thy sins be forgiven thee…” In other words, Jesus clearly in His thinking equates healing of the physical body and forgiveness of sins as one and the same thing. Now, it is a universal belief in Christianity that when anyone asks God for forgiveness of sin that it is universally extended. Is this not true? Is there any Christian who would deny that heartfelt contrition, made in humble and honest prayer would not receive forgiveness? Of course we believe, yes forgiveness is extended when we humbly repent. What about healing? If we ask for healing in honesty, faith and humility, will we be healed? The answer, even among those denominations and groups that even believe in healing for today (as most do not), the answer is “maybe”. How can we justify this? How can we with any intellectual honesty, justify saying that it is God’s will always to forgive, but not God’s will always to heal, in the light of the fact that Jesus clearly, and undeniably equated forgiveness of sin and healing of the body as one and the same thing?
If it is God’s will to heal as readily as it is His will to forgive, then why then are some not healed? The answer cannot lie in some theological sophistry that impugns the character of God and excuses the faithlessness of man. That may certainly sting, but if we are to believe the clear and demonstrative statements regarding healing in the scripture then we must accept that God wills to heal just as He wills to forgive, in fact in Jesus’ thinking they are one and the same thing. If as well healing is no longer for today as some of the most prestigious seminarians will insist quite vociferously that miracles have ceased, then we can only conclude then if healing is no longer for today then forgiveness of sin is no longer for today because in the clear testimony of Jesus they are one and the same thing. We know that is not true. Jesus still forgives today, and He still heals. Healing is available on the same basis that forgiveness is available and that is “whosoever will”. To claim otherwise, that God may choose not to heal, even though we ask Him in faith, then we must surmise that He may choose not to forgive, even if the person coming to Him is fulfilling the requirements of contrition and repentance. We know that is not so. It is true that not all are healed, but the causation for that brothers and sisters does not lie in any reluctance or refusal of God, we must look elsewhere. Having chastised the scribes Jesus completes the miracle by telling them “that you may know that the son of man has power on earth to forgive sins… He says to the sick man “Arise and take up thy bed and go thy way…” and immediately the man gets up and walks out of the house.
15 And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him. 16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? 17 When Jesus heard [it], he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. 18 And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? 19 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. 21 No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. 22 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles. 23 And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. 24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? 25 And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him? 26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? 27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: 28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
After taking leave of Peter’s house we see in verse 14 that Jesus calls Matthew to leave his employment of tax collecting and to come and follow Him. He then sits down to a meal with several notorious sinners and publicans and the Pharisees complain because they don’t like the company He keeps. When is the last time some self-important fellow Christian complained about the company you keep? Let us learn from the example of Jesus! On hearing their grumbling Jesus simply tells them “they that are whole need not a physician but they that are sick…” He came not to call the self-assured, and self-righteous to repentance but those who know they are sinners. Why do we argue with the self-assured? No man comes to the Father except the spirit draw him. Debate, argument or trying to convince others how wonderful it is to be a Christian is fruitless unless the Holy Spirit is doing the work. In another place Jesus said of such people, “leave them alone, they are blind leaders of the blind…” Are you leaving them alone? Are you abandoning any effort to convince religious mentalities of how right you are in doctrine or belief? Jesus is saying that our efforts are to be focus not upon those who are not listening but to those that are. Let the greatest criticism that can be leveled at us in our testimony be that we are the friend of sinners and publicans!
The scribes and Pharisees are undaunted by Jesus’ response to them and immediately complain that they notice Jesus disciples did not follow the ceremonial protocols of open fasting. In those days, if a Pharisee fasted, everyone knew it, because they did so in a manner that was conspicuous and visible. They want to know why the disciples are not doing so as well. Jesus’ answer is simple – can the children of the bridechamber fast while the bridegroom is with them? Theologians try to insist that the church is not the bride of Christ but what about these statements of Jesus? Let us ask a further question – if Jesus is the bridegroom (and He is) – is He with us or not with us? Jesus says there will be a time when the bridegroom would be taken away from them. This happened when Jesus was crucified but then He appeared in resurrection and from that point forward Paul says according to Eph. 3:17 that He dwells in our heart by faith. Does He dwell in your heart? If He dwells in your heart, then is the bridegroom with you or not with you? What is the point? Old Testament fasting is different than New Testament fasting. This is the passage (v. 21) that Jesus expresses the comparison of old wineskins with new wineskins. Modern Christianity has so much in common with Old Testament practice, that you have to ask are we pouring the new wine of life in Christ into an old wineskin patterned too much after the Old Covenant protocols? Will the result not be loss?
Next, we see Jesus allowing His disciples to glean ears of corn for food on the Sabbath. The Pharisees immediately object for it is not lawful to violate the Sabbath in such a way. Jesus simply corrects them, reminding them that David ate the showbread from the hands of Abiathar the high priest and was blameless, because man was not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath was made for man. Here Jesus introduces the idea of obeying the spirit of the law, even at times when you are in direct violation of the law. God’s purpose in giving the law was not for creating an exacting, religious protocol for man to be bound by. The law of God is not given to hold us in bondage but to liberate us and empower us to come to Christ. The Son of man, Jesus proclaims is Lord even of the Sabbath, and of the law that instituted the Sabbath. Make sure that as a believer you do not allow men, and the teachings of men to impose upon you Christianized versions of laws and protocols of religion that hold you in bondage rather than liberating you in Christ.
