Pastor Jonah Sage preached from Mark 2:1-12. He said that Jesus provides full pardon and a warm welcome home. Lector: Melissa Morales
Pastor Jonah Sage preached from Mark 2:1-12. He said that Jesus provides full pardon and a warm welcome home.
Lector: Melissa Morales
Have you ever been wrong about the problems in your life?
Thought our AC broke a few weeks ago...a few hundred dollars and one good friend later, turns out we had a clogged condensation pipe.
We were wrong about the problem
Ever been to marriage counseling to fix your spouse and learned it was really you?
Maybe you were lonely, got married, and were still lonely after...
Maybe, after your fifth job with a bad boss, you learned you were the problem
Maybe, after years of being told you were the problem, you woke up and realized he shouldn't have treated you that way. He was the problem, she was the problem...
So often, we get fixated on what the problem is in our lives...and so often, we need someone to come along and gently, generously, help us see we were wrong
There's an additional complication here, too.
We prioritize our growth here as humans. Healing, restoration, becoming our true selves in Christ so that we might live as the true body of Christ.
But when you do that, when you heal and change and grow, many won't like it.
Opposition and resistance is an inescapable part of following Jesus
Beginning here in chapter 2, as Jesus' fame continues to grow, we'll see how upset people are by his good news ministry. Opposition becomes a regular reality in Jesus' life
This helps us to both learn what our real problem is, the heart of Messiah's good-news ministry, and what to expect as we pursue healing and wholeness in Christ.
The story picks up with Jesus preaching at his air BnB to a packed house.
Literally. People crowded around the door to hear him teach.
Like last week, we don't get any info on what he's teaching, because that's not what Mark wants us to see yet.
Like last week, Mark is trying to show us Jesus.
Imagine being in that room. so crowded. sweaty, cramped, but exciting.
And then you notice dirt falling from the ceiling. You hear noises, digging...
At some point the sermon stops because a huge hole opens in the roof.
Four friends climbed onto a roof...with a paralyzed friend on a mat.
Four friends dug a hole in the roof. Four friends lowered the man on his mat right down in front of Jesus.
Now...if you had a good seat for Jesus' sermon, how would you react here?
Confused and annoyed is my guess. How rude! There goes the security deposit!
Jesus was right in the middle of a good part!
some of us don't like it when others get healed, do we?
If you had a good seat for Jesus' sermon, how would you expect Jesus to react?
He says something WILD:
Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, "My child, your sins are forgiven."
-Mark 1:5
This story is not the focus here. It's wild, it's exciting and incredible, but this is not center stage in Mark 2:1-12. The friends disappear from the story here...but they're worth mentioned briefly
Whose faith does Jesus respond to here? THE FRIENDS.
Not the paralyzed man. zero indication that this man wanted to be healed.
Zero indication that this man had any faith, or asked his friends to do this.
Did you know Jesus just might save someone because of your faith?
Maybe they don't know anything about Jesus, maybe they don't want anything from Jesus...but maybe your faith is enough to bring them to Jesus
But...we need to be prepared for something unexpected to happen
No one in that room was expecting Jesus to say his sins were forgiven
In much of Jesus' ministry, he's teaching us by showing us.
He leads us through our imaginations to help us understand.
He teaches through stories, helping us imagine truth in new ways
He heals in ways that communicate beyond words, too
Consider last week, healing the leper. Why did he touch that man?
Because that man had not been touched in so long.
He shows us he's healing the deepest wounds and pains we carry
So he takes this opportunity to show us something of our real problem
A man who is paralyzed lays before him...what might that feel like?
How must it feel to be confined to a body that will not move?
This man is imprisoned by his paralysis, stuck in his bed
And Jesus sees an opportunity to teach us something about sin
There is a legal aspect to our sin: we are guilty for breaking the law
But there is a relational aspect, too.
What happens when you lie? You have to tell another to maintain the previous
You lie and you lie...and then you're a prisoner to your lies, and then you're isolated and alone
Whoever sins becomes a slave to sin. Imprisoned in our brokenness
These friends thought they knew the real problem with this man...
But Jesus is showing us the real problem: we are imprisoned in our brokenness
There are two ways to think about sin: rebellion and self protection
Very closely related. Rebellion: I don't trust God, want to do things my own way
You don't like what God says about sexuality, or money, or the poor, or whatever
You don't like what he says about honesty or resting, whatever it is
So you do what seems right in your own eyes. You don't want to be told what to do.
That's sin. That's turning away from God. We've all done it.
On the other side, though, is self-protection.
We've been hurt but other people's rebellion against God.
So, we deviate from God's design thinking it will keep us safe.
We lie to protect ourselves, or we isolate, or we hoard our wealth
We're scared and hurting. Sin can be both of these things.
Sometimes we sin out of rebellion, and sometimes we sin out of unresolved suffering
But in either case, the result is some form of imprisonment.
Relational alienation from God and each other.
Several weeks ago, we learned that "repent" means to turn around and go to god
That's the opposite of sin! Sin means to turn around and go away from God
Repent means turn around and come towards him.
And now, Jesus is announcing the follow up to the message...
See, going home is not good news if you have angry parents waiting for you
But Jesus announces for us here that we are welcomed back home
Forgiveness means a full pardon and warm welcome is ours.
Forgiveness means release from prison, and that's what we really need
But...some people didn't like Jesus' saying this:
"What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!"
-Mark 2:7
Resistance. Opposition. The religious people didn't like that the sermon was interrupted.
They didn't like that Jesus was so popular, especially with the kinds of people he was hanging around
And now, they really didn't like Jesus claiming he could forgive sins, because this was Jesus claiming to be on equal footing with God.
Jesus is issuing full pardon for this man, and just like he showed us our deep need by forgiving this man's sin, he also shows us limitless power:
Why do you question this in your hearts? Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man 'Your sins are forgiven,' or 'Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk'? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins." Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, "Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!" And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers.
-Mark 2:8-12
Into Chapter 3, this is the first of 5 times where the authority of Jesus is questioned
Resistance and opposition. And the issues were no small matter, either.
Here, we have the forgiveness of sins. Jesus will face opposition because he is with the wrong kinds of people, because of his disciples' lack of spiritual disciplines, because of Jesus' activities on the Sabbath.
Each of these revolve around Jesus' authority.
In each instance, good news is met with resistance and opposition.
So, for us, I want to be clear: people won't like it when you get better.
People won't like it when you learn who you really are
People don't like it when those in prison are set free
And I want you to pay the closest of attention to the imagery here.
What does a paralyzed person laying on a cot remind you of?
Unable to move, unable to speak, unable to make decisions for themselves
What else do we describe that way?
If you were on the street watching these friends carry this man down the street, would your first thought have been "I bet they're carrying a paralyzed man"...or might it have been "where are they taking that body?"
The helplessness of this man is meant to make us see our state: we are like a corpse
We are imprisoned, lifeless, we are not free
Jesus reveals this man's greatest need: forgiveness of sins.
That is, a full pardon and a warm welcome home.
And what happens then? The man jumps up, grabs his mat, and walks out.
Almost like a dead man coming back to life. Do you see?
It's almost like being buried under the waters of baptism, only to be raised again to new life through Jesus
If you do not know what it is you need, come to Jesus and ask him.
If you have experienced his full pardon and warm welcome, who do you need to tell?
You have a story, Christian, a testimony. How have you experienced his full pardon and warm welcome?
If you love someone, show them Jesus, bring them to Jesus, by sharing your story with them.
And listen: I know we all want to be liked. I know the promise of resistance and opposition does not sound like good news. It's not fun.
But no amount of resistance can stop resurrection. Did you know that?
Jesus stands, ready to save you. Through him, full pardon and warm welcome is available.
Let's pray.