The King's Church in Ilford
The following is the text of the talk given on 15th November 2009 by Robin Hawkins
"Jesus Heals The Paralytic Man"
Mark 2:1-12
Jesus had a way of drawing a crowd. In that tight community, once word got out that people were getting healed, you couldn't keep them away. They didn't have the NHS, like we do - perhaps that was a blessing. But doctors were few and far between, and people couldn't afford them anyway. So if you got sick, you either got better naturally, or stayed sick, or died! No wonder people were desperate.
Anyway, we read that Jesus was teaching on this occasion, and the house was pretty full. There were at least five types of people there.
The Critics - These were the ones trying to find fault in what Jesus was saying. It didn't matter what Jesus said, because they'd already decided this carpenter needed to be put in His place. So their hearts were hard. There might be one or two here today thinking, "Jesus doesn't heal today. It's all sham!" Beware, if you harden your heart, He'll be much harder to reach when you need him.
The Observers - Keep detached. Analyse, but don't get involved. It's a defence mechanism with some. They're afraid to get too near to Jesus. You might get touched. Life could become uncomfortable. Two lines of a song I learned years ago went: "Don't come too near, You might hurt me, but don't go right out of my life." The Observers want to keep Jesus at arm's length.
The Curious - Those open and seeking, but unsure. That's an okay place to be, but don't stay there too long. At some point you'll have to take a step of faith towards Jesus if you really want to get to know Him.
The Discouraged - These people believed in God, and were waiting for His promises to be fulfilled. But they'd been waiting so long. "Hope deferred makes the heart sick." - says Proverbs. How long was it going to be before the Messiah came and rescued them? We can so easily become discouraged. Sometimes we just have to stir our faith up, remind ourselves that Jesus is the same today as He was then. He's no less powerful. He's no less committed to us.
The Faithful - Full of faith and expecting miracles. That's been my prayer this week. That we'd come here with a renewed expectation that Jesus is going to work in power among us. Luke says there was something special about that occasion - "The power of the Lord was present to heal." My prayer is that we'll experience that same power today.
I wonder which of those you identify with most?
You know, some of these people had walked all the way from Jerusalem to Capernaum - about 70 miles, to hear Jesus. Whatever their heart attitude, what drew them was the rumour that this could be the Messiah. This could be it, folks, the One we've all been waiting for. The problem was, they all had their own expectations of what the Messiah would be like when he came - The General, the King, the Conquering Hero. But here's this carpenter from Nazareth, doing some very strange things......
Bottom line was that there was an expectancy there. Faith was there. I need to ask you: What is your expectation of God this morning? It's so easy to slip into routine mode where we no longer have great expectations of God doing very much among us. Now I'm praying that's going to change this morning. We prayed much last Sunday night for this morning. People prayed for it at the Tuesday P/Mtg, and at the LG's. We have prayed much for today, asking the Lord that He would reach out and heal the sick, and that lives would be changed and born again. This Jesus that we're reading about here, is the same today as he was then. He's still healing the sick today, (as you heard in those testimonies). You come to him today, and expect him to heal you. He still loves to respond to faith just as he did then.
Look what these guys did. These are the kind of friends you want to have around you - full of faith, they knew Jesus could heal their friend, and they weren't about to let some stuffed shirts from Jerusalem get in the way. I bet the house-owner was really thrilled with their approach. Imagine: you've just had the roof done, and these blokes come along and start removing all the tiles. I mean, this isn't just a small hole we're talking of here. It's a 6' x 2' yawning gap we're talking of here. Can you imagine the scene: there's Jesus trying to teach about the KOG, and suddenly this dust starts coming down in clouds from the ceiling. It doesn't mention anyone choking to death, but I bet there were a few coughing fits. It doesn't mention anyone getting killed by a falling tile, but I wouldn't have like to have been underneath it all. I mean, how long did it take them? Half an hour? What was Jesus doing while all this mayhem was going on around him? Teaching? There again, what was the owner doing? Just letting it happen? On all these things, the Bible is silent. All it says is that "they lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus." It sticks to the heart of the matter.
Whatever else, by the time the dust settled (literally), all eyes were on this man, and whether Jesus was going to heal him. Then Jesus starts to talk about something else entirely. He starts talking about the man's sin. Luke says: "When He saw their faith, he said, "Friend your sins are forgiven."
I hope faith is rising in our hearts as we focus on Jesus - and that's really good; but there may be some here for whom your most pressing need is not healing, but forgiveness. You need to get right with God. We might think our greatest need is physical healing. But God takes the eternal view, and He knows our greatest need is spiritual healing. Getting healed physically might sort us out in this life; but getting healed spiritually gets us ready for the next life. What shall it profit a man if he wins £45m on the Lottery - and remains in perfect health throughout his life - but loses his soul for all eternity.
Our most important need is to get right with God. We need His forgiveness for living as if He didn't exist. In this passage, we find Jesus claiming the authority to forgive sins. When we come humbly to Him, we'll find that He has the power to lift that burden of guilt and heaviness that we're carrying around. He has the power to break the hold that sin has on our lives. When Jesus died on the cross, he broke the power that sin has over our lives.
People say: I want to forgive, but I can't.
I don't want to lose my temper, it just happens, I can't control it.
I don't want to eat all those cream cakes, but I just can't help myself.
Others say: I see something I want; so I just help myself.
Anything we can't help doing has got control over us - compulsive smoking, gambling, drinking, shopping, even working. If it controls you you're a slave to it. But Jesus died to set you free.
Some of Jesus' critics questioned whether Jesus really had the authority to do that. Only God can forgive sins, they said. Wonderfully ironic statement! But Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he said: "You want to know if I've got the authority to forgive sins? Would it prove my credentials to you if I healed this man? You see: they believed this man was sick because he had sinned. They thought one was a judgement of the other. Now that may happen sometimes. Sometimes our sin can lead directly to illness, but not always. Jesus responded to that thought-pattern by saying, "Which is easier to say?" If he forgave him, the man ought to be healed. If He healed him , it showed he was forgiven! So he said to the man: "Pick up your bed and walk."
Slowly this man with his twisted paralysed limbs starts to move. Like a flower that uncurls into bloom, this twisted wreck of humanity starts to uncurl, as he realises he can move his hands, then his arms, then his legs as he staggers to his feet, getting stronger all the time, until he's running round the people in the room shouting and praising God at the top of his voice.
I believe Jesus is going to heal people here today. He wants to show you too that he has the power and authority to forgive sins. He wants to rescue you from the power of sin, and bring healing to your soul, as well as your body.
We're going to start worshipping the Lord together. If you want prayer for healing, then let me invite you to come up here to the front. If you want to get right with God, and seek his forgiveness, then come up as well, and ask someone to pray with you.
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Psalm 19:1