Posts from March 2023

Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:5) [Part Two] Jesus Christ desires to forgive you of all your sin. But forgiveness is not a process; it is a gift, and you must come to Jesus to receive it. God has entrusted the authority to forgive to his Son. This is because Jesus was faithful to God, willing to endure the cross for us and die in our place. Now that Jesus paid the…

Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:5) [Part One] Jesus Christ can forgive sins! Here is a man with two problems: he is paralyzed and he is a sinner. His paralysis is the outward problem; his sin is the inward one. Which will Jesus address first? It is important to note that the people watching this event assumed that the man’s paralysis was a direct result of his sin. But this is merely…

They came to him bringing a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they were not able to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after digging through it, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying. (Mark 2:3-4) Here are true friends! The paralytic was obviously unable to get to Jesus by his own power; he had to rely upon the kindness and mercy of others. And the four…

When he entered Capernaum again after some days, it was reported that he was at home. So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and he was speaking the Word to them. (Mark 2:1) This is the beginning of the story of the healing of the paralytic who was forgiven of all his sins. Jesus returned from his first missional journey in Galilee to Capernaum, the town he chose as his residence.…

Then he sternly warned him and sent him away at once, telling him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go and show yourself to the priest, and offer what Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” Yet he went out and began to proclaim it widely and to spread the news, with the result that Jesus could no longer enter a town openly. But he was out in deserted places, and they came to him…

He went into all of Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. Then a man with leprosy came to him and, on his knees, begged him, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched him. “I am willing,” he told him. “Be made clean.” Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. (Mark 1:39-42) There are beautiful things in this story of healing. Leprosy is…