A Miraculous Testimony
Mark 2: 1-12
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The New
Testament Witness of the Apostle
Peter |
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The first thread in the weaving of this story is the presence of scribes and their reaction to the teaching/healing ministry of Christ. Our commentators on this passage understand that the scribes in question were a level above the local rabbinic teachers. Perhaps even sent specifically to see what was going on in Capernaum and Galilee.
A second thread to the report here involves the faith of simple men who gladly brought their paralytic friend to be healed. And thirdly there is the reaction of the scribes and people to what is witnessed. The interaction in the circumstances of the story indicates that the second thread is less important to carry on the revelation record of Peter's preaching, here recorded by Mark.
At first sight, the miracle would seem the most important thing going on, but no indeed, just like in the Exodus of Israel - the reaction of those seeing the miracles is of more import than the miracles themselves. Yes, the precious salvation won here through healing is invaluable to the one healed, but the long term work and witness of Christ is hereby clarified for the working out of the providential will of the Father. Here we first read in Mark of the opposition that Christ's presence must nurture in the hearts of the enemies of His Father in heaven. Like so many times in the history of Christ's church, the enemies were actually in the Church and they had control of the Church.
Let us hear the testimony of Peter. It all began simply enough. Jesus had returned to Capernaum and being a public figure He attracted the normal crowd who came this time to hear Him speak. The house was filled to capacity and people stood in the street listening at the windows and door. The Bible Background Commentary tells us that the longest wooden spanned rooms was about eighteen feet across. Thus the average capacity for people in a room was near fifty. Were it not for the reported miracles the "crowds" would scarcely have been noticed in a busy market town.
But the miraculous aspect had brought many of the physically needy to have His touch if not His words in the bargain. How sadly the world misses the point of the work of Christ's Church. Even the worldly tax and spend politicians would at long last pass along the increased costs of socialized ministries that now cost too much for the public purse. They would have the churches take over what they have failed at, but certainly at the increased costs that their clients have become accustomed to. Healing must to the world's mind be ever so much more important than spiritual insight! Now we do not know the mind of the paralytic or his friends. Eagerly those who love him have brought him and they will not be put off by the standing room only crowd in the street and in the home.
So the clamber up to the flat roof, enlarge the fire hole or even create a new opening, so that they may let their friend down into the meeting room. Jesus, who Mark tells us sees their faith - gives their friend something much more than expected. "Son, your sins are forgiven you," He announces. This pronouncement we know opens up the gate of heaven and no matter how dire our medical predicament is on earth, there is truly an eternal hope in the glory of Christ's merciful grace. Which would you rather have mere medical healing of all that ails you, or eternal salvation? I dare say that too many people in our medical institutions today would choose wrongly.
And then having been healed of one sickness would go on, find and catch another just as worse. Why is it that the weak and worldly whose frailty increases never ever get better no matter how skilled the physician or the amount of money spent on them? Given a choice, which would you seek? Eternal Mercy or Momentary Physical health? Hopefully, the friends of the paralytic were not so crass to suppose that the physical were the whole focus of a life spent on earth. That they know Jesus can heal is demonstrated in His comprehension of their faith, the fact of forgiveness is a surprise for the whole audience. Can He really give one as well as the other? - is in the mind of the scribes. And just as we read that Jesus knew the faith of the paralytic's friends - so do we also see that Jesus reads the hearts of the scribes who had just heard Him utter these blasphemous words.
Some would suggest that mere body language is meant here. I would agree with Mark that Jesus knew the hearts of men better than they knew them theirselves. There are enemies of Christ here who would eventually see Him hung on the cross within three years. Jesus senses this enmity and questions them immediately. When both I and television were young, some of the Characters would look directly at the screen and using a common name address the audience as if they knew the "Tom, Richard or Harry" whose name they used to lift up the knowledge of their advertisers. One night, some actor used the name Max and for a minute I thought he was speaking directly to me. Well, the Lord of heaven goes one better than that supposition. Jesus reads their minds and questions them. Are they upset because Jesus has healed, or that He knows their mind and hearts? We are told that these are readily identified miracles that they would rather ignore completely.
And so Mark records that same tragic story reported by Moses - that even with the Lord of Life in front of them, and countless miracles performed for their benefit, the vast majority of Israel only heard thunder and did not comprehend all that their Lord had done for them in bringing them out from the bondage of slavery. And so they grumbled and the Lord left their bodies to rot in the desert, never letting them reach His promised rest in this life or the next. Their bondage to sin was complete and they did not regret it. So to do we see the profound wickedness of the human heart in these scribes. They will not see the miracle because they will not see the Christ behind the miracle. Even, when our Lord challenges them with the words: "But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" , He goes on to heal the man known well by the whole town.
And so the man whose sins were forgiven got up and walked just like He must now be walking in heaven. He follows the commands of Christ and picks up his bed and returns to his house. To God be the glory, the crowd eagerly assent. Never mind the cussedness of their scribal leaders. The people were never so narrow minded as the blind guides of Israel, the same who were condemned in no uncertain terms not only by Christ but also by the Roman writer Josephus. The words of Josephus are just as obvious as those of Christ in the Gospel of Matthew and in other related passages as well. They would not have Christ under any terms and so they would not see what the common people quickly realized. See the last phrase of our text?
"We never saw anything like this!" Notice, they did not say - "We never heard anything like this!" It is still a long way to the realization that here in reality was God with us. Even the Disciples are slow learners in this regard. Of course the scribes jumped to all the wrong conclusions without thinking to hard upon what they had seen. Either this man Jesus was the God of all heaven & earth come down in the flesh, or else He was a liar and charlatan. The only third option was that He was mad indeed.
We once had a person in our midst who suffered from mental illness. Her condition varied somewhat over time and because of the other chemicals she added to the interesting mix already present in her body, we could always tell when the medical authorities were just about ready to pick her up and take her away for treatment. She would tell me that Hitler, Art Carney and one of the Kennedy Clan were being held incognito at the clinic. I would tell her that I would visit her up on the hill where the treatment center was and she would get mad and claim that this was her most sane moment! She would be picked up and within the week, the regular medicine she received would return her to a minimal sanity so that she could go back to her apartment. Lunacy is easy to notice and the Christ of the Gospels demonstrates no such infection.
So we are left with the other two options, con artist or God Himself. Since it is unlikely that any con artist would be able to conjure up a perfect fulfillment of 80 Old Testament prophecies ... Since even His accusers can not record any known sin ... Since the miraculous testimony of the Gospels is so strong ... We are left with the only logical conclusion. This Son of Man was God in the flesh so wonderfully celebrated later in the opening verses of the Glorious Gospel of John.
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"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."
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May we who are like the ones awe struck in this scene recorded by Mark agree with the assessment of both Testaments that in Christ we may see God Incarnate who came to work out the plan of salvation for the Paralytic as well as that salvation prepared for us as well. Amen.
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Resources Used | |
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Cole, Alan. |
Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: Mark. |
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Keener, Craig S. |
The IVP Bible Background Commentary:
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Morrison, A.W. |
Calvin's New Testament
Commentaries: |
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The New
Geneva Study Bible (NKJV) | |
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Mrk02a |
14 November 99 |