"How can a
young man stay pure? By reading your Word and following its rules."
(Psalm 119:9, TLB)
"Every
word of God proves true. He defends all who come to him for protection."
(Proverbs 30:5, TLB)
“When Jesus saw their
faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some
teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, "Why
does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins
but God alone?" Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what
they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you
thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your
sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? But
that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive
sins . . . ." He said to the paralytic, "I tell you, get up, take your
mat and go home." He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of
them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, ‘We have
never seen anything like this’”. (Mark 2:5-12)
Observations:
I asked myself who are the
main characters involved!
-
Jesus
-
Paralytic
-
Teachers of the law
-
Crowd
Observations:
I asked myself what role
they play!
Point 1:
Jesus
-
Jesus saw their (four men who brought the
paralytic) faith.
-
Jesus said to the paralytic, “Son, your
sins are forgiven.”
-
Jesus knew in his spirit what the teachers
of the law were thinking in their hearts.
-
Jesus asks the teachers of the law 3
questions.
-
Jesus tells them He has the authority to
forgive sins.
-
Jesus tells the paralytic 3 things.
Point 2:
Paralytic
-
The paralytic got up.
-
The paralytic picked up his mat.
-
The paralytic took his mat and went home.
Point 3:
Teachers of the law
-
The teachers of the law were sitting there when Jesus told the
paralytic his sins were forgiven.
-
They thought to themselves ‘why does this fellow talk like
that?’
-
They thought to themselves, ‘He’s blaspheming!
-
They thought to themselves, ‘Who can forgive sins but God
alone?’
Point 4:
Crowds
-
The paralytic walking amazed the crowds.
-
The crowds praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything
like this.”
Observations/Interpretations:
I asked myself what is the
significance of Jesus’ actions?
Statement 5: Jesus tells them that He has the authority to forgive sins.
I found it interesting that before He tells them
He has the authority to forgive sins, He asks the teachers of the law
“which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your
sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk”?
To say ‘your sins are
forgiven’ produces an intangible result that teachers of the law
cannot see. They would wonder what right He has to say that to the man
since in their minds only God alone can forgive sins. Jesus is letting
them know it is easier for others to say to people ‘that their sins are
forgiven’ even if they don’t have the authority. If they don’t have the
authority to forgive sins then regardless of what they say really does
not mean much. Their words just become words.
But Jesus lets them know that He has the
authority to forgive sins by producing an action preceded by the words,
‘your sins are forgiven’. He reminds them it is easier to say to the
paralytic, his sins are forgiven than to say to him to get up, take his
mat, and walk. To prove He has the authority to forgive sins, He is
going to command the paralytic of something that is not easy which is
evident by statement 6.
Statement 6: Jesus tells the paralytic 3 things.
-
I tell you, get up!
-
I tell you, take your mat!
-
I tell you, go home!
These commands are given to the paralytic after
forgiving him. Jesus proves His authority to forgive sins by letting the
teachers of the law see a tangible thing which is the action of the
paralytic. Jesus supports His words through action that produce 5
results.
-
The paralytic got up.
-
The paralytic picked up his mat.
-
The paralytic took his mat and went home.
-
The paralytic’s walk amazed the crowds.
-
The crowds praised
God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”
Point 1:
The paralytic got up!
I asked myself what is the
significant of the paralytic’s actions?
I found it so significant after Jesus’ commands,
the paralytic was able to get up. We don’t know how long he was
paralyzed but at the words of Jesus he got up. Jesus let the teachers of
the law know that He not only has the authority to forgive sin but also
has the authority to heal. I don’t know about you but when I think about
being forgiven and being healed, I think about God. Jesus is subtly
letting them know He also has the characteristics of divinity even
though He is there to serve in His Humanity.
Point 2:
The paralytic picked up his mat!
To be able to pick up the mat, you have to
usually bend. Jesus not only healed him to get up but also healed him to
bend down. This is evident when Jesus told him to pick up his mat. This
is so significant because when Jesus healed, rehabilitation occurred
simultaneously. The paralytic did not have to go through rehab to
strengthen his limbs. Jesus did it for him by His powerful words to take
up his mat.
Point 3:
The paralytic took his mat and went home!
Jesus does not stop there but instead tells the
paralytic to go home. At Jesus’ words, the paralytic got up, took his
mat and walked out in full view of them all. He walked to go home. This
let me see that when Jesus healed him, He strengthened his legs to be
able to go home.
Point 4:
The paralytic’s walk amazed the crowd!
It is so cool that the paralytic came from the
roof to be healed but was able to walk home in full view of them. It is
important to remember that the place was so crowded that there was no
room left. The place was packed out and the man walked out in front of
them all.
Rather than just following the man who was
healed, the crowds stay behind and do something.
Point 5:
The crowds praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”
Because Jesus’ words were not just words but
were followed through action, the crowds praised God and remarked that
they had never seen anything like what they witnessed. The packed crowd
had a thrilling experience that they would not forget.
Think about the time that Pitt
went to the Sweet 16 four years ago. The first game was Duke v.s Indiana. Indiana came from
behind to win the game. The sold out crowd went wild because they may
have not seen anything like this in a game. I know I was so ecstatic
while I was there.
Now go back into time and imagine you were there
at the packed out place where Jesus was preaching the Word. Now the roof
starts to crumble and a paralytic is lowered down. Now the paralytic
gets up, takes his mat, and goes on home after hearing Jesus. If I observed that, it would
have been a thrilling experience that I would not forget. A packed out
crowd experienced what Jesus was able to do. Jesus supported His Words
by His actions.
Implications:
I saw important implications for my own life. I
realized how important actions are when we speak something. Jesus
accompanied His Words with action and I need to do the same. If I claim
to be a Christian, I need to let my lifestyle reflect that I am a
Christian.
I ask you now dear friend,
what do you represent by your actions?
Dear friend our actions have the ability to
bring glory and honor to the Lord or bring dishonor to him. When we say
something, we should be able to back it up with our actions. Our words
should not become useless statements without meaning.
So when we proclaim to
others that we are a follower of Christ, can the crowd of the earth see
that in our actions?
I hope they can! May we live a life where our
actions bring glory and honor to the Lord!
Friend, Jesus loves you so much and has proven
His love to you by going to the cross and dying for your sin. He took
the action to ransom you from your sin. He wants you to be free. He
wants to forgive you, for God has given Him the authority to forgive the
sins of humanity because of His willingness to shed His perfect
cleansing blood for you and me. Yes, friend Jesus shed His blood so that
you and I can be healed from this deadly disease known as sin. Jesus’
blood becomes our antidote! When Jesus was on the cross, Jesus became a
Blood donor for the world that was infected with this deadly virus. His
blood became a free transfusion for all those who were willing to accept
His blood for the cleansing of their sins.
If you have not accepted what Jesus did for you
to free you, you can do it now. Yes, you can! You can have Jesus forgive
you and give you new life. Jesus is there to forgive us and help us
become right with God. The paralytic was spiritually and physically sick
and Jesus healed him of both. He was able to go home regardless of how
his life looked before he was healed.
Regardless of your past and how your life looks,
when you come to Jesus you will have a new home that He will provide for
you. One day, you can be with Jesus. That is so cool and exciting to
know! Because you accept what Jesus did for you, God’s judgment will
pass over you because when God looks at you, He will see you covered in
the precious Blood of Jesus Christ.
No matter where you have been or what you have
done, Jesus wants to forgive you and give you new life. Let this be the
hour, for now is the time of Salvation. Don’t delay! You may still have
questions about Jesus and don’t have all the answers. Wait on the Lord
and He will reveal them to you. The important thing is that you will be
right with God.
The Bible says that none of us are good and all
have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The Bible says that
our goodness is like filthy rags to God. You see friend, God’s standard
of goodness cannot ever be met as we live in a sinful world. We could
have done 99.9% good things and 0.1% bad thing and that still makes us a
sinner. You see putting 0.1% cyanide in 99.9% of pure water does not
make it pure anymore. It may seem pure but it is not.
In the same way, people may see us as good but
what matters is how God looks at us. With Christ on our side, God sees
us now through the righteousness of Christ. That is exciting to know!
I am not going to say that when you come to
Jesus everything will be peachy in your life for the Lord Jesus never
promised this but what He promised is that He will be with you and never
leave you nor forsake you. He promises to give His people strength. He
is there for you friend. Come right now to Jesus friend and let Him be
the Lord and Personal Savior of your life! He wants to friend, yes He
does!
"Always Christ’s Truth
Imparts Omnipotent Nurture Sanctifying!" (A.C.T.I.O.N.S)/"What
do represent by your actions?"
Don’t you want Jesus in
your life and not be a paralytic to sin?
You can right now as you make this your prayer.
Dear Jesus, I don’t know
everything about you. I still have a lot of questions. What I do know is
that you died on the cross for my sins. When it comes to sin, I am a
paralytic Oh Lord. I am infected with this deadly disease known as sin.
I am not perfect but a sinner who needs your cleansing blood to clean me
of my sin everyday. I confess to you my sin and repent of my sin. Thank
you for shedding your cleansing precious blood for me. You were nailed
to the cross because of me. It is like I actually held the hammer and
pounded the nails so I could be free. Thank you for willingly dying for
me Jesus. Thank you for taking the shame and pain for me. Thank you for
doing that to set me free. I come to the cross and ask you for your
healing in my life. Thank you for the power of your Blood to redeem
humanity. Thank you for coming back to life to save us and give us
Eternal Life as we yield to you. Your blood can heal us where we are. I
love you Jesus. Even with my questions, I come to you now and accept you
into my heart. Please Jesus come into my heart and make my heart your
home. Give me a transfusion of change. Live in me Jesus and I will live
for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. I thank you Jesus
for coming into my heart and making my heart your home. Thank you for
living in me Jesus. I acknowledge you now as my Lord and Personal
Savior. Please be the Lord and Savior of my life. Thank you for being my
Lord and Personal Savior Jesus and because of what you have done for me when
God looks at me, He now sees me covered in your blood and His judgment
passes over me. Thank you that you have heard my prayer and answered me.
Thank you for being with me Lord. Please fill me with your Holy Spirit.
Thank you Jesus I now belong to you and never need to be alone! You will
always be with me and have given me Salvation. In Your Name I Pray
Jesus! Amen!
Friend, you may feel something
or you may not but this you can be assured that the Lord Jesus has come
into your life and will give you a new beginning! Amen!
Get yourself involved in a
campus Bible study, fellowship, and most of all find a Bible believing
church and be involved to grow in your Christian walk with the Lord.
They all need to be supplements for your own precious time with the Lord
in prayer and meditating on His Word. If you need a Bible, please let me
know!
If you
need anyone to talk to, pray with, or study the Bible with this Fall of
September 2005, you can email me at
reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com or call me at 412-720-4579.
Love in Christ,
Ramesh
Next Devotional:
"Where are you looking for A.C.C.E.P.T.A.N.C.E?"
Express your view
