Mark 2:1-12 - "Jesus, the Liberator"

The preceding incidents in Mark’s Gospel alerted us to the priorities of Jesus’ ministry. Although Jesus had the compassion and authority to heal many hundreds of people from their physical and mental incapacities, this would all but serve his major concern of bringing near the Kingdom of God, the age of salvation, to see people “repent, and believe the good news”. This would entail expressions of faith in who Jesus was, together with a willingness to embrace forgiveness. We began to see this as the man referred to as a ‘leper’ showed faith in approaching Jesus with confidence for cleansing, demonstrating a humility concerning his spiritual needs.

Now this understanding of Jesus’ mission gains intensity with the narrative at the beginning of chapter two. Having clearly established the reason for his coming to the world, Jesus will then go on to call more disciples to follow him on the journey of liberation, and confront all the forces of opposition blocking the way to God’s purposes. Jesus has already encountered supernatural evil – soon he will encounter very human political opposition.

Jesus returned from the country to the city of Capernaum, no doubt knowing it would not be long before the crowds would arrive at the door. This may have been the family home of Simon Peter and Andrew (where Jesus had earlier cured Peter’s mother-in-law’s fever), that Jesus was calling home at this point. This was the place where Peter’s mother-in-law had begun to ‘serve’ or ‘wait-on’ Jesus. Jesus was “speaking the word” to the crowd outside the door, no doubt indicating that Jesus was explaining what it meant to “repent, and believe the good news”. Then we are given a real life example of faith and forgiveness to authenticate Jesus’ message.

There was a group of people deeply concerned about a paralysed friend, four of them being stretcher bearers and seeking to carry this man into Jesus’ presence. We could perhaps picture Jesus standing and speaking from the doorway. We might also picture the ‘stretcher-bearers’ yelling out: “Make way, make way”, but being totally ignored by people completely focussed on their own needs. When these people couldn’t get anywhere near Jesus because of the crowd, they found another way – they were not quitters, they weren’t going to be denied. We don’t actually know how well they knew this needy person, but at the very least they were being kind and concerned neighbours.

They climbed up (probably up the outside stairway access to the flat roof above), made a large opening through the thatch and mud materials, and lowered the man down on his stretcher (probably using some sort of rope). Jesus detected some understanding in these people and commended their faith. Here it was that the combined and potent faith of others had opened up an opportunity of liberation for a needy friend. For Jesus to have defined these helpers’ efforts in terms of “faith” shows that true “faith” involves action that transcends human obstacles (R A Guelich).

[What of the level of the ‘paralytic’ man’s own faith. All we could perhaps deduce is that he had enough faith or trust in his friends to take the journey to Jesus; and having encountered Jesus and what was said to him, he confidently moved to stand up and pick up his ‘mat’ before all the people.]

But then it is curious what Jesus says to the paralysed man … "Son, your sins are forgiven". Now of course this works right into the pre-scientific belief of the time (both Jesus’ own time and also Mark’s time some 40 years later) that it was personal sin that naturally led to such disease and disability as was being suffered here. You might remember that this idea also lay behind the previous incident with the ‘leper’. So, in that day, for Jesus to address this man’s sins was to address the root of this man’s problem. For us today, it also gives the indication of the root of all our needs! We need to be reconnected with God through clearing the slate of those things that break our relationship with God. Then we can be liberated, then we can be whole!

[It is the whole area of forgiveness that lies at the heart of Jesus’ message. That is, being realistic about our situation, being open to God’s mercy, being ready to make changes, being willing to leave the past behind, and, being able to adopt the compassionate heart of Jesus.]

Now there will always be critics – art critics, film critics, people who make a hobby out being critical, and of course religious critics. Often these are people who have all the knowledge in place (or think they do), yet have no capacity to live out the heart of that knowledge. Such were the “scribes” of Jesus’ day. Without warning, such “scribes” appear in this scene to raise questions about Jesus delving into the area of forgiveness.

The term “scribes” generally describes a group of experts in Jewish law. In their mind, it was one thing for Jesus to heal people’s physical deformities – there were many ‘healers’ which had performed such miracles before, but quite another thing to proclaim forgiveness of sins … only God can do that. But of course, this was Jesus’ very point – the Kingdom of God was near, because the ‘Son of Man’ was present! The ‘leper’ had sensed it, and now the people who brought their paralysed friend were getting it. But not the “scribes”!

These ones, who had the advantage of knowing their own scriptures from front to back – with more than adequate pointers to the truth of the coming ‘anointed one’, missed it entirely. As we read the text, we are being asked questions about who we stand with, whether we believe Jesus (or not)! The “scribes”, and other groups like them, will not be willing to change their mind about Jesus – the charge of “blasphemy” they bring now, will be the same charge the ‘religious leaders’ bring at Jesus’ later trial (14:64). We are already being given a hint of what will happen to Jesus if such disbelief persists, for the charge of “blasphemy” carries the death penalty!

We see in verse 8 that Jesus knew where these “scribes” were coming from. They were stuck in a particular way of thinking that did not allow for God to express himself in human form on earth, yet with all the authority of God in heaven. This is probably the best way of understanding the title “Son of Man” – all of God’s authority personified on earth. And with God’s authority, Jesus will break through all that separated human beings from God … by offering forgiveness for all offences committed against God and others, and thereby, bring the possibility of wholeness.

The claim to this authority by Jesus will be continually rejected by the religious officialdom, especially as Jesus makes clear this offer of forgiveness is not just for the upright and respectable – of course not – it is for everyone, even the outcasts (and those not seemingly qualified … Mark 2:13-3:6).

Such forgiveness will then be evidenced by the possibility of all sorts of transformed realities … physical, mental and emotional healing in response to our various needs. Jesus’ offer of forgiveness to the paralysed man, that is then accepted, is publicly confirmed through the physical healing. Jesus’ authority to bring spiritual liberation can of course lead on to all sorts of positive life transformations. In Jesus, the ‘Day of Salvation’ had truly come!

In verse 12 we read that “all” the crowd that had massed were, “…amazed and glorified God” (probably with the exception of the “scribes”). But what did they do with their amazement and wonder. Did they quickly forget about this, and go back to their lives the way they were? Or were they open to becoming followers of Jesus? Then there was Mark’s community in Rome as they read this – would they be able to continue to embrace this Jesus … even though the threat that had led to his death would actually hang over them as Jesus’ followers! Then what about us – do we retain our amazement and wonder at who Jesus is and what he can do, and embrace Jesus for all he is and all he can do … and not only for us, but for all of humankind?

Faced with the choice of standing up, putting his mat under his arm, and going home a changed individual, or, on the other hand, staying as he was, the ‘paralytic’ man in Mark’s narrative opted for the new (and for the transforming experience brought by Jesus)!