Miraculous Healing: Faith, Forgiveness, and Power

2. Paralyzed? Mark 2:1-13

3. Mark 2:1-13 And when He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home.

4. Mark 2:1-13 And many gathered together, so that there was no longer room, even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them.

5. Mark 2:1-13 And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men.

6. Mark 2:1-13 And being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him;

7. Mark 2:1-13 and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying.

8. Mark 2:1-13 And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, “My son, your sins are forgiven.”

9. Mark 2:1-13 But there were some of the scribes sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak that way?

10. Mark 2:1-13 He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?”

11. Mark 2:1-13 And immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your

12. Mark 2:1-13 hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic; ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Arise, and take up your pallet and walk’?

13. Mark 2:1-13 But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” –

14. Mark 2:1-13 He said to the paralytic – “I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home.”

15. Mark 2:1-13 And he rose and immediately took up the pallet and went out in the sight of all; so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying,

16. Mark 2:1-13 “We have never seen anything like this.” And He went out again by the seashore; and all the multitude were coming to Him, and He was teaching them.

17. Let’s set the scene just a little bit.

19. What should we learn or take away from this miraculous healing?

20. Takeaways: • Faith in Jesus is powerful. • Jesus is able to forgive & heal. • Men will often have an opinion. • God knows the hearts of men. • God will have the final say!

21. Faith in Jesus is powerful!

22. Mark 2:3 And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men.

23. G4102πίστιςpis'-tisFrom G3982; persuasion, that is, credence; moral conviction (of religious truth or the truthfulness of God), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation: assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity.

24. Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (KJV)

25. Mark 2:4a And being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him;

26. Mark 2:4b and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying.

27. The faith of the paralytic along with the faith of those who brought him to Jesus was on full display!

28. Are you completely convinced and persuaded that Jesus is the Messiah, the God-Man?

29. Do you believe with all that you are that Jesus is who He says He is and He will do what He has promised to do?

30. Do you believe that Jesus has the power to forgive, save, deliver, heal, protect and provide?

31. Do you believe that Jesus will forgive, save, deliver, heal, protect and provide?

32. Will you do whatever is necessary to bring yourself into the presence of Jesus?

33. Will you do whatever is necessary to bring other people into the presence of Jesus?

34. Is your faith on full display?

35. Mark 2:5 And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, “My son, your sins are forgiven.”

36. Faith set the stage for forgiveness.

37. There’s no doubt his paralysis was severe.

38. G3885παραλυτικόςpar-al-oo-tee-kos'From a derivative of G3886; as if dissolved, that is, “paralytic”: - that had (sick of) the palsy.

39. He may well have been a quadriplegic.

40. Since this was well before the time of wheelchairs and other inventions that help people today…

41. …they had to rely on friends and family members to carry them from place to place.

42. Cripples have often suffered social stigma and neglect.

43. It’s very possible the paralytic believed his affliction was punishment for sin.

44. The thoughts in his mind could have certainly been just as painful and paralyzing as his physical impairment.

45. But somehow this man had faith and was determined to make it to Jesus!

46. Maybe he remembered the promises found in Isaiah 35?

47. Isaiah 35:5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.

48. Isaiah 35:6a Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will shout for joy.

49. After all of his faith and effort to get to Jesus, let’s see what Jesus said and did.

50. Matthew puts it this way…