Description

Mark 2:1-12

1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

8 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? 9 Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 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!”

Lesson Notes

When you mistake someone’s identity, more mistakes follow.

• You make wrong assumptions.
• You say the wrong thing.
• You come to wrong conclusions.

Mark chapter 2 marks the beginning of a series of 5 conflicts

1. Mark 2:1-12
2. Mark 2:13-17
3. Mark 2:18-22
4. Mark 2:23-27
5. Mark 3:1-6

In each, Jesus does something unexpected, the teachers of the law challenge him, and Jesus responds in a way that silences them.
The conclusion of these conflicts (3:6) shows us the first signs pointing to Jesus' death.
Roofing
Homes generally had roof access.
Roofs were constructed by a few support timbers with smaller sticks and beams laid crosswise, then smaller twigs and thistles, and finally a layer of packed dirt on top.

The Question
Jesus' question in verse 9 has two possible answers:

1. It is easier to say your sins are forgiven, because there is no immediate, outward evidence.
2. Ultimately, both are impossible for man. If Jesus has the authority to heal with a word, he has the authority to forgive sins in the same way.

Four Different Kinds of Allegiance:
1 Authentic allegiance - the leper in Mark 1:40
2 Affordable allegiance - the rich young man in Mark 10:17
3 Apathetic allegiance - the soldiers in Mark 15:19
4 A la carte allegiance - the teachers of the law in Mark 2:1-12

When we settle for a God who does not deserve our everything, we are settling for a "god" who cannot give us what we need.

Discussion Questions

1. Ice Breaker: Discuss your thoughts on the Joshua Bell experiment (with the violinist). Then share some examples of mistaken identity.

2. In what ways would Jesus' actions in this passage have been surprising or shocking to his audience?

3. What do you think of the logic the teachers of the law use, and the conclusion they come to? Is the flaw with their theology, or with something else?

4. What do you think of Jesus' response in verse 9? What is he trying to communicate to the teachers of the law or the crowd?

5. The teachers of the law come to the wrong conclusion about Jesus' identity. What are some wrong ideas about who Jesus is that float around today?

6. Jeremy presented a fourth type of allegiance: "a la carte allegiance", where someone picks and chooses which parts of Jesus they want and discards the rest. What might that look like today?

7. Jeremy said "when we settle for a God who does not deserve our everything, we are settling for a 'god' who cannot give us what we need." In what ways is that true?