Jesus is not the Messiah that we expect, but he is the Messiah we need.
The paralyzed man cannot get up to come close to the Messiah. He was willing to be carried by his friends, hauled up to the roof, lowered down to the feet of Jesus with everyone watching to be at the feet of the healer. He says, "I don't care what people say. I don't care what they think. I don't care how I get there, I just need to get there."
Jesus heals because he is the Messiah, the Son of God. Jesus doesn't heal the leper or the man with the unclean spirit because he had anything to prove. His ministry was not about proving he was the Messiah, it was just being the Messiah.
Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God who comes to heal our bodies and souls. Will we recognize our need of the Messiah and do whatever it takes to come close so that he can heal us? Will we let our friends carry us to the roof and lower us down even if that means letting everyone else see how limited we are. Will we accept the gifts Jesus has to offer, even if it's a lot harder than we expected?
http://www.cityoflightanglican.org/events/mark
