A Man With A Plan: Mark 2:3-5
Ever get a gift you weren’t expecting and had no idea how much you really need it? As a kid, I remember opening up socks on Christmas morning and feeling disappointment because they weren’t as cool as the Lego sets I was hoping to get later on. A couple years back my wife got me foam sanding blocks I’d never heard about but have since become a regular part of my woodworking. Life is full of surprises; we frequently receive things we desperately need but don’t know it.
Today, we continue the story of Jesus and the crowds in Capernaum. In Hebrew towns at the time of Jesus, houses were typically constructed of roofing that was thatched. This roofing was made from large fans of palm-like leaves either woven together or mixed with mud and then placed upon a wooden or stone frame. These roofs were designed to provide insulation and waterproofing, but more importantly they were able to be removed and replaced as the weather interacted with the thatched roof.
The men in today’s story came with a plan. You don’t simply show up, cut through someone’s roof, and drop down a paralytic. You need a ladder. You need some kind of saw, hatchet, or spade. You need several lengths of rope. They knew what they were doing. They came to Jesus with intent.
Jesus sees their faith. He understands the amount of planning that went into this incident. He appreciates the risks that come with crawling along a thatched roof while caring for a paralytic.
Although these men are quite literally tearing apart His house, Jesus appreciates the moment. He no doubt feels the crowd responding to the surprise of the events and turns to the paralytic and offers up an even bigger surprise. Rather than turning to the paralytic and healing him – we’ll get to that part tomorrow – Jesus tells the paralytic that his sins are forgiven.
Imagine being the paralytic. Are those the words you are hoping to hear? As you are lowered down from the roof, do you want some rabbi telling you about your sin?
Imagine being the friends. Having risked physical injury and potentially Jesus’ wrath, do you expect to hear Jesus discourse about forgiveness?
Imagine being in the crowd. As debris drops down and a mat descends from the sky, are you prepared to hear Jesus speak about relationship with God?
Marvel at Jesus’ sense of timing. Jesus takes the surprise of the event and turns it into greater surprise. Jesus knows that the man’s spiritual condition is every bit as important as the man’s physical condition; it just happens to be more easily disguised. Rather than focus on the paralytic’s obvious physical need, Jesus brings the man back into relationship with God by treating the paralytic’s spiritual need. Ever get a gift you weren’t expecting and had no idea how much you really needed it?
