"The Need" 1-9-22
Overview
The Greatest Need
Throughout the Gospels, people seek out Jesus for many reasons. The wise men traveled from afar to worship the newborn King Matthew 2:1-2. Crowds searched for Him in Capernaum Mark 1:37, pursued Him across the sea John 6:24, and approached His disciples saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus" John 12:21. The paralytic in Mark 2:1-12 belongs to that category of seekers who will let nothing stop them. With his four friends, he is hoisted onto the roof, lowered through the dug-out thatch, and laid right at the feet of Jesus.
What happens next is striking. Jesus does not say, "Walk." He says, "Son, your sins are forgiven." And neither the paralytic nor his friends protest. There is no disappointment, no reminder that they had come for healing. Jesus knew what the man most needed, and what the man himself most longed for. The Greek word translated "forgiven" carries the sense of being sent away—an echo of Isaiah 43:25 ("I am he who blots out your transgressions") and Psalm 103:12 ("as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us"). As Luther put it, where there is forgiveness of sins, there is life and salvation.
In our sinfulness, we are tempted to mix up our priorities—to rank other needs above the need. The crowd in John 6 wanted to make Jesus king when He filled their bellies, but melted away when He spoke of true discipleship. We can be tempted to treat God like a genie in a bottle or a cosmic bellhop, expected to fix whatever we have decided most needs fixing. The paralytic stands as a positive corrective: his deepest hunger was not for working legs but for a clean conscience before God. The greatest need any of us has is to be forgiven of the sin that separates us from God.
The healing that follows is, in a real sense, an additional blessing—given so the scribes might know "that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" Mark 2:10. Whether or not Jesus chooses to heal this side of heaven, every believer in Christ will be fully healed in the resurrection, where there is no more grief, sorrow, death, or paralysis. The Son of Man came "to seek and to save the lost" Luke 19:10—born in Bethlehem, crucified for our sin, raised in victory, and giving us faith to receive what He has won. Hear His word spoken to you today: My son, my daughter, your sins are forgiven. Everything else God grants in His wisdom is pure gift on top of that.
Transcript
Would you open your Bible's please with me this morning to the gospel of Mark chapter 2, 3s
if you're using a few addition, you're going to find that on page 31 in the New Testament, 8s
mark the second chapter for our study today. 13s
It is put out in our home every single year. 18s
We put it out in the Advent season. 21s
It stretches the length of one of our counters. 24s
It first appeared when Denise and I were first married, our first year of marriage. 30s
We were visiting some family back in Indiana, decided to go on a day trip, stumbled across 35s
this little omnisch community. 41s
We spent hours exploring that little community. 44s
And there we purchased this little manger scene. 48s
There was the baby Jesus and the manger, Mary and Joseph and Angel above the stable. 52s
And every single year, since then, we have added one figure to this manger scene. 60s
Over the years now, there's quite a group here that has shown up. 68s
And early on in the editions, we purchased adding one of them each year, the three wise men. 74s
And then accompanied by their camels. 82s
But every year when we set it up, the wise men are pushed farther down the counter. 86s
You see, the wise men were not at the manger. 93s
They showed up later. 99s
Some scholars will guess a year and a half up to three years later is when the wise men showed up. 102s
One of the clues of that is in Matthew the 2nd chapter verse 12. 110s
It says that they went to the house to see Jesus. 113s
So the wise men are coming from afar on our scene as all the figures are set. 119s
Matthew the 2nd chapter tells us this. 128s
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, 131s
wise men from the east came to Jerusalem asking, 137s
where is the child who has been born King of the Jews? 141s
For we observed his star at its rising and have come to pay him a match. 146s
They were seeking Jesus, seeking Jesus. 152s
We see examples of seeking of Jesus in Holy Scripture, Mark 1. 163s
When they found him, Jesus, they said to him, 171s
everyone is searching for you. 174s
John 6. 179s
So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, 180s
they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. 184s
John 12. 190s
They came to Philip who was from Bethlehem in Galilee and said to him, 192s
sir, we wish to see Jesus, seeking out of Jesus. 197s
And today in our text, there's another example of someone seeking Jesus. 207s
What was he seeking Jesus for? 225s
Was he seeking Jesus for? 233s
Let's go to our text. 239s
Mark the 2nd chapter, verse 1. 241s
When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 245s
So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, 249s
not even in front of the door, and he was speaking the word to them. 255s
Notice there when he returned to Capernaum after some days, 262s
Capernaum was the home base for Jesus in his Galilee and ministry. 267s
And there's a crowd there. 272s
There's quite a crowd as Jesus is teaching. 273s
There's various categories of the crowds that we see in Holy Scripture in association with Jesus. 277s
You've got the lucky looms that show up. 286s
You've got those that are seeking a healing. 290s
You've got believers. 294s
You've got those that are just, well, just indifferent. 297s
You've got the professional religious folk that always seemed to be around. 301s
And then there are those that really really want to get to Jesus really. 309s
The man in our text falls into that category. 324s
Look when they played verse 3, 329s
then some people came, bringing the Him a paralyzed man, 333s
carried by four of them. 338s
And when they could not bring Him to Jesus because of the crowd, 339s
they removed the roof above Him. 343s
And after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. 346s
That somebody who really wants to see Jesus. 353s
Scripture tells us Matthew 4. 359s
So His fame spread throughout all Syria. 361s
And they brought to Him all the sick. 365s
Those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, 367s
demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and He cured them. 371s
But the gospel of Matthew, Mark, and Luke focus on one paralytic. 376s
They all tell the same story. 381s
Jesus healed paralytics, but this is the one that the Holy Spirit guides the gospel 384s
writers to focus on. 390s
This is the paralytic. 393s
backdrop. 398s
Holmes and ancient day were simple. 400s
They were one story. 403s
On the outside of them would be a staircase to which you could access the roof. 405s
The roof was a very, very simple structure. 412s
Had a lot of fatch to it. 415s
A picture in your mind's eye. 420s
Jesus in the house. 423s
The crowd is pressed in on that house. 426s
And Jesus is teaching. 430s
And the friends of the paralytic man are opening up the roof. 433s
So you see it? 441s
Jesus is teaching as the dirt clods are coming down and falling on Him and everybody else. 443s
And the Luke account of this story tells us that they estimated rather well 452s
than the house. 459s
Where Jesus was in the house. 460s
Because the paralytic was then lowered down, the Bible tells us in Luke right in front of Jesus 463s
in the center of the house. 474s
So why was the paralysed man seeking Jesus? 482s
Why were his friends so determined to get their friend in front of Jesus? 493s
Why is that? 505s
Was it obvious? 510s
Man's paralyzed. 514s
He wants a healing. 517s
I mean, isn't that obvious when you read the story that the reason why he and his friends wanted 518s
to get in front of Jesus was so that there could be a healing. 524s
Isn't that obvious? 529s
Are we sure about that? 537s
I think of Luke the 8th chapter. 547s
There's a story of a woman. 550s
She's had hemorrhages for 12 years. 553s
Bible says she spent everything that she had on physicians. 556s
No cure. 561s
She thinks for herself if I can only touch the garment of Jesus. 564s
In chapter 8 verse 47 says when the woman saw that she could not remain hidden, she came trembling 572s
and falling down before Him. 579s
She declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched Him and how she had been 581s
immediately healed. 590s
The account of the woman in Luke 8, why did she want to seek out Jesus? 592s
Why did she want to touch the garment of Jesus? 597s
She wanted to be healed, right? 601s
She wanted to be healed. 603s
That's obvious. 604s
Luke 17, the 10 lepers. 607s
Who cry out to Jesus to have mercy on them. 610s
What were they crying out to Him to do? 616s
They wanted Jesus to have mercy on them and to heal them of the leprosy. 619s
Luke 8, it's obvious here what the woman wants. 627s
Who's had these hemorrhages for 12 years in Luke 17. 630s
It's obvious what the lepers want. 633s
They want to be healed. 635s
But here in this text, look at verse 5 with me please mark the second chapter. 639s
Jesus is teaching paralytic. 653s
They're hoisting them up. 657s
They go up that staircase on the side of the house. 658s
They get down the roof. 662s
They guess where Jesus is. 664s
They start opening up the roof. 667s
Roof all and down on the people inside. 670s
They lower their friend. 674s
Right in front of Jesus. 678s
And those first five. 682s
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, 685s
Son, your sins are forgiven. 692s
What was going to happen to you? 703s
He doesn't turn to the paralytic and say, 706s
Walk. 711s
He says your sins are forgiven. 713s
What else do we notice? 720s
There's no disappointment on the part of the paralytic. 724s
Is there? 728s
There's no chorus that comes from the friends that say, 731s
Jesus, that's really kind of you to pronounce absolute shit here. 737s
That's really, really kind to you. 740s
We don't want to minimize that. 742s
But in actuality, what we really came here for was for him to walk. 743s
It's not of that. 751s
The paralytic comes right at his feet and Jesus says, 754s
Your sins are forgiven. 758s
Jesus knows why the man came. 763s
And he pronounces forgiveness to him. 767s
What did that paralytic want first and foremost? 777s
He wanted forgiveness. 788s
He wanted forgiveness. 791s
That's the greatest need. 801s
In our sinfulness, we can have a tendency to mix things up. 810s
Can't we? 815s
We have a tendency to mix up the prioritization of need in our life. 817s
Now, let's not to minimize true need. 827s
But in our sinfulness, we can be tempted to mix up our needs, 831s
treating other needs as more important than the need. 836s
I think for example, of John the Sixth chapter, there's Jesus. 841s
There's 5,000. 847s
People are hungry. 849s
There's the need. 850s
There's a boy with five loaves and two fish. 852s
Scripture tells us what does Jesus do. 855s
He multiplies the five loaves and two fish. 857s
He feeds the 5,000. 860s
Scripture says they were satisfied. 862s
So they didn't get a little snack. 864s
They got a full meal there. 866s
In fact, there was so much of the multiplication that the Scripture tells us 867s
that they gathered baskets full of the leftovers there. 872s
Who doesn't like a free lunch? 878s
People were delighted in this action of Jesus. 881s
In fact, they were so delighted. 884s
The Bible tells us that they wanted to make Jesus king right there and then. 885s
And Jesus knowing that the Scripture says that he withdrew from there 891s
into the mountains. 896s
But have you noticed in Scripture? 900s
How popular Jesus was when he gave the people what they wanted a full belly, 903s
but the minute he started to teach about discipleship and the cost of following the Lord Jesus Christ, 911s
what happened? 920s
The people left in... 922s
...drops. 929s
In our sinfulness, we can be tempted to treat God like a genie in a bottle, 934s
who grants three wishes to us to satisfy whatever it is we've determined is our most important need. 945s
Or as one author puts it, we can be tempted to treat God as the cosmic bell hop, 958s
who is there to serve us after all. 964s
It's a nice place that we're in, 967s
and so we expect the certain level of service. 970s
We can be tempted to treat God as if God's very reason for existence is to fix whatever it is in our lives 975s
that we think needs fixing. 989s
Oh, what a positive example. 997s
The paralytic and the friends are. 1003s
A misall of our tendency to mix up and treat as other things, 1008s
other needs is more important than they need. 1013s
What a positive example of the paralytic and his friends to remind us that what is the need? 1016s
What is the greatest need? 1032s
The greatest need is to be forgiven of our sins that separates us from God. 1037s
That's the greatest need of them all. 1051s
The man, salt, Jesus, first and foremost, not to be healed. 1060s
But to be forgiven. 1076s
And Jesus seeks us. 1084s
Bible tells us in Luke the 19th chapter, 1090s
for the son of man came to seek out and to save the lost. 1093s
God seeks us out. 1105s
The son born in Bethlehem grows to go to the cross to bear all of your sin and my sin upon the cross. 1107s
He pays the sin that we could never pay. 1117s
He's raised out of the tomb. 1121s
The sacrifice is accepted. 1124s
Death is overcome. 1126s
And God comes and grants to us faith. 1130s
Faith that grasps that victory that has been won through the cross and the empty tomb. 1134s
Look at verse 5. 1142s
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic son, 1145s
your sins are forgiven. 1151s
That word there means to be sent away. 1155s
The sins then are sent away. 1158s
That's the echo of what we hear for example. 1161s
In Isaiah 43, where God says, 1164s
I am He who blots out your transgressions from my own sake and I will not remember your sins. 1166s
Or Psalm 103, as far as the east is from the west, 1176s
so far He removes our transgressions from us. 1181s
It's the need. 1187s
They need for forgiveness. 1190s
For his Luther said, where there is forgiveness, there's life and salvation. 1197s
And God seeks us out to address the need. 1206s
Well, it's not the end of the story, is it? 1223s
It's not the end of the story. 1226s
And that raises a very, very interesting question. 1230s
Look, please, at verse 6. 1235s
Now, some of the scribes sitting there questioning their hearts, 1236s
why does this fellow speak in this way? 1240s
It's blessed for me. 1241s
Who can forgive sins? 1244s
But God alone at once Jesus perceived in his spirit 1245s
that they were discussing these questions among themselves, 1248s
and He said to them, why do you raise such questions in your heart? 1251s
Which is easier to say to the paralytic? 1255s
Your sins are forgiven, or to say, stand up and take your mat and walk. 1258s
But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth 1264s
to forgive sins, He said to the paralytic, I say to you, stand up, 1267s
take your mat and go to your home. 1272s
He stood up immediately, took the mat, went out before all of them, 1276s
so they were all amazed and glorified God saying, 1280s
we've never seen anything like this. 1283s
But see, that raises the question, isn't it? 1289s
Would Jesus have healed the paralytic if He didn't have something 1293s
to prove to the scribes? 1297s
Because sometimes we see that God chooses to heal this side of heaven 1303s
and sometimes He chooses not to heal this side of heaven. 1308s
So, would there have been a healing of the paralytic if Jesus 1315s
wasn't proving something to the scribes? 1327s
And to that we say, don't know. 1332s
Don't know. 1337s
Was there a healing? 1342s
Would there have been a healing? 1347s
If the scribes weren't there? 1350s
That's in God's sovereignty and God's wisdom. 1354s
But we do know this. 1362s
We do know this. 1365s
Even if Jesus had not healed the paralytic. 1368s
That paralytic, that man of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Messiah, 1376s
would be healed in heaven. 1385s
You see, in heaven there is no more grief, there is no more sorrow, 1390s
there is no more death, there is no more pain, there is no paralysis. 1394s
So the man that came seeking forgiveness and given to it and also given the gift 1400s
of being healed, even if Jesus hadn't healed him, we know that he would be healed in heaven. 1405s
Who is a good day? 1417s
For that man, wasn't it? 1419s
Who is a good day? 1421s
He came seeking forgiveness and the Lord Jesus Christ pronounced ab solution. 1424s
And he's also healed of his paralysis and additional blessing. 1433s
That's a good day for that man, isn't it? 1442s
And beloved, today is a good day for you. 1447s
Because here the word of absolute warn through the cross and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. 1456s
Here Him say a new to you. 1465s
My son, my daughter, your sins are forgiven. 1469s
And everything else, everything else that got in his wisdom grants, everything else 1484s
is but additional blessing. 1494s