West Village Church Podcast
West Village Church Podcast
…and Walked Out in Full View of Them All...
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Series: …AND… | The Movement of God and His People through Mark
Title: Week 4 …and Walked Out in Full View of Them All...
Text: Mark 2:1-12
We are continuing our series called And: The Movement of God and His People Through Mark. Now, movement in the book of Mark is conveyed by lots of words, you see, immediately, at once, as well as this word and. Now, I want to show you a photo because as we've been reading the NIV, I think some people think I'm crazy. So above me is a photo of Mark chapter two, one through 10-ish. I have circled the word chi. Chi is the word and. Do you notice how many times this word is circled? And how many times those circles are at the start of verses. So when we read the NIV, you might notice, wow, the word and is not here that much. But if your Bible that you choose to read or the version is the ESV, you're going to see almost every verse starts with the word and it just keeps peppering you. So this is just a version difference. I just want you to know we didn't name the series and because we're crazy. Okay. It's there, it's everywhere. Okay, you can go off of that slide. Thank you, Elizabeth. Now, after that long diatribe, the movement of the words are not the highlight of the book. All right. The movement of these words are pointing us to the movement of God and his people to the world with the good news about Jesus the Christ. Mark 1:1 starts by saying that everything that follows in this book is all about Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God. That is the good news. The good news is that the Messiah has come to make all things new. And then later, Jesus himself tells everyone, verse 15, the time has come, he said. This phrase is so important that Andrew Haas and I have now mentioned it every single week. It's important. The rest of the book of Mark is a demonstration of this claim that Jesus has made, that he is the Messiah, the Son of God, who brought the kingdom of God to earth. All right. So we're going to jump into chapter two, where Mark begins to put the movement of Jesus in direct conflict with the religious leaders. All right. So we're about to read, we're about to go through this great story. Carrie already read it. I love this story, but I want you to hold three questions in your mind. One, where do I want to see God heal like this? Where do I want to see God heal like this? Question two, why do I doubt he will heal? Why do I doubt he's going to do it? And then question three, how can we live like he's actually gonna do the thing? How can we live like he is going to show up and heal? Okay, so hold those three in your mind. Jump with me into chapter two. A few days later, when Jesus entered Capernaum or Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. Now, scripture doesn't give us an indication that he owned a home or anything like that, right? This phrase shows us that he's returned to his temporary residence, which scholars think could be Peter's house. The fun thing is, it is actually visible in Capernaum today. Um, and it was found right underneath this um octagonal Byzantine church. All right. Now, they dug deep underneath this structure and they found another first century structure. Actually, it was first century BC, but it was still, you know, remaining into the ADs. Um, they think it's Peter's because one, it's in the right area. Two, the walls were plastered over, right? So that was plaster, it wasn't just like a normal mud thing. That is different. That's abnormal for the first century. Three, the roof was converted to be covered in rock, not just dirt. Okay, that's very abnormal. Um, arches were put in to support the structure. No normie house had arches, right? This is super abnormal. And then when they went inside and they dug around, they found that there was pottery inside. And the only pottery was actually large storage bins or pots, as well as oil lamps. Those were only found in communal gathering sites. Lastly, that big octagonal structure was always built over top of really important places that the church wanted to remember. So if you go to Capernaum, you can likely see Peter's house, the exact one that was featured here in this text. It's real. Okay. Um, I hope all the nerds or the history buffs are excited. I'm sorry to everybody else. Now we're going back to the text. All right. So Jesus is back where people know him. There is a buzz around town. Did you hear that Jesus is here? The miracle worker is here. We gotta go. All right, verse two they gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door. And he preached the word to them. Okay, more pictures above me. I think if it's actually to scale, it's gonna be, yep, super blurry. Um, this is going to be, it should give you an idea of what the type of house looked like in this era, right? So this is the four-room house that was standard. So there were covered rooms. You can see those on the right and left side. There is a courtyard in between, and in some homes, like this one photographed or made, um, there is an upper floor that extended the living quarters. Okay, so as you look at this, use your imagination. Imagine that Jesus is teaching on one of the sides. People are spilling out of that side into the courtyard, now beyond the courtyard, outside the home. And it's just a wall of people. Everyone is gathered to be with him, and they've come again because they hear he's a miracle worker, and they want to see him work the miracles. So they want to show up. They want to see him do tricks. And what does Jesus do? He doesn't do tricks. He comes and he brings the word. He tells them the good news, he preaches that it's all about him, that the kingdom of God has come near, that it is moving forward, and they should believe in him because he is the good news. He is the Messiah. All right. So everyone is there listening to him. They are hanging on every word that he is saying. Again, imagine that one side room is filled, the courtyard is filled, there are people outside the home.
SPEAKER_00It is probably silent because everybody's trying to hear what Jesus is saying. There can't be any talking.
SPEAKER_01Verse 3: some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get to 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. Again, let's put ourselves in the sandals of all the people there. It's silent except for Jesus, telling everyone about the movement of the people of God. People are very engaged. They are very intent on every word. And then there is a muffled noise coming from above them. So the roofs at this time, as I mentioned, they're going to be straw and compacted mud. Right. And then that was hardened like in a kiln, not in an actual kiln, but it was hardened. And so that's that was the structure on top. And so what does it tell us? They're breaking apart pieces of it. And then they're ripping parts off, getting them out of the way so that they can get inside. It was silent. It is no longer silent. All right. Imagine you're there. There is some definite murmuring and grumbling for people who are, first of all, getting bits of dirt that are hitting them in the head, and then a lot of dirt. And then light is poking in. And then that light grows and it's it's really, really bright. And then in this big hole of light, now everybody's definitely looking up, we see four heads peeking over.
SPEAKER_00These four men had a paralyzed friend.
SPEAKER_01They didn't want him to remain in his paralyzed state any longer.
SPEAKER_00And so they thought Jesus has already done some healing. Let's bring him Matthew. We're gonna call him Matt. Okay. It's a joke, because he's on a mat.
SPEAKER_01Okay. They look at Jesus' brief track record as the local healer, and they know only somebody like Jesus can heal this paralysis. Now, back at the start, I asked us to remember those three questions. The first was, where do I want to see God heal like this? What's the thing in your world when you ask that question? What's the thing that comes to mind? What I want you to try to do is think of something that you can't manufacture on your own if you wait long enough or work harder or have the right people in place to make happen. I'm not asking that. I'm asking you to think of something that only God can do. Maybe it's a fractured relationship that looks forever broken. Maybe it's physical healing, like this. Maybe it's tackling an addiction or a habit that you have been able unable to see health in. What is your God-sized need, your desperate cry, your nagging pain?
SPEAKER_00What is that? Okay, think of it. Write it down if you need to, put it in your notes. Now hold that. Back to verse five.
SPEAKER_01When Jesus saw their faith. But this is really important. When Jesus saw their faith, now I don't want to actually count out the potential faith of the paralyzed man, right? Because the idea for healing could have been brought up by him. Hey, guys, I heard that Jesus is here. I want to be able to walk. Can you please bring me to him? Right? So technically, the faith could have started with the with Matt, right? But Jesus does acknowledge their faith. So at some point, that faith has spread. All four of the men now carrying Matt, they have that faith. At minimum, he Jesus regards and approves of the faith of the Matt carriers. They made this idea active. They were willing to anger and embarrass themselves, uh, anger others and embarrass themselves in front of Jesus, in front of the crowd, and actually, probably the homeowners. They just broke through the roof. There literally was no obstacle that was going to prevent them from getting Matt to Jesus. Okay. Back to the three questions. The first was, where do I want to see God heal like this? And the second was, why do I doubt that he will heal? Now, whatever you answered for that first question, this God-sized need, bring it over here to question two.
SPEAKER_00What is the obstacle in your way to bringing it to God for healing? Why do you doubt God will bring healing to it?
SPEAKER_01Do you doubt He can heal the thing? Like, do you believe he lacks the skill or the strength to actually get that across the line? Or is it kind of the other side of the equation, especially if you're you're praying for a person and there's a broken relationship? You're like, I don't doubt God, I do doubt them.
SPEAKER_00Do you doubt that God can actually heal them? Do you doubt that God can do the thing that you don't think he could do?
SPEAKER_01Or do you simply doubt that God, with all that he has going on, cares about you and the stuff you have going on in your life? What's the obstacle? Why do you doubt God will show up with that God-size need? Brothers and sisters, friends and new friends, God is able. God is enough. He has the power, he has the time, and most importantly, he has the love and care for you to bring healing into whatever situation you have. The movement of God, seen through the presence of the Son of God, is a declaration to all that healing is here. Okay, hold those things. We're jumping back into verse five. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, Son, here is a bike. There should be laughter, because that's definitely not what the verse says. Also, do they have bikes? Probably not. Okay. That's not what he said. What he said was, son, your sins are forgiven. But honestly, for our modern eyes and ears, I sometimes when I feel read this passage, that doesn't feel off because he just told a man who came on a mat who cannot walk, he cannot move his limbs. And Jesus says, Clearly you have a need, and so your sins are forgiven. What good is that to the guy? Okay, there was an idea that held great sway back then, at that time in history, that linked personal sin to personal disease or physical ailments. So if you broke your arm, the understanding was that you broke your arm because you messed up in the rest of your life, or maybe somebody in your family messed up. And this injury or disease was the result of your sin, right? We see this really keenly in John chapter 9. There's a man born blind, and the disciples look at Jesus and said, okay, so who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Right? So this was this was an idea that was dominant at the time. When Jesus declares that this man's sins were forgiven, he does two things at once. One, he actually addresses the bigger need that the man has, the forgiveness of sins. If our sins keep brokenness and separation in all of our relationships, right? So our relationship with one another, our relationship to God's creation, our relationship to ourselves, our relationship to God Almighty, right? If sin actually continues to keep separation and brokenness, if Jesus forgives his sin, then he has actually given this man healing to his whole being. Now here's the thing: the second thing that Jesus addresses is this crazy uh uh belief that connects sin to disease. If the sin that this man had causes the disease and Jesus has healed the sin, then what chance does this does the disease have against this wonder worker? What chance does this ailment have against the Son of God? All right, so now verse six. Now, some of the teachers of the law, or scribes, were sitting there thinking to themselves, why does this fellow talk like that? He's blasphemy. Who can forgive sins but God alone? I don't know about you. When I read these texts and I hear about the teachers of the law or the scribes, immediately I just get boo, boo. Like, I know I'm like, I don't like them. Here's the thing, though. When I am loudly booing on the inside and in my mind, I might actually miss the validity of what they said.
SPEAKER_00Catch that last phrase. Can anybody forgive sins but God alone? No. No.
SPEAKER_01I mean, I can walk up to you and I can say, Gary, I forgive you of your sins. While that might make Gary feel real nice, I have no authority on my own work to be able to forgive his sins. Right? It just sounds nice, but there's no authority, right? So these teachers of the law are right for what they're seeing, but they're wrong for what they're missing. All right. Verse 8. Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this is what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, Why are you thinking these things? Like all things in Mark, we don't stick around for the fact that Jesus just read their minds and then told everybody about it and acknowledged it. And then we're not talking about it. That's just it happened. He just read their minds and he said it out loud. Cool, we're moving on. Thanks, Jesus. Thanks, Mark. Okay. Verse 9, Jesus is still talking, which is easier. To say to this paralyzed man, your sins are forgiven, or to say, get up, take your mat, and walk. Jesus meets their accusation head on, right? Because the scribes were, they were certain that Jesus was blasphemous. And if you have an accusation of blasphemy, you have to be able to prove it. What Jesus did is he said, This man's sins are forgiven. So if they claim that he's blasphemous, how are they going to prove that this man's sins weren't forgiven? What's what's the has have any of you figured this out? Can you do this? Right? So Jesus, when he says your sins are forgiven, technically nobody can call him on it. Because it can't be proof. Instead of backing away from the unprovable claim, Jesus puts his messianic claim on the line and he submits something that's provable. Verse 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. Jesus actually agrees with their second thought. Only God can forgive sins. And I have forgiven sins because I am God. Right? He uses this phrase, the Son of Man. It goes back to Daniel chapter 7, verse 13, when this prophecy states that one like a son of man coming in the clouds approached the ancient of days. Jesus is using this phrase, one that was believed to be tied to the Messiah. He applies it to himself and he makes it abundantly clear. I am the Messiah, I am God. Let's go back to verse 10 again. But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. So he said to the man, I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home. He got up, he took his mat and he walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone, and they praised God, saying, We have never seen. Anything like this. I love imagining this moment like I was there. All right. So when Jesus says that he has the authority to heal, I am certain that there are a few clever folks, or rather, that he has the authority to forgive sins. I'm certain that there were some clever folks in the room that understood what he just said. And when he says, just so you know that I do have authority to forgive sins, those clever people are immediately looking at the paralyzed man. Because they understand what he just said. For the slower, maybe like myself, I'm still looking at Jesus because I don't get what he just said.
SPEAKER_00And I'm staring at him. And he said, but just so you know. And then he tells Matt to take up his bedding and walk on. Right? Now I'm looking at Matt. Now everyone is looking at Matt. And Matt gets up. Matt gets up. Can you hear? Can you hear the gasp?
SPEAKER_01Can you hear the gasp that's starting at the place in the room where the people who can see the miracle see it? Can you hear the gasp go back like a ripple? As people are saying, he healed him. The guy's walking. The guy's walking.
SPEAKER_00It is now very much not quiet there. And then Matt walks out.
SPEAKER_01The paralyzed man who had to come through a hole in a roof stands up, betting under arm, and walks out.
SPEAKER_00What do you see around? Smiles on everybody's faces.
SPEAKER_01Eyebrows raised. Matt's walking by. Some people are probably reaching out, patting him on the back. Other people are poking him. Just, is this real? Everybody can see it. And with every single gasp, clap, poke, or praise, they all realize in that moment that Jesus has the power to forgive sins because he is God, and he has the power to for to heal all that is broken, because the kingdom of God has come in him. The movement of God is visible to all, and they are certain they have never seen anything like this. Jesus upends everything that was expected, and he declares to all that he is the way. He can conquer whatever stands between us and true life, because he has already, for us now, looking back, he has already conquered all that stands between us and life. He has beaten sin. He has beaten Satan. He has beaten death. When he walked to the cross and took our sins as he died there, and then dead, three days later, rose from the dead, he brought us life, the opportunity to be made whole in him, because Jesus is the Messiah. Our first question today was where do I want to see God heal like this? Okay, we took those answers, whatever that was for you, that God-sized need, we took it to the second question. Why do I doubt God is going to do it? Why do I doubt God? What's the obstacle between me bringing this to God? I hope in that moment you are honest with yourself. Why do you not bring it to him? What stands in the way of bringing it to him? Our last question is this. How can we live like he will? Our answer, our invitation, it's simple.
SPEAKER_00Actually, it's really simple to say, it's kind of hard to do. Bring it all to him. Bring everything to Jesus. If you feel your emotions dip, bring them to him. If you get a scary health update, bring it to him. If you are frost frustrated with a broken relationship, bring it to him. We look at what the men did with this with Matt.
SPEAKER_01These guys were not superstars. Matt was not extra worthy of healing. All these guys did is say, I know who can do the healing.
SPEAKER_00And it is their faith that took them to Jesus and said, please heal. What prevents us from doing the same?
SPEAKER_01How can we live like this is real? Like I said, if I say bring it to him, a way that we do this is called prayer. Right? So when we pray, for some of you, super basic. For others of you, I hope this is helpful. Some people like to pray with their eyes shut for distractions. I just need to let you know closing with or praying with your eyes closed is not more holy. God is not going to listen to you the moment your eyes close. And then if you open one to peak, it's it's not happening. That's not how it works. So you are allowed to pray with your eyes open as well. But in your mind, in your heart, go to God and ask him to step in and heal. Take that thing, the relationship, the person you want to heal, the emotions inside that you feel are busted. Name the broken thing that you need Jesus to heal. Go to him and say, Jesus, heal my attitude. Like I have prayed the last few weeks, been real anxious. So I bring it to Jesus. Jesus, give me peace and my anxiety. All right. Whatever the thing is you have in mind when you go to Jesus in prayer, leave it with him. Leave it with him. Trust that the healer will heal. Don't go and say, Jesus, please heal, and then walk away, still holding it. Like just leave it. A very churchy thing is saying, unburden yourself, right? Take the thing off that is a burden to you, leave it, because he is the one who takes our burdens and he gives us peace. And I want to offer this as an encouragement and a challenge. Because sometimes we get to the end of this and we and we get excited. I get excited because I can always think about myself. I don't know you about you. I like to think about myself a lot. And if you are like me, you read a story like this and you're like, okay, so how does this apply to me? But there's an invitation in this as well for how we can be the hands and feet of Jesus sent out into this world to declare his goodness. So think of somebody where you live, learn, work, and play. Think of their God-sized need. I really want to encourage you, pray about it beforehand, but go to said person and say, How are you doing? And if there is a God-sized need or even a small little thing that is on their mind and is bothering them, you say, I'm so sorry to hear that.
SPEAKER_00Can I pray for you? If they say yes, don't visibly get excited.
SPEAKER_01Play it cool, man. Play it cool. If they say yes, just say, awesome, do you do you mind if I pray with you right now? And that already I know is is a big step. So in stride. But if they say yes, just go to Jesus with them. Jesus, I thank you for my friend. They need you to step in and heal. Jesus, please heal this.
SPEAKER_00As only you can. In your name we pray, amen. And here's my encouragement. Check back with them. Ask, pray, follow up. Hey, I prayed with you recently about this.
SPEAKER_01How's that going? How are you doing? I promise you, the simplest thing of bringing things to Jesus, of going to behold Jesus' face with somebody else, is massive. And maybe God has put you in their life for such a prayer as that. Let's practice this together now. Band, why don't you make your way up? We are going to go to God. What was the thing that you said was the God-sized need that you had? We're gonna go to God in prayer right now and let's just bring him those burdens.
SPEAKER_00So everybody, close your eyes. Unless you're walking down the stairs, don't close your eyes and take that thing to Jesus. Whatever that need was, bring it to him. Jesus, I need you to step in and heal. I need you to make whole. Take this next minute and pray. And then I'll jump back in in a moment. Jesus, I thank you that you listen, that you care, that you hear. And more than that, I thank you, Lord, that you are able.
SPEAKER_01For all that was brought to you in this room, Lord, show up only as you can. Please bring yourself glory because you are the Messiah. You are the wonder worker. You are the only one that makes the broken things whole, that brings peace. Your love for us is more than we can imagine. Lord, we thank you. And Lord, if this was the very first time that we've prayed to you, thank you for receiving our prayers. And if this is not the first time that we have prayed about the exact same thing, Lord, thank you for your patience.
SPEAKER_00You are good, Jesus, and we trust you. In your name we pray. Amen.