September 1, 2019

Jesus in the House
September 1, 2019
Charles Billingsley

 

Have you recently had an opportunity to do a good deed for a friend or neighbor? Can you share what you did, and tell how you felt afterwards?

Today we are going to take a fresh look at the account of Jesus healing the paralyzed man in Mark 2. We’re going to examine the different people or groups present that day and see if we can identify which one we might have been in, had we been there. It is a report of friendship, faith and forgiveness, and we’ll examine the power each of those can play in our lives.

Key Verse: Mark 2:10-11: “ But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic,  “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”

Focal Passage: Mark 2:1-12.

A story of friendship, faith and forgiveness

  • Read Mark 2:1. Who is the first person we meet in this narrative? What was significant about His relationship to Capernaum?
  • Read verse 2. We now have a group represented: who are they? How many people were inside the house?
  • What does Jesus do when everyone is gathered? What is the word translated for ‘preached the “word”’?
  • What is significant about the Greek word “LOGOS”? Does anyone recall where it is used in the book of John?

The Impact of Friendship

  • Read verses 3-4. Who are the next two characters (or group) we encounter?
  • What did the four men go through to get their friend in front of Jesus?
  • Ask yourself: How far have I ever gone to bring my friends to Jesus?

The Result of Faith

  • Read verse 5a. Whose faith did Jesus take note of? Whom did the men have faith in? What—do you suppose—did they believe?
  • Why does faith require action? Can you back up your answer with Scripture?
  • Read verse 5. Why did Jesus say this? What could He have said instead?
  • Why is it imperative who or what the object of your faith is?
  • Ask yourself: is my faith actively seeking to please and love Jesus always?

The Power of Forgiveness

  • The paralyzed man had need of two things in his life; what were they?
  • What happened to him the moment Jesus pronounced his sins forgiven?*
  • Read verses 6-7. Who now enters the picture? What do they represent as they continually monitor what Jesus is saying and doing?
  • If they were in today’s churches, who would they probably be? Share some examples from your own experience.
  • Why did they feel Jesus didn’t have authority to forgive sins? What did the OT law require for sins? Did they speak their words aloud?
  • Read verses 8-11. What did the scribes believe about Jesus? What was the significance of Jesus telling the man, “Arise…Go”?
  • Read verse 12. What happens when Jesus is in the house?

Remember: The impact of your friendship for another can lead them to the Kingdom of God.

Remember: The result of a bold and daring faith can be a life change for one of your friends.

Remember: The power of forgiveness lies in the Hands of Christ alone. He is the only One who can save you.

Close:

Wouldn’t you have loved to have been in Capernaum the day Jesus entered that house?! We think of the gathered crowd, the anticipation, the excitement—and we feel it would have been the experience of a lifetime. But we must ask ourselves, which group of people, or persons, would we have identified with? The crowd, hyped up to see Jesus; the friends, hoping for a chance for their pal to get healed; the crippled man, such as we often are, needing His touch; the critics, always finding something wrong with the service, the decorations, the noise, or the lengthy message?

Yet—we are in church every week, and JESUS IS IN THE HOUSE! Perhaps He has come because there are some who worship Him; there will always be some in need who come for healing their broken hearts, setting their spirits free from prison, having blind eyes opened to see the Light. He comes because some friends pray for their buddies or family members; He comes to bring joy. And the critics come. The same critics who were in Capernaum, jealous that Someone is not doing things the way they’ve always done them, or preached the right sermon, or gotten glory they themselves sought.

Again, WHO ARE YOU IN THIS NARRATIVE? Pray that you are so in love with Jesus Christ that you are only waiting for His word to “Arise,” “Take up _____ (whatever He asks you to do),” and “Go!! (wherever He tells you!)”

*He was Justified—“Just as if I’d never sinned.” He is Adopted—into the family of God. He is United—with Jesus for eternity!

/by