30 Days In The Gospel Of MarkSample

Thought:

When Jesus sees the hurting, He responds in love. It does not matter if most people have abandoned the hurting person; Jesus does not overlook them. In this passage, we see how Jesus heals a man and forgives him of his sins. Jesus’ healing goes much deeper than any doctor’s healing ever could. Not only does He cure the paralytic’s body but He also heals his soul from the disease of sin. Only the Son of God could have the authority to forgive sins and the power to heal conditions like paralysis. 

1. What role did the paralytic’s friends play in his healing?

2. How do we see Jesus begin to clash with the religious leaders in this passage?

3. What evidence does Jesus use to prove He has the authority to forgive sins?

4. How did the people respond to Jesus’ miracle?

Engage:

An important part of following Jesus is caring for the sick and hurting. The paralytic’s friends did a great job of going the extra mile (even going through a roof!) to help their friend get healed by Jesus. Think of one thing you can do to support, help, or encourage a friend who is hurting. Maybe write them a note, bake them cookies, draw them a picture, or send them an encouraging text. Take a minute to pray for your friend. Now go do the thing you thought of!

Deeper Waters:

Let’s talk theology! (Theology is the study of the nature of God.) Jesus was both fully God and fully man, both the Son of God and the Son of Man. Forgiving sins is something only God has the power to do—that’s why the scribes were offended when they thought Jesus was wrongly claiming to be God. However, because He is God, Jesus does have the authority to forgive sins. So He was not blaspheming (insulting God or pretending to be God); He was speaking the truth. Jesus is the only human who is able to forgive sins. We should praise God that Jesus has both the power to heal our temporary bodies here on Earth and to heal us eternally from sin!