Passage: Mark 2:1-12

Four men brought a paralyzed man to Jesus. When Jesus healed him, he didn’t heal his body first, but his mind and soul. This sick man didn’t have faith; it was like he was dead. He was sick physically, mentally, and spiritually. Cancer, stroke, high blood pressure, all of those kinds of diseases are connected back to spiritual and mental sickness.

Mark 2:1-5
And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. 2 Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. 3 Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.4 And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.
5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

There are five different kinds of people in this passage of scripture:
1. The crowds
2. The four men
3. The people who helped them get onto the roof
4. The scribes and Pharisees
5. Those who mocked Jesus

THE CROWDS

The crowds of people were those who were there because they wanted to hear Jesus speak. They were like the Christians of this day who just want to see what Jesus says and looks like, what He wears, and what He does. They want to observe and watch what’s going on. They want to see and hear and be blessed.

The crowds of people were there to hear the word from Jesus, but they were blocking the one who really needed to see Jesus.

We need to examine our hearts: are we in the church but blocking someone who really needs to see Jesus from seeing Him. The crowds didn’t realize they were blocking this paralyzed man. We often don’t realize how we are blocking people from coming to Jesus. What is blocking people? Our sin, our flesh, our foolishness. Our lifestyle. Sometimes Christian people don’t allow new people to join their “group” or get close to the pastor of the church. They think it’s their job to protect the pastor.

How many times do we intentionally or unintentionally cause other people to stumble on their way to getting close to Jesus? How many times do we hurt other people and keep them from seeking Jesus? How many times do our actions keep others from coming to Christ?

The crowds had good intentions. They wanted to see Jesus. They wanted to hear His words. They wanted to receive a miracle from Him.

There are many people who say they don’t want to go to church because they’ve been hurt by the church. These people see the hypocrisy of the church members who are walking on the wide road instead of the narrow road. They have been hurt by someone who said they were a Christian so they don’t want to come close to Christ.

We must pray and be sensitive to the Holy Spirit so we don’t block someone else from coming to Christ. If you are walking on the narrow road, you will be sensitive to people’s needs. You will be living the life you say you are living.

Matthew 7:20-23
20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

We do not want to be like this. We do not want to be like the crowds who followed Jesus but kept others from coming to Him.

When new people come to see Jesus, don’t block their way. Don’t let them see hypocrisy in you. Always be open to new people. Listen to what they say.

We miss many chances because we get used to our own “group” and aren’t sensitive to welcome other people in.

Leave the front door accessible = leave your heart open to new people and to their needs. Always leave room for people to come in.

THE FOUR MEN

There were four men who carried the sick man to Jesus. They should have been able to use the front door, but they were blocked from the front door. Instead, they made a hole in the roof so that the sick man would be able to get close to Jesus.

We need to be like these men. They did whatever they had to in order to bring the man to Jesus.

When Jesus saw the paralyzed man, did He see faith in Him? No. He was consumed with sin and sickness. But what did Jesus see? He saw the four men and their faith. When Jesus saw the paralytic, He said, “Your sins are forgiven.” Why? He knew that he had a mental and spiritual problem before anything else. He was consumed with spiritual disease.

Jesus didn’t proclaim physical healing over this man, even though it was obvious that he was sick. He healed his sick soul first. Jesus knew that he had a spiritual problem. He knew that his soul was sick.

If you are sick, you must take care of your spiritual sickness first. Physical sickness is rooted in spiritual issues. Even if you get healed for a little while, spiritual sickness will cause physical sickness again. You must take care of the spiritual sickness, the real issue, first. You must take out the root of the disease, which is unrepentant sin. Until you take care of your sin, your soul will be sick and you will continue to deal with physical sickness as well.

Jesus felt compassion for this man and wanted to heal him completely, not just temporarily. If you take care of sin in your life, you can be healed physically as well. Jesus is here to forgive us and save us.

For this man, the most important thing wasn’t physical healing, but spiritual healing and forgiveness.

Why do we serve God? To be the hands and feet of Jesus, to bring healing to other people’s souls and repentance to their hearts. Saving a soul is the most important thing.

2 Corinthians 7:10
10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.

Repentance brings salvation. Repentance brings healing to our soul.

When we hold onto sin, poison in our bodies will grow and shorten our lives. To destroy the physical poison, repent from sin.

1 Corinthians 10:13
13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Even if you have a mental or spiritual disease, it is no problem for Jesus. Jesus forgives your sin He forgives your perversion. If you are too paralyzed to walk, let people carry you. If you need to go through the roof, make it happen.

God bless you,
Pastor Sun East