THE CONFLICT BEGINS

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that He had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and He preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to Him a paralysed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get 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 (Mark 2: 1-4).

Picture the scene. Jesus left Capernaum after a mass healing in the town. A leper had been cleansed but, instead of keeping quiet about it as Jesus had instructed him to do, he became a walking advert for the Healer, forcing Jesus to withdraw from the town. After a few days, when the dust had settled, He returned, only to be mobbed again, this time to hear Him preach. He was in the house – whose house we do not know – and every room was crowded with people who wanted to hear Him.

When a group of men arrived, carrying their paralysed friend on a mat, no one would give way for them. The people were wedged so tightly together in the house that it was impossible for them to make a gap, even if they wanted to. The mat-bearers had only one alternative – the roof. Imagine that! They were so determined to plant their friend under Jesus’ nose that they had no compunction about ripping a hole in the roof to do it.

Flat-roofed houses in the Middle East had balconies which were used to cool off at night. The men quickly carried their burden up the outside staircase, set him down and began to dig up the roof. Imagine the surprise of the people inside when bits of mud and plant debris began to fall from above. They must have wondered what on earth was going on! They soon got out of the way, leaving a cleared space right where Jesus sat.

That was exactly what these men were aiming for. When their friend came down through the roof, lowered on his mat by the four men, he came to rest right at Jesus’ feet.

When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralysed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ Mark 2: 5).

Hey! That’s not why they came. The man needed healing, not forgiveness. If he wanted forgiveness, they could have taken him to the temple and offered a sacrifice for him. What was wrong with Jesus? Couldn’t He see what the man’s problem was?

Ah, but Jesus saw his heart. His friends thought they knew what he needed but Jesus knew better. Perhaps the condition of his body was merely a symptom of something deep inside, something he had never dared mention to another soul. He had enough hours in every day to think. Perhaps his mind was so locked into his past that he was desperate to stop thinking.

What music the words of Jesus must have been in his ears. Forgiven! He never imagined it possible that he could feel such peace in his heart in an instant after all these years of guilt, shame and regret. Whoever this man was who had pronounced him forgiven, he believed Him; he felt it and it was like being in heaven. Even if he never walked again, it was worth the upheaval he caused to hear that word, “Forgiven!”

Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, ‘Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ (Mark 2: 6-7).

Enter the opposition! It had to happen. Sooner or later Jesus would bump heads with the religious types. They were like the proverbial Gestapo, always around to sniff out anything Jesus might say or do which could be used in evidence against Him. His popularity began to get to them. They were there, not to learn but to spy on Him to see how they could bring Him down.

Forgiven! This stuck in their throats. ‘How can He pronounce a man forgiven, just like that? What about sacrifice? How can He override what the Torah says about sin and sacrifice? This man is a blasphemer. He thinks He is God. He says things He has no right to say. We’ll have to watch Him closely. He’s leading the people astray. He must be crazy.’

We can’t judge them. Yet. After all, they knew nothing about Jesus except that He had amazing powers to heal and evict demons, and they had no idea how He did it.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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