Chapter 19
Get Up!
The Reading: Mark 2:1-12, Luke 5:17-39
The Problem:
There was a paralyzed man whose four friends brought him to Jesus for healing. But there didn’t seem to be any way to get the paralyzed man into the house where Jesus was teaching, because a pressing crowd had filled the room and blocked the entrance to the house. So his ingenious friends just opened up a hole in the roof of the house and forced the crowd to stand back by lowering the man and his bed down through the roof!
Now understand that this "tearing up the roof" was not a destruction of property. A first century home in Palestine had a flat roof composed of large stone tiles which were easy to remove and easy to replace. The tiles were sometimes covered with dirt or sod for insulation purposes. So there was no need to rip up shingles and saw through plywood and beams in order to make a sizable opening in the roof! The roof was not actually destroyed or damaged - only temporarily opened up.
Also remember that a first century home had an outside staircase up to the flat roof. This enabled the four men to carry their paralytic friend and his bed up to the rooftop without dropping him and without needing an elaborate ladder or block and tackle system! The "bed," of course, was not a heavy inner spring mattress and frame but a lightweight pallet, perhaps like an exercise pad. So the hole in the roof didn’t need to be gigantic in size.
When Jesus saw the faith of the paralyzed man (and his friends peering down through the hole in the roof), He simply said, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” I wonder if the paralyzed man and his friends were disappointed when Jesus said this. After all, they had come expecting a healing. Wouldn't they have felt shortchanged if he was forgiven but unhealed?
The implication is that the man was paralyzed because of past sins. The paralytic who was let down through the roof may have been weighed down by a burden of guilt which he had carried, rightly or wrongly, for many years. Walking, like all movements, is unconscious and controlled by the mind. And psychologists today have proven that anxiety and guilt can actually result in physical paralysis-like symptoms, feeling numb as though the muscles won’t work. High levels of anxiety and guilt can also paralyze our emotions, decision-making process, and ability to function in today’s world.
The Turning Point:
In Luke 5:17-39, the parallel passage for this narrative story, Luke mentions that both the scribes and Pharisees reasoned in their hearts, but not speaking, and silently accused Jesus of blasphemy for only God can forgive sins. They didn’t realize that Jesus was the Son of God, and they didn’t believe that Jesus could heal, lacking the faith of the people around them.
Jesus knew right away what they were thinking, and addressed the skeptics before He continued ministering to the paralytic man. Jesus said to them and said, “Which is easier to say (and do): to forgive or to heal?” Jesus followed this with, “The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” Both require divine authority and power, and Jesus was well able to do both.
The Miracle That Followed:
After the doubters were addressed, Jesus turned to the paralytic man and said, “Get up, pick up your stretcher, and go on home now.” And the man did it! He got up, grabbed his stretcher, and walked out with everyone watching. They must have rubbed their eyes, wondering if they were imagining things, when they saw it. Then they praised God saying, “We’ve never in our entire lives seen anything like this.
The Bottom Line:
Some Christians have a hard time getting up from the bed. They remain partially crippled or even paralyzed by a "victim" mentality or by memories of their past lifestyles and sins. They haven't fully availed themselves of the strength and forgiveness the Lord provides.
Other Christians have gotten up from the bed, but they don't want to shoulder the responsibilities of an active Christian daily life! They seem to think that the Lord owes them and ought to carry their beds - and maybe even carry them as well. Their Christian lives go nowhere because they think that the Lord is obligated to provide for their every desire, whether they're obedient to Him or not.
Many Christians are up and out of bed, but have become too busy with their own lives to serve God. Virtually every church faces the issue of members who are perpetually uninvolved. They are the spectators in the congregation. Many are faithful enough attendees, but never move beyond that to become actively involved in the ministry of the church and mission of God. They go for the show, but not to serve.
I think, the Lord would say to such people, “Get up, make your bed, and get out there. There’s a lot of work out there to be done.” All of God's people are called to ministry; all of God's people have been given an assignment. Get busy!
