okieinexile
Well-Known Member
Which is easier?
Mark 2:1-12
2:1 When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home.
2:2 So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them.
2:3 Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them.
2:4 And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay.
2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
2:6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts,
2:7 "Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
2:8 At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and he said to them, "Why do you raise such questions in your hearts?
2:9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Stand up and take your mat and walk'?
2:10 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" --he said to the paralytic--
2:11 "I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home."
2:12 And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"
/***/
The trouble I have with a story like the one in today’s scripture is that I keep focusing on details that detract me from the main points. The story is about
• Conflict between Jesus and the scribes,
• The forgiveness of sins, and
• The Love that some men had for their friend.
Think about how this would work out today. There are these five guys who work together on a construction crew and one of them, say his name is Bubba, is hurt and paralyzed. Bubba goes on disability and that takes care of the bills, but he is not enjoying life to the full extent he used to. His paralysis cuts him off from the bulk of his old life.
Then Jesus comes to town. Jesus has a reputation as a healer so the men decide they are going to take their friend to him in the hopes they can make him better.
They run into a problem, however. They go to Jesus house, and there are people lined up outside of the door. There is no getting into Jesus through that door.
It’s at this point that Jim Bob, the crew boss, says, “We’ve come this far. We are not going to let a little thing like the crowd stop us. Let’s go on the roof.”
I can imagine the rest of the crew looking at each other at this point, but they do what the boss says, while he goes back to the truck and to get something.
When they have settled on the roof with their friend Bubba lying on the stretcher between them, here comes Jim Bob with a cordless, battery-powered, rechargeable reciprocating saw.
Jim Bob makes a hole in the roof big enough for Bubba to go through feet first. Then they let Bubba down on ropes, and set him down smack-dab in front of Jesus.
Then Jesus does something that’s strange, stranger than anything that’s gone on so far. He says “Your sins are forgiven.”
Bubba, there on the floor and not able to walk, is thinking, “Great, that’s JUST what I need to have my sins forgiven. I need to walk so I can get a paycheck started coming in.”
Then the scribes kind of suck in air and say, “This Jesus guy is forgiving SINS! Can he do that?”
Jesus then says, “Hey, if you think that’s something, then you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Stand and walk.”
And Bubba stands and walks.
When Jesus asks the question, “Which is easier, to forgive sins or to say stand and walk?”
The answer is clear. Forgiving sins is easier.
And yet...
And yet sometimes it would be easier to do anything but forgive.
I’ve got a friend who’s got a saying. You’ll forget what they said and you’ll forget what they did, but you’ll remember the way they made you feel. When people hurt us, when they sin against us it can be incredibly hard to let go. Sometimes it is all we can do.
So, sometimes making a paralytic walk can be easier. Sometimes shifting the moon out of its orbit can be easier. Chances are if it is easy to forgive someone, then they haven’t done much to you.
I remember a few years ago there was a school shooting in Paducah, Kentucky. The reporters were at high schools talking to young people about the shootings. They interviewed a several youths who said they’d already forgiven the shooters.
Well, that’s wonderful. It’s easy to forgive when you’ve not been sinned against. For the parents of the slain children, it would be harder. It might be almost impossible; it might be more than they think they can do.
The scribes questioned if anyone could forgive sins besides God. We Christians know regardless of how hard it might be we must if we are to be forgiven ourselves.
Forgiving brings freedom. It takes energy to nurse a grudge. When we forgive, we can use all that energy to move on to new things, to a new life.
When we Methodists pray the Lord’s Prayer, we pray that our trespasses be forgiven. The Presbyterians pray that their debts be forgiven. That’s a good way to think about it. When you forgive a debt, you mark it off the books and take a loss. You may choose to loan that person money again—or not—while still having forgiven the debt, but you save all of the money you would have spent trying to collect the debt.
When we are sinned against, it is not always possible to be repaid. What would someone who’d killed one of your children have to do to repay you? It’s not possible. But even in a case like that you’d have to forgive if you were to ever have peace. It wouldn’t be cheap, and it wouldn’t be easy. It might be only something that God could do.
It might be something we could only do with God’s help.
Father, forgive us our sins and help us to forgive when we can’t forgive. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen.
Mark 2:1-12
2:1 When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home.
2:2 So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them.
2:3 Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them.
2:4 And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay.
2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
2:6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts,
2:7 "Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
2:8 At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and he said to them, "Why do you raise such questions in your hearts?
2:9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Stand up and take your mat and walk'?
2:10 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" --he said to the paralytic--
2:11 "I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home."
2:12 And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"
/***/
The trouble I have with a story like the one in today’s scripture is that I keep focusing on details that detract me from the main points. The story is about
• Conflict between Jesus and the scribes,
• The forgiveness of sins, and
• The Love that some men had for their friend.
Think about how this would work out today. There are these five guys who work together on a construction crew and one of them, say his name is Bubba, is hurt and paralyzed. Bubba goes on disability and that takes care of the bills, but he is not enjoying life to the full extent he used to. His paralysis cuts him off from the bulk of his old life.
Then Jesus comes to town. Jesus has a reputation as a healer so the men decide they are going to take their friend to him in the hopes they can make him better.
They run into a problem, however. They go to Jesus house, and there are people lined up outside of the door. There is no getting into Jesus through that door.
It’s at this point that Jim Bob, the crew boss, says, “We’ve come this far. We are not going to let a little thing like the crowd stop us. Let’s go on the roof.”
I can imagine the rest of the crew looking at each other at this point, but they do what the boss says, while he goes back to the truck and to get something.
When they have settled on the roof with their friend Bubba lying on the stretcher between them, here comes Jim Bob with a cordless, battery-powered, rechargeable reciprocating saw.
Jim Bob makes a hole in the roof big enough for Bubba to go through feet first. Then they let Bubba down on ropes, and set him down smack-dab in front of Jesus.
Then Jesus does something that’s strange, stranger than anything that’s gone on so far. He says “Your sins are forgiven.”
Bubba, there on the floor and not able to walk, is thinking, “Great, that’s JUST what I need to have my sins forgiven. I need to walk so I can get a paycheck started coming in.”
Then the scribes kind of suck in air and say, “This Jesus guy is forgiving SINS! Can he do that?”
Jesus then says, “Hey, if you think that’s something, then you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Stand and walk.”
And Bubba stands and walks.
When Jesus asks the question, “Which is easier, to forgive sins or to say stand and walk?”
The answer is clear. Forgiving sins is easier.
And yet...
And yet sometimes it would be easier to do anything but forgive.
I’ve got a friend who’s got a saying. You’ll forget what they said and you’ll forget what they did, but you’ll remember the way they made you feel. When people hurt us, when they sin against us it can be incredibly hard to let go. Sometimes it is all we can do.
So, sometimes making a paralytic walk can be easier. Sometimes shifting the moon out of its orbit can be easier. Chances are if it is easy to forgive someone, then they haven’t done much to you.
I remember a few years ago there was a school shooting in Paducah, Kentucky. The reporters were at high schools talking to young people about the shootings. They interviewed a several youths who said they’d already forgiven the shooters.
Well, that’s wonderful. It’s easy to forgive when you’ve not been sinned against. For the parents of the slain children, it would be harder. It might be almost impossible; it might be more than they think they can do.
The scribes questioned if anyone could forgive sins besides God. We Christians know regardless of how hard it might be we must if we are to be forgiven ourselves.
Forgiving brings freedom. It takes energy to nurse a grudge. When we forgive, we can use all that energy to move on to new things, to a new life.
When we Methodists pray the Lord’s Prayer, we pray that our trespasses be forgiven. The Presbyterians pray that their debts be forgiven. That’s a good way to think about it. When you forgive a debt, you mark it off the books and take a loss. You may choose to loan that person money again—or not—while still having forgiven the debt, but you save all of the money you would have spent trying to collect the debt.
When we are sinned against, it is not always possible to be repaid. What would someone who’d killed one of your children have to do to repay you? It’s not possible. But even in a case like that you’d have to forgive if you were to ever have peace. It wouldn’t be cheap, and it wouldn’t be easy. It might be only something that God could do.
It might be something we could only do with God’s help.
Father, forgive us our sins and help us to forgive when we can’t forgive. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen.
