This week's readings are all from Mark 2. Click here to see a list of each day's readings. Each day's segments of the readings will be posted on this site during the week. Below is the full text for today:
Today's Reading:
Now after some days, when he returned to Capernaum, the news spread that he was at home. So many gathered that there was no longer any room, not even by the door, and he preached the word to them. Some people came bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. When they were not able to bring him in because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Jesus. Then, after tearing it out, they lowered the stretcher the paralytic was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:1–5 NET)
The previous translation is from the NET Bible translation. Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
My Bibles commentary regarding verse Mk 2:4 pointed out that the crowd in and around the house, could represent one’s church and the sad point is that the crowd, “church” did not recognize the need to make way so the ailing man could get to Jesus…but the men who brought him to Jesus didn’t give up…they “went the extra mile” to help the sick.
What would I do if I was in the crowd? What would I do if I was in carrying the ailing man. Thoughts to ponder 🤔🤔🤔
@okiebull13 I don't know. I think it may be easy to judge the crowd. Remember that they, too, were likely there in large numbers for healing. In Mark 1 it says that everyone was bringing those who were sick.
For me, I wonder if I would be more like the scribes.
I'm sure we will talk more about Jesus' responses tomorrow, as well, but why do you think Jesus responded with offering forgiveness to their efforts to seek physical healing?
@travisbruno3 I think their expectations were that sickness was directly related to sin. Here are some insights on that from their culture.
@jimmy Good stuff, thank you!
So then, was it more normal to ask for healing (skipping over forgiveness) then?
Or is it sort of like a symptom/problem situation where illness is perceived as the symptom, and sin is the underlying problem—you can keep healing and healing but unless forgiveness comes, it won't make much of a difference? (Even though we also seem to keep needing forgiveness 😫)
I guess my interpretation was something like:
I have a bad cut and finally go in for stitches, but Jesus offers to simply take the wound away because he sees how the cut has truly been a burden..' The doctors are sorta mad because "who can simply remove a wound?!"
but Jesus is like "Y'all... gotta fix the main issue before my brother can truly be well. You think it's easier to just say 'Oh, you're good—stitches will help for now. It won't bother you too much' and not actually make him whole? So I see your stitches solution, and I raise you true healing."
Maybe? Hahaha...
@travisbruno3 asked:
So then, was it more normal to ask for healing (skipping over forgiveness) then?
That's a good question. It's pretty clear in the Gospels that people did just ask for healing. They may have seen Jesus as a righteous mediator between themselves and God, knowing that his prayers and authority for healing would also (in some way) address the cause of sin.
This issue of sin leading to sickness, or the reverse that sickness is the result of sin, is also seen in the Gospel of John where Jesus is asked by his disciples regarding the man born blind: "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind" (John 9:2)
Jesus answer is: "Neither his parents nor he sinned. But—so that the works of God might be displayed in him—as long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me.” (John 9:3–4)"
What's interesting, though, is that when Jesus heals a crippled man in John 5, and then runs into him later, he says to him: “Look, you have become well. Don’t sin any more, lest anything worse happen to you.” (John 5:14 NET) Neither Jesus nor the man said anything about sin at the time of the healing, but now the possible idea of this connection between sin and harm/unhealth is still there.
You said:
but Jesus is like "Y'all... gotta fix the main issue before my brother can truly be well. You think it's easier to just say 'Oh, you're good—stitches will help for now. It won't bother you too much' and not actually make him whole? So I see your stitches solution, and I raise you true healing."
I like this.
Forgiveness and Healing
It may seem strange to us that Jesus' first response to the paralyzed man was to engage in forgiveness of sins, but, though Jesus' direct act of forgiveness is controversial to the scribes, the connection between forgiveness and healing itself would not have been strange to their culture. Here is a post offering some insight from Jewish sources regarding the connection between sickness, sin, forgiveness, and healing.
Note that the verb "to forgive" in Greek (afiēmi) means literally to "let-go,throw, hurl, cast, send forth…throw away, abandon, unburden…release." To give a sense of the meaning, here's how Mark has already used it.
Mark 1:18 And right-away they let-go of the nets and followed him.
Mark 1:20 And right-away he called them, and letting-go of/abandoning their father, Zebedee in the boat with the hired-hands they went-way behind him.
Mark 1:31 And coming he raised her up by firmly taking her hand. Then the fever let-go-of her/released her and she began to serve them.
Mark 1:34 But he would not let-go/release the demons to speak, because they knew him.
In a Jewish context regarding sin and sickness, there would be a strong lean into the sense of "release": release from debt, from sin, slavery, oppression, etc. This is probably a good approach to understanding a New Testament understanding of forgiveness. Forgiveness is release.
As someone who has battled several major illnesses I find this conversation especially interesting. I must admit that sometimes in the midst of those battles, I asked “why me, God?” God and medical angels have seen me through each time. I’m grateful for healing, physical and spiritual!
@paulmoore405 Paul, I want to be clear: The view that illness was caused by sin was a first-century view. It was part of the context of Jesus' world and the worldview of those living within it. I don't think that means that the assumptions of that culture are necessarily valid for our understanding today.
I do think that illness and suffering is part of the human experience as well as the brokenness of the world. What baffles and confounds me is why some seem to experience this more than others, and often it is those (from my perspective) who "deserve" it the least who suffer the most. And, I too, thank God for healing from the minds, expertise, and hands of those trained to bring healing as well as the miraculous healing that happens at times.
In the Greek of Mark 2:2, Jesus is really chatting/speaking with people in the house rather than "preaching" to them, as some translations have (including the NET). Here's a post on the details.
A better translation would be:
"...and Jesus was speaking to them the word/message" or "...and Jesus was chatting with them about the word/message."
So I am just getting to read all the discussions this AM! It made me think with the whole discussion @Jimmy and @travis were having… so when Jesus says to the paralytic “son your sins are forgiven” was he also physically healed in that moment, or that didn’t come until he told him to take up
his mat and walk? Just curious. Travis, I also liked what you thought in your head about it all…that made sense to me!
@amberhocker My own view is that Jesus make the statement about release from sin and then after his question to the scribes he heals the man.