BaptistWay Bible Series for December 9: A Faith Worth Acting On

Posted: 12/06/07

BaptistWay Bible Series for December 9

A Faith Worth Acting On

• Mark 2:1-12

By Andrew Daugherty

Christ Church, Rockwall

The Gospel of Mark continues with the main idea stated in the opening verse that this is the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (1:1). Just as his identity as Christ is linked to his baptism as the beloved Son of God, Mark now adds another dimension to his divine identity: the authority to forgive sins.

This is a radical moment in the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus stops right in the middle of what he is doing to direct his full attention to the hole in the roof. Maybe Jesus’ carpentry skills would be put to good use later, but for now, he tends to more important matters than a potential leaky roof. Persistence pays off for the friends of this paralyzed man. As soon as Jesus’ sees them carrying their friend on a stretcher, he says, “Son, your sins are forgiven” (2:5). The extraordinary resolve on the part of the paralytic’s friends results in his being forgiven. Notice that it wasn’t the paralytic’s faith that Jesus saw. Jesus saw “their” faith (2:5). Thus, the faith of his friends moves Jesus so deeply that he offers the free gift of forgiveness to the paralyzed man. He didn’t ask any questions nor did he request patient information. Jesus was moved with compassion by what he saw and his immediate reaction reveals his compassionate instincts.

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This pronouncement of forgiveness sets him at odds with the religious leaders of his time. Ultimately, it would bring the charge of blasphemy against Jesus, which would lead to his death. Yet to deny compassion and forgiveness to this utterly helpless son of God would have been to deny his unique identity as the Son of God. So instead Jesus does not flinch in the face of the paralyzed man’s critical need. In fact, his pronouncement of forgiveness is so all-encompassing it affects a medical outcome: the paralyzed man slides off the stretcher and walks home!

The spectacle of this miracle may have led some in Jesus’ day to speculate about the circumstances and life choices surrounding the paralyzed man. After all, many made a close connection between illness and sin. This is not the point of Jesus’ pronouncement. He is not snidely making an example of this man who suffered a physical affliction.

Remember again Mark’s opening sentence: this is the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (1:1). That Jesus forgave sins was a sign of his ultimate authority over the source of all human pain, woundedness, and suffering. Jesus pronounces his forgiveness, because Jesus wanted him to be freed from every burden that kept him from knowing his own identity in God as a beloved son. What Jesus heard at his baptism is what he desired for this paralyzed man to hear, too.

Think about the points of view represented in this scene. Have you ever felt as helpless as the paralyzed man lying on the stretcher? Have you ever gone to great lengths to help someone in serious need? Have you ever, like Jesus, been moved to the depths with compassion by watching someone else assist someone in a dire circumstance?

Of course we are moved when we witness the extraordinary sacrifices people sometimes make for people in serious need. We may think of the firefighters and police officers in New York on 9/11 running up stairs and through the fires to save a life. Perhaps we are moved with compassion by the way we watch a husband or daughter care for a spouse or parent during an illness or injury. Nursing homes are full of geriatric physicians and chaplains and physical therapists that tenderly assist the aged with spiritual, physical, and medical needs.

What lies underneath all these tender acts of compassion may be the healing balm of forgiveness. No matter who a person is or what a person has done, if the source of all our suffering is rooted in the brokenness and sin of this world, then forgiveness surely is the cure. As Jesus shows, the power of forgiveness can affect every dimension of our lives.

A recent documentary film profiles this power, too. The Power of Forgiveness, a documentary film directed by Martin Doblmeier, presents several short stories related to the spiritual practice of forgiveness. Stories are told about people’s struggle to forgive in the face of unspeakable tragedies. From Belfast to Beirut to Ground Zero to the Amish countryside, real life stories are told about the human need to offer forgiveness and receive forgiveness amidst the ongoing process of God’s redemption in the world.

What led Doblmeier to make this film was a result of attending a conference where scientific researchers, psychologists, and physicians were presenting findings of their studies in forgiveness. These scientific minds were coming together in the health care world to give critical attention to the virtue of forgiveness. Though religious researchers and biblical scholars have talked about forgiveness for hundreds of years, the burgeoning scientific fascination with the subject stirred Doblemier to bring together both scientific and faith perspectives.

These scientific studies reveal the effects of un-forgiveness on a person’s physical and psychological health. Re-living a painful experience from one’s past can trigger damaging physical consequences including difficulty breathing, high blood pressure, increased heart rate, and sweating. Furthermore, the pleasure pathways of the human brain light up when we feel the biological urge to get revenge on someone who has wounded us deeply. This growing body of scientific evidence says that holding on to grudges is harmful to physical health. Forgiveness can be good for health!

What we don’t have in this story from Mark are the specific details of the paralyzed man’s life. Was he deeply hurt in some way in the past? Did he simply have a physical disability or illness from birth? Did he really believe that his illness was a result of some sin in his life? What kind of personality did this man have that made dealing with his physical affliction easier or more difficult?

We are not given such information. What we are given is a preview of who Jesus is and the daring lengths he will go to make forgiveness a real possibility in the world one precious life at a time.

It is so important to him that he will eventually risk his own precious life by practicing it shamelessly in front of people who have the power to put an end to this forgiveness business altogether.