Devotional
Forgiveness of sins and thus restoration of the relationship with God is the highest and deepest form of healing.
These verses are especially loved by children.
They find it exciting that those men carry their paralyzed friend up a staircase to the roof and then lower him through a hole in front of the Lord Jesus. It will be even more beautiful if Jesus also heals this paralyzed man, so that he can get up and walk. “We’ve never seen anything like it!” (Mark 2:12).
Understandable, but still … the cure of this paralyzed man is not the most important miracle here.
When Jesus sees the faith of this man and his four friends, He says, “Son, your sins are forgiven” (Mark 2:5).
Jesus sees through him and knows what he needs most: forgiveness of his sins. However, many people who follow Jesus are more interested in miraculous healings.
They do not deeply understand what the actual message is that the Lord Jesus is preaching to them. Later, a few days before Passover, they would be disappointed with Jesus, crying, “Crucify Him!” (Mark 15:12-14)
The scribes standing by hear Jesus talk about forgiveness of sins.
They are annoyed because only God Himself can forgive sins. That in itself is correct (Compare Exodus 34:6,7; Isaiah 43:25).
But that is precisely the uniqueness of Jesus. He is “the Son of man,” the promised Son of God. In Him it is actually the Lord Himself offering us forgiveness of sins. And it is great that exactly this is the first thing that Jesus gives to this paralyzed man.
Then, if there is any doubt about Jesus’ authority to forgive sins, only then does Jesus heal this man. To show that He does indeed have that authority. Thus we see that physical healing is only in the service of a much more important healing: the healing of your sins.
In verse 2 we read that Jesus “spoke the word to them.”
When Jesus proclaims His word, He also proclaims Himself, for He is the Word made flesh (John 1:1-3,14).
So when we talk about the Word of God, there is a double meaning behind it.
When we read the Word of God, the Bible, we may also meet the Lord Himself in it. He Himself comes to you in His Word and offers you forgiveness for your sins.
Prayer suggestion:
▪︎ Pray that God to fill your life with the riches of His Word.
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