Mark: Journeying With JesusSample

If we were being really honest with ourselves, what would we say is our deepest need?

In Mark’s gospel we see Jesus come face-to-face with all sorts of human needs: relationship breakdown, facing illness or physical storms. Jesus speaks into these needs and with authority, and not like their religious leaders.

But in Mark 2:1-12, Jesus seems to diagnose and cure a human need even deeper than a man’s physical paralysis. Within minutes of meeting Jesus, the man who is paralyzed walks out into a totally transformed life! You can imagine his joy as he considers all of the new opportunities that now open up for him. His thankfulness to Jesus for healing him. But the surprise is that Jesus says that this is not the most amazing transformation on that day.

“Son, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:5)

Jesus says that the true miracle — the biggest transformation — is that this paralyzed man is leaving a forgiven man. Even better than all the blessings being physically healed would bring, this man is walking into a certain future: a place secured in Jesus’ kingdom, eternal life, peace with God.

In this story Jesus challenges us to reconsider what we see as our deepest and most urgent need. He asks us to look beyond our physical problems to our spiritual state. And he encourages us that when we do, he is willing and able to transform us.

PRAYER | Heavenly Father, thank you that you know our deepest, spiritual needs, and that in Jesus you provided a way for us to be forgiven. Please would we rejoice that our sins have been forgiven. Amen.