The Gospel of MarkSample

In this section (also recorded in Matthew 9:1-8 and Luke 5:17-26), we see Jesus teaching and suddenly, four men tear open a hole in the roof and lower a paralyzed man down to Jesus. As Jesus began to interact with the man, instead of immediately addressing his physical needs, Jesus first forgives the man’s sins (Jesus knew that he has a much bigger problem than his physical condition). “When the Bible talks about sin it is not just referring to the bad things we do… it is ignoring God in the world He has made; it is rebelling against Him by living without reference to Him. It’s saying “I will decide exactly how I live my life’. And Jesus says that is our main problem” (King’s Cross, Tim Keller) Jesus forgiving the man’s sins ignited controversy among the religious leaders who questioned Jesus’ authority to do this. But the reality is all sin is against our Creator. And Jesus is proclaiming “Your sins have really been against me, and I forgive you.” The only person who can say that to a human being is their Creator.