11/17/24 “Tear Off The Roof”

“Tear Off The Roof”

Mark 2:1-12

As a general rule, I try to stay away from large crowds.

When I’m around throngs of other people where its shoulder-to-shoulder, my heart rate goes up, my breathing becomes shallow, My blood pressure rises, anxiety sets in….

kind of like when I’m a passenger in my wife’s vehicle! 😊

I just don’t handle tight spaces with other humanoids very well - Ask me to get into a crowded elevator?...Forget It!

…And by “crowded” I mean like one or two other people! 😊

….Does anyone else have this condition?

The medical/scientific name for having an aversion to crowds is called “Enochlophobia”

You have to wonder if they named that phobia after the biblical ‘Enoch’ who – if you remember - God took out of the world and translated him directly to heaven.

…that is one way to avoid earthly crowds!

Our youngest daughter and her husband just returned from a trip to Disney World a few weeks ago and said that the average AVERAGE wait time for a ride was 2 hours!

2 hours in line to experience a 2 minute ride…No Thanks.

In fact, there is, apparently, a very popular ride at Disney called the “Tower of Terror” that recently set a world record wait time of 8 hours….8 HOURS!

Can you imagine what you could get done in 8 hours??

Pegg, you could probably read a few books.

Frank could probably invent & manufacture a couple pieces of machinery.

Chris could probably build half a house.

Jeff could probably produce electricity for an entire town.

Don could probably write a few songs.

Marlene could probably can 20 jars of elderberry jam

Julie could paint a few canvas pictures

Lisa could fly through a handful of red lights…Oh, Honey…there I go again

….I see a very long honey-do list in my future after delivering this sermon!

8 hours in line for the Tower of Terror….No, thank you.

Crowds…congested traffic…tight elevators…they’re just aren’t for me.

Speaking of crowds, our passage of scripture for today deals with a huge crowd stuffed into a relatively small space.

For some historical background,

Jesus had just arrived back at his adopted hometown of Capernaum, a town of around 1,500 people at the time, situated on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee.

Most Bible Scholars believe that the domestic event described here in the first 12 verses of Mark took place at the house of Peter and his wife (Yes, Peter was married)

In case you are wondering, Capernaum is basically a ghost town today, except for a museum-like structure that was constructed in 1990 built over the original excavation site where it is believed that Peter’s house was located.

(Show Picture)

Today, tens of thousands of tourists visit this building every year.

Verse 2 (Mark 2:2) of our passage for today tells us that there were so many people gathered at Peter’s house that day to see & hear Jesus that the mob extended outside the door and down the street…

Word had spread about how Jesus had been healing the sick, opening the mouths of the mute, and giving sight to the blind.

Then, in verse 3 (Mark 2:3) we begin to meet some of the main characters in this true story.

We meet 4 men carrying a paralytic – Specifically, a man who was without the use of his legs.

When the men saw the huge crowd and determined that it was impossible to reach Jesus through the doorway, they enacted a unique plan.

…they would climb to the roof and lower their friend down on his mat right in front of Jesus.

Architecturally speaking, Jewish houses were built with a flat patio roof accessible by an external staircase on one side.

People would climb the staircase to spend time on the roof…which would have been made of large support beams underneath, with sticks, thatch, mud, and tile layered on top.

So, our fearsome foursome climbs the stairs of Peter’s house and – as verse 4 (Mark 2:4) tells us – they begin digging a hole in the roof large enough to lower the paralyzed man through it.

Whenever I read this account of the men lowering their friend into the room below, my mind visualizes Ethan Hunt from Mission Impossible being lowered into a highly secured room by his friend using a pully system.

This would have been a somewhat similar situation…the paralytic’s friends would have had some sort of rope system to lower the man on his mat to the ground below.

So, obviously, if the 4 men had these ropes with them, they must have anticipated the large crowd and – most likely – they had hatched the roof plan before arriving on the scene…

In verse 5 (Mark 2:5) we read: “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’”

What an interesting thing for Jesus to say, right?

Wouldn’t you expect him to say something like “You are healed of your paralysis, my son”

…or perhaps ask him a question such as “What is it you would like me to do for you?”…a question that Jesus had asked others before healing them.

…but this time – at first, anyway, it was about the forgiveness of sin.

Imagine being the paralytic’s friends hanging on to your friend from the roof and you hear Jesus tell him that his sins are forgiven…and nothing more, at this point anyway.

Wouldn’t you be like…what?

We are expending all of this energy getting our buddy to you Jesus, when he could have been forgiven of his sins through a prayer of faith & repentance.

But there were reasons for what Jesus was doing…some very important reasons.

First of all, I believe that Jesus – in front of these throngs of people – wanted to remind everyone there that spiritual healing is more important than physical healing.

It would be forgiveness that would come before physicality….

spiritual regeneration before physical recalibration

freedom from sin before freedom to stand.

This is what Jesus wanted the crowd to understand…it was – after all - the primary reason for his earthly mission.

If you recall, the angel Gabriel tells Joseph in Matthew 1:21 “She (Mary) will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Peter also reminds the people in Acts 10:43 (after the events of the cross) that “All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Salvation was Jesus’ utmost priority, a priority that was ultimately – and eternally – secured upon the cross….for those who place their faith and trust in him.

A second reason why – I believe – Jesus chose to deal with forgiveness before physical healing had to do with revealing his divine credentials.

We are told in verse 6 (Mark 2:6) that there were “Some teachers of the law” amongst the large group of people at Peter’s house that day.

…on a side note, do you ever wonder what Peter’s wife was thinking at this point?

Do you think she was like…” I have about a hundred people tracking mud in my house right now….there are countless others outside stomping all over my newly planted peonies…AND I now have a human-sized hole in my roof.

…I’m thinking Peter may have had a longer-than-normal ‘Honey-do’ list the next day as well !

Back to verse 6 (Mark 2:6)

There are teachers of the law in attendance.

The ‘teachers of the law’ were also referred to as ‘Scribes’

Scribes were responsible for copying and preserving the scriptures, as well as interpreting them in order to instruct the people.

They could be found in various Jewish groups – including the Sadducees, the Essenes, and the Pharisees…with most Scribes belonging to the order of Pharisee.

Jesus knew exactly how the scribes would interpret his words of forgiveness directed toward the paralytic…

These educated, religious intellectuals of the day would easily connect the dots that by proclaiming to forgive sins, Jesus would also be proclaiming that he was indeed, God.

The Scribes, as well as many other religious people who understood scripture, would have known - and rightly so - that only God alone had the authority to forgive sins.

So – Jesus was taking this opportunity before hundreds of people – to actually proclaim his divinity…

…and – then – He backs up this proclamation by performing a physical miracle in the presence of all who were there.

The scribes were, of course, troubled by Jesus authoritative proclamation concerning the forgiveness of sins – and Jesus, of course, knows what they are thinking.

So, in verse 9 (Mark 2:9) Jesus says to them “Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘you’re sins are forgiven’, or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’?

So often in the gospels we see Jesus asking questions of people rather than provide a simple explanation of the question at hand…and this is what he does here as well.

Rather than simply saying “Look, you guys are thinking that I am spewing blasphemy by granting forgiveness to this man, but I’ll prove that I am God by miraculously healing this man right now”….

…rather then being blunt in this way, Jesus gives them a bit of a riddle.

By asking ‘Which is easier, to say your sins are forgiven, or to say get up and walk’, Jesus is essentially telling the scribes to – in light of his many miracles – reconsider how they are approaching the authenticity of Jesus and his ministry.

In other words, if a man claims to be able to forgive sins, the only way to substantiate that claim would be to do something that only God could do.

…one thing that only God can do is to perform miracles – acts that defy all known laws of nature

….or manipulate one’s surroundings in such a way that the only explanation is that a transcendent entity outside the constraints of time, space, and matter has intervened.

Jesus is that entity. The ONLY entity that is outside of time, space, and matter. The entity we call God.

On a more basic level, by asking the Scribes what is easier to do, Jesus is essentially asking them to consider what would be needed for someone to prove their divine credentials

…it would require not only words – but also actions to back up those words.

So, in verse 11 (Mark 2:11) Jesus backs up his words with actions when he says to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”

…and in verse 12 we read that the paralytic gets up…picks up his mat…and walks out the front door.

Can’t you just envision the stunned crowd parting like the Red Sea as the former paralytic – perhaps for the first time in his life – walks.

He walks out of the house into the gasping sea of people gathered outside who – just minutes earlier – witnessed this man being carried on a mat to the roof.

…and in verse 12 (Mark 2:12) the people are amazed at what they see…and they proclaim “We have never seen anything like this!”

According to Luke’s account of this story, the former cripple went home glorifying God that not only had his body been healed but – even more importantly - his sins had been forgiven.

Unfortunately, however, it was evident that a large percentage of Jewish citizens viewed Jesus’ miracles as an indication that he was empowered by God to some degree– but was not truly God in the flesh.

John 12:37 reminds us of this truth when it says, “Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.”

…And folks, it is so important today as well how we understand the person and ministry of Jesus Christ.

If we see Jesus as just a man – Just another created, sin-stained human being – who God had simply granted the ability to work miracles…but not as having the authority of God…

…then we have missed the most important component of Jesus’ ministry – that of His ability…by way of the cross…to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Viewing Jesus as anything less than fully God places imperfection on the cross…where perfection was required.

…It places a blemished sacrifice on the cross where an unblemished sacrifice was needed.

It places sin on the cross where sinlessness was called for.

In short – a God-less Jesus would mean a Hellish future for mankind…because God the Father could not have accepted any sacrifice for the sins of mankind that was anything less than fully perfect.

So, when you consider who Jesus is, you must believe that He is the complete embodiment of God.

…This is what it means to place your faith and trust in the name of Jesus…because Jesus – being the 2nd member of the eternal Godhead – IS GOD.

Romans 10:9-10 provides us with such a powerful reminder of this truth when it says, “That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”

So……why did we look at this particular passage of scripture this morning?

Why did we go from politically-oriented sermons before the presidential election to this story of forgiveness & healing today?

Some of you may remember watching Superbowl LI (51) back in 2017.

It was the Atlanta Falcons against the New England Patriots.

With just over 17 minutes remaining in regulation, Atlanta held a commanding 28-3 lead over the New England Patriots.

The Atlanta Falcons, however, would go on to lose to New England in overtime by a score of 34-28.

How did this happen? How could one team allow another team to make such a huge comeback…in the SUPERBOWL?

If you ask any athlete who’s been on a team that has allowed an opponent to overcome a huge defecit, they will always say the same thing:

…”We lost focus in the game and we eased up.”

…”We took our foot off the gas”

…”We got comfortable”

…”We Relaxed”

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Satan would like nothing more than for you to look at the results of an election that perhaps has caused you to breathe a sigh of relief – at least in regard to your spiritual freedoms – and…relax.

To not only relax, but to become complacent in your fervor to bring others to the savior.

This story about Jesus healing a man has one more angle to it that I’d like you to consider before we wrap up today.

We’ve talked about the paralyzed man…we’ve talked about the Scribes…we’ve talked about Jesus…we have yet to really talk about the paralyzed man’s four friends.

These four men all had lives apart from their friend…they all could have been home working on their own ‘honey-do’ lists for that day.

These four men could have relaxed that afternoon, but they didn’t.

These four men saw the needs of another human being, and they sacrificed their time and effort in taking him to a Jewish Rabbi who was known for miraculously healing all sorts of physical problems…

So, my question to you today is this:

who in your own life are you willing to ‘tear off the roof’ for in order to bring them to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ?

…Do you ever carry a spiritually paralyzed soul on a mat, or are you always at home working on a honey-do list?

 Are you getting comfortable in the afterglow of perhaps a favorable political outcome…

…or are you getting uncomfortable through helping others find the savior?

Politically, it may seem to many within evangelical circles that we have recently gone up 25 points in the 3rd quarter….

but don’t allow any feelings of political comfort to overflow into your spiritual lives.

Let’s never allow the current political situation in our nation to dictate the fervency of our spiritual convictions!

Sin is still running rampant in our culture.

People are still dying without hearing about how Jesus can save them.

There are many, many people on mats just waiting to be carried to the savior.

Let’s always have the mindsat and attitude of ‘taking one more paralyzed soul to the savior for forgiveness and spiritual healing.’

Are you willing to tear off the roof in order for one more person to experience eternity with God?

I’ll close today with a quote from Jobi Martin, one of the speakers at the RightNow Media Conference in Dallas that I recently attended.

He said this: “The only thing we can take to Heaven…is other people”

Let that sink in.

And Let’s Pray.