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October 11-12, 2017

Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.

Reading along with us in Mark? Here’s today’s reading:

Mark 2 (ESV)

And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”Continue Reading

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This Post Has 8 Comments
  1. “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11″I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”

  2. I’m finding verses 22-23 very confusing, how do we relate to the illustration of the cloth and the wine. What point is he trying to make?

    1. It’s a good question Sarah. As Jesus comes to initiate the time of grace and the Spirit, and will end the mediation that the law served between the Jews and God, He is saying you cannot mix the two. If you try to orient your life to the law AND grace, ie man coming up with the energy to follow God as opposed to God providing the energy, it just won’t work. As Jesus is confronted with this question about fasting, in this context an attempt by man to make himself right with God, He sees it inconsistent for that time period of the kingdom that He is bringing. It has to do with sadness. But now is a time for joy since the bridegroom is here. See law cannot accommodate a subtle shift like that. All it sees is…you must fast. Jesus, in grace, says, “It’s not a bad thing, but it’s just not the right time.” Certainly grace never justifies sin, but it does give us freedom to not follow certain restrictions or works that people would put on us.

      Let me know if that makes sense, and if not, we can talk more….

  3. Wonder whose idea it was to climb the roof cut a whole in it and then lower the man down fair amount of persistence and courage as well as faith

  4. Jesus is a revolutionary….not a rule breaker, but a revolutionary introducing a new way to approach life, only because of who He is, the Son of God. He has the right to forgive sin, call a tax collector to follow Him, decide this is not the time to fast and be Lord of the Sabbath. All things that rocked the Jewish world and their understanding of how things went. And we need Him to rock our world as well. He will direct and restrict in some things and free us in others. He will call out sin and legalism for what it is, but show mercy and grace for those that don’t deserve it.. Welcome to life in the Spirit and in grace!

  5. Obviously, the healed leper in the previous chapter did make an enormous impact on the community. Although Jesus asked the leper to fulfill his duty with the law and be quiet, how in the world could he not share about Jesus and his new lease on life. It just might be that the healed leper went to the downtrodden and broken first. After all, the poor have a community amongst themselves. Once the paralyzed man heard from the leper what Jesus did, I’m sure he made enough ruckus in the neighborhood and wouldn’t be quiet until he saw Jesus himself. He did not worry about a bit of danger. “Throw me on the roof!” “Get some rope!”. He coerced his carriers to do the unthinkable. In such circumstances, this dusty mess delighted Gods heart.

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