The Healing of Souls – February 7, 2021 – Eddington Presbyterian Church

Old Testament, Mark 2:1-12
February 7, 2021

We’ve been looking at the very early days of Jesus’ ministry. And we’ve been seeing the people’s reaction to Jesus, as they were seeing him and hearing him for the very first time. And those were amazing stories!

Next week, we’re going to be looking at the Transfiguration. That’s a story that took place later in Jesus’ ministry. But I don’t want to leave the early days without looking at this story. Because I think this one is very important – and so did Mark.

So far, we’ve seen how the crowds that came to see and hear Jesus were getting bigger and bigger. It got to the point where Jesus could “no longer enter a town openly, but stayed out in the country.” And still, “the people came to him from every quarter.” That’s the verse we ended with last week. But I also mentioned how, by chapter 3, Marks say that Jesus could hardly have a decent meal with his disciples because of the crowds.

So, that’s what things are like as we look at this story for today. At this point, Jesus has left Capernaum, and gone on what my Bible calls “A Preaching tour through Galilee.” So, you know that that means, don’t you? This is “Jesus, the Rock Star,” and he has done what all rock stars do! He has gone “out on tour!”

Then as we begin Chapter 2, he has returned. As I’ve said before, Capernaum became Jesus’ adopted home town. It was his “base of operations,” if you will. And Mark begins the chapter by saying, “When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that the was at home.” Now think about that!. Jesus had a home. I never thought about that before. Because Mark says he was “at home.” Not “he was home,” in the sense that he had come back to his home town, but he was “at home,” in the sense that he was in his house! Again, I never thought about that with this story before! Jesus had a house!

So people heard that he was home, and they came – a lot of people came! And I’m thinking it makes sense that these were many of the same people who were crowded around Peter’s house in our last story. And like it was that day, there were so many people crowded around the house, that these men had no way of getting anywhere near Jesus with their paralyzed friend. So, what did they do? You know the story! They broke through the roof and let their friend down on ropes in front of Jesus. And we love this story, don’t we?

Think about this scene. Imagine being inside this house. I’ve heard this described before as these men actually “digging through” the roof. So you’re there listening to Jesus, but then you’re hearing some other sounds from above. And this would have taken some time! So, everybody’s there sitting, watching, waiting. And if you’ve ever had ceiling work done, what happens? Stuff falls in! A lot of debris starts to come down. And it would have fallen in on the people below – at least the little pieces and the cloud of dust!

So imagine the crowd. They were there, maybe they were in a kind of shock about what was happening. And they had to be thinking, “What’s Jesus going to do now?” And remember, this was his house! Again, I’ve never thought of it that way before, but I have heard this mentioned in sermons. “What did the homeowner think about what was happening?” This was destruction of property! Well, this was Jesus’ house! What was he thinking?

So, they’re all sitting there in shocked silence, with the light streaming in through this hole in the ceiling, illuminating a shaft of light in the dust, coming down to the floor. And then slowly this man is lowered in front of them on ropes. And maybe they could see the men above, letting this man down. And now the man is lying on the floor in front of Jesus. What a scene! And what is Jesus going to do now?

Well, Jesus chooses to add to the drama of that scene by taking his ministry to the “next level.” What I mean by that, is that, so far, he’s been doing the “mass healings,” like I described last week. Now he takes that to the place where he’s not just healing the body, he’s healing the soul! That’s what I’ve titled this sermon. “The Healing of Souls!” Jesus says to the man, “Your sins are forgiven.” This is not just a healing of the man’s paralysis. It’s not just a healing of the man’s body. It’s a healing of the man’s soul!

If you read the Psalms, you’ll find that the psalmist often combines those two things. He doesn’t talk only in terms of God “healing our diseases.” He talks about God being our fortress, about giving us peace, about cleansing our iniquities. It’s “the healing of souls.” To the psalmist, it all goes hand in hand. We read today from Psalm 103.

Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
    who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life,
    who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.

I’m happy to see that modern medicine has finally come around to this. In the “modern age,” that is, before the year 2000, medicine was all about “the science of things.” And science consisted of the “empirical knowledge only.” That was the “modern age” we were living in. Science was everything! If science couldn’t explain it or measure it, it didn’t exist. (Or it didn’t matter!) And don’t get me wrong! I’m all about science and technology! But, there’s more than that! There is the spiritual! And now, medicine has come around, and has begun to recognize that the spiritual is just as important as the physical! They go hand in hand!

That’s what I love about this story. That’s why I believe it’s so important. Jesus didn’t just heal the body here. He healed the soul! And – this is what I really love about this story! Jesus took his authority in the spiritual realm to the next level! We saw that in the last story, where he cast out the demonic spirit. Now, when he saw the faith of these men, he didn’t say to the man, “You are healed!” He said, “Your sins are forgiven.” That was unexpected! That may have been just as much a shock as the big hole in the ceiling!

Of course the other thing that he took “to the next level” was the challenge – the affront – to the religious authorities! There’s was perhaps the biggest shock that day! “Who does this man think he is?” “Only God can forgive sins!” Yes! They were there that day, too! And they were right! And everybody was thinking the same thing! Nobody there would have said, “Yeah, but this is Jesus!”

They were all thinking it. And what they were all thinking was enough of an issue that Jesus addressed it. And he tied the two things together very nicely. He said, “What is it easier to say?” ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Take up your pallet and walk’?” “But, so you may know the authority I have, I do this action!” And he healed the man.

Jesus knew that it wasn’t just what he said that was important, but also what he did! And that’s the thing about Jesus. Many people would come to recognize him as a “great teacher,” who said a lot of “great things.” But Jesus himself said, “It’s easy to say good things, but I have come to do good things.” And he did! He showed us God’s love, and he brought us back into God’s kingdom.

That’s the Jesus we worship. He’s not just someone who said a lot of great things – which he did! But more than that, we worship a Jesus who has done great things! We worship a Jesus who has healed our souls! We worship a Jesus who has redeemed us! We worship a Jesus who has given us power to become children of God. That’s the authority he has shown in his life, in his death, and in his resurrection!

We come to him as broken people, paralyzed by our fears, our shame, and our guilt, and he says to us, “Your sins are forgiven!” And he sets us free!

Prayer

Eternal God, help us to know every day your salvation in our lives. Help us to be more and more aware of your great love for us. Help us to know the guidance and peace through your Holy Spirit. Help us to be people who rejoice in our redemption. This we pray in our Savior’s name, Amen.