Faith, Renovation and Intercession – They all Come Together Here

What happens when a story has so many lessons that it’s hard to keep up? In a few words in Mark 2, we learn about faith, persistence, human nature, God’s grace, power and authority – and intercession! If we would take one lesson each day this week from this passage and let it saturate our lives, we could be truly changed by the end of the week!

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’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

First the Characters in the Story

Jesus is the primary character as healer and teacher. Wherever he went people flocked to hear him speak and to receive a healing touch.

The Crowd is made up of the disciples, the curious, seekers and on-lookers. Everyone wanted an experience with this new Rabbi they had heard so much about.

Teachers of the law and Pharisees are critics and faultfinders. They are very concerned that this Jesus movement will upset the delicate balance between Rome and Jerusalem. They are even more concerned that their influence is eroding in the face of this movement.

The paralytic is a man with two profound needs. The most obvious need is his physical need – he is bed-ridden. Jesus sees the greater need of forgiveness of his sins.

Four men are friends of the paralytic with great faith. While it would have been easy to carry on with their lives, ignoring the plight of their friend, they truly wanted him to experience healing and new life.

What we see here – Three lessons

When Jesus is present, he attracts a crowd. So often in our churches and religious gatherings we work hard to attract a crowd. I wonder what would change if we put as much effort into attracting Jesus!

Any crowd inevitably has critics and faultfinders. No matter how good things are, there are some who will criticize and find fault. Only in heaven, will these attitudes be forever eliminated. To expect otherwise is to be unrealistic.

Jesus’ power and authority includes both forgiving sins and healing. Much of that authority has been passed to his followers.

The most important characters – four anonymous men!

Without these men there would not have been healing and forgiveness. It was their extraordinary effort that changed the life of their friend.

They had a clear and powerful empathy for their friend. They did not ignore his suffering but in reality took his suffering upon themselves.

Putting their faith in action, not only did they go and get the man but they carried him to Jesus.

They wouldn’t let the crowd stop them. When the crowd blocked access, they created their own access by climbing up to the roof, digging through it and letting the man down. All of that took persistence, hard work and a little creativity!

Jesus commended their faith. When we believe enough to take action, good things happen!

What is this?

The four men give us a vivid example and working out of intercession. They clearly were the ones who were instrumental in bringing the need of another to Jesus for his solution. They demonstrated seven key components of successful intercession.

1. It is corporate. It required all four of them to make this happen. Our intercessory prayers carry multiplied power when we pray them together, agreeing on the desired outcome.

2. It is empathetic. The men did not do this out of duty. They clearly cared for the man. This was demonstrated in the level of effort that was required to make it happen. Our intercessory prayers must be fueled by our passion for the ones we pray for!

3. It is God seeking. They recognized the power of God at work in Jesus’ ministry. Our prayers for others must seek God. When we seek him, we experience his power as well.

4. It is hard work. Carrying the man, hoisting him onto the roof, digging through the roof, lowering him – all hard work! Intercessory prayer is hard work. It requires discipline and digging in!

5. It is persistent. Just as the men were not dissuaded from their tasks by the size of the crowd, the critics and faultfinders and all the work involved, so intercession keeps on pushing to get to Jesus.

6. It is bold and tenacious. There was a little audacity involved with these men’s efforts. Some might even have said they were rude but the job got done because of that boldness!

7. It continues until it is satisfied! Intercession never ends until a favorable answer is given.

What are you going to do about it?

Don’t just sit there, do something! Prayer is an important starting point but action is also required. Who needs you to intercede for them today? Pray for them, then take action and demonstrate in their lives the powerful love of God.