Introduction

I’m a bit of a grammar policeman. Do you know any grammar police?

I found these funny grammar memes/graphics:

Teacher asked me, “What’s the past tense of ‘think.’”

I thought and thought about this for ages.

Then I said, “Thunk.” https://pics.me.me/teacher-asked-me-whats-the-past-tense-of-think-i-20503719.png

You can’t run through a camp ground.

You can only ran, because it’s past tents. http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8836/18582012616_e37b2c7916.jpg

Mark was a master writer and storyteller. Unfortunately we can miss some of his inspired storytelling in our English translations.

Mark has this thing where he writes about a past event as if it’s happening in the present. He breaks some grammar rules. It’s called ‘the historical present.’ Mark describes a situation that has happened in history (the past), but describes it using present tense.

Mark uses four of these ‘historical presents’ in our reading.

I think he does this to invite the reader/hearer into the story; he invites you to imagine yourself in the situation; he invites you to imagine the story is happening right now.

So let’s do it! Let’s imagine this story of the paralysed man being lowered through the roof is happening right now.

1. The crowd is gathered

¹ A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. ² They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. (Mark 2:1–2)

Can you imagine the scene? A crowd or congregation has gathered to hear Jesus, because Jesus himself is preaching! It’s standing room only. All the doors are blocked.

There’s a congregation that’s gathered right here. Let’s hear what Jesus has to say.

2. Friends come carrying the paralysed man

³ Some men come carrying to [Jesus] a paralysed man, lifted by four people. ⁴ And because they were not able to carry [the man] to [Jesus] on account of the crowd, they took off the roof where he was, and, having dug it out, they lower the stretcher. (Mark 2:3–4, literal translation)

These are desperate times. There are no doctors or nurses, hospitals or Medicare to help this man. The desperateness is underline by the fact that four friends are required to carry the man. But they can’t get through the crowd…

Desperate times require desperate measures. These four friends don’t give up in the face of obstacles. Instead they do something risky and get creative: they climb on top of the house, using their hands and feet they pull off some of the roof, and lower the stretcher straight down to Jesus.

3. Jesus is forgiving the paralysed man

⁵ Upon seeing the faith [of the four friends], Jesus says to the paralysed man: “Son, your sins are right now truly being forgiven.” (Mark 2:5, literal translation)

When the man is lowered through the roof, we might expect Jesus to say, “Son, you are healed, get up and walk.” But what does he say instead? “Son, your sins are right now truly being forgiven.”

Jesus has a way of getting straight to the point. He straight up acknowledges the mysteriously evil link between sin and sickness. Sickness is a manifestation of the sin that paralyses this man. Yet through his actions Jesus restores health by lifting the load of sin that immobilizes this man.

The crippling weight of sin can destroy our health too. It does not show up on any blood test or X-ray, but it is as virulent as any physical disease. Sin can manifest itself as sickness, depression, anxiety, fear, shame, guilt.

Like this man lying immobilised on the mat, sin paralyses us; sin paralyses you.

Is there a particular manifestation of sin that is paralysing you?

These are desperate times. We are sick and paralysed by sin in our mind/body/soul/spirit. Our desperateness is underlined in that we all suffer.

Desperate times require desperate measures. Jesus, your friend, carries your paralysed body on a stretcher to God. He doesn’t give up in the face of obstacles. Instead he does something risky and gets creative: he climbs to the top of a hill, using his hands and feet he is nailed to a cross, and dies and rises again to heal you.

Jesus brings near the kingdom of God (Mark 1:15). How? By the forgiveness of sin.

As we pray in the Lord’s prayer:

Your kingdom come
Your will be done, on earth as in heaven. …
Forgive us our sins.

4. The teachers of the law are sitting (t)here

⁶ Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, ⁷ “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:6–7)

There’s two related things going on here.

Firstly, the teachers of the law are “sitting there.” It’s so crowded that people are standing in the doorway, and yet here are the teachers sitting down, front and centre, taking up the best seats!  We don’t seem to have that problem here in our church — the front seats are empty!  Yet the issue is not that the teachers were sitting up the front, but they thought they were important, they thought they deserved special treatment, they favoured their own wants over those who are truly needy.  So, do we have this problem in our church…? Do we at times think we are important and deserve special treatment? Do we favour our wants or preferences over others? Do we through our actions and self-centredness, block truly needy people from coming to Jesus? How do we need to change to let needy people reach Jesus?

These are desperate times. Our world is sick and paralysed by sin. Our friends and family are hurting, broken and afraid, they lack hope and purpose in life. They need to reach Jesus, yet there seems to be so many obstacles.

What desperate measures are we going to take? How can we help stretcher our friends and family to God for help?  One way is through prayer, bringing the needs of others to God. I know many of you are praying for your friends and family members who don’t know Jesus: keep it up!  But perhaps we also need to acknowledge there may be opportunities where we need to do something risky or get creative. How can we think outside of the box to bring our needy, paralysed friends to Jesus?

Secondly, the teachers of the law get grumpy with Jesus because he changes how they’ve been doing things for centuries. Change?! Who wants change?! For centuries the people had taken care of sin by going to the priest at the temple to perform an animal sacrifice. And now this man claims that he can forgive sin by Word alone.

Notice the emphasis Jesus places when he responds to the teachers:

⁹ “Which is easier: to say to this paralysed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? ¹⁰ But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” (Mark 2:9–10)

This is an issue of authority. God alone has the power to forgive sin, and previously he had done this through what happened at the temple.

So who is this man who now claims to declare sins forgiven by Word alone?

This man is Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God! And Jesus wants you to know that he has authority on earth to forgive sins. And in doing so he brings the kingdom of God from heaven to earth!

In a moment we’re going to experience this power and authority as God’s kingdom comes from heaven to earth. I’m going to speak in Jesus’ stead and by God’s authority declare your sins forgiven by Word alone.

God spoke the entire creation into existence: ‘God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light’ (Genesis 1:3). So when God says, “Your sins are forgiven,” then your sins are right now truly forgiven. Jesus your friend is right now carrying you by stretcher to God. And because of his death and resurrection he’s been given the authority to lift the crippling weight of sin from you.

So let’s experience the kingdom of God coming near to us. Amen.

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