Mind Reading 11/02/2022

Read Mark 2: 6-12 [Passage cited at end of blog]

One of the many ways I used to try to entertain my classes in a large secondary school was to pretend to be able to do mind reading. I set up a fairly elaborate con trick to convince them that I could work out what they had agreed when I was not in the room. Sounds pretty stupid but it provided some light relief as we approached the school holidays etc. Here in this passage, there is evidence that Jesus was mind reading and it was not a trick. These experts in the law were 'turning things over in their minds.' but they had not uttered a single word out loud. But Jesus, the Son of God was able to know the thoughts that were in their minds. He is able to do that still. We can deceive other people by thinking one thing and then saying the exact opposite. We cannot deceive Jesus. He knows all the terrible things that are going through my cluttered and confused brain. That is a humbling and sobering thought.

What were they thinking? They were challenging the words which Jesus had addressed to the man lying on that mattress. Jesus had offered him forgiveness for his sins. Maybe, that was not what this man wanted to hear or expected to hear. He wanted to be able to walk again. He wanted to be healed from his paralysis. Jesus is in fact dealing with the root of the problem first. All of our illnesses and diseases are the product of sin. Jesus came from the abode of God in heaven where there is no sickness or disease. This man's condition was part of the broken sinful condition that he had been born into. We are born sinners and disease and illness are part of this state of affairs. If we had been present we might have been surprised to hear Jesus dealing with the man's sin instead of his paralysis but we would have been unlikely to take such offence at his statement as these scribes or teachers of the law did when they heard Jesus words. Jesus said to the paralysed man, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

This was sheer blasphemy. The teachers of the law were furious. Who does this man think he is? He has no right to speak like that. Then they said something which is completely accurate, "Who can forgive sins but God alone?" These scribes were not seeing who Jesus really was. They did not appreciate that God's own Son was present with them that day. As far as they were concerned, he was only another human being and would have been a sinner like them with no authority to forgive sins. But Jesus had then and still has now every right to forgive sins. In fact, his atoning death on the cross made forgiveness of sins a reality which is available to us today as well as this helpless individual in Capernaum.

But Jesus did what he so often does: he turned their negative comment into something positive for the glory of God the Father and for the benefit of this poor man. He linked the claim he had made to the healing process and thereby demonstrated that he as the Son of Man, the title he used, had indeed the authority on earth to forgive sins. He makes a comparison in his question which might seem strange to us. He compared two statements he was going to link and asked which was easier to say? Was it easier to say to this paralysed man, "Your sins are forgiven," or to command him "Get up, take your mat (or bedding) and walk?" They had challenged his right to claim to forgive this man's sins and though he had already forgiven his sins, there was no visible proof that this had been forgiven. Jesus is now going to do just that. He turns to the paralysed man and commands him to get up and go home. And when he does that and stands up and walks out of the room in full view of them all, Jesus has provided proof that he has the power on earth to forgive sins. He has linked the healing miracle with his authority over sin.

Incidentally, I have often observed that it was much easier for him to leave the house than to get in. The crowds are not a problem - he simply walks past them as they gaze in amazement at what they have just witnessed.

Jesus still has the power to forgive sins. It is still true that only God can forgive sins so no human on this earth can promise forgiveness of sins - apart from Jesus Christ. And yet this man was not required to undertake any form of penance or to engage in a long prayer. It was his complete faith and trust in Jesus which brought about the forgiveness of sins and the healing from disease which accompanied this. I feel an old hymn coming on - a really old hymn.

Oh yes my friend there's something more, something more than gold

To know your sins are all forgiven is something more than gold.

Here are the verses relating to this blog

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!” [Mark 2: 6-12 NIV]

[Photo by Ben White on Unspash.]