Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, September 11, 2022

Remove the Roof to Healing. Today, Pastor Michael is talking about Jesus being all around Galilee then on to Capernaum, which was kind of his home base of ministry.  Hometown of Simon Peter as well and folks are wanting to get their healing on. Jesus was most likely staying with Simon Peter in Capernaum. So everyone hears that Jesus is back in town, so folks swarmed the house to get some of Jesus’ healing and time.  So many were there, some couldn’t get into the house, where Jesus was preaching the Word.  A paralyzed person wanted healing from Jesus but it simply was too packed; four men came carrying him on a mat.  But it’s so packed they cannot get in the house!   So in a brilliant bit of creative thinking, the four friends carrying him removed the roof and lowered him, on the mat, down to Jesus.  Seeing their faith, Jesus exclaimed, “Son, your sins are forgiven” which made some of the old scribes there feeling like Jesus was blaspheming by offering to forgive sins.   Jesus told the scribes it was easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven” rather than “Get up, take your mat and walk”.  But to reinforce that the Son of Man has true authority, He told the man, “I tell you: get up, take your mat and go home”. Which he did. (CSB Baker Illustrated Bible Study Notes) 2:6–12. Mention of forgiveness of sins shifts the story abruptly from the paralytic to the scribes (2:6). Offended by Jesus’s pronouncement of forgiveness, the scribes accuse Jesus of blasphemy, for only God can forgive sins (2:7; cf. Ex 34:6–7; Ps 103:3; Is 43:25; Mc 7:18). Desiring the onlookers to know that “the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” (2:10), Jesus provides evidence of forgiveness of sins (which cannot be verified) by healing the paralytic (which can be verified). Verses can be found today in Mark 2: 1-12. Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.