Intentional Faith • February 19, 2006

Isaiah 43:18-25; Psalm 41; 2 Corinthians 1:18-22; Mark 2:1-12


Sermon by Michael R. Martin
First United Methodist Church of Saranac Lake, NY

When last we left Jesus, he had just healed a man with leprosy, who ran about shouting about it. As a result, Jesus couldn’t enter a town publicly. He stayed out in the secluded places and people came to him from everywhere. We continue now with Mark Chapter 2.

Mark 2:1-12 (NIV) • Jesus Heals a Paralytic
A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. ² So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. ³ Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. ⁴ Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. ⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

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?"

⁸ Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? ⁹ Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? ¹⁰ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...." He said to the paralytic, ¹¹ "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." ¹² He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"

Once again we have recounted a dramatic act of faith taken by one to reach the merciful healing touch of Jesus. And Jesus, and Mark in the retelling, uses this miracle, to demonstrate that Jesus is more than just a healer. For the first time in Mark, Jesus refers to himself as the Son of Man. And before Jesus instructs the paraplegic to take up his mat and walk, he does something far more significant and NOT overlooked by the religious scholars among the crowd. Jesus forgives the man’s sins. What blasphemy is this? Only GOD can forgive sin? Here we have Jesus putting it all on the line right from the start. People were already starting to notice, resulting in growing throngs of worshipers, seekers, crowds. And others were beginning to notice, too. The religious scholars and keepers of the laws. Jesus was at the least, a blasphemer – a person who speaks disrespectfully of sacred things, sacrilegious – perhaps much more, a growing threat to rule and order.

I could construct a message for you about how we should all be like the men who cared the paraplegic to Jesus when we come across someone who has fallen, but I think that’s just a little to contrived. I know it is nice when the message relates to our daily lives. But sometimes the power of the Scripture is just the Power of the Scripture. Here’s all I want you to think about today’s reading: If you take anything away anything at all, its to be intentional about your faith. What the heck do I mean by that? Certainly Jesus was nothing if not intentional about His faith. It was all he was and in all he did, didn’t matter when, didn’t matter where, didn’t matter the consequences, when he was out in front of the crowds and when he was alone His Father. So, be intentional about YOUR faith. Make it so much a part of you that it is never left behind, never an afterthought, in good times, hard times, in the quiet moments, at all times.

Michael R. Martin – February 19, 2006
First UMC of Saranac Lake, 8:30AM

Jesus Heals a Leper • February 12, 2006

2 Kings 5:1-14, Psalm 30, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Mark 1:40-45

Sermon by Michael R. Martin
First United Methodist Church of Saranac Lake, NY

Mark 1:40-45 (NKJV)
⁴⁰ Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean." ⁴¹ Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed." ⁴² As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. ⁴³ And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, ⁴⁴ and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them." ⁴⁵ However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction."

We continue with the Gospel of Mark. It's not often that the Lectionary year focuses on Mark's gospel so I'm taking this opportunity. It is believed that Mark's was the first of the gospels to be written and Mark is no nonsense and action-oriented in his approach. Rather than writing to reach the Jews -- covering Jesus' geneology or predictions of his coming in any great length, Mark writes for the common person to simply prove Jesus is the Messiah. Mark records more of Jesus' miracles than sermons. Jesus is clearly a man of power and action, not just words. Jesus did miracles to convince the people who he was and to teach the disciples his true identity as God.

Omitting the birth of Jesus, Mark begins with John the Baptist's preaching. Mark moves quickly: Jesus is baptized and tempted in the desert, he calls is first disciples, he drives an evil spirit out of one who is possessed, heals many, and retreats to pray in solitude. Jesus travels throughout Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and driving out demons -- all this and we are still in Chapter 1.

The Gospel according to Mark begins with these words:

Mark 1:2-4 (NIV)
² It is written in Isaiah the prophet: "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way"-- ³ "a voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'" ⁴ And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Remember these words from Mark 1:8? “I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

In Jesus' day, leprosy was an awful, incurable disease. Actually, a wide variety of skin diseases were called leprosy. Leprosy itself was a disease characterized by degeneration of nerves and tissue, accompanied with disfiguring comtractions and skin lesions, often with the resultant loss of extremities. Lepers were removed from society and there were strict laws prescribing their life of isolation and how they were to proceed to reenter society should their leprosy go into remission. The Old Testament Leviticus devotes two whole chapters to these laws (Leviticus 13-14) and its worthwhile reading to get some comprehension of the background to today's story.

I see this tale as a bit of a turning point in Jesus' minitstry. Prior to this moment, Jesus was freely preaching in the cities and synagogues, but after this, his act of touching a leper had made him unclean by the Law, unwelcome in the city, and his ministry moved to the hillsides and outskirts of towns and cities.

Imagine the man’s hunger for healing, the faith in Jesus, that he should break all rules of cleanliness and society. It reminds me of the later miracle when Jesus heals the bleeding woman who cries out if she could just touch the hem of Jesus’ garment. I wonder from where does the leper’s faith come? By this time, word of Jesus must have been spreading like wildfire, like crazy rumors. A man, calls himself a prophet, healing with a touch. And so, the leper came. You often hear the verse about how Jesus cares for the sparrows of the field, how much more he must care for us. Personally, I see the stories of the leper and the woman as more indicative of Jesus' love and compassion. Frankly, I think the sparrows can pretty much fend for themselves. But if Jesus could care and heal ones so troubled, so unclean, simply because of their faith, would he not do the same for you? Can you be less deserving?

Michael R. Martin – February 12, 2006
First UMC of Saranac Lake, 8:30AM

portions from Life Application Bible Notes