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