The Authority of the Son of Man

Mark 2 : 1 - 12

This is a new story. There is a geographical connection mentioned in the beginning, ‘when he returned to Capernaum after some days…’ so it is still connected to the previous stories. Jesus was most likely at Simon Peter’s home. However, we read that not only Simon Peter’s household was there, but also many, the crowd, gathered together and filled the room. The crowd is a certain motif in the gospels - not only in the gospel of Mark, but also in the gospel of Luke. Here the crowd is rather negatively portrayed. Jesus was not impressed with the attendance of the many. I am not saying that numbers are not important at all, but note that Jesus could distinguish between those who were sincere and those who were just observing, critically analyzing, judging, etc. In this story, the crowd not only is devoid of faith, but also questions Jesus’ authority. There is an interesting comment from a commentary on verse four. The crowd could have made way for the paralytic, but they obstructed the way to Jesus instead. Does this not sound familiar in your and my life? You want to monopolize this interesting spectacle for yourself, you don’t want to give way.

We do not really know the content of Jesus’ preaching, but we can assume that the crowd gathered there because they were quasi-interested in the preaching. Being interested in hearing a sermon is one thing, but having faith in Jesus is another. As you see in this story, the ones who questioned Jesus’ authority belonged to the crowd. The precise content of Jesus’ preaching is unknown, but Mark emphasizes that Jesus was preaching the word to them. Preaching the word is a very important ministry in Jesus’ life. Jesus Himself is the Word and He preached the word. Is it not sad that in our time we tend to denigrate, belittle the importance of talking because we skeptically assume those who talk do not really take any actions? It is certainly not the case with Jesus. He is the Word. He is the manifestation of what He preached. Of course we are not Jesus and we are not perfect like Jesus, but still it is the church’s calling to imitate Him, to be more and more like Him, to counter the almost inevitable schizophrenic tendency between talking and doing. If we are not serious in the embodiment of the word in your and my life, we are somehow forced to be silent. People will say, ‘Don’t talk too much, just show your act of mercy, your help and contribution. Don’t preach.’ We don’t find this dichotomy or dualism in the bible, and certainly not in the life of Jesus.

Let us now look at the faith of the four people who helped the paralytic. Verse 5 says, ‘and when Jesus saw their faith’. The plural pronoun is used here, so includes the faith of the people who brought the paralytic. There is a discussion whether the faith of the paralytic is included here - I’ll come back to this later. Nevertheless, the faith of the four people is certainly included. We can learn what faith is from the story. Firstly, they did not give up after the crowd refused them entry. They had perseverance and a fighting spirit. This was not endurance driven by ego or due to being offended. It was because they wanted to bring the paralytic to Jesus. This is the kind of perseverance you and I should also have. Sometimes in conversations, we want to impose our opinion upon others as if our view is God’s view and everyone should listen to us. We want to feel important about our opinion. Perhaps we get offended if our opinion is dismissed, so we fight until our opinion is respected. That is not faith. Perhaps that is stubbornness. As we discussed from the epistle of James, one of the signs of christian maturity is being open to reason or easily persuaded. It is not a weak ego. Rather, it is a sign of christian maturity.

The four people wanted to bring the paralytic to Jesus and they fought for it. They didn’t fight for themselves, their opinions, or their deterministic will. They fought for this paralytic. A commentary says ‘faith is first and foremost not knowledge about Jesus, but active trust that Jesus is sufficient for one’s deepest and most heartfelt needs.’. It certainly does not mean that knowledge about Jesus is unimportant. However, theoretically knowing about Jesus is not the same as knowing Jesus (quoting from J.I. Packer). We should ask God for this experience where we may learn this concrete active trust that Jesus is really sufficient for our needs. And it is not only for our needs, but also for the needs of others. You can see here the beautiful connection between faith and compassion, between faith and love.

Let us come back to the question whether the faith here includes that of the paralytic. On one hand, it is rather unimaginable that the four people brought the paralytic against the will of the paralytic. On the other hand, in some stories in the gospels, Jesus could fulfill petitions of a certain person for another person. This is precisely the beauty of intercessory prayer. We pray for those who may not even be interested in praying for themselves. On their behalf, we pray and ask for God’s blessing, protection, mercy, love, etc. We should not rule out the scenario where the four people interceded for the paralytic who was unable to believe. Perhaps what Mark wanted to stress is the faith itself, rather than whose faith. Thus perhaps we should leave it open whether their faith here includes that of the paralytic. Nevertheless, there was certainly faith, and the expression was beautiful.

What is also interesting is the first sentence that came out of Jesus’ mouth, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’. This is rather unusual. In other stories in the gospel, it is often the case that Jesus did the physical healing, and then Jesus or the author of the gospel explained its spiritual dimension. Here Jesus began with the spiritual dimension by saying ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’. There was a relation between the paralytic’s condition and his sins. We do not need to speculate what kind of sins they were or try to be dogmatic about sickness always coming from sins. The gospel of Mark is not very clear here. However, Jesus used the plural form ‘sins’ here, referring to particular sins of the person. Normally when the bible, for instance the writings of Paul talks about sin in general, the singular form is used. Jesus was not trying to explain the relationship between sin and illness either. It is also very unlikely that Jesus said the sentence, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven’ to challenge those who did not believe in Him. A commentary says, ‘It is uncharacteristic of Jesus to use a person for an ulterior motive.’. This is very interesting. Jesus wanted to heal the person out of compassion, not some ulterior motive, although we might say that He is still legitimate to do it. Jesus did not explain the relationship between the paralytic’s sins and his condition. However, as you see in other gospels like the gospel of John, when Jesus met the Samaritan woman, it was important the woman knew about her own sins. Jesus did not talk about some abstract understanding of sin. Rather, He addressed the person’s personal sins. Many people might feel uncomfortable to be addressed at this deeply personal level. The Samaritan woman at first wanted to divert the conversation to a theological discussion with Jesus because she was not comfortable to have her personal sins addressed. However, we do not see the same kind of response from the paralytic. When talking about your and my personal sins, no other person can substitute us as it is a very personal level. It should be addressed personally and you should listen personally to God’s word. There is no substitute for the punishment of your and my sins except by Jesus Himself. The paralytic’s faith cannot be substituted by the faith of his four friends.

I have mentioned the spiritual dimension of the healing of the paralytic. Jesus also wanted the crowd to know their condition. It is not so clear here but deducing from the gospel of John, especially in the story when Jesus healed a blind man. Jesus wanted to challenge the crowd to acknowledge their spiritual blindness but they refused. When you read here the questioning, suspicion and disbelief of the crowd, Jesus said to them in verse ten, ‘But you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins…’. This is not a show-off but a sincere invitation to them who still doubt Jesus’ authority to believe in Him. Jesus demonstrated his authority not only because he was challenged but also because he sincerely wanted them to know Him. In other words, the healing of the paralytic is an evidence that the forgiveness of sins is not empty words but reality. It is a sign of His authority. It is rather sad, however, if people must always be provided with physical evidence and proof so they can see the work of God and the spiritual realm. For instance, one may say ‘O God, if you want to show your goodness, please help me pass this exam or find a beautiful girlfriend or a rich boyfriend.’. Such cannot see the spiritual beauty unless God proves it in the physical realm. In Jesus’ encounter with Thomas, Jesus said that he believed because he saw signs, but blessed are those who do not see and yet still believe. When Jesus said that your sins are forgiven, your sins are really forgiven and we do not need any physical evidence. Sometimes we are indeed just too weak such that we need physical signs to believe in God. God can accommodate our weakness, but He wants you and me to grow.

Lastly, relating this story with the condition in Indonesia. Perhaps now the real challenge of christianity is to be like these four persons who cared not only for their own wellbeing, safety, comfort but also the need of the paralytic. You might say that you’re quite safe and secure here in Europe, but this is not an excuse to be indifferent christians. Although we stay in Germany, Sweden or Switzerland, there are certainly people who need help. We don’t need riots to come to realize there are neighbours who need our help. Maybe it will be too late by then. I am not saying this to people in Indonesia, but to you who are in Europe. We are sometimes unaware of our indifference and inadequacy until something happens that triggers our introspection. Why are we not helping now? I am not saying we should be the saviour of the world, trying to erase all suffering and sickness in the world. However, I believe each of us has a portion in our lives. Let us learn from these four persons who brought the paralytic. May God bless us. (S.W.)