Gospel of Mark: Desire (2:1-12)

You Don’t Always Get What You Want

What is your deepest desire? Is it fame, fortune, a spouse, or a family? Many of us live our lives chasing that one thing that we feel will solve everything else in our lives. If I only had…

In Mark 2:1-12, we encounter Jesus’ teaching ministry in and around his home base of Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee. In the passage, we see Jesus had returned home and that the crowds are now pressing in on him regularly. He has begun to perform miracles and teach with a new kind of authority that is attracting many people from the area to him. In this episode, we see that four friends have “faith” that if they can bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus, that Jesus will heal the man.

They were right, but Jesus uses this opportunity to point out something else, and to reveal something about himself to the world. In the passage, the first thing Jesus tells the man is that on the basis of his friends’ faith, that he is forgiving this man’s sins. What? That isn’t what the man was asking for! This would be like going to the doctor complaining of chest pain, and the doctor’s response is, “Your sins are forgiven.” Is Jesus really that out of touch with the needs around him?

It turns out Jesus did desire to heal the man’s legs and help him to walk again, but he makes it clear to all who are listening that the man’s physical suffering is not his most important problem. Instead, Jesus reminds all who are listening that it is the sinfulness of humankind — our ability to “mess things up” — that is this man’s most significant problem, and it is also our most significant problem.

So, Jesus, in his divine wisdom, did not immediately give the man what he wanted. He did not do the cruel thing of healing the man’s physical need without addressing the spiritual sickness at the core of his existence. So, he first offered forgiveness of sins, then he heals the man’s physical disability. And finally, to the anger of the religious leaders, Jesus announces to the world that he is able to both forgive sin and heal people because he is God in the flesh standing right there in front of them.

What does God desire to do in your life today? If you were the person being lowered by your friends to come face to face with the God of the universe, what would you say to Jesus? More importantly, what would Jesus desire to do in your life?