JOURNEY WITH JESUS: NUGGETS FROM THE GOSPEL OF MARK

Faith in Action

BY REV. LISA MORRISON

Whenwas the last time you put your faith into action?

In order to put our faith into action, we must believe Jesus is who He says He is and can do what He says He can do. Faith moves Jesus to act.

In our story found in Mark 2:1-12, we witness four friends put their faith into action. They’re so convinced Jesus can heal their paralyzed friend they do not turn away in disappointment when the crowded front door blocks their access to Jesus. They are persistent in their faith. They carry their paralyzed friend to the roof, dig a hole in it, and lower him down to Jesus. This is faith in action!

What is telling in this act of faith is that when the man is lowered, Jesus does not say, Get up. Take your mat and go home. Instead, he says, Son, your sins are forgiven. (v. 5) Why does Jesus say this? I thought the man was sick, not sinful. This is a most unexpected twist in the story. Who is this Jesus to be forgiving sins as only God can forgive sins? Has this man not blasphemed by saying he can do what only God can do?

By Jesus saying to the paralytic his sins are forgiven, He is pointing out that sin is far more debilitating than any physical sickness could ever be. Jesus is also demonstrating that, beyond His ability to perform miracles of healing, He alone can offer the miracle of forgiveness.

Jesus chooses to perform this specific miracle publicly rather than privately so He can push His identity into the public arena. This heart-warming healing suddenly becomes a perilous confrontation over religious authority.

The religious leaders do not rejoice over this miraculous healing. They are more concerned that this healing takes place on the Sabbath, breaking their man-made law, which states no work which can wait until the following day is to be done on the Sabbath.

They think this Jesus cannot be their promised messiah since he breaks the Sabbath man-made oral tradition and claims to be God in His telling the man your sins are forgiven. Jesus knows what they are thinking.

We all have to answer the question: Who is this Jesus? If we believe He is God and want to be in relationship with Him and see Him move, then we need to put our faith into action just as the paralytic’s friends did. They didn’t let a crowded front door stop them. They persisted in reaching Jesus so their friend could be healed. It was their faith that caused Jesus to act.

Believe Jesus is God, put your faith into action, and experience what only Jesus can do!

Lisa Morrison is an ordained minister who has served as pastor and staff pastor in several positions in the local church, as well as in district ministerial and educational leadership positions. She has also served as Adjunct Instructor in the Religion Department at various educational institutions of higher learning. She holds two master’s degrees and a post graduate degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.