WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

An international Sunday school lesson commentary

For Sunday January 17, 2021

 

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CALLED IN AUTHORITY

(JESUS heals a paralyzed man)

(Mark 2:1-12)

 

   Several days after working HIS way through the area of Galilee, healing many along the way, including a man with leprosy, JESUS returned to Capernaum. The news of HIS arrival spread quickly through the town, and soon the house where HE was staying became packed with visitors from all around.

    As JESUS taught the Word of GOD to them, four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat with them. Unable to get to JESUS through the crowd the men, because of their strong faith in what JESUS could do for their friend, decided to climb up on top of the house, dig a hole through the clay roof, and lower the paralyzed man down through the hole right in front of where JESUS was sitting. Realizing their faith, JESUS said to the paralyzed man, “MY son, your sins are forgiven”.

    Here in Mark chapter 2, verse 5, the word John Mark uses for “forgiven” in his original Greek writing is “aphiemi” (ap-i-mee), and it means, quite literally, “to send away” or “wipe away”, in this case, “sin”. Those who argue that JESUS never claimed to be GOD can simply choose to ignore this passage. However, true Christians know, and even the Pharisees taught, that only GOD can “send away” or “wipe away” our sins.

    In this passage, JESUS clearly makes the claim that day, through HIS actions, from this little house in Capernaum where HE, first, healed this paralyzed man “spiritually”, by forgiving his sins, and then, healed him “physically”, enabling him to pick up his mat and walk in a normal human fashion from that day forward.

    This miraculous event serves to remind us that, the first thing JESUS does for each of us is to say, “thy sins be forgiven thee”. The true essence of JESUS’ life is that, through HIM, we see clearly depicted, GOD’s attitude towards mankind, HIS greatest creation. It is not an attitude of always desiring to apply stern judgment, but rather, it is an attitude of discipline through “perfect love”, having a heart that eagerly yearns to forgive us. And while GOD will never change HIS rule of life for us, HE will always, through tests and time, try to gradually move us back into HIS Will, so that we can inherit eternal life in Heaven with HIM.

    The Pharisees had always taught and stressed to ailing people, that the reason they could not heal them was because GOD hadn’t forgiven them of their sins yet. And since forgiveness had to come first, they themselves are to blame for remaining in their own sickness. And so, according to their teaching, the ailing person had to first, convince GOD to forgive them (because only GOD can forgive sin) before it would be possible for them to step in and do the work of physical healing to that person.

    Here in this passage, JESUS, whom the Pharisees argued “was not of GOD”, debunks their self-made excuses and lies, and proves before the packed house of onlookers that HE was truly “sent by GOD. Here HE, first, “forgave” the ailing man of his sins, like only GOD can do, and then, HE “healed the man physically”, and thereby, confirming HIS authority from GOD WHO sent HIM.

    And so, we see in this lesson, that, our burden should not be “a fear that GOD will not keep HIS promise of forgiveness”, for the GOD of creation cannot lie. Our responsibility lies in our “willingness to earnestly repent” for our sins, so that we may obtain GOD’s gracious forgiveness and mercy.

    The word “repent” in the biblical Greek “metanoia” means “a change of mind”, however, it is a change of mind “before we sin”. We must learn to change our mind about sin “while we are still in the thinking stage” about it. We must understand that “true repent” is “a thing of the heart”, not just words coming off our lips. GOD is “kardiognostes” (kar-dee-og-noce-tace) “a heart knower”, and HE determines our sincerity by reading our hearts, not our lips.

 

A Sunday school lesson by,

Larry D. Alexander

 

 

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