Take Up Your Bed And Walk! (Paul Black)

PSALM 103: 1-5

Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy
name. 2  Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits – 3  who forgives all
your sins and heals all your diseases, 4  who redeems your life from the pit and
crowns you with love and compassion, 5  who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

MARK 2

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard
that he had come home.  2  They gathered in such large numbers 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 paralysed man, 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 by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on.  5  When
Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralysed man, ‘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 this paralysed man, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Get up, take your mat
and walk”?  10  But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to
forgive sins.’ So he said to the man,  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!’

WHY DID JESUS BEGIN BY SAYING, “SON YOU SINS ARE FORGIVEN”?

I don’t think the primary reason was to cause a debate with the Pharisees about
Jesus authority to forgive sins. That certainly happened but I don’t think it was
main reason.
Let us look at a couple of other scriptures that might help shed some more light.

JOHN 9

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.  2  His disciples asked him,
‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ 3  ‘Neither this
man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the works of God
might be displayed in him. 

The culture of the time seemed to be that if bad things happened to you it was
because of your own sin or your parents’ sin. (You were being punished)

Luke in chapter 13 also records Jesus addressing this similar point:

Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood
Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.  2  Jesus answered, ‘Do you think that these
Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this
way?  3  I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.  4  Or those
eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them – do you think they were
more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem?  5  I tell you, no! But unless you
repent, you too will all perish.’

Let’s go back to our original story. ‘When Jesus saw their faith, (plural) He said to
the paralysed man “SON YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN”.’

There is no record that the man asked for forgiveness, yet Jesus speaks it out.

Perhaps the man was thinking that he deserved to be paralysed because of sin; his
own or his parents (the culture at the time). It appears as if Jesus new, perhaps by a
word of knowledge, that unless the sin issue was dealt with, the man would not be
healed.

In the book of Romans Paul tells us that Jesus died not only for sin but also for the
guilt of sin and the stain of sin. Jesus knew that these two these two problems, not
resolved or dealt with, could hinder complete freedom.

“SON YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN”.

Then we have the debate with the Pharisees.

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?

It appears from these words that Jesus had a revelation of what was going on in the Pharisees’ hearts only at that moment. So not a deliberate set up by Jesus but an on-going response as the story unfolds.
Jesus then proves His authority to forgive sins by commanding the paralysed man
to get up and walk.

The man was carried in by his friends on a mat – a mat that defined his helplessness – yet
after a word from Jesus, he walked out carrying that same mat under his arm, a witness
for all to see. ‘This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, ‘We have never
seen anything like this!’

In our desire to bless our neighbour’s – to speak “SHALOM” over their lives which is
a spoken blessing – for complete healing and well-being, not just freedom from
trouble but everything that makes for a man and woman’s highest good – whether it be physically, psychologically, socially, emotionally, mentally and spiritually; a blessing for prosperity and the favour of God, for protection and security; for harmony within marriages and families, wholeness, completeness, welfare,
tranquillity, success and fulfilment. Speaking this word ‘shalom’ is an act of blessing
upon the whole household; asking for all their relationships to be put right, through
Jesus; firstly getting right with God; secondly getting right within themselves; and
thirdly getting right with others

In our desire to bless our neighbour’s – to speak “SHALOM” over their lives, there
will also be times when we need words of knowledge to see what might be beyond
the obvious need. But the Holy Spirit will be with us and will help as we bring the
Kingdom of God, by His grace, near to these precious lives.

Page 169 The Way of Blessing :

As we reflect on healing we may feel that there are
problems in our lives, which will be a barrier to healing. We may be consumed with
guilt or concerned about character issues in our life – But the scripture is plain in
what it promises – it tells us God will heal our diseases.

PSALM 103: 1-5 – Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy
name. 2  Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits – 3  who forgives all
your sins and heals all your diseases, 4  who redeems your life from the pit and
crowns you with love and compassion, 5  who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.