Mark 2:1-12 Jesus is greater than religion

February 19

Title: Jesus is greater than religion (Mark 2:1-12)

Focus Keyphrase: 

Excerpt: Religion wants to control people’s access to God and his blessings, but Jesus invites everyone to come directly to him, by faith, to meet their needs.

Big Idea: Religious systems want to control access to salvation, so only authorized religious leaders can mediate salvation for people. Religion likes to make itself necessary for people to find forgiveness of sins and a relationship with God. But Jesus is greater than religion. He speaks for God. He demonstrates that people who recognize their need can come directly to him, by faith, to find forgiveness and blessing, because he is the one necessary and adequate mediator between God and humanity.

Key Response: 

Talking Points:

• On one level “religion” is just the way we live out a relationship with God in real space. But the word has come to be used as shorthand for a negative approach to God. Religious systems tend to control people’s access to God and his blessings.
• The four friends of the paralyzed man were willing to do whatever it took to get him to Jesus. It was their faith, not just the paralytic’s alone, that made the difference. Mark 2:1-5
• Jesus proved that he is greater than human religious systems. He has God’s authority to forgive our sins and is the only mediator we need to bring us to the Father. Mark 2:6-12

Discussion:

1. Have you had any challenging experiences with religious people?
2. Read Mark 2:1-5. Why was Jesus so popular? Have you had any friends in your life that, through an act of their faith, brought you to Jesus?
3. Read Mark 2:1-6. Why do you think Jesus forgave his sins before he heals him?
4. What would have been the Old Testament way of having your sins forgiven?
5. What is the main point of Jesus’ miracles?

See Also:

• Who Is Jesus and Why It Matters
• Who Did Jesus Think He Was?
• Spiritual Warfare

Shownotes:

Opening / Hook

• We’re looking at four episodes in Mark chapter 2 → Jesus challenging religious leaders
• Known as “teachers of religious law” and as “Pharisees” (2 overlapping groups)
• We’re calling this mini-series: Challenging Religion
• The rise of the “nones” (not the nuns)
• Increasing numbers dis-affiliating from religious systems
• (Check “none” on the surveys)
• Deconstructing faith
• You might have more in common with Jesus than you think
• Not deconstructing faith, but a toxic religiousity

Defining Religion

• This is the first time Jesus comes up against the religious establishment
• Whole chapter focuses on this
• It becomes a theme throughout Mark
• Let’s define what we mean by “religion” 
• The word “religion” itself is not bad
• One level → it’s just the ways we live out rel’ship with God in real space
• But word has come to be used as shorthand for a negative approach to God
• The approach to God exemplified by these opponents of Jesus
• What we’ll see about them in next 4 weeks:
• Measure others by external behavior alone
• Outward conformity to rules masking a hard heart toward God
• Suspicion & criticism toward others not in their circle
• Spiritual pride / arrogance
• A need to be final authority about God
• Judgmentalism / quick to condemn
• Desire to control & have power over others spiritually & morally
• These kinds of qualities seem to follow whenever merit / achievement creep into relationship with God
• Vs. contrition / brokenness
• I believe we can find “religion” within all of us
• Need to keep vigilant to avoid becoming Pharisees ourselves
• And to keep it out of our church culture
• Three sections in today’s text
• First: focuses on the action of a paralyzed man and his friends
• Second: focuses on the interaction of Jesus with teachers of religious law
• Third: focuses on response of the crowds → summarizes the main point

The Four Friends

• Focus of these verses: the action of a paralyzed man’s friends
• Mark 2:1-4 When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them, four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. 
• News of Jesus is spreading so quickly → very hard to approach him through the crowds
• Jesus is at a house when everybody shows up
• Paint a picture → house is packed elbow to elbow
• Crowd spills over to the outside
• So what does Jesus do? Starts to preach God’s word to them
• But there is a paralyzed man in town who needs to be healed
• Saw in ch 1 how frequently Jesus was healing people
• This man can’t walk → how is he going to come to Jesus / get his attention?
• This is a picture of our spiritual condition (review from last week)
• We are crippled by sin / unable to heal ourselves
• We don’t know where to get help
• There are many obstacles that keep us from approaching Jesus
• Feel unworthy / don’t believe he can help / etc.
• Four friends come to the rescue
• They weren’t going to be turned away, in spite of crowd
• So they found a creative, energetic approach
• Dug a hole through the roof → lowered the man down right in front of Jesus
• Explain how roofs worked then; how this is even possible
• Maybe you’re here today because a friend overcame the obstacles to introduce you to Jesus
• Who do you know who is desperate to meet Jesus?
• These guys really cared about their friend
• Willing to do whatever it took to bring him to Jesus
• Bc they cared so much about his need
• What allies do you have to help you meet that need?
• Just one friend alone could not have done what the 4 friends did
• What are some practical steps you could take to help?
• Invite to church
• Invite to small group
• Invite to look together at meaningful materials on PG
• Notice they’re not trying to bring their friend to religion → but to Jesus
• It’s a great illustration bc generally, religion assumes that we can do something to contribute to our salvation
• Keep commandments / perform ordinances
• Live a good moral life
• All that will make us worthy of God’s approval / blessing
• But this man could not contribute a single thing to his healing
• Had to be Jesus / only Jesus
• Jesus met them at their point of need
• He used the man’s more obvious physical need to point him to his greater need
• Didn’t heal his paralyzed legs
• Instead: “My child, your sins are forgiven.”
• Not to minimize the reality of our needs → this is our greatest need
• To be reconciled with God / have our record of sins expunged
• Jesus did it! Jesus was enough
• Notice what your faith can do to help someone else
• Mark 2:5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.”
• (5): “Seeing THEIR faith…” / not just his alone
• These four friends believed what Jesus could do for their friend
• They trusted Jesus on his behalf
• And as always → true faith takes shape in action
• If they didn’t believe / trust what Jesus could do
• Would never have bothered to do what it took to bring their friend
• Think: how YOUR faith can make a difference for YOUR friends in their need

Jesus Is Greater

• That declaration of forgiveness of sins is the high point of the first verses
• Concludes the action of first scene → what friends’ action was building toward
• But then immediately those words of Jesus introduce a new scene
• Focus: the reaction of the religious leaders & Jesus’ response to them
• Mark 2:6-7 But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves, “What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!” 
• The religious leaders didn’t like what Jesus said
• How could he declare anyone’s sins forgiven?
• Important context: the normative way to receive forgiveness in that setting
• The OT law set up the established way
• Follow the steps, fulfill the rituals 
• The sacrificial system actually came from God
• But over time came to be abused by human religious leaders
• They saw themselves as holding the keys to the system
• So NO, no one could declare sins forgiven without fulfilling that system
• Which entailed coming to God through THEM
• Their observation was also correct on a certain level
• “Only God can forgive sins” = true
• I can forgive your sins against me
• But I don’t have authority to declare that you’re forgiven before God
• While their observation may have been correct → 2 things were wrong
• One: their interpretation of what was happening
• Two: their attitude
• Their interpretation of the event was wrong = this was not blasphemy
• Bc they failed to reckon with the possibility that Jesus was God
• That Jesus, as Messiah, spoke for God → said only what the Father told him to say
• Jesus was the fulfillment of the old religious system - see Hebrews 3:3
• Jesus became the high priest and the sacrifice
• So it was not blasphemy for him to speak for God on this matter
• Jesus proved that he was authorized to forgive sins by doing a miraculous healing
• Mark 2:8-11 Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” 
• Which is harder? To forgive sins, or heal paralyzed legs?
• Only God can do either one
• So Jesus used the miracle of healing
• To underscore his larger spiritual authority from God
• Presumably → the miracle would change the minds of his critics
• They would realize Jesus did not commit blasphemy
• Bc he was not like any other man
• He really did speak & act for God
• That doesn’t seem to have happened → esp as we read the rest of chapter
• Their attitude toward what happened was wrong
• Here’s a man coming to God through Jesus
• Religious leaders didn’t care about his physical paralysis
• Didn’t care about him being forgiven of his sins
• Only cared that things were done the right way
• Bigger picture → religious systems want to control people’s access to God
• Only authorized religious leaders can open the door to God
• Only they can mediate salvation / declare God’s blessings
• Religion likes to make itself necessary
• For people to find forgiveness of sins / find a relationship with God
• “You can only be saved in our church”
• “Your baptism isn’t valid unless some religious leader has the right priesthood”
• Etc → more illustrations
• Jesus is greater than religion
• In his interaction with the paralyzed man…
• Showed that anyone who recognizes their need can come directly to him
• To find forgiveness and blessing
• In this incident, he demonstrated what the apostle Paul later wrote about him
• 1 Tim 2:5 (NLT) For there is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity - the man Christ Jesus.
• There is only one mediator between God and humanity
• It’s not a church
• It’s not a religious system
• It’s not a popular author
• It’s not some religious leader or teacher of religious law
• It’s Jesus
• Application: we have to be careful about this
• The world is full of religions
• The details are different but the underlying approach is the same →
• You can only come to God through us
• Our institutional authority
• Our priesthood
• Our approval of your righteousness
• If you want to come to Jesus → have to tune that out
• Come directly to him
• There’s no contradiction in me standing in a church saying that
• Bc I don’t want to control your access to God & his blessings
• I want you to come to Jesus
• I’m not trying to get you to join this church
• Of course you’re welcome to go on the journey with us
• We don’t want to be an obstacle to your faith journey 
• We want to be one of the friends who helps you come to Jesus
• But the priority is that you find, in JESUS, the answer to your need
• If you are a church-goer → recognize how easily the religious spirit can slip in
• We get loyal to the church that God used to help us come to Jesus
• That helped us so much to grow in our faith
• So start to think → this is the only way / we have some special doorway to God
• We’re somehow necessary if people are going to find salvation

TRANS: The climax of the first section → Jesus declared the young man forgiven of his sins

• The climax of the second section → Jesus commanded the man to stand up and walk
• These two climactic moments are parallel
• In each case → the story builds toward these 2 moments
• In each case, Jesus meets the man’s need
• In each, Jesus displays his unique authority from God

CONCLUSION

• As soon as the healing occurs - and climax is reached - the scene quickly shifts again
• The focus of the short, final section: the reaction of the crowds
• Mark 2:12 And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, “We’ve never seen anything like this before!”
• The camera has been in pretty tight
• Focused on Jesus and his critics going back and forth
• Now it turns from Jesus to zoom in on this young man
• As he leaps to his feet / grabs his mat
• He came in through a hole in roof → now exits on his own two feet through the crowd
• The final shot is a wider view of all the people in the house that day
• They were all amazed / stunned → who wouldn’t be?
• They had never seen anything like this before!
• Mark points out → they were praising God
• Everyone attributed the miracle to an act of God
• So, you see, they got the point Jesus was trying to make
• He is the doorway to God
• His action was God’s action
• He is the one we need in order to experience God’s presence & blessings in our lives
• There’s no other road / no other way
• Religion can’t do it → Jesus can
• Maybe you’ve been trying to find God through religion
• Elaborate on what this would look like
• Trying to find the one correct church
• Trying to do all the right religious rituals
• Trying to keep what you were told are God’s commandments
• Trying to live a moral, righteous life
• Etc
• You don’t need religion to open the door to God and his blessings
• You need Jesus
• Don’t confuse the two
• Jesus invites you to come directly to him, by faith, to meet your needs
• Starting with your need to be absolved of your sin before God