Mark 2:1-5, 11-12 – Let’s So Something – Bible study

Mark 2:1-5, 11-12 Lets Do Something We have here the account of a great healing performed on a man who had the palsy. It is the culmination of a journey undertook by five men, one being carried by the four. What I would like for us to do is back up and see the journey at its beginnings. Lets back track and see if we can see what it was like before the five arrived at Capernaum. In fact, lets see what it was like before there were five men. Lets back up to the first. I. The 1st. A. The first man to be considered is the one being carried. 1. We do not know his name so I will just call him the 1st. 2. Not much information is given on the 1st so we will have to draw some conclusions. B. We know that the 1st had the palsy \#3\. 1. That is a paralysis. a. A Greek lexicon defines the word as "the relaxing of nerves on ones side." b. From the rest of the story, we can deduce that he could not walk at all, not even enough to limp his way through the crowds when they got close to where Jesus was. 2. The Bible does not tell us how the 1st came to be that way. a. Perhaps this individual was born this way. b. Perhaps this individual was made this way through some trauma to the head or body. c. Perhaps this person suffered a stroke. C. Regardless, he was 1. Helpless – This man was so decapacitated that he could not travel to Jesus without great aid. He needed the help of others. 2. Hurting – Whether he was born in this shape or came to be in it, he had suffered much pain (physically and emotionally) from it. 3. Hopeless – While mans knowledge of natural remedies were probably more advanced back then than they are now, the medical knowledge needed to help this man had not discovered yet. And even today, there is only so much that can be done. This man had no hope of getting better. D. Of course we are speaking of the 1sts physical condition but his physical condition is a picture of his and our spiritual condition. 1. \#5\ Notice Jesus method of healing him was to forgive his sins. Mark 2:5 Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. a. Why? Because the two are connected. b. We get sick because we are sinners. c. One is a representation of the other. 2. So the mans problem was not limited to his body. It went all the way through to his soul. E. Here is the situation. This man needed help and he knew it. He cant get well on his own. 1. I believe there is at least one time in every individuals life (and there are probably many times) when he or she realizes just how helpless and hopeless he is. a. It is not just a physical problem, a relationship problem, or a financial problem, but a series of problems going back to a bigger problem. b. We are sinners who need help beyond our own. c. At that time, he will look for the One who can help. (1) He may not know it, but that One is Jesus. (2) Jesus is the only One who can fix the problem that ails the human race. (3) Doctors can help us repair some of the physical problems; but the root of our problem is sin; and we need the Physician of the soul and spirit to fix that. 2. An additional problem is that the realization of our true problem does not last. a. This is a spiritual truth produced by the Holy Spirit. b. The Bible makes it clear that the devil will not allow spiritual truth to remain with us for long. (1) Jesus told the parable of the sower and said the fowls of the air come to snatch away the seed. (2) Paul described it differently. 2Cor 4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (3) Whether Satan is the bird that snatches the seed or the teamster that puts on the blinders, the devil steals the recognition that we need a help beyond our own, leaving us to think our problems are only physical. (a) I have seen people lose their jobs and, in doing so, realize that their whole life has been one struggle after another, realize that they need help beyond themselves, start looking to God, only to settle for the next job that comes along and to forget God all together. (b) They do the same thing when it comes to broken relationships and poor health. (c) We settle for whatever physical help we can find when what we need is Jesus. c. Jesus wasnt going to let that happen to this man so He told him straight up what his problem was. (1) It wasnt bad legs. (2) It was a sinful soul. d. The 1st needed to get to the One who could help him before the devil could steal his recognition or before his foolish flesh lost the awareness of what he really needed. (1) If you are this man, dont wait until Satan comes and steals your spiritual awareness. (2) Turn to Jesus today. (a) Turn to Him first for salvation. (b) Turn to Him second for Lordship. (c) Turn to Him third for help. II. The 2nd. A. If little information is given about the man with the palsy, even less is given about the 2nd. 1. I say the 2nd man because it is very unlikely that four men passed this paralyzed man at the same time and all had the same thought; but even if they did, one of them had to be the one who spoke up. 2. Well call this unnamed man, the 2nd. B. The 2nd was moved with compassion – He saw someone lacking, something that was needed and he wanted to do something about it. 1. Thats the basic definition of compassion. 2. Someone needs something, typically something important, and another is motivated to help. 3. Pity is a poor substitute for compassion. a. I do not believe that people are necessarily cold and uncaring. b. Most probably have some pity. c. What is pity? (1) Pity sees the needs of others. (2) Pity feels for the needs of others. (3) But pity stops there. (4) Pity has no action. d. To my knowledge, the Bible never says Jesus felt pity for anyone. He felt compassion. (1) Compassion sees the needs of others, feels the need of other, and then does something about the needs of others. (2) The difference between the 2nd man and the others was the difference between pity and compassion. 4. Thats true whether we are talking about seeing the physical needs of others or the spiritual needs. a. There probably is not a soul in this building that does not have pity for the lost; but, sad to say, there are very few who do anything about it. (1) Most do not talk to others about Jesus. (2) Most do not pass out a tract. (3) Most will not invite another to church. (4) Most will not even pray for the people that they know are lost. b. The difference between pity and compassion is the action we do to try to help. 5. Yet, we should acknowledge that both pity and compassion have diminishing returns. a. Even if you see people and help them, you can only help them so many times and you can only carry them so far. b. At that point, your compassion dries up and you are left pitying them. c. But you can only pity them for so long and then you stop seeing them altogether. 6. The 2nd had compassion. Lord, give us some 2nds. C. The 2nd knew the solution. 1. Doctors had failed, but the 2nd knew Someone who would not fail. a. I say the 2nd knew Someone because of his determination to get the 1st to Jesus. b. It is one thing to have compassion and want to do something. c. It is another to go to the extreme the 2nd went through to get the 1st to Jesus. 2. It stands to reason that the 2nd knew of Jesus because hed already been. a. The best candidate to help is one who has been helped. b. That is what soul winning and evangelism is all about. c. Someone defined witnessing as one hungry man telling another hungry man where to go to get bread. d. This 2nd man was a walking testimony to the power of Jesus Christ. e. Everyone who has been helped ought to want to help everyone who has not been helped to get to Jesus! f. But there was a problem. D. The 2nd was key but he was not strong enough to get the 1st to Jesus alone! 1. We do not know where the 1st was at the beginning of this story but as it turns out, even if he was in Capernaum, the two would have still needed help. a. Most needs cant be meet by the resources of a single individual. b. If they can, some compassionate soul will probably meet that need quickly. c. Since most peoples needs cannot be meet by the resources of a single individual, God puts us together in groups. We are: (1) families, (2) communities, (3) cities (4) states, (5) nations, (6) churches. Ec 4:12 And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. 2. What the 2nd could not do on his own, he was determined to do with the help of others. a. So the 2nd persuaded others to help him. b. Even good, moral, Christian people must be encouraged to help others less fortunate. c. Time, pressures, personal life, work – All tempt us to be complacent with our needs being met so that we forget others still have needs. 3. God give us some 2nds! a. Those who see the needs of others. b. Those who must help with the needs of others. c. Those who will persuade us to help with the needs of others. III. Three Others A. Just like we know little of the 1st or 2nd, so we know little of the three others. B. The 2nd found them. Where he looked, how hard he looked, how many he talked to to find the threewe dont know any of these things. C. Here is what we do knowor think we knowabout them. 1. The three did not originally see the need of the 1st. a. That is all right. b. We are not all given the same gifts and temperaments so we dont all see people and needs the same way. 2. It was not the idea of the three to help the first. In fact, when first presented with the idea, they may not even have wanted to help. 3. But the work could not have been done without the three; therefore, they become no less important than the 2nd and will receive no less a reward! a. Hence, we cease to speak of the 2nd man now and begin to speak of the 4. b. That is the way the Bible speaks of them. Mark 2:3 which was borne of four. c. They are no longer individuals but a team. d. They did not start that way, but that is what they became. D. Get this. As Christians, we may not all be leaders or be brimming with compassion, but we should all be part of the team, doing EVERYTHING we can to get people to Jesus. 1. Everyone has their place. a. The man who first saw the need may have had no knowledge at all of how to build the stretcher. b. He may not have even thought of the stretcher! c. He may have been the force God used to start getting this man to Jesus and then someone else figured out the how and put it all together. d. It really doesnt matter because they are no longer individuals but a team with a cause. 2. It was the four who carried the man. 3. It was the four who took him to the roof. 4. It was the four who uncovered the roof. 5. It was the four who let down the bed. 6. It was the four whose faith Jesus saw and healed the man sick of the palsy. E. Lets be part of the team! 1. You may not have seen the need of the lost, but you can show up to tag doors. 2. You may not be able to operate a ditch witch, but you can fill in the ditch with a shovel. 3. You may not be able to preach a message, but you change a diaper. 4. Lets all do something! IV. There is one more set of people in this story we need to consider. A. \#4\ Those in the way. 1. I dont mean to be ugly to them. 2. These people wanted to see Jesus too. a. They needed Jesus. b. They needed Jesus words. c. They needed to worship Jesus. 3. Unfortunately, they were in the way when one who had a greater need came in. a. All they had to do was step aside, give a little room. b. No one asked them to help. c. And certainly no one asked them to leave. d. But, they stood there in the way. 4. Christian, are you in the way of the work of God? a. Just getting what you want and doing nothing to help another? b. Even worse, perhaps by your actions and your life, are you the impasse for others to get to God? 5. The four would not be deterred. They found another way. B. I just point this group out because I do not want to be one of those "in the way." C. I dont think it is what any Christian would want. Get on board with the team! Which are you? 1. The first man? The needy man? In need of Christ? A Lord? His help? 2. Are you part of the team, helping to get others to Jesus? 3. The by-standard? Doing nothing to help? 4. Maybe even being the one in the way, hindering others from getting to Christ?