DOCTOR JESUS

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DOCTOR JESUS
Mark 2:1-17

Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 2. In the Bible in front of you, it is page 865 or 883.

Do you like my shirt? Do you know what it means? If you are basketball fan; or more specifically, a Cleveland Cavaliers fan, then you know what this means. Or, perhaps, you have seen the advertisements or large billboards that talk about us being witnesses. You have probably guessed that this is not talking about being witnesses for Jesus Christ; but this tee shirt message is about being witnesses to the Cavs basketball team, and more specifically, witnesses to the basketball exploits of its star: LeBron James.

He has been labeled King James, and in a sense, we as Cavs fans, are his worshippers. Other tee shirts say “Rise UP”, as though we are rising for royalty, for something great. When, in fact, it is just a basketball player playing a game – playing it very well; but a game nonetheless.

I am to wear this shirt, showing that I have been to the games, and am a witness to the incredible things that this team, that this player can do. I am giving the idea that I am a witness to something great, something incredible, something amazing. But, I wear this shirt today for a completely different reason. I want to point your attention to someone much greater, more amazing and more incredible than LeBron James could ever hope to be.

This morning, we join the witnesses – those who 2,000 years ago saw and heard some things they just could not believe. But, once they saw Jesus Christ as he loved people, healed people and cast out demons – once they heard him teach with great authority, unlike any other religious leader before Him – they could not hold it in. Like a crazed fan who just can’t stop talking and arguing about how great LeBron James is, these followers could not stop talking about what they saw and heard from Jesus Christ.

Mark 2:1-3 – “And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.”

Jesus has been out of town, preaching, casting out demons and healing. But, now, Mark records, Jesus returns to home. Capernaum seemed to serve as the headquarters for the ministry Jesus had in the region of Galilee. Jesus did not have his own house; so this probably means he was at Peter’s house, that served as somewhat of a home base for some of Jesus’ ministry. It is where he had recently healed all kinds of people, with all kinds of diseases, that had lined up at the door.

People had heard that Jesus had returned to town, and immediately went to see him at the house. This was not unique in Palestine. People could pretty much freely go into other’s homes during the day, unless someone asked for privacy. The door to the house would remain open and people could come as they liked. In this case, since Jesus was there, it did not take long for the house to be filled to the limit.

Mark tells us that people were crowded in the house and outside the doors, so that no one else would be able to enter. So, Jesus turns the house into a church and begins to teach the Word of God to them. We know the main message he taught everywhere he went:

Mark 1:15 – “and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Jesus, although healing and casting out demons, continued to teach that He was the Son of God, here to save people from their sins. And this was an amazing, unique message that the people were not expecting from this carpenter’s son from Nazareth.

So, Mark sets up the scene for us and then tells us that a group of guys show up at the house, and they were carrying their friend, who was paralyzed. It is obvious they were not just coming to hear a good preacher. They were there for one reason: they had heard that Jesus was able to heal anyone he chose to heal, and they were hoping he would heal their friend.

This man was not able to walk anywhere on his own. He was completely dependent on others to get where he needed to go – no motorized wheelchairs in the first century! Verse 4 tells us that they brought him on the bed on which he normally laid. The word here for bed describes a mat, actually the type of bed that someone very poor would use. Here was a poor man, paralyzed, and in need of a miracle.

Mark 2:4,5 – “And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, My son, your sins are forgiven.”

Dr. Jesus could heal people physically.

People were quickly finding that out at the beginning of his public ministry. And that brought great crowds. And Jesus’ ability to heal made an incredible impact, not only on those who were healed, but on those who viewed the healings and those who longed for people they loved to be healed. It also showed everyone that what Jesus was saying about Himself was not just talk.

I am tempted to just focus on this last phrase, when Jesus forgave this man’s sins. It then led to a controversy about Jesus’ authority to do so, and it teaches us more about Christ. But, I cannot move on here, without taking a few moments to consider the phrase just prior: “And when Jesus saw their faith…” Did you notice it, at the beginning of verse five?

“And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, My son, your sins are forgiven.” I would expect to read: when the paralytic prayed the sinner’s prayer, then Jesus forgave his sins. Or, when the paralytic demonstrated faith, Jesus said because of your faith your sins are forgiven. But, that is not what the text says. It says: “And when Jesus saw their faith, he forgave the sins of the crippled man. Isn’t that strange?!

Don’t get confused here. There is no theological doctrine in the Scriptures that teach that a person is saved because someone else in the family, or a friend is saved. We must have our own faith. But, let’s put this statement in the context of the book of Mark, and what we have already found to be an important theme of application.

Certainly, the crippled man had demonstrated faith, but Jesus includes the faith of his friends as well. When Jesus called his first followers, recorded in chapter one:

Mark 1:17 – “And Jesus said to them, Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

Those who claimed to follow Jesus were supposed to make it their highest priority to bring other people to Jesus, so that they could have their sins forgiven and learn to be disciples of Jesus Christ. This group of friends demonstrated their faith by doing just that: they brought their friend to Jesus, believing that He was who He said He was, and could heal their friend. That was real faith.

And their faith that is described here was not just that they took time out of their busy schedule, and gave their strength to carry their friend to Jesus. But, included in this demonstration of faith, was what they had to do in order to get to Jesus in the first place. It was too crowed in the house. There was no way people were going to move aside for this man. Maybe they should wait. Maybe they should come back another day. But, the faith that was attributed to these men by Jesus pointed to the fact that they would do anything necessary to get their friend to the One they believed was the Son of God.

So, what did they do? Verse 4 tells us they removed the roof, made an opening, and lowered their friend down to Jesus, where he was standing. Commentator William Barclay gives us some historical details: “The roof of a Palestinian house was flat. It was regularly used as a place of rest and of quiet, and so usually there was an outside staircase which ascended to it. The construction of the roof lent itself to what this ingenious four proposed to do. The roof consisted of flat beams laid across from wall to wall, perhaps three feet apart. The space in between the beams was filled with brush-wood packed tight with clay. The top was then marled over. Very likely the roof was of earth and often a flourishing crop of grass grew on the roof of a Palestinian house. It was the easiest thing in the world to dig out the filling between two of the beams; it did not even damage the house very much, and it was easy to repair the breach again.”

So, the guys were not completely destroying the house or the roof by doing this; but they were showing their determination to get their friend to Jesus; and this is what Jesus noted as their faith that led to him dealing with their friend. In the context of Mark, we cannot move on until we ask:

SO WHAT?
Do what is needed to bring your friends to Jesus

This is a high priority. This is one major reason God has left us here. For those of us who claim to be followers of Christ: He wants us to demonstrate our faith by doing what is needed to introduce our friends to Jesus. Our faith in Christ will not save our family members or friends; but if we have faith in Jesus Christ’s ability to save them, then we will make the effort to bring them.

Now, let’s keep this straight – we are talking about bringing people to Jesus, not necessarily to church. It is Jesus that saves people, not religious tradition or church buildings. But, let’s not make a mistake to the other extreme. One key way to introduce people to Jesus is to make the effort to bring them to the church, which is: a group of people who follow Christ, who will love your friends, and where Jesus is worshipped authentically and the Word of God is taught faithfully. I cannot think of a better place to introduce people to Jesus Christ.

But, regardless of how you do it, the application is clear: find a way to help people you care for learn about the saving power of Jesus Christ. What are you willing to do to help people find Christ? Yes, God the Holy Spirit is the One who saves; and yet God has called us to bring people to Him. So, what are you willing to do?

Are you willing to take the time to build a closer relationship with someone who is not yet a committed follower of Christ? Are you willing to pray fervently and look for the right time to tell them about your relationship with Jesus Christ? Are you willing to invite them to the right environment within our ministry, where they can experience what we described earlier – a place where imperfect followers of Christ love one another and worship God?

Who knows what God might do. It may be, that God will choose, in just the right time, to open your friend’s eyes, so that his heart will believe in Jesus Christ; and His life will be changed forever. Are you willing to be a part of that process in the life of a friend?

Mark 2:6,7 – “Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Dr. Jesus could heal people spiritually

And we will see how Jesus uses both of these truths in just a moment.
Let’s get our focus back, now, to what we are learning here about Jesus Christ. He did say to this paralyzed man something that no one expected: “My son, your sins are forgiven.” And some of the religious teachers nearby thought to themselves: What did he just say? He didn’t say: your sins are forgiven did he? How dare he say something like that! Who does he think he is? Only God can forgive sins; and that means that this imposter is committing blasphemy against God!”

They believed the Old Testament teaching: “Bless the LORD”, King David has said:

Psalm 103:3 – “Who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases.”

The LORD was Jehovah, the covenant keeping God, and only He could heal and forgive sins. So, this Jesus, whomever He is, is committing the worst sin imaginable – blasphemy; which, according to Old Testament law, was punishable by death.

Teresa likes to tell me at times that she believes she knows exactly what I am thinking; and I enjoy telling her when she is wrong (and there is some disagreement about how often that happens)! Well, Jesus really did know what these men were thinking; and so, as soon as these thoughts came to their minds and hearts, Mark tells us:

Mark 2:8,9 – “And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, Why do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, rise, take up your bed and walk?”

When teachers debated in those days, they would often respond with rhetorical questions to make their points. Jesus loved to do this. When he asked: which is harder – to say someone’s sins are forgiven or to actually heal a crippled man?, in their minds, they were thinking: to say someone’s sins are forgiven. Why? Because that is invisible – you cannot see that taking place. But, if we saw some crippled man healed right before our eyes, yes – that is most difficult.

So, then, Jesus made his point:

Mark 2:10,11 – “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins – he said to the paralytic – I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”

Now we find the real reason for this healing. It was not to show that the friends faith was transferred to this man. It was to show that Jesus Christ was who he said he was, and was able to forgive sins. Remember – the most important thing here was not bringing physical healing. The reason for the miracles, for the incredible healings, was to authenticate this life saving message: That Jesus Christ was indeed who he said he was – the Son of God, the Messiah, who could forgive sins.

So Jesus demonstrated his healing ability while he had their full attention; to prove that he could also do what they thought was much easier – forgive the man’s sins. He wanted to prove His invisible power to forgive through the visible power to heal. So, he looks at the cripple and says: Get up, pick up your mat, go home.

Now, I know when I speak here, many of you find other things to do, and I don’t blame you. Some of you take the opportunity to catch up on some sleep. Some of you count the numbers of bricks in the walls, important things like that. Some of you play games on your cell phones or ask your friends to call you so you can escape the service. Some of you find some other fun ways to pass the time.

But, if you were in that house of worship on that particular day, you would n’t be thinking about anything else. Your attention would have been completely focused: the scribes had just challenged Jesus, and Jesus had just said to crippled man: get up and walk. But, you would not have had much time to consider what was going on, because:

Mark 2:12 – “And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, We never saw anything like this!”

All of sudden, people made room for this man. They were all paying attention to this man now. Why? Because this crippled man, at the Word of Christ, stood up, picked up his mat, and said, “Excuse me please – I need to go home”! Unbelievable. These people went right out and bought their t-shirts: I am a witness. We are witnesses. I saw it with my own eyes. I have never seen anything like this. Glory to God!

I think the religious leaders may have slithered away fairly quietly and quickly. Jesus had made his point. He had backed up his talk. Recently Lebron James answered the criticisms of an opponent who said he was overrated, with incredible team play, winning the series (so far) against the Wizards. But, how much greater is Jesus Christ, and how much greater is it to be a witness to what Jesus Christ can do? And how much greater is it to introduce people to the saving power of Jesus Christ – even more so than telling them about the greatness of basketball star!

SO WHAT?
You must go to Jesus for physical or spiritual healing

It seems pretty obvious, especially since we pointed out that Jesus does both. But, if we are being honest, most of us look elsewhere first, when there is physical problems. And even in the area of spirituality, we many times think other counselors, books, popular speakers or being busy in ministry can replace the work that can only be done through Christ and His power.

Look to God first, when there is a physical problem. All the doctors, medical procedures and discoveries, are all under His care and all came from him in the first place. Remember: His main goal is not to heal every person with physical ailments; but to heal people spiritually. And whether you need to know how to get to Heaven or how to live your life as a believer, the answers still lie with God, through Jesus Christ and His revealed Word. You must go there first. Then what?

Doctor Jesus added to His team

Jesus’ first four disciples were fisherman; but now Jesus is going to add to His team another very unique individual. He is going to join this team of followers that are going to learn from Jesus, not only about physical healing; but more importantly, how to heal someone’s soul, someone’s heart.

Mark 2:13,14 – “He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, Follow me. And he rose and followed him.”

Jesus is by the Sea of Galilee again, and the crowds are still coming. In this case, it mentions that he is teaching. We know that his healing ministry, casting out demons, and teaching about how to get to God were all a part of what he was doing at this time. His team was not yet fully set. And it was time to call another disciple.

Jesus sees Levi sitting at the tax booth. Beginning in chapter 3, he will be known as Matthew. Levi was a Jewish tax official, serving Herod Antipas, who ruled Galilee. To serve in this way was to be known as one who cheats people. The tax collectors of that day would extort extra money from the tax payers, so that they could keep the extra. It was a known and accepted practice; although despised by the common people.

If you or I were to counsel Jesus on who to make a part of His ministry team, we would never have suggested a tax collector from that day. Are you kidding me Jesus? This guy is a cheat. That is how he makes his living – cheating people out of their hard earned finances. Let’s find a social worker somewhere who is at least concerned about people, trying to help them be financially stable in our society! Nope. Jesus goes to Levi and gives the now familiar call: FOLLOW ME. And Levi doesn’t hesitate. He leaves his life as a tax collector, making a pretty good living (albeit dishonest) and becomes a follower of Jesus Christ.

I am not going to spend much time breaking this down, but I cannot help but think of the application for us as it relates to who Jesus decided to call to be His followers.

SO WHAT?
Remember that Jesus calls sinful people to follow Him.

Remembering that should cause you to be eternally grateful that He called you. You didn’t deserve to be His follower any more than Matthew did. Your sins were just as bad, your reputation with God just as tainted. But He called you anyway. Give praise to the One who is mighty enough to save even you – and me.

Remembering this should also remind us that no matter how sinful you think your non-believing friends, family or neighbors are, God still may very well call them to follow Him. Don’t discount people just because you think they are living too sinful a lifestyle or working in an occupation full of deception and cheating. God loves to call people like Matthew into His service.

***BRIAN INTERRUPTS anytime now
OK – Assuming no one else has anything to say, let’s continue in our text:

Mark 2:15 – “And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.”

Matthew begins to follow Jesus and one of the first things he does is throw a party. He has Jesus and His friends over for dinner. In fact, it says, many people who had begun to follow Jesus, were there. And this verse identifies them as tax collectors and sinners. Hmmm… Tax collectors – we have already described their reputation back then; and then the general term – sinners. This was the term used for the common people who did not abide by the religious leaders standards of living.

Dr. Jesus came for sinners

Jesus was hanging out with the people we warn our children to stay away from. These people today would be those who were into drugs, alcohol addictions, pornography, gambling away their savings, lying and cheating to get ahead; and just your regular sinful people who couldn’t seem to get their lives straightened out.

This was Matthew’s circle of friends and the kind of people Jesus was calling to follow Him. And this really ticked off the Pharisees, who prided themselves on abiding by the letter of the law and going beyond that, holding to man-made traditions that made them feel holy. So, this scene with Jesus hanging out with the common sinners, brought a response:

Mark 2:16 – “And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

This was what Brian was so upset about. First of all, I’m up here speaking but I am a hypocrite. I don’t always keep all the regulations. There are people more holy than me. I don’t even keep all the things I preach about. And then, what about the people I am spending my time with. You are all hypocrites as well; and some of you might even admit to messed up lives. And I spend time with other people not here at church, that do not follow Him yet. They are sinners as well.

Can’t you hear the pious, religious people of today saying things like this? Come on Jesus – you can’t be hanging out with sinful people. What will the people at church think? What will people say? Aren’t we supposed to abstain from all appearances of evil? You’ve got people smoking outside, drinking alcohol inside, gambling in the corner, telling their jokes, living filthy lives; and you are eating with them – which makes you a part of it.

When someone follows you, aren’t they supposed to be holy now, like us? Aren’t they supposed to completely and immediately come out of their sinful habits; and certainly, they are supposed to stay away from sinful friends – right? Jesus, there are many holy, moral, religious, church going people, who have high standards and good friends, that you should be spending time with and encouraging your followers to spend time with.

The Pharisees make this accusation in question form, addressing his disciples. But, of course, Jesus heard it, and responded – once again clarifying why he was here in the first place, doing what he was doing:

Mark 2:17 – “And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus answered the question: Why are you spending time with sinful people? He answered it from his position as a physical and spiritual doctor – a healer. He said: I’m here to help those who are sick, not those who think they are well. I am here to help the sinners, who know they are sinners, not the people who already think they are righteous, and have it all together.

He did not call them righteous because they actually were in God’s sight; but because they thought they were righteous, in their own eyes. The sinners were the ones who knew they needed healing. They were humble before God, and acknowledged that they needed help. Those were people who were constantly struggling with sin. So, Jesus spent his time with them, because they were the ones who needed him most. That is why He came.

This has always been a struggle for churched people to try to figure out and handle the way Jesus did. You may recognize William Booth as the man, who in the mid to late 1800’s started in England what would become known as the Salvation Army. One main reason he began that organization is because the established churches of that day wanted nothing to do with the poor and sinful people that he believed God loved and wanted to reach. That led to William to take his ministry outside the church and eventually led to the establishment of this service organization and church, The Salvation Army, that continues on today.

Jesus had to do his work outside of the religious establishment as well. The religious leaders wanted nothing to do with the sinners, people they thought were well below them in terms of holiness and acceptance by God. One of the most famous illustrations in the Bible of this is in the gospel of Luke. Our focus is on Mark, but this story that Jesus told illustrates why Jesus was reaching out to Matthew and his friends, while the religious leaders, the Pharisees, were critical of him:

Luke 18:9-14 – “He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get. But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner! I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

This is exactly what was taking place with Matthew and the Pharisees. Matthew and the sinners were humbling themselves and following Christ’s lead, appreciating what He could do for them. The Pharisees didn’t think they needed any help spiritually, or otherwise, and saw Jesus as a troublemaker, who could n’t be from God, if he was spending time with these horrible sinners.

So WHAT?
Spend time with sinful people, pointing them to Jesus

No, Jesus was not spending time with them, taking part in their sins – and neither should we. No, these were not his best friends, from whom he gained spiritual support or encouragement – and we also need strong believers who will help us grow. No, these were not the only people Jesus spent time with; but these were the ones who needed to hear the truth; and spending time with them showed that he cared for them and their greatest spiritual need.

We cannot get around this. If we are going to be Christ-like, following His example and doing what he has called us to do, we must be spending time with people who do not know Him; people who do not think they are more holy than everyone else, with no spiritual need.

This means you may be criticized. Brian was pretending to criticize me for not only being sinful myself but for spending time with sinful people. If you spend time with those in need, there are religious people who will criticize you. It means your children may hear words you do not want them to use or see things you would rather they not see.

Don’t misunderstand: if you are spending time with non-believers just because you are comfortable with them, and you never tell them the truth about Jesus, how much he loves them and the changes he can bring to their life, then your friendships can be harmful and not glorify God.

Jesus spent time with sinners in order to help them find God through a relationship with Himself. We are to be around sinful people, always keeping in mind why we have these relationships. It may take time. This may require sacrifice on your part. For most of us, it is easy to just be with committed Christians all the time, and it has great benefits; but it is hard to make the time to have relationships with people who have not yet committed their lives to Christ, and to take the necessary steps to introduce them to Him.

The people in that day were all witnesses – to the fact that Jesus Christ was who he said he was, and could bring eternal life to those who believed. We are still witnesses of God’s mighty power to save, even today. We know He continues to change us and we have seen Him dramatically change the lives of others. And it is up to us, to let others we care about know what we have witnessed.

[John begins playing]

Would you please stand with me? Please bow your heads in prayer. Let’s take some time for silent prayer. Is there one thing that God’s Spirit is speaking to your heart about today? Is there one commitment you need to make, from this passage of Scripture today? What is it? Take some time to consider that in prayer. Then, we will close with singing a song about knowing Christ. This is all about knowing Christ ourselves, the one who can save; and then introducing him to others as well. Let’s pray. Let’s pray.


KNOWING YOU