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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 paralyzed 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 paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
REFERENCES: Mark 2:6-12, Hebrews 4:12, Galatians 6:2, 1 John 3:19
“I’ve already heard that.” Have you ever been caught telling a story to someone who’s already heard it before? The Bible is full of stories we’re probably familiar with, but unlike any other book, it is alive. It is the living word of God and the more we read it the less it is the same. It may be the same story, but there’s always a new revelation. Just like a new revelation, we have the power to change for the better everyday. Jesus has called us to change but we aren’t meant to do it alone. Like the group of men who made a way for their paralyzed friend to be healed, we will have to make the radical decision to pick up our mat and walk. So let’s do just that. As we acknowledge that we don’t have it all figured out, God can make all things new through us. With God, we have the power to change.
Jesus and Jesus alone is the only companion of change.
On the surface, the paralytic needed to be healed physically. However, God — who knows our heart — knew the paralytic needed forgiveness much more than he needed to walk. Jesus also tells us, “You are forgiven.”
When Jesus freed the paralytic by forgiving his sins, the teachers of the law questioned his authority and called it blasphemy. Jewish literature that had talked about the Messiah did not anticipate that even he would forgive our sins. But when God sent his only son, they got much more than what they were looking for as he acted out of his known authority.
Truth be told, we all want transformation but we can’t change on our own. We can look to the source, Jesus, to be our companion on the journey of change. The same Jesus who can make broken bones walk again has the authority to seal
our eternity. He has given us a path to purpose, and has empowered us by setting us free so we are no longer tied down. The single most common attribute of crowds in the Gospel of Mark is that they obstruct access to Jesus. Let us be intentional about pushing past the crowd to get closer to him. Whether that’s by getting into community or diving deeper into God’s word, we can choose to not only follow Jesus’ voice but walk with him. As we walk with him we must remember we will encounter both haters and lovers. Both will shape you, but only Jesus can change you.
Spend some time getting to know the companion of change. Read through the Gospel of Mark and list the attributes of Jesus you see. The more you know about him, the easier it is to follow him.
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We live in the tension of present hard times and coming good times. In this gap, our faith is formed. The gathering of the saints produces perseverance for you to run your race of faith. VOUSCon is this moment.
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