A Story of Healing
Mark 2 opens with the well known story of the paralytic man being let down through the roof – a crowded house, a crowded street, people digging through brushwood and lowering their friend on a stretcher.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven’ (Mark 2:5). Notice that Jesus saw their faith. Faith is seen by what we do with it. Claiming we have faith but not acting on that faith usually means our faith is shallow. These men acted on their faith. They didn’t just give mental assent to a creed or a church teaching. They personally trusted Jesus to heal their friend. Their faith was shown by what they did with it. What was true of them is true of us today.
The second unusual part of this story is that Jesus told the paralytic that his sins were forgiven before He commanded him to take up his bed and walk. Why? Probably because the man needed to know first and foremost that the weight and guilt from his past was already dealt with.
In this case the weight of his past sin seems to have been related to his paralysis. The guilt was the cause; the paralysis was the result. So Jesus dealt first with the cause. Once the man believed God knew his past and had forgiven him, he was able to receive the grace of God’s healing. Not all sickness is caused by our personal sin but it’s just as wrong to say ‘none of it ever is.’
Jesus knows you perfectly. If you’re looking to Him for healing, ask Him to forgive you for every wrongdoing. Ask Him if there is any sin in your life that hasn’t been dealt with. Once that’s done, believe Him with all your heart to heal you.
Look for a free soul first and you’ll find it easier to have a free body.
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