We can bring our troubles, griefs, sorrows, and sins to Jesus, who meets us smack dab in the middle of our messy mob.
I was playing a game outdoors with my kids and strained my lower back. It made it challenging to keep up with our busy household during the weeks of recovery. On one of those days, I read the story of the paralyzed man in Mark from The Story Bible to my five year old daughter. It’s among her favorites. Shortly thereafter, I was hobbling around, slowly accomplishing housework, and listening to the audio Bible book of Mark on YouTube. I noticed how frequently the Gospel mentions crowds following or surrounding Jesus. Oftentimes, the crowds made it difficult for people in need to get close to Jesus. Feeling a little lame myself, I revisited the account of the paralyzed man:
A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 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. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:2-5)
Picture this: A large group of people comes to see Jesus, and they’re pressed together so tightly in and around a house that there is no room to even get through the door. Some desperate men fight the crowd for their friend. They haul a full-grown lame man up on top of the roof of what was likely someone else’s house. Digging through the roof, they make a sizable hole before lowering him in front of Jesus. He sees their faith and forgives the man. Just like that. No questions asked. If the saving gift of forgiveness of sins was all Jesus left him with, it would have been more than enough! But he also takes care of the man’s physical needs and makes him walk again.
Do you have crowds or obstacles in your life? I do. Consider those that oust Jesus, making you feel stuck or helpless, in a sense, “paralyzed.” A disease, illness, or injury clings to your body. Fears, worries, and doubts render you emotionally powerless. Loneliness and isolation are your closest friends. The grief from losing a loved one is unbearable. Wounds from someone who hurt you haven’t healed. “You’ve lost that lovin’ feelin” in your marriage. Patient parenting feels more like fighting a “mob of monsters.” You compare yourself to others and find that you don’t quite measure up. Regret rears its head too often. Screen overuse has you stuck in a rut. Alcohol is a “go-to.” An overloaded schedule presses hard for your attention, and God’s Word is on the back burner. The mind is overcrowded and overwhelmed by the anxieties of life.
We can bring our troubles, griefs, sorrows, and sins to Jesus, who meets us smack dab in the middle of our messy mob. We never have to be afraid to tell Jesus. Our loving and merciful Great Physician is always waiting, willing, and wanting to hear, help, and heal us even if it’s tough to make an opening in our hearts (because we don’t always like to repent). Yet look at what's already there: Faith. Saving faith. Jesus sees and says, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” “Daughter, your sins are forgiven.” And while he might not heal us in the same miraculous way in which he made the lame man walk, we can be fully confident that our good and gracious Lord will meet our other needs as well.
Here’s the best part. Mark says, “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven’” (Mark 2:5). It doesn’t say, “When Jesus saw their sins.” Jesus didn’t begin questioning the lame man or the other four, giving a lengthy lecture, delving into their hearts, and demanding they confess their sins. He didn’t strip them down to the depths of despair before telling the man he was forgiven. Jesus saw their faith. Forgiveness was granted immediately, and he made the lame man walk again. Some days, there is no better news I want to hear than, “Your sins are forgiven.” As you read and listen to the Gospels, take note of the many accounts when Jesus graciously grants forgiveness and healing – no questions asked.
The truth is Jesus already fought all the crowds – all the sorrows and evils that cram our hearts and lives through means of the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh. He fought all the way through to the finish, winning the victory for us through his life, death, and resurrection. He found us in the crowd, bound himself to us through Word and Sacrament, opened our hearts, and dug through all the dross and distress, leaving his righteousness and peace that is ours by faith.
Is faith enough? A resounding, yes!
“Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Ps. 51:10). Thank you for fighting the crowds of sin, death, and the devil all the way to the empty tomb – all to win me. Thank you for your precious gift of saving faith. Amen.
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