JESUS AND THE PARALYZED MAN Mark 2:1-12
BACKGROUND: At that time, it was typical for houses in Israel to be flat-roofed and built of limestone and bricks. The roof could be accessed from the outside by the stairs, and it was a place where the family would often spend time. Paralysis occurs typically when a person is middle-aged or older. It is usually caused by a brain bleed and results in the loss of ability to speak.
1.
• What kind of care did this man need in his everyday life?
• What was a typical day like for the family that had to take care of him? Remember that at that time, houses did not have an indoor bathroom or a sauna, for example.
2.
• At the time, all Jews believed in the existence of God. What may have been this man’s attitude toward religion or God after being paralyzed?
3.
• Verse 5 indicates that the man had sinned. What kind of sins is a person capable of doing even when immobilized?
• Discuss whether pain and sickness make us better or worse people.
4.
• What is the most challenging aspect of carrying a grown man on a mat through a city?
• Why didn’t people step outside of the house to allow the sick man and those carrying him enter (verse 4)?
• Why didn’t the four men turn around when they saw that the house was packed with people and that they were not let in?
5.
• Who were these four men (verse 3)? Discuss different possibilities.
• How were they able to carry the paralyzed man onto the roof by the stairs without him slipping off the mat?
• What kinds of tools did the men need for making the opening in the roof, and where did they get them?
• What kinds of comments did they possibly hear from the inside when digging through the roof?
6.
• The four men had brought their friend to Jesus for him to be healed. Why did Jesus then first forgive him his sins (verse 5)?
• Why did Jesus act specifically in this order of first forgiving the man his sins and only them healing him?
• What did it mean to the paralyzed man to be forgiven all the things weighing on his mind?
7. Imagine asking Jesus for help in your most difficult problem and him saying to you, “Son/daughter, your sins are forgiven.” Would this make you happy or angry?
• If you could choose between having a good conscience and a solution to your problems, which one would you choose?
• How did the paralyzed man’s attitude toward his illness change after knowing that he could now get to heaven?
8.
• At the beginning of verse 5, Jesus talks about the faith of the carriers, not that of the paralyzed man. It is likely that the sick man did not yet believe in Jesus when he was laid down at his feet. What was the moment when the paralyzed man became a believer?
• Why didn’t the teachers of law believe that Jesus could forgive people their sins (verses 6-7)?
9.
• Answer the question Jesus asks in verses 8-9.
• How much did it cost Jesus to heal the man? How much did it cost Jesus to forgive him his sins?
10.
• Why didn’t the man thank Jesus before leaving the house (verses 10-12)?
• Why didn’t the pharisees believe in Jesus even though they witnessed this miracle?
GLAD TIDINGS: If a sin is weighing on your mind, know that Jesus says to you, too: “Son/daughter, your sins are forgiven.” Jesus had to pay for this promise by dying on the cross. What does his promise mean to you? (You can answer this question quietly in your heart.)
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