Jesus Heals Paralytic Man | Mark 2:1-12

Bible Study Lesson

Mark 2: 1-12

Other Passages : Matthew 9:1-8, Luke 5:17-26

The passage starts with Jesus entering Capernaum again. So, what did Jesus do on his first visit to Capernaum? (Mark 1:21-34)

• He preached in the synagogue.
• He healed many sick and diseased. (check out list of healing miracles of Jesus)
• He drove out demons from demon-possessed.
• The whole town had gathered to see Jesus. (Mark 1:32-34,45)
• In his previous visit, people were looking for him so much that he could no longer enter the town openly. (Mark 1:45)

What was the scene at the house?

• Jesus was a well known Rabbi by now. So, when people heard that Jesus was in town again (Mark 2:1), The town had brought many sick and demon-possessed people.
• there was a huge crowd that there was no room in the house or even outside.
• The Teachers of the Law were also present to test Jesus.
• Jesus was preaching the Word of God to them. (Mark 2:2)

Who do you think, were these men who brought the paralytic man? What was their motive?

• They could be friends, relatives or family members of the paralytic man.
• They wanted their friend to be healed.
• The paralytic man’s condition seemed to be very critical from the extreme measures they took, to bring him to Jesus.

Verbalize their conversation, when they saw that there was no room in the house.

• They could have been disappointed at first.
• They could have said to themselves.
  • “Well, we did our part by bringing him here.”
  • “We will come early next time Jesus is in the town.”
  • “Let’s wait here for Jesus to come out.”

What do you think about their decision? (Deuteronomy 22:8)

• They were willing to take desperate measures.
• They took a tough, difficult and a quite strange decision. They decided to open the roof of somebody’s house, it wasn’t their house, after all!
• The paralytic man must have agreed to take this dangerous route.
• The houses were built in such a way that the roof were flat and there were guide-rails to protect people from falling from the roof.

  Deuteronomy 22:8 – “When you build a new house, make a parapet around your roof so that you may not bring the guilt of bloodshed on your house if someone falls from the roof.”

What kind of efforts do you take to bring your friends to Jesus?

Visualize the setting in the house, when they lowered him from the roof.

• Jesus was preaching to the crowd.
• Everyone was listening. And suddenly, there was a noise on the roof.
• And before, anybody could realize what was happening, there was a man lowered down from the roof by four men. It was quite an attention grabber!

How can Jesus ‘see’ our faith? (Hebrews 11:6)

What can be said from these four men’s action?

• They knew about his friend’s desperate need.
• Their actions revealed their faith.
• The paralytic man also showed amazing trust in his friends.
• They all persevered and did not give up.
• They were sure that if somehow they could bring him to Jesus, he would be healed.

What was Jesus claiming to be, when he said, “Son, your sins are forgiven”?

• Jesus claimed that he had the authority and power to forgive one’s sins.
• Only God can forgive sins, So he was claiming to be equal to God.
• Jesus announced his forgiveness in front of the crowd.
• This was not the only time, Jesus claimed to forgive sins. In Luke 7:48, he forgave the sins of a sinful woman with an alabaster jar of perfume.
• Jesus healed him spiritually first.

What do you think is easier, ‘your sins are forgiven’ or ‘get up, take your mat and walk’?

• It may be easier to say that your sins are forgiven, because one cannot see the results. It is an internal change. You cannot see visible results.
• But to ask the paralytic man to get up and walk, he must be healed, one can see the physical change and the result.
• In that regards, it may be easier to say that your sins are forgiven. Jesus proved that He not only had the power to heal but also to forgive sins.
• On the other hand, many in history has claimed to have the healing powers, but no one has claimed to have the authority to forgive other’s sins.

Describe three ways in which Jesus showed his divinity. (Mark 2:8, 10, 11)

• By reading thoughts of the teachers of the Law.
• By forgiving sins of the paralytic man.
• By physically healing him.

Are your sins forgiven?

Life Applications and Reflections

• It is fascinating to see the faith of these four men and their actions. They were willing to bring his friend to Jesus at any cost. As a Christian, we often bring our friends very close to Jesus. But the last step of introducing them to Jesus, needs faith and courage. It sometimes requires extreme measures. Are we willing to take that risk and do something which may seem awkward, strange and often risky to bring our friends to Christ?
• We often forget about the paralytic man, who was mostly silent in the whole story. But none of these would have been possible without his consent. He was also willing to risk his life to see Jesus. He received more than he expected. He received a spiritual and physical healing. Are you willing to take extreme measures to meet Jesus?

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Check out our eBook, The Miracles of Jesus Christ – 7-part Bible Study Series on the Healing Miracles of Jesus Christ for Small Groups & Personal Study.