F O O T H O L D
READING
8 TWO MEN IN NEED
PRAY Help me to understand
and obey your word, holy God.
READ Mark 2:117.
THINK What do these stories
teach about Jesus? What kind of person was
he? And what kind of work
did he come to do?
FOCUS A PARALYSED MAN (112).
Imagine you have pushed your way through
the crowd into the house,
and are listening to Jesus. Suddenly
bits fall from the ceiling,
a hole appears, and then down comes a
paralysed man on a rough
bed, held by four ropes. What a
surprise! Jesus speaks!
What's that he's saying? 'Stand up and
walk'? No! 'Your sins are
forgiven ...' SINS? Did they have
something to do with being
paralysed? Or is Jesus saying that the
need to have our sins
forgiven comes before any other need even
the need to be cured of
paralysis?
There's a group of superiorlooking
religious leaders standing in
one corner, muttering among
themselves. What are they thinking
(7)? They are not rejoicing
at the great gift of forgiveness
which the man had received;
they are complaining that Jesus had
no right to forgive sinners.
But they cannot keep their thoughts
hidden from Jesus.
A DESPISED MAN (1317). Now
put yourself in Levi's place you
are sitting there in your
office, one of the most unpopular men in
Capernaum, collecting taxes
for the hated Romans from your
oppressed Jewish fellowcitizens.
Suddenly Jesus appears.
Instead of the criticism you
expect, he looks as if he really
cares. And so when he says
'Follow me ... ' you do. Then you
invite him to dinner despite
the grumbles of the Jewish leaders.
'But that's why I came,'
says Jesus, 'to call SINNERS'.
PRAY Give praise to God that
he is willing and able to forgive your
sins.
