On Sunday October 19, Pastor Andrew preached a message on Mark 2:1-12. We see the healing of a paralysed man. Paralysis is not just a physical condition; it is the complete inability to move one’s body as one desires. Imagine living your entire life unable to act according to your will. Spiritually, this is a reflection of all of us. Like the paralysed man, we too are often powerless to live as God calls us to live. Though we are Christians, we frequently find ourselves trapped in spiritual paralysis—doing what we shouldn’t, unable to do what we should.
The Bible tells us that the purpose of our lives is to live with and for our Creator. Yet, much of the time, we live as though He isn’t there. This is the battle Apostle Paul described in Romans 7—the war between our spirit that desires God and the flesh that resists Him. But there is hope. Just as Jesus healed the man who had been paralysed all his life, He offers healing for our souls.
This healing is not something we earn. The paralytic did nothing to deserve it. He was healed not because of merit but because of grace—God’s unearned, unconditional love. Grace is not a reward for good behaviour; it is a free gift from the heart of God. Jesus came to save us while we were still rebelling. This is the message of the cross: the love of God that forgives, restores, and renews without condition.
When Jesus looked at the man in verse 5, He said, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” The man hadn’t even asked for forgiveness—Jesus simply knew what he needed most. Often, we come to God asking for physical or material help, but Jesus looks deeper, to the eternal need of our souls. He sees beyond our outward condition to our inner brokenness. Like the paralytic, we may feel unworthy or beyond saving, but Jesus’ forgiveness reminds us that no sin or shame is too great for His grace.
The real obstacle, then, is not God’s unwillingness to forgive—it’s our own unbelief. Some don’t come to Jesus because they think they don’t need Him, like the Pharisees who criticised instead of believing. Others don’t come because they think they’re too far gone, too unworthy. Both are forms of blindness and arrogance. The truth is, all of us are sick, and all of us need the Healer. True healing begins with humility—acknowledging our need for grace and believing in God’s unconditional love.
The friends of the paralytic give us a beautiful image of what the church should be. They carried their friend when he couldn’t carry himself. They refused to give up, even when the crowd blocked the way. It wasn’t just the man’s faith—it was their faith, their unity, their compassion – that moved Jesus.
This is the true image of the church—a family of believers carrying one another in faith, persevering together until all are brought before Christ. When one grows weary, the others lift them up. When one falls, the others keep holding on. That is what it means to live as the body of Christ—people who not only believe in grace but embody it.
Let us live each day remembering that grace is not something we earn but something we receive, and as His church, may we carry one another with faith.