Belonging - Day 12
Mark 2:8 Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? 9 Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’?
I love how Jesus knows what they are thinking and how he gets a little aggressive with them. That in itself must have been a little bit of a surprise. Whether this was divine knowledge, or perhaps he was just really good at anticipating what was going on we don’t know, and it really doesn’t matter. What does matter is that Jesus was willing to take the conversation head on, and teach them a thing or two while he is at it.
His questions for them are twofold: 1) Why do you question this? And 2) What is easier? Are interesting, so let's break them down.
When he asked them why they were questioning this, he was actually asking them a question about their faith. He was wondering if they were not willing to believe that he could do this. They were seeing him heal, yet they were still questioning them in their hearts. I wonder if we would do the same thing, even when we see how God is working, we see his results, in our hearts we still question if what he is doing is really of God or not. We are perhaps not that much different than the skeptics of Jesus’ day.
The second question, which was easier, to heal or to forgive is almost a funny question. It contains humor in that those Jesus was talking to could not do either of these things. So for him to task them this question is to remind them that they were so far out of their depth in questioning him, it was almost laughable. They would not have known how to answer that question any more than you or I would know how to answer that question.
How do you answer a question when you couldn’t possibly know the answer. Like these guys, you probably would simply shut your mouth and see what that person has to say.
I love how Jesus knows what they are thinking and how he gets a little aggressive with them. That in itself must have been a little bit of a surprise. Whether this was divine knowledge, or perhaps he was just really good at anticipating what was going on we don’t know, and it really doesn’t matter. What does matter is that Jesus was willing to take the conversation head on, and teach them a thing or two while he is at it.
His questions for them are twofold: 1) Why do you question this? And 2) What is easier? Are interesting, so let's break them down.
When he asked them why they were questioning this, he was actually asking them a question about their faith. He was wondering if they were not willing to believe that he could do this. They were seeing him heal, yet they were still questioning them in their hearts. I wonder if we would do the same thing, even when we see how God is working, we see his results, in our hearts we still question if what he is doing is really of God or not. We are perhaps not that much different than the skeptics of Jesus’ day.
The second question, which was easier, to heal or to forgive is almost a funny question. It contains humor in that those Jesus was talking to could not do either of these things. So for him to task them this question is to remind them that they were so far out of their depth in questioning him, it was almost laughable. They would not have known how to answer that question any more than you or I would know how to answer that question.
How do you answer a question when you couldn’t possibly know the answer. Like these guys, you probably would simply shut your mouth and see what that person has to say.
- How would you answer the second question?
- Do you think you would have believed in Jesus if you were in that house that particular evening?
- Do you ever find it hard to believe in the claims of Jesus, even 2000 years later?
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