Mark 2:1-4 (NKJV) Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralytic
(Matt. 9:2–8; Luke 5:17–26)
1 And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. 2 Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. 3 Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. 4 And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.
V1 “And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house.” Capernaum is at the north end of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus spent much time there teaching and healing. It was a small fishing and agricultural city. It is also the city that Jesus warned would have a more severe judgment because of all the miracles Jesus did there (Matthew 11:23-24).
Brave AI: “Typical houses in biblical times were often one-room dwellings, though some had multiple rooms and even upper floors. These houses usually had flat roofs that could be accessed for various activities, including socializing, sleeping, and praying. The roofs were typically made of reeds, straw, and other materials covered with mud or clay, with sand or small rocks sprinkled on top to help shed rain.
The floors were often packed earth or small chips of rocks, and sometimes covered with hay or straw. Windows were limited to minimize cold weather and crime, and were often covered with lattice work or shutters. Furniture was simple, and people often slept on mats or cloaks on the floor. Cooking was usually done outside or in a courtyard, and the houses were generally sparsely furnished.”
So, it would have been relatively easy to dig through the roof for the sick man’s friends to lower him to be in front of Jesus.
V2 “Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them.” Many enjoyed Jesus’s teaching but enjoyed the healing the best. Most heard Jesus’s teaching and were healed, but few committed their souls and believed that Jesus was Messiah. They actively rejected Him (Mark 8:31, Luke 17:25, and John 12:48).
V3 “Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.” Paralyzed perhaps by an accident or disease. Note, the compassion these four men had to help bring him to Jesus.
V4 “And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.” This is determination and a revealing of a strong faith. They had to get their friend to Jesus.
Matthew Henry adds: “Where the king is, there is the court; where Shiloh is, there shall the gathering of the people be. In improving opportunities for our souls, we must take care not to lose time. One invited another (Come, let us go see Jesus), so that his house could not contain his visitants. There was no room to receive them, they were so numerous, not so much as about the door. A blessed sight, to see people thus flying like a cloud to Christ’s house, though it was but a poor one, and as the doves to their windows!”
The rest of this incident will be added tomorrow.
We learn:
- What faith in action is.
- Jesus taught the people the Bible.
Questions:
- Would we have taken the time and effort to bring our friends to Jesus?
- Why didn’t the people believe?
- Do we have compassion for others?