The Pharisees liked some of what Jesus said, but in rejecting some of it, they denied his authority.

The paralytic and his friends had great faith. His friends carried him through the crowd for who knows how long, lifted him up to the roof, somehow got him through the roof to the inside... So much faith! And Jesus forgave him and healed him.

Often the right road is unpaved, the narrow, rocky path. Just because something is hard doesn't mean it's against God's will. If he's calling you, you must press on. Faith will remove any obstacle to Jesus! Being around Jesus isn't the same as being WITH Jesus. In this passage, the crowd was an obstacle.

Jesus shows that the paralytic's greatest need was not simply his physical healing, but the forgiveness of his sin. With physical healing only, he'd just be more comfortable on his way to hell.

The word is folly for the unsaved, but for Christians it's the power of God!

2 billion Muslims believe in Jesus, but just as a prophet. They believe the gospels are corrupted. They prefer Mark, claiming it's the least corrupt. However, in Mark 14:61: Are you the Christ? "I am."

Jesus says that his authority as king is eternal. That he's the one that the Pharisees are called to serve. He reminds us who he is! We must exhibit a degree of seriousness in our serving him.

Jesus's tells the healed man to "Arise, take up your bed, and go home!"... Not "follow me" this time. He's telling him to go home and share his message there. It's easier to share Jesus with strangers, not so easy to share with those who know us. Having your sins forgiven is easy... Walking the Christian walk, sharing your faith, doing the work of the gospel, is difficult. Church is where we gather together so we can be equipped to do the work of the gospel!

Our marching orders: pick up your beds and go home!