007 The Amazing Claim of Jesus

Mark 2:1-13

December 28, 2025

This morning we return to our study of Mark’s gospel

And certainly you are aware that we are witnessing Him on conquest.

· He has seen the enemy.

· He has promised victory.

· He has recruited His followers.

· He has invaded enemy territory.

We saw that first battle a couple of weeks ago:

The Battle of Capernaum Synagogue

· Jesus was preaching with authority

· His light was exposing darkness

· A demon sought to ambush

· Jesus silenced him

While the demon was silenced by Jesus,

His strategy was not totally ineffective.

For by removing that demon in such a public and powerful way,

We saw that the frenzy surrounding Jesus went through the roof.

In fact, His entire mission and ministry were seemingly hindered.

· He left the synagogue and went to Peter’s home and even there his disciples

wanted him to heal their mother-in-law.

· By nightfall the place was crawling with the sick and demon possessed, all

longing for relief from their infirmity.

Jesus was merciful.

He healed them all.

But we also read:

Mark 1:35-39 “In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. Simon and his companions searched for Him; they found Him, and said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” He said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.” And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons.”

Jesus was certainly compassionate, there’s no denying that.

However, the real mission was not temporal but eternal.

JESUS CAME TO SAVE SINNERS.

While we can hardly blame suffering people for wanting relief

We do see that their preoccupation only with physical healing

Was terribly missing the point.

Mark even included that story of the leper whom Jesus healed,

But who was very detrimental to Jesus’ ministry.

Mark 1:44-45 “and He said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” But he went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the news around, to such an extent that Jesus could no longer publicly enter a city, but stayed out in unpopulated areas; and they were coming to Him from everywhere.”

That is where we have left off.

I hope you are able to see the war taking shape.

Jesus has invaded.

· He is destroying speculations.

· He is exposing deceptions.

· He is proclaiming truth.

And the enemy is fighting back.

· The enemy is trying to distort the purpose of His mission.

· The enemy is trying to confuse the purpose of His mission.

· The enemy is distracting people to seek lesser things.

That opposition ESCALATES when we turn to Mark chapter 2.

Mark 2 is an interesting chapter because

We see here a more dedicated and detailed attack from the enemy.

I like to see BIG PICTURES, and so let me show you that,

Before we come back to this first attack.

In Mark 2 there are 4 attacks by the enemy made at Jesus.

Each one of them is intended to ruin His reputation and discredit His ministry.

· Here they are actually quite easy to spot, because they all come in the form of

a question.

· You can mark them if you want and it will help you as you read this chapter in

the future.

The first one is the one we examine this morning.

Jesus will declare a paralytic to be forgiven and you see the first attack.

Mark 2:7 “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?”

That is ATTACK #1 – THEY QUESTION HIS CLAIM

Jesus declared Himself able to forgive sinners

The enemy is not ok

With that sort of information being tossed around.

· Immediately the enemy fires back that Jesus can do no such thing.

· He would rather declare him a blasphemer or even a madman for making such a ridiculous claim.

ATTACK #2 – THEY QUESTION HIS COMPANY

Jesus is invited into the home of Matthew

Where He is dining with all of Matthew’s friends

And here comes the attack.

Mark 2:16 “When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, “Why is He eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?”

There they would attack Him based on the company He keeps.

· What kind of holy man eats with sinners?

· What kind of a man hangs out with tax collectors?

· What kind of a man rubs elbows with people like that?

They seek to condemn Him by association.

ATTACK #3 – THE QUESTION HIS COMMITMENT

This time Satan uses some well-meaning theology students.

Mark 2:18 “John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and they came and said to Him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”

Everyone who is in training for ministry fasts, but You don’t,

And so we are questioning your commitment.

(Of course Jesus had fasted for 40 days in the wilderness,

But because unlike them He didn’t broadcast it, they were clueless.)

This is an attack, meant to harm His reputation.

ATTACK #4 – THEY QUESTION HIS CHARACTER

It’s a stake out and they watch His disciples.

Mark 2:23-24 “And it happened that He was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while picking the heads of grain. The Pharisees were saying to Him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”

Here the question all revolves around Jesus doing what is “lawful”.

No one ever obeyed the Law as fully or as accurately as Jesus.

This isn’t about obedience, this is about tradition.

Jesus will actually give them quite a lesson on what is “lawful” before this battle is over, but you see the attack.

If He is so religious, why doesn’t He do all the religious things?

It’s just attack after attack after attack.

They attack His claims, His company, His commitment, and His character.

The fight is on.

And all of this is very important for us to grasp

If we want to see Mark’s point.

The fight with Jesus is all about His propensity to be a good Jewish rabbi.

· Why does He eat with sinners?

· Why doesn’t He follow the traditions of the elders?

· Why doesn’t He perform the same rituals that other leaders perform?

And it is good for you to ponder all of those questions.

Why doesn’t Jesus do those things?

Why didn’t He try to fit in well with all the devout Jews of His day?

And as you ponder those things let me ask you this question:

WHAT DID JESUS COME TO SAVE?

· Did He come to save the Law?

· Did He come to save Judaism?

· Did He come to save a traditional way of life?

· Did He come to save the practice of fasting?

You know the answer.

Jesus came to save sinners.

When you understand that,

This conquest that Mark is writing about becomes much clearer.

He’s not trying to save their religious traditions.

Or to borrow language from Jesus,

Mark 2:21-22 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; otherwise the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear results. “No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins as well; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.”

· He wasn’t saving the old tapestry.

· He wasn’t saving the old wine skins.

He was bringing a new covenant.

· He was bringing salvation.

· He was bringing forgiveness.

· He was bringing redemption.

He came to set captives free.

THE WAR IS ON

THIS MORNING let’s pull back and take a look this first battle of Mark 2.

We might even call it “The Second Battle of Capernaum”

As such, let’s break this down into 5 points this morning.

#1 THE ADVANCE

Mark 2:1-2

As chapter 1 ended we saw Jesus withdrawing from Capernaum

That He might preach the gospel all over Galilee.

· He wasn’t defeated there, but the people were distracted.

· No one was listening because they all wanted miracles.

Jesus left that He might preach.

But now we see that He has returned.

“When He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward…”

Like a shepherd seeking lost sheep,

Jesus has returned to preach in this city.

And it didn’t take long for word to travel.

“it was heard that He was at home.”

Only Mark includes this statement,

· It indicates that word is spreading.

· It is a direct piece of news going out, almost like a rumor.

· Word is spreading, “Jesus is back!”

And the FRENZY seems to pick right back up where it started.

(2) “And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them.”

And let’s just say something here about the FOCUS OF JESUS.

Back in Chapter 1

· Peter had found Him and told Him that everyone was looking for Him,

· But Jesus said He was leaving to go and preach the gospel.

It’s not that He was above healing the sick, but He was on mission.

· He came to overthrow Satan’s kingdom.

· He came to storm the gates.

· He had to go and preach, and at that moment Capernaum was interested only

in miracles.

But this time, when He returns, and the crowd once again forms

You see Jesus in total control – HE IS FOCUSED.

THIS IS A PREACHING SERVICE.

That is how the battle started the first time, remember?

Mark 1:21-22 “They went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and began to teach. They were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”

The first time Jesus had come, it was to give the gospel.

· He was preaching in the synagogue, and the gospel was advancing.

· But you’ll remember that out of nowhere that demon cried out and sort of blew a hole in the preaching service, and a healing frenzy followed.

· The whole town sort of got distracted from the main point.

Well now Jesus is back and He has returned to His preaching.

He is once again explaining the gospel.

He is once again preaching about the kingdom.

He could have certainly gone back to the healing ministry

And made quite a popular name for Himself,

But His focus is on saving sinners.

So just see that the battle is back on.

Jesus is once again storming the gates.

It is spiritual warfare.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,”

The advance is back on.

#2 THE AMBUSH

Mark 2:3-5

Ambush might be a strong term for what happened here.

· These men are certainly not seeking to do what that demon wanted to do.

· These men do not seek to ruin the ministry of Jesus.

· We even read in verse 5 that they were men of faith.

And yet, HERE WE GO AGAIN!

Jesus is in the middle of a sermon and this time,

Someone tears a hole in the roof in order let down a paralyzed friend.

(3-4) “And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying.”

You can see how even though the intention is good,

The result might be exactly the same as before.

If Jesus now heals this paralytic

· People will again be amazed

· The next thing you know everyone else will start listing their ailments

· The focus will again shift

· And Jesus will have to leave again to that He can preach the gospel

I HESITATE to call this event some sort of Satanic scheme,

Certainly these men had no such intention,

But similar to the leper who was told to keep quiet and didn’t,

These men have blown a hole in the preaching ministry of Jesus.

The sermon has once again been interrupted.

CAN YOU IMAGINE THE SCENE?

(3) “And they came…” is another one of those historical present verbs where Mark wants you to close your eyes and see it unfolding.

Jesus is preaching,

· Hearts are being exposed,

· Light is dispelling the darkness,

· Truth is being made clear.

And all of a sudden

· You start hearing this scratching and clawing on the room,

· Until a hole is knocked through and ceiling tiles fall down.

· And the next thing you know a paralytic is lowered right down in front of Jesus.

It’s going to be very difficult to just keep on with the sermon.

We sometimes have minor distractions that occur in the worship service.

· Sometimes we have children that are still learning about sitting in worship who

get a little loud (it’s part of them learning)

· We are mature enough to keep going and keep listening.

But something like that…

That’s a showstopper.

But watch THE FOCUS of Jesus here again.

(5) “And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Jesus doesn’t even address what we might call the obvious problem.

· Everyone in that room knew why that paralytic had been lowered in front of Jesus.

· Everyone in that room knew what the request was.

· The request was for Jesus to heal this paralyzed man.

They wanted Jesus to pick back up where He left off last time.

Perhaps no one had been willing to carry the paralytic the first time.

Perhaps his friends were out of town or busy being healed themselves.

No doubt someone had said,

“When we see Jesus again we’ll make sure and get you to Him.”

Only this time they couldn’t get the room because it was so crowded…

· But you’ve got some good friends here

· They tear the roof off to fulfill a promise.

· These men are walking in faith and they are walking in love.

· It’s hard to find fault in these men for what they did for their friend.

AND YET…they are once again interrupting the sermon.

BUT JESUS DOESN’T MISS A BEAT.

He doesn’t set off a healing service,

Instead Jesus reinforces the gospel that He has been preaching.

He says, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Jesus keeps the focus on the gospel.

THE TRAGEDY is that we think so much like the crowd

That we are prone to feel like Jesus cheated the guy.

We treat forgiveness like it is something God owes us,

What we want is for God to fix all our problems.

But we should remember that there is no greater gift than forgiveness.

Psalms 32:1-2 “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit!”

God will indeed bless you in many ways in your life,

But none of those blessings will be greater than your forgiveness.

But remember, paralytics can go to heaven, but sinners can’t.

THIS IS BIG!

· This man instantly is absolved of all condemnation.

· This man instantly has his slate wiped clean.

· This man instantly is clothed in the righteous robe of Christ.

· This man is justified in God’s sight.

· This man has the greatest hope any human could ever have.

· His eternity is now settled and secure.

And with that one statement,

Jesus has taken this gospel preaching service and amplified it.

The enemy might have used this to again stop Jesus from preaching,

But Jesus countered beautifully.

Now everyone in the room is no longer thinking about their illness,

Now everyone in the room is thinking about their sin.

“I came to this house to see Jesus hoping He might fix my limp,

But now I’m wondering if He might forgive my sin too!”

This is huge, Jesus was ready!

(He saw this ambush coming from a mile away)

#3 THE ADVERSARY

Mark 2:6-7

Here we find some scribes.

Mark says that they were “sitting there and reasoning in their hearts…”

We know they are skeptics

· They’ll question Jesus words.

· They’ll accuse Him of blasphemy.

· They’ll scoff at His claim.

And look, part of their reasoning is not that far off.

We might say they have “great theology and horrible discernment”.

Their dialogue is this:

“Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Well that final question is accurate.

“Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

THAT’S TRUE.

Can I remind you about what David said after the infamous affair and murder?

Psalms 51:3-4 “For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge.”

That is very interesting.

· Clearly David sinned against Bathsheba

· Clearly David sinned against Uriah

· Clearly David sinned against his army

· Clearly David sinned against Joab

· Clearly David sinned against his people

But David says “Against, You, You only, I have sinned…”

David wasn’t overlooking the wrongs he had done to those around him, David was pointing out that all sin is ultimately and finally against God.

Sin is against God because it is God who defines sin.

It is God’s standard and God’s decree that David broke.

All sin is against God and therefore only God can forgive it.

BEYOND THAT, Scripture teaches that the cost to forgive sin is expensive.

Hebrews 9:22 “And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

The wages of sin has not changed, it has always been death.

· Blood has to be spilled.

· Life has to be lost.

Psalms 49:7-9 “No man can by any means redeem his brother Or give to God a ransom for him— For the redemption of his soul is costly, And he should cease trying forever— That he should live on eternally, That he should not undergo decay.”

And here is Jesus declaring that this man’s eternal sin

Has now been forgiven before God

Even without a drop of blood being shed.

They labeled that as blasphemy!

“Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?”

And if Jesus were not God they would have been correct.

As I said, their theology is accurate, but their discernment is terrible.

But notice that they aren’t saying anything out loud.

They don’t jump up and cry out like the demon did.

They don’t jump up and point the finger.

They are definite opponents, but they are silent ones.

· It’s as though they realize the battle is lost.

· They could try a counter attack, but what good would it do?

· Jesus has captivated the crowd with the gospel.

· Better to retreat and regroup.

They didn’t pick a fight here…JESUS DID.

Jesus has the enemy on the run, and He’s about to hit him again!

#4 THE ASSAULT

Mark 2:8-12

It’s NOT the scribes who stand up and call Jesus out.

It is Jesus who calls out the scribes for what they were thinking.

· Jesus takes their private thoughts and makes it public.

· Jesus exposes them as His opponents.

· Jesus labels them as His adversary.

They might have sought to blend into the crowd, Jesus calls them out.

(No terrorists allowed, Jesus marks the enemy for all to see)

“Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts?”

Can’t you see everyone in the room now turning to look at those scribes?

THE TENSION IS THICK.

And I love how Jesus has defined the battle.

This isn’t about illness or miracle power.

· The entire focus of the room is not on illness.

· The entire focus of the room is not even on paralysis.

· The entire focus of the room is not on roof repair.

Jesus made sure that everyone

Is pondering whether or not He can forgive a sinner.

And thanks to the scribes, everyone realizes what a difficult proposition this is.

· Everyone should now know that only God can forgive sin.

· Everyone should now know that death is required.

· Everyone should now know that this is a massive claim by Jesus.

THE ENEMY MAY HAVE PLANNED TO AMBUSH JESUS

In reality they have given Him everything He wanted.

· He now has a crowd captivated with the need for forgiveness.

· They know only God can grant it.

· They know Jesus has clearly claimed to offer it.

WHAT A BATTLE!

This is drama unfolding at its finest!

So Jesus gives a hypothesis.

(9) “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’?”

Well that’s an interesting question.

But make sure and listen carefully.

Jesus DIDN’T say, “Which is easier to DO?”

· For even though it is extremely difficult to heal a paralytic,

· I promise you that you’d have a better shot at making a paralytic walk than cleansing a soul before God.

· I promise you that healing a paralytic is far easier than cleansing a soul from the guilt of sin.

All you have to know to understand that is that Jesus healed paralytics with the word of His mouth, He took the crushing of His soul to forgive.

But Jesus didn’t ask which is easier to DO?

Jesus asked, “Whis is easier to SAY?”

Is it easier to tell a paralytic He has been forgiven, or is it easier to tell a paralytic to walk?

Well, clearly it’s easier to say he’s forgiven.

· After all, that is an invisible reality.

· It’s not like we have access to the archives of heaven.

· We don’t have a copy of the Lamb’s book of life.

· Anyone can say that.

And Jesus has just upped the ante.

· Now everyone knows that forgiveness is valuable.

· Now everyone knows that forgiveness is difficult.

· Now everyone knows that forgiveness is divine.

Jesus’ sermon got highjacked once again,

But He has managed to turn every heart in the room

Toward the reality, difficulty, and origin of forgiveness.

(10-12) “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.” And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

And there you have it!

JESUS CAN FORGIVE SIN.

Jesus has authority from God to declare you forgiven.

He isn’t just preaching the gospel,

He is demonstrating the power of His gospel.

· His gospel is so much more than just the healing of temporal diseases.

· His gospel is so much more than just the cleansing of leprosy.

· His gospel is so much more than just the removal of demons.

His gospel is that which takes the enemies of God,

Wipes their sin debt clean and makes them justified in God’s sight.

· Satan would have men believe that they can’t be forgiven.

· Satan would have men believe that forgiveness is too costly.

· Satan would have men believe that sin can’t be removed.

· Satan would have men believed that condemnation is unyielding.

Jesus shows up and destroys such a faulty speculation.

He can forgive your sin.

He can declare you just.

AND WE KNOW WHY.

It is because He will live a life with absolutely no sin of His own

So that He might pay the debt of those He forgives.

1 Peter 2:24 “and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”

When Jesus declared this paralytic forgiven,

He in effect took his sins and wrote them on His own ledger.

That man’s sins could not be absolved without the shedding of blood,

Jesus agreed to shed His own blood so that man’s sins could be forgiven.

AND THAT IS WHAT HE HAS OFFERED TO DO FOR YOU AS WELL.

The greatest offer Jesus ever made to you

Is the offer to forgive you of your sin.

Romans 3:23-24 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;”

· There is not a single human who has not offended God.

· There is not a single human who has not sinned.

I don’t care what your problem is, it’s not bigger than sin.

· You can be overweight and go to heaven.

· You can be a cripple and go to heaven.

· You can have cancer and go to heaven.

· You can have chronic pain and go to heaven.

But you can’t go to heaven without forgiveness.

You can’t go to heaven in sin.

AND NOW WE KNOW THAT THROUGH JESUS GOD WILL FORGIVE IT.

Romans 5:7-8 “For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

God sent His Son to pay the debt of sinners

So that He might forgive them.

Ephesians 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace”

Colossians 1:14 “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

If you want forgiveness you must run to Jesus for it.

You must ask Him to forgive you.

You must ask Him to clear your debt.

He can and He will.

1 John 1:8-2:2 “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”

He is the One who forgives.

And He proved it here at this battle.

The Advance, The Ambush, The Adversary, The Assault

#5 THE AFTERMATH

Mark 2:13

There is Jesus again on conquest!

Only this time the entire narrative is changed.

Mark says “all the people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them.”

That is a big difference from chapter 1.

Mark 1:32-37 “When evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed. And the whole city had gathered at the door. And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was. In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. Simon and his companions searched for Him; they found Him, and said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.”

Before people only wanted His miraculous power

To set them free from their ailments.

Now, they are captivated by His message.

In fact, you can read verse 13 as “kept coming” and “kept teaching”.

It is VICTORY!

JESUS IS ON CONQUEST!

· While He is merciful, His conquest is not eradicate physical sickness.

· While He is compassionate, His conquest is not to remove all suffering.

· While He is holy, His conquest is not to save the Law

· While He is eternal, His conquest is not to save tradition.

Jesus is on conquest to save sinners.

He is doing it by preaching the gospel and offering forgiveness.

And He is winning!

“Son, your sins are forgiven.”

What an amazing claim!

· Has He said that to you?

· Have you asked Him for that?