1 And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. 3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. 5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
— Mark 2:1-12
This account took place very early on in Jesus’ ministry. At this point in his ministry he had been performing quite a few healings and miracles, but he had not yet publicly revealed that he was the Son of God. So people came to Jesus for healings and miracles — for a better life.
When this guy is dropped in front of Jesus, everyone in the room is expecting that Jesus will heal this guy’s legs, just like he had been healing everyone else up until this point. But Jesus doesn’t address this guy’s legs (at least not at first). Instead, Jesus speaks to his soul.
What is Jesus doing here? He is revealing in this moment, “I am more than a miracle man. I am more than a healer. I don’t want to just heal your body, I want to heal your soul. I didn’t come to give you a better life, I came to bring your soul to life.”
Are you like this paralytic man? Have you been coming to Jesus hoping that he would fix the biggest problems in your life? There’s nothing wrong with that, but he has something more for you, something better. He offers to bring your soul to life. He offers to heal you on the inside. Is your soul alive? Have you experienced God’s forgiveness for your sin? If not, Jesus offers to bring your soul to life today. If you’re ready to take that step, you can pray something like this:
God, I know that I have sinned against you. I believe that Jesus died for my sins and then resurrected from the dead. Will you forgive me of my sins, heal me on the inside, and bring my soul to life? Thank you for forgiving me and giving me life with you.