Have you ever asked for one thing from God, but gotten something totally different than what you asked for? Then when all was said and done, you realize the gift God gave to you was exactly what you needed, and didn’t even know it? I know I have. 

I Had It All Planned

When I was a teenager I thought I had my whole life planned out. It was going to be great! I would marry a man who grew up in the same town I did. We would buy a house in that town, have our children, and live happily ever after. Little did I know the plans God had for me! You see, I ended up marrying a man who grew up in Texas, while I grew up in New Mexico. He was still working on his college degree at a school in Texas. I would marry him and move to Texas with the understanding that we would move back to my hometown and live there forever.

Again, my plans did not align with the great plans God had for me. We did move back to New Mexico after Brett graduated from college, only to move to Phoenix, Arizona about a year and a half later. We would live in Phoenix for six years before going on a series of moves all around the world. At the end of all of those moves we would end up living in Austin, Texas.

You see, God saw a need in me that I couldn’t see twenty years ago when I got married. I needed to move away from my hometown and family. Why? I needed to find out who Cherise was without the identity my family put on me. I needed to learn to stand on my own and be ok. Because of all of those moves, I know how to connect with others better. I learned to have a voice, and use it. Jesus saw those needs in me and provided a way for those needs to be met.

Just Like Toddlers

Just think of when your children were babies. They sometimes thought they needed food, when in reality they needed sleep. Perhaps as toddlers they thought they needed play time, when they really needed rest time. We as loving parents knew what they needed even if and when they couldn’t see it. Then as loving parents we enforced what they really needed — rest time — even when they didn’t like it very much. 

Just like those babies and toddlers, there are times when we think we need one thing, but God sees what we really need and provides it. That’s the beauty of serving an all-knowing, all-powerful God. We think we need to always live in the same place, when in fact we really need to move away so we can discover who we really are. 

Jesus Gives The Better Gift

Today we are going to look at a time when a man and his friends all thought a guy needed one thing, but Jesus gave him something more important first. Let’s take a look at Mark 2:1-12 and see what we can learn from a group of people, a paralyzed man, his friends, and Jesus stepping in to give what was really needed.

Mark 2:1-12 (ESV)

“And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 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. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 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. 

And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 

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? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? But 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, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 

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!” ‭‭

Jesus Had Authority

So we see that Jesus has become famous in the area of Capernaum and the surrounding areas. So much so that massive groups of people were all gathering around any place Jesus was to see about this guy who is said to heal people, and teach with authority. (See Mark 1)

The First Group

Some people were there because they were genuinely curious about who Jesus was. They knew the promised Messiah was due on the scene, and wanted to know if this man was in fact the long awaited Messiah. The people of this time believed the Messiah would come and set up his earthly kingdom right then and there. They believed freedom from physical bondage was the most important thing the Messiah could/would do. 

Where did this thinking come from? It came from the prophecies in the Old Testament. We see this prophesied in Daniel 2:44-45 (ESV), “And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”

‭‭Again, we see this thinking that the Messiah would come and set up his kingdom on the earth in Luke 17:20-21 (ESV), “Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.””

They Didn’t See The Whole Picture

What the people of this day failed to understand is that although they thought they needed a savior to come and rescue them from the oppressive hands of the Romans, Jesus came with a much better plan. His plan was to save them from the bondage that came through the bloodline of Adam and Eve. This was the sort of freedom they could never fight for or conquer on their own. Only the true Messiah, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, could free them from that sort of bondage. Jesus came to heal them in ways they couldn’t understand until they experienced it. 

We need to remember that the world may not and likely does not realize they are in bondage to sin and an evil kingdom. They may feel like they are in complete freedom and control of their life. What they fail to see and understand is that they are on a path that only leads to death, torment, and all sorts of ugly things. It’s up to us, as followers of the true Jesus, to show the world the truth and pray the Holy Spirit opens their eyes to the truth. Yes we need to love them. Love sometimes is telling others the truth of what they are doing to themselves and others. Love does not mean we have to affirm lies they believe about themselves. True love tells the truth and stands firm in the truth. 

The Second Group

While some were crowding around Jesus to find out if he was in fact their long awaited Messiah, others came to look for an excuse to prove he was crazy and find a reason to arrest and get rid of him. To this group Jesus of Nazareth was a danger. He was a danger to their standing in the community. Up until this point the community all looked to them for answers. This group prided themselves in the fact that they had a closer walk with Yahweh than the “common” man. They even believed the delusion that they were somehow holier and had an “in” with Yahweh that the common man could never obtain. They believed their works of service earned them a more prestigious place in the kingdom of God. 

Their Failure

What this group failed to understand is they were sinners just like the “common” man. No amount of work or service to Yahweh could earn them freedom from the same bondgage everyone else was born into. Romans 3:23 (ESV) applied to this group of people just like it applies to you and me today, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” (emphasis added) 

While this group, like the previous group, thought they knew what the coming Messiah would look like, act like, and be like, they failed to see the Truth, who was standing right in front of them. They thought they needed the Messiah to be what they envisioned him to be. When the real Messiah, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, did come, he offered them what they really needed, not what they thought they needed. 

The Third Group

The next group we see here is the group that knew they needed healing from Jesus. Specifically we see the paralyzed man and his friends desperately trying to get to Jesus so he can be healed. This group thought they needed Jesus to physically heal them. They believed the lie that all that mattered was what you could perceive with the five senses. The physical world and their experience in it was what mattered most. This man needed to be able to walk because that was the most important thing in their understanding. Physical healing is important. However, is it the most important? No. Jesus recognized this fact and gave them what they actually needed, not just what they thought they needed. 

What Did They Need

What was it Jesus saw that this man and his friends needed more than the physical body healed? We see this stated by Jesus in Mark 2:5 (ESV), “And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”” Did you notice it says “Jesus saw their faith”? ‭‭Did this man have faith that Jesus could heal him? Maybe. Maybe not. Could it be that his friends had the faith this man lacked, and that is what Jesus saw? Likely this man had been dragged around from doctor to doctor, “healer” to “healer,” only to be let down and see zero improvement. I can imagine the paralyzed man could have been extremely reluctant to go. 

Maybe he thought this time was going to be just like all the others. Could it be that he didn’t want to get his hopes up again, only to be disappointed at the end of the day? Did his friends tell him about Jesus? Had they already seen him heal someone else? Were they there in the synagogue in Capernaum when Jesus healed the man with the unclean spirit? I frankly can’t answer any of these questions. However, I do know without a doubt they had the faith that if they could only get their friend to Jesus, he would heal him. This they had zero doubt about. In fact they had such assurance Jesus could and would heal their friend, they were willing to tear the roof off of someone’s house! 

Jesus Gave The Better Gift

Then comes the fascinating part. Once again we see Jesus giving the man what he really needed, not what he thought he needed. He and his friends thought the only thing he needed was physical healing. What he actually needed was spiritual healing. Thus Jesus said, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 

We learn in Mark 1:22 (ESV) Jesus amazed the crowds because he taught with authority, “And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.” Again in this passage we read that Jesus has authority. Mark‬ ‭2‬:‭10‬ ‭(ESV) tells us, “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—” This time we read that Jesus himself declares he has authority. Thus he confirmed what many in that room already thought just awhile ago. 

Jesus Has The Authority

Jesus has the authority to teach because he is the Creator of all things. Who else could possibly have that sort of authority? Imagine there is a new invention that will change the world forever. Let’s say there is a new device that will have the power to heal everyone. Just a few minutes or hours using this device will heal everything from the common cold to paralysis.

Who would have the greatest authority to talk about how this device works, how one should use this device, and what conditions need to be met for this device to work? The inventor of course! The man or woman who spent years of their life figuring out what is needed for this device to work. They would be the one who would know what exactly needs to be done for the device to work. We would be wise to listen to them, even when we think we might know better. 

Likewise, who else has the authority to teach or heal or do any of the things we see Jesus doing both in the Bible and in the world we currently reside in? He is THE Creator of all things. He knows what conditions need to be met for his creation to work the best. In the case with this paralyzed man, he saw he needed forgiveness first, then the healing would follow. 

The Importance Of Forgiveness

Over the past several years Brett and I have been studying the gift of healing. We have asked the Lord to give us the gift of praying for healing and seeing it happen right then and there. We have the faith Jesus still heals today, and we keep asking and keep seeking to understand this gift. One of the lessons we have learned is that forgiveness is an important ingredient to healing. In fact unforgiveness can lead people to have physical ailments or impairments. 

A few years ago we were at a church service with some co-leaders, and a man came in with a back brace and cane. He looked much older than he really was because of the constant pain he was in. A good friend of ours started praying for him, and Brett and I joined. Our friend received a word of knowledge that this man had unforgiveness in his heart. He asked about that and the man replied he did in fact hold unforgiveness for his wife. Our friend asked the man to forgive his wife and pray a prayer of forgiveness over her.

The man agreed, and by the end of our prayer time he was running down the side of the building without his cane or back brace! It was an incredible!

Healing seems to follow forgiveness. Need healing in your physical body? Make sure you have forgiven everyone who has hurt you first. When you forgive, you just might see your body react with healing. 

Did The Man Need Forgiveness

So first we see Jesus declaring forgiveness for the paralyzed man’s sins. Could it be that this man just needed to know and receive forgiveness for the things he had done wrong before he could be healed? I would say so since that is exactly what happened. Jesus declared him forgiven and then he was able to be healed from his paralysis. That man received both physical and spiritual healing that day! 

Are You In The First Group

My question to you is this: What group do you find yourself in? Are you in the curious group? Maybe you have heard about Jesus and the Christian faith, but you have yet to make a decision one way or the other about it. You want to know if Jesus was really God in the flesh or just a really good man. You are looking for something bigger than yourself to follow, and you want to make sure you make the right choice in who or what to follow. 

Maybe you have been told that Christianity is a crutch and only weak people need it. Let me assure you, it actually takes a strong person to be a true Christian. Why? First, it takes a strong person to admit they need saving. We can’t save ourselves. Only Jesus can truly save us.

Second, it takes a strong person to surrender their life to Jesus and allow him to be the boss of your life. When you become a Christian, you tell Jesus you will do whatever he asks you to do. Sometimes he asks you to do things you don’t want to do. As his servant you choose to say yes and act. The reward for this is always better than you could have imagined. Still, it can be very difficult to say yes when Jesus asks you to do something your flesh doesn’t want to do. This is where strength comes in. 

If you are in this first group, I encourage you to keep seeking after the truth. I promise, if you ask the true Jesus to show up and give you answers, he will. He loves you and died for your freedom! Keep searching for the truth and ask the Lord to open your eyes to his truth!

Are You In The Second Group

Perhaps you are in the second group. Are you one who thinks you have it all together? Do you believe you are free because you have all the answers? Should others look to you for answers because you believe you have them? Do you look for reasons Jesus is a fraud? 

If this is you, I encourage you to stop and think about this for one minute. What happens when you die? Are you absolutely sure you know that answer? Can you say without any doubt at all you know if there is an afterlife, and if so where you will be going? I know I can say without any doubt at all I have those answers. How can I be so sure? I can have that sort of confidence because I have a personal relationship with the one who has those answers. When I ask him, he tells me the answers to those questions and more. 

I encourage you to think about those questions. When you come to the conclusion you aren’t sure about the answers to any of them, ask the true Jesus to show you the answers. Admit you perhaps don’t have all the answers. I promise he will show you the truth!

Are You In The Third Group

Perhaps you find yourself in the third group. You know Jesus and believe he can do miraculous things. Your desire is to follow him all the days of your life. You go to him when you need a healing touch or guidance. You have seen Jesus work miracles in other people’s lives, and you want that for yourself.

However, when you ask Jesus for one thing, he seems to give you something completely different. I encourage you to trust him. Trust that he sees what you really need, even when you can’t see it as a need in yourself. Allow Jesus to work in your life to heal you. Remember that forgiveness is an important key to healing. Forgive others for the harm they have caused you. Forgive yourself for the harm you have caused. Allow Jesus to walk with you to learn how to forgive yourself and others. Then sit back and watch as you get that need met that you knew you needed all along!