The Mat

There is a great story of forgiveness and healing told in Mark 2:1-12, Matt 9:2-8, and Luke 5:18-26. It starts w/ Jesus entering Capernaum and going to a home. And when people heard that Jesus was there, they came from all of over to listen to him. Some of these people were Pharisees and the teachers of the law.

As Jesus was preaching, he begins to feel tiny pieces of the roof fall on his head. Perhaps at first he thinks, "It's just an old house. No big deal." But then the pieces get larger until its too much of a distraction to keep on preaching. So as Jesus looks up to see what is going on, he notices a man laying on mat being lowered down to him.

You see there were so many people gathered to hear Jesus that the only way to get to him was, well, through the roof. So there were four guys who had a friend that was paralyzed and knew that Jesus could help but the only way to get to Jesus was to lower him down through the roof.

So as the preaching stops, Jesus looks up, and a paralytic is being lowered down. The man finally reaches the floor and is laying right in front of Jesus. You could hear a pin drop as all eyes are on Jesus and the paralytic. The Pharisees and teachers begin to murmur and wonder what Jesus is going to do now. And Jesus doesn't dissappoint.

Jesus looks down at the man, looks up to the hole in the roof and peering down at Jesus are the man's friends. The text says, "When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

I told you he didn't dissappoint the Pharisees and the teachers. B/c just as they begin to wonder what Jesus was going to do, he does it....he shows himself to be God. And this drove them nuts as they began to talk among themselves and question and accuse Jesus of blaspheming. But Jesus knowing this, questions right back at them saying, "What's easier to say, take your mat or say your sins are forgiven?" But so everyone would know that Jesus is the "Son of Man" he tells the man, "Get up, take your mat, and go home." And just like that, this paralyzed man, who could do nothing for himself, and had to be lowered through the roof of a house just to get to Jesus, was forgiven of sin and healed of his paralysis.

Now there are about a billion different ways to apply this whole scene to our lives. But I am choosing the part where Jesus tells the man to "Get up, take your mat and go home." And the reason is b/c I believe this man and his situation draws a good metaphor for our lives and our sin.

You see, what we need to know about forgiveness is that when God forgives someone, it is final. When Jesus forgives and adulterer, its final. When Jesus forgives a murderer its final. When Jesus forgives a liar, its final. There is no waiting to forgive until the person proves him/herself, no record keeping, or holding grudges. Just plain, unconditional forgiveness.



W/ Jesus, forgiveness is immediate and the sin is forgotten.



Now, likewise, what we need to know about the healing miracles of Jesus is that when he performed a miracle it was final. Meaning, when Jesus healed someone that was blind, they didn't go back to being blind a few days later. When Jesus cast out a demon from someone, they aren't filled w/ a demon a few days later. And here, when Jesus heals this man of his paralysis, he doesn't return to his mat b/c of paralysis. Rather, when someone is healed the healing is forever and its final.



No one returns to their mat after being healed.



Last, when a miracle happens, people are amazed. In this text, Mark says, "This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, 'We have never seen anything like this before!" You've heard the expression, "It'll take a mircale to........" There is just something that is amazing about miracles. Perhaps its b/c they are so unexpected. Perhaps its b/c they seem to happen when we find ourselves in our most desparate of times, w/ nowhere else to go and turn to. Or maybe its b/c they are unexplainable.



Whatever the reason, the miracles of Jesus are amazing.



So what's the big deal? First, I believe that we need forgiveness of our sins. There are things in our lives that have separated us from God. Some may be reading this dealing w/ an addiction. Some may have been lying or stealing. Some are dealing w/ purity issues. Whatever it is you are dealing w/, you need to be forgiven.

But know that when Jesus forgives you he won't bring it back up, hold it against you, or wait for you to prove yourself before he forgives. He just forgives you right away and forgets it, every single time.



Second, the reason we need to know that Jesus forgives and forgets our sins is b/c he doesn't want us to sit around on the "mats" of guilt and shame. Jesus doesn't tell the man to take his sin and go home, he tells him to take his mat and go home.
Now, we don't what this man's sin was. All we know is that he was a sinner, he was paralyzed and laying on a mat was the result. And just like this man we are sinners and any sin that goes unforgiven is like a life of paralysis, not in a physical way but in a spiritual way. Further, when we live life unforgiven and in a state of spiritual paralysis, all we have is a mat.

But when Jesus forgives us......he heals us. And we are in no need of the mat. When Jesus forgives us and heals us, there is no reason to have guilt. There is no reason to have shame. There is no need for the mat. So just as Jesus tells this man to "Get up, take your mat, and go home", Jesus tells us, "You are forgiven, you are healed, you don't need to feel guilt."

Last, the only thing we need to do is be amazed and praise God b/c there is nothing in this world that can forgive and heal like God. So just as the crowd was amazed and praised God, we aught to do the same. Why? B/c its a miracle. Its a miracle that our God would forgive us w/ all of our messes and our junk. Its a miracle that God would restore us from our paralyzed and sinful lives, to lives that are forgiven and healed. And its a miracle that God would tell us to take our mats and go home b/c you won't be needing them.

When we are forgiven, our sins are forgotten.........when we are healed it is immediate.........when the guilt and shame are not necessary, we don't need the mat.

So may we ask God forgive us when we need it but know that it is forgiven and forgotten.
May we be healed of our sinfulness and know that this healing is immediate.
And may we leave the guilt and shame......may we leave the mat and go home.



BW