I was reading Mark 2 this morning, and the first story is Jesus healing the paralytic who was dropped through the roof by his friends. It's an amazing story of friendship, community, and Jesus' mission to heal the physical and the spiritual.
He reached out the cure the man unable to walk on his own, but He didn't stop to focus on the physical part of the healing. Jesus looked at the teachers of the law and said, "Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’?" Mark 2:9.
The beauty of the healing isn't simply that a paralyzed man walked, although that might be enough; but the real power in the statement is when Jesus claims His authority to heal sin. If we hold to the idea we've all sinned against God (Romans 3:23), and the gift of God is life (Romans 6:23), Jesus came to fulfill the hope of physical healing, and the reality of spiritual healing.
We've all got times we suffer from a place of inadequacy, the guilt of a move we made we weren't proud of, or we did something we know is just wrong. EVERYONE. I could create a laundry list of failure on this blog I've experienced in my own life, often created when I know I purposely chose to do something that hurt someone, myself, or even crossed the boundaries God set up for me.
But remember, the HOPE we celebrate during this sacrificial season of Lent points to the healing power of Jesus.
He came to forgive.
He came to make all things new.
He gave us a way of living that points to our inner fears and said, "You're ok."
He came to validate us as a creation of the Creator.
He gave us vision that in the middle of our own paralytic nature, He offers healing and freedom for us.
Today as you spend time focusing on your journey, spend time meditating on the healing power served up from a God who loves you more than anything else in the universe.
