Key Thought

Once again, the crowds swarmed to see Jesus, presumably because of what they had heard about his miraculous power to cure lepers, to heal the sick, and to cast out demons. However, Jesus chose to teach rather than to heal with such a great crowd assembled. He was called to preach (Mark 1:38). His focus was giving people the good news of God's Kingdom and calling them to repentance (Mark 1:15). Rather than gaining fame, Jesus wanted to win hearts to God. While we all may be tempted to try to impress large crowds and to win fame for ourselves, Jesus' example is a powerful reminder that the most important thing we can do is to help folks understand the message of God by our words and our actions.

Today's Prayer

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Holy and tender Father, give me the courage and the sensitivity to share your message with others and to call them to change their lives to honor you. Give me wisdom, dear God, to know how to best do this with gentleness and respect. Help me discern the best time and the best method to share this good news with the people around me. Thank you for your help and guidance in this importance task. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Today's Verses in Context

A few days later, Jesus came back to Capernaum. The news spread that Jesus was back home. Many, many people gathered to hear Jesus speak. The house was full. There was no place to stand, not even outside the door. Jesus was teaching these people. Some people brought a paralyzed (crippled) man to Jesus. Four men were carrying the paralyzed man. But they could not bring the man to Jesus because the house was full of people. So the men went to the roof above Jesus and made a hole in the roof. Then they lowered the mat with the paralyzed man on it. Jesus saw that these men had much faith. So Jesus said to the paralyzed man, "Young man, your sins are forgiven." Some of the teachers of the law were sitting there. They saw what Jesus did, and they said to themselves, "Why does this man say things like that? He is saying things that are against God. Only God can forgive sins." Jesus knew that these teachers of the law were thinking those things about him. So Jesus said to them, "Why do you have these questions in your minds? The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins. But how can I prove this to you? Maybe you are thinking it was easy for me to say to the crippled man, 'Your sins are forgiven.' {No one could see if it really happened.} But what if I say to the man, 'Stand up. Take your bed and walk'? Then you will be able to see if I really have this power or not." So Jesus said to the paralyzed man, "I tell you, stand up. Take your mat and go home." The paralyzed man stood up. He took his mat and walked out of the room. All the people could see him. The people were amazed and praised God. They said, "This is the most amazing thing we have ever seen!"

— Mark 2:1-12 (ERV)

Easy-to-Read Version copyright © 2001 by World Bible Translation Center. All rights reserved.