The Spiritual Gift of Breaking and Entering (Part Two): Mistaken Identity

Mark 2:1-12  **  July 10, 2010

To listen to “Breaking and Entering (part 2)” click here!

Last Wednesday in Cordova, Tennessee, there was an odd case of mistaken identity. A woman walked into the Regions Bank. She was wearing a blue denim shirt, with a brown apron over it. She had on what seemed to be a reddish brown wig and was wearing dark sunglasses. Here is the kicker, she was carrying a gun.

This picture was taken from the bank's security camera.

She robbed the bank and after her escape, the police responded to the alarm. While they were there, Lynette Hill arrived. She was wearing a blue denim shirt, with a brown apron over it. She had reddish brown hair, and was wearing dark sunglasses. Lynette was there to make the deposit from her catering business which was just across the street.

Lynette was in the wrong place at the wrong time! The next thing she knew, she was arrested, handcuffed and taken into custody.

“I walked up with my apron on,” Hill said. “I could have got shot or anything because I came in with an apron right after her.”

When she was asked about this case of mistaken identity Hill replied that she did not think it was too funny. She said she would not be wearing her apron in public again anytime soon. Well, even though I think she is wrong (that is a pretty funny situation) she is right in that mistaken identity can be a matter of life and death.

In our continuing series, Encounters With Christ, I want to go back to the passage we looked at two weeks ago. Jesus healed the paralytic because of the faith, hope and determination of his friends. Let us look again at Mark 2 :1-12. I think we can learn something about “mistaken identity.”

Mark 2:1-12.

MK 2:1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

MK 2:6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

MK 2:8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, `Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, `Get up, take your mat 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 tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

May the Lord add his blessing to the reading of the word.

You will recall that when we looked at the first portion of this passage, the focus in the first verses of chapter two was on the healing of the paralytic. Central to the verses was the unusual “breaking and entering” method that the men used. These men came to Jesus because they believed that he was able to heal their friend. They had faith! They came with the hope that Jesus would be willing to perform this miracle. They exhibited this faith and hope by the extreme effort they were willing to go to simply to put their friend into the presence of Jesus.

Do you remember? I reminded you that your faith and your hope could change a person’s life as well, if you are willing to put forth the effort. I hope you remember that!

Today, I want to focus on the second encounter in this passage. There were those in the crowd who were listening carefully to see if Jesus would make a mistake. They were thinking to themselves that perhaps he had!

 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming!”  They thought, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

The Pharisees did not actually express their distrust of this man. They never got that far. But, what is it that they are accusing him of doing? Blaspheme! This was a very serious accusation. Blaspheme is basically breaking the third commandment. It is a misuse of God’s name and that was something that the Jews took very seriously.

In Leviticus 24, God instructs Moses to have a man who spoke blaspheme removed from the camp and stoned to death. Stoning was the assigned penalty for blaspheme. How had Jesus spoken blaspheme in their minds? The phrase “Son, your sins are forgiven” was what offended the Pharisees.

They would say that only God can forgive sin. In Jewish thought, not even the Messiah could forgive sin. So, if a person claimed that they could forgive sin, they were claiming to be God! The idea that this homeless Rabbi was God was beyond their imagining! You can be certain that the thought never occurred to them!

Here is the core of what I want to say to you today. If they were right about who Jesus was, then their reasoning was flawless! If Jesus was just another Rabbi, then they were right! But the truth is that the Pharisees failed to recognize who Jesus really was, the Son of God who does have authority to forgive sins.

But no accusation, no threat of punishment ever left their lips! Jesus knew their hearts! By asking the question, “Which is easier?” Jesus was saying neither healing this man, nor forgiving his sins are easy! Both are impossible for a man to do. Then Jesus made the key statement for this encounter (verses 10 and 11).

But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…” He said to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”

Forgiving the man’s sins might have been “invisible” but the paralyzed man got up and walked home. Everyone saw that! They praised God saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

You see… this passage is not really about the healing of a crippled man, although that is here, certainly. Instead, it is about Jesus’ power to forgive sin. It is a statement of Jesus’ authority. In this scripture, Jesus declares that the Kingdom of God is present among humans! It is a profound and awesome statement.

As we read these passages, it is so easy to vilify the Pharisees. But we need to understand that these were men who thought they were protecting God’s Holy Word. They were so devoted to that cause that they failed to recognize who Jesus really was.

Their culture placed upon them a “chiseled in stone” picture of what God would (and would not) do! Jesus was not what they pictured! What a terrible tragedy! It is a case of mistaken identity of cosmic proportions with life and death consequences.

This would be just another ancient story if it was not still ringing true in our modern day! They failed to recognize who Jesus really was. They allowed their culture to dictate their perception of what God could do. We do the same thing! Too often our understanding of who Jesus was goes about as far as Warner Sallman’s famous painting. It is no wonder since 500 million copies of this image have been sold! But I am certain that Mr. Sallman would not want this to be the limit of our understanding of the Son of Man.

Get on the internet and “Google” documentaries on the historical Jesus. You will find an abundance of information that says our culture wants to believe exactly the same thing that the Pharisees believed! That is that Jesus was just another rabbi, a famous moral preacher who thought he was more than he actually was!

Ironically there is the real blaspheme! Jesus claimed to have God’s authority. The people we are meeting in these encounters recognize that to be true! In the first chapter of Mark we read, “The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, ‘What is this? A new teaching–and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him.” (Mark 1:27)

Those who personally encountered Jesus saw authority in him. Paul said it this way when he described it to the believers in Ephesus. God… “seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way (Ephesians 1:20b-23).

Do you understand what this means for us? We are not followers of an empty historical figure! Make no mistake about his identity! Jesus is above every authority, every power and no title then or now is big enough for him! This Jesus, under whom God has placed all things calls us brother and sister! That fact simply must affect the way we live each day.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,

    did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

but made himself nothing,

    taking the very nature of a servant,

    being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,

    he humbled himself

    and became obedient to death–

      even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

    and gave him the name that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

    to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11)

 

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