Daily Devotions
Mark
"All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass�¢?�¦ But the word of the Lord endures forever."
Text: 1 Peter 1:24-25a
THE SECRET MISGIVINGS OF THE SCRIBES EXPOSED
The scribes of course did not think that Jesus could look into their hearts, and thus they must have been absolutely bowled over when their innermost secrets were revealed.
“But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit
That they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them,
‘Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?'”
MARK 2:8
1. Astonishment
How could Jesus have known what was in their hearts? Was He not mere man? How then could He have known what they felt was hidden from man’s view?
2. Embarrassment
Jesus was doing something unimaginable to the scribes! He was going to directly and openly reveal their secret thoughts- in public!
3. No noble answers available
The scribes knew that they would not be able to explain why they had such dark and negative thoughts against Jesus. They had judged Him without making a full investigation of what Jesus said and did to the paralytic!
A PUZZLE FOR THE SCRIBES
Scribes spent all their life seeking to solve puzzling theological questions. Many of them prided themselves about their ability to think more deeply than the average person. Jesus threw them a question.
“Which is easier, to say to the paralytic,
‘Your sins are forgiven you,’
Or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk?'”
MARK 2:9
1. The Power to heal
Quite obviously, the healing powers of Jesus had been taken for granted. Jesus must have performed all His miracles with such “ease” that He had to raise this question. Was it easy to bring about healing? Could the scribes heal the paralytic?
2. What did the Power to heal reveal about the Identity of Jesus?
The scribes apparently did not give too much thought to this further idea! If Jesus healed people so easily, did that not suggest that He was more than just a mere human being?
3. The Power to forgive
What if Jesus was truly more than a mere mortal? What if He could as easily forgive sins as He healed? That thought was not given serious consideration at all.