That is what I came for

Mark 1:29-2:12 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

And immediately after they came out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. ³⁰ Now Simon’s mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever; and immediately they spoke to Jesus about her. ³¹ And He came to her and raised her up, taking her by the hand, and the fever left her, and she waited on them.

³² When evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed. ³³ And the whole city had gathered at the door. ³⁴ And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.

³⁵ In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.³⁶ Simon and his companions searched for Him; ³⁷ they found Him, and said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” ³⁸ He *said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.” ³⁹ And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons.

⁴⁰ And a leper came to Jesus, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”⁴¹ Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” ⁴² Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. ⁴³ And He sternly warned him and immediately sent him away, ⁴⁴ and He said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” ⁴⁵ But he went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the news around, to such an extent that Jesus could no longer publicly enter a city, but stayed out in unpopulated areas; and they were coming to Him from everywhere.

2 When He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home. ² And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. ³ And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. ⁴ Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying. ⁵ And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” ⁶ But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts,⁷ “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?” ⁸ Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? ⁹ Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’? ¹⁰ But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, ¹¹ “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.”¹² And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

In today’s text it says:  When evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed. And the whole city had gathered at the door.  And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.  In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.Simon and his companions searched for Him; they found Him, and said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.”  He said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.”  And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons.  Amidst all the healings and deliverances, Jesus said: “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.”  At the beginning of Jesus ministry, in Luke 4:16-21 it says:  He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written,  “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor.He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives,And recovery of sight to the blind,To set free those who are oppressed,To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”     From the very beginning and throughout His ministry Jesus focus, even in the midst of all the miraculous things He did, was to preach, to proclaim and to teach.  It is often said that Jesus came to die for our sins and certainly there is truth in that. Jesus was more than just a preacher or teacher; He was more than a prophet or a worker of miracles. Jesus was and is the Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah. He is the Lord and Savior, the Redeemer of all.   Romans 3:23 says:  All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  Ephesians 2:8-9 says:  By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,  not of works, lest anyone should boast. 

What we need to recognize, to know and understand about all that Jesus did, the great works He performed and even His death and sacrifice on the cross for our sins is that they alone are not enough to save us. I am not speaking heresy. What I am saying is this, in John 3:16, Jesus Himself says:  “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  The redeeming power of the cross, the forgiveness of sins is not enough to save people from perishing if they do not believe. To receive all that Jesus did and does, it is imperitive that a person believes in Him. Many today reject the cross. They reject the free gift of God because they do not believe; because they do not have faith. Romans 10:12-17 says:  The same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”  However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.  Just as Jesus came to preach, so too should we preach, teach and share the gospel that people might believe.

Even in this though we need to recognize that it is not our words that will save or convince anyone that Jesus is the Christ. We cannot prove or debate them into belief with our words. 2 Timothy 3:16 says: All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness. In John 16:8, Jesus, speaking of the Holy Spirit says:  “He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.”  It is scripture, God’s word, inspired by the Holy Spirit that will lead people to the revelation of Christ through the conviction of the same Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit of God acting on the word of God that causes a revelation of the free gift of God; that they might believe in God and Christ Jesus His Son.  

In the final account from today’s text it says:  When He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying. And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?”  Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic,  “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.” And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”  Jesus had and has authority both to heal and to forgive sins. For Jesus neither one is more difficult than the other. In Matthew 28:18 He says: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.“  The text says: … And Jesus seeing their faith…   Jesus responded to their faith; to the fact that they believed in Him and the paralytic was forgiven and healed.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit thank You for the cross and the free gift of salvation and eternal life. Thank You for Your word which reveals Your love and Your redemption through the cross. May I never forget why You came: to preach, to teach, to demonstrate the love of God in the cross; to heal and forgive. May the world know and believe in Christ.  Amen.