Sick of Religion? Week 2: Devotional Day 2
DAY 2 – Tuesday
Daily devotional
Read
Mark 2:1-12, Jeremiah 17:14, James 5:15
Ask
Who do you relate to most in this story?
How is Jesus challenging you through this scripture (in your faith, relationships, habits, actions, traditions, etc.)?
Reflect
Imagine you’re playing the starring role of each person in this story: cynical scribe, amazed onlookers, supportive friend, and paralyzed man. Each of these people came to Jesus for different reasons that day, yet each walked away having gained something new:
- Scribes: cynical yet amazed hearts over Jesus’ claims and objective proof that Jesus has the power to heal people physically.
- Amazed onlookers: exciting and unbelievable news to share, amazement over Jesus’ ability to read thoughts and heal paralysis.
- Four mat carriers: proof that faith matters and Jesus has the power to heal.
- Paralyzed man: eternity with God and a restored body.
Putting ourselves in the shoes of these people helps us sink this story into reality. These were real people like us with real world problems. They were living in a world where power and authority were used as weapons to oppress and control; where physical suffering was reason enough to assign guilt.
Regardless of how or why people encounter Christ, we can be sure that he offers us exactly what we most desperately need: eternal salvation by grace. It’s easy to see how paralysis of the body needs healing, but paralysis of the heart is an even more serious matter because of its eternal implications. Every person in that room heard Jesus’ radical teachings and saw his demonstration of power, but did they all walk away believing Jesus was the Messiah?
After this week we’ll move on from Mark 2:1-12 as well. While we can’t say for sure what those people believed after seeing a miracle with their own eyes, we can ask ourselves, “What do I believe?” Will you walk away simply amazed by Jesus’ claims and miraculous healings, or will you believe he’s the miraculous healer your soul most needs?