Daily Devotional (GPS)
Jesus healed people who were suffering
Daily Scripture
Matthew 4:23-25, Mark 2:1-12
Matthew 4
23 Jesus traveled throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues. He announced the good news of the kingdom and healed every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread throughout Syria. People brought to him all those who had various kinds of diseases, those in pain, those possessed by demons, those with epilepsy, and those who were paralyzed, and he healed them. 25 Large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from the areas beyond the Jordan River.
Mark 2
1 After a few days, Jesus went back to Capernaum, and people heard that he was at home. 2 So many gathered that there was no longer space, not even near the door. Jesus was speaking the word to them. 3 Some people arrived, and four of them were bringing to him a man who was paralyzed. 4 They couldn’t carry him through the crowd, so they tore off part of the roof above where Jesus was. When they had made an opening, they lowered the mat on which the paralyzed man was lying. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven!”
6 Some legal experts were sitting there, muttering among themselves, 7 “Why does he speak this way? He’s insulting God. Only the one God can forgive sins.”
8 Jesus immediately recognized what they were discussing, and he said to them, “Why do you fill your minds with these questions? 9 Which is easier—to say to a paralyzed person, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take up your bed, and walk’? 10 But so you will know that the Human One [or Son of Man] has authority on the earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed, 11 “Get up, take your mat, and go home.”
12 Jesus raised him up, and right away he picked up his mat and walked out in front of everybody. They were all amazed and praised God, saying, “We’ve never seen anything like this!”
Daily Reflection & Prayer
(Our apologies for the incorrect link to Resurrection’s Vision 2030 goals in yesterday’s GPS e-mail. If you would like to review those important goals, here is the correct link: https://resurrection.church/vision2030/)
In Jesus’ day, many of today’s medical and psychological insights into human suffering didn’t exist. People saw nearly all mysterious ills as “demon possession” (e.g., Mark 9:14-27’s story of a likely case of epilepsy). The gospels’ key point was that people needed physical, emotional, and spiritual healing, and that is still true. “The list of diseases emphasizes the enormous range of Jesus’ healing activity. In this way, the good news is experienced as “a great light… in [the] shadow of death” (Matthew 4:16).” *
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Jesus’ healing power was most obvious when a paralyzed man got up and walked. But Jesus knew physical healing wouldn’t last forever in this world, so he linked it to eternal issues. Would you have been surprised to hear Jesus say to the man lowered through the roof on a stretcher, “Your sins are forgiven”? What does Jesus’ choice of remedy suggest to you about his “diagnosis”? What might link forgiving the man’s sins and restoring his physical strength?
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Scholar N. T. Wright said Jesus came to rescue people “from the destructive forces that enslaved them. So whether it was shrieking demons, a woman with a fever, or simply whatever diseases people happened to suffer from, Jesus dealt with them all…. Jesus had joined in a struggle against the forces of evil and destruction.” ** Do you ever shrug off suffering and pain as “just the way things are”? In what ways, as a Jesus follower, do you join his struggle against those forces?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for caring about the well-being of both my body and my inner self. Help me to live each day in the beautiful reality of your forgiving, restoring grace. Amen.
GPS Insights
Lydia Kim
Lydia Kim serves as one of the pastors of Connection and Care at Resurrection Leawood. An avid believer that growing in faith pairs well with fellowship and food, she is always ready for recommendations on local restaurants and coffee shops.
When I was in sixth grade, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. I remember how scary it was seeing my mom in immense pain. I remember how the medical team provided such amazing care. But mostly, I remember how the church surrounded my family while my mom was going through treatment. The prayers, visits, and countless meals sustained us during that time. My mom was able to focus on her healing because people cared for our entire family.
While listening over a cup of coffee, sending an email prayer, picking up your friends’ kids, or buying a meal may not feel like a lot, I know firsthand how powerful this can be. The impact of God’s people in my life brought me to where I am today. My mom and our family experienced healing through Christ Jesus because God’s people chose to make a difference in big and small ways.
Our world is broken, but we can do something about it. We can be a community like the friends in Mark 2, who are stretcher bearers for suffering people. How might you be part of someone’s healing? I pray that God would reveal through the Holy Spirit how you can be part of pushing back the darkness in someone’s life today.
