Loving God means loving people. This may be a correlation that seems obvious to some but not to others. In our story, four men take their paralyzed friend to Jesus. When they arrived at the house where Jesus was teaching, there was no room for them to get in the door. These faithful men would not be deterred and went up on the roof and dug through it. They did all of this so their friend could see Jesus. Who brought you to Jesus, and how has that changed your life? With who is the Lord prompting you to share the love of Jesus?
The Hearts of the Teachers of the Religious Law Revealed
The four friends of the paralyzed man were unschooled Jews who came in faith. In contrast, the teachers of the law have much knowledge but don’t appear to have much faith. Mark 2: 5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.” 6 But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves, 7 “What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”
8 Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? 9 Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’? 10 So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, 11 “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” [1]
When I Love God, I Love Others
Something happens when we come to faith, and the Holy Spirit begins to live inside us. Perhaps you have experienced this as God opened your spiritual eyes. As we grow in faith, the Lord begins to transform us, and we begin to see people in a new way. They may be the same people, but God has opened our eyes to their inner needs. You may begin to pray for strangers that you meet instead of ignoring them. This is the work of the Holy Spirit in your heart.
In our story, the teachers of the religious law had a heart problem that only the Lord could fix. This fix only comes when we place our faith in Jesus.
Ask the Lord to Give You a Greater Love for People
The act of asking God for a greater love for others demonstrates a transformation of your heart. Our Lord loves to answer these prayers because He knows it changes you and those you meet. Perhaps the Lord is prompting you to pray that prayer as you read this.
John 15:12This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.[2] When we love others, it changes them and us! To hear how loving God means loving people, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/mark-forgiveness-over-healing
[1,2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.