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A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:1-5)

Wow - can you imagine? If you were raised as a Jew, you knew that the only way you could be “right” with God was to follow every law, and when you committed a sin, to make sacrifices to God to atone for your sin as prescribed by the law. But here is a man whose sins were forgiven just by a spoken word! But interestingly, there’s no response from the crowd. Instead, the only reported response is this one from a few pharisees who happened to be present:

Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves,”Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:6)

So Jesus responds by doing something far simpler…

Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins … .” He said to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. (Mark 2:7-11)

Did you notice that as soon as Jesus did something the people could see and feel, then, and only then did they get excited about it? They didn’t respond at all when Jesus did what no one else could do…forgive them of their sins…but when he cured a man’s paralysis, all of the sudden, they were amazed?

This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!” (Mark 2:7-12)

How many times do we look right past the truly miraculous things God is doing in and through us…the things only He can do (like changing us from the inside out, into a mirror of His Son’s image)…but then praise Him for the smaller things (like providing for our physical needs)?