From the Pen of Paul

What the Lord Saw in Four Men

One of the most interesting events in the life of Jesus is discussed by Mark in Mark 2:1-12. Jesus came to Capernaum as his fame was at its highest. When the information got out that He was in a certain house, the crowd "gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them" (v. 1-2). Four men, we are informed, came "unto him bringing one sick of the palsy. . .And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay" (v. 3-4). First, Jesus forgave the man of his sins and when the scribes who were present accused Him of blasphemy, Jesus asked, "Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether it is easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. And immediately he arose, took up his bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion" (v. 8-12).

The emphasis in this miracle is not so much on the sick man; it is on the four men who brought him to Jesus. It was their faith that brought the Lord's blessings. Of these four men Mark wrote, "When Jesus saw their faith, he saith unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee" (v. 5). What the Lord saw in these four men He should see in us today.

The Lord saw four men who cared. These four men were not blind to the needs of their fellowman. They forgot self and helped him. Jesus told His disciples, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Matt. 16:24). Selfish aims and ambitions must be put aside and we must allow Christ to live in and through us. Paul said of his life, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God" (Gal. 2:20). Because of this total commitment to Christ, Paul, when faced with the idea of living or dying, said, "For me to live is Christ" (Phil. 1:21). These men demonstrated their love for God by their actions to their fellowman (I John 3:17-18). Love for God will cause love for our fellowman (I John 4:20-21; John 13:35). God cared and demonstrated it by the giving of His only begotten Son (John 3:16). We, too, must care and minister to the needs of those about us. Hear the anguish in that city recorded in Lamentations 1:12, "Is it nothing to you that pass by?" When there is a need that we can fill, we dare not be indifferent (Gal. 6:10). We must consider one another (Heb. 10:24).

The Lord saw four men who tried. Did they sit back and wait for someone else to act? Did they say, "We can't get in, the door is blocked?" Not these four men! An illustration of trying is found in II Kings 7:1-9: The Syrian army had encircled the city of Samaria and was starving the people into submission. There were four leprous men who decided to go to the camp of the enemy and see if they could get food. They reasoned thusly, "If we say, We shall enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die" (v. 3-4). By their attempting to do something, God used them to frighten off the whole Syrian army and they were spoiled. (Read the rest of this chapter to see what happened.) Because these four lepers tried to do something, it resulted in a great blessing for the people.

Our failures today are not so much the fault of obstacles and problems as our own lack of effort—we just don't try! Few realize what can be accomplished if we try (Rom. 8:31; Phil. 4:13). Where would we be today if the apostles had thought that their commission was too large a task (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16)? But they did not; and we are informed by Paul in his letter to the Colossians, "If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister" (Col. 1:23). Lord, give us more men and women who are willing to put forth the effort; and help us to understand that we are not judged on results so much as effort! (Continued next week)
—Paul Wilmoth

From the Preacher's Viewpoint. . .

Our blessed Master said, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matt. 6:33). This is a very familiar passage to most members of the church of Christ. Most of us can say it by memory, but do we live it in our lives as well? It is one thing to say and another thing to do. Is a member of the church doing what this passage says when he never mentions the church to anyone? Is a church member doing what this passage says when he skips worship for a fishing trip, ball games, golfing, etc.? How can we get folks to take this passage to heart and be serious about it? The only way we know is for men to truly repent and get their hearts right with God. No one can make me seek the kingdom first if I am not willing to do so. Just where do you place the kingdom of God? First does not mean fifteenth or twentieth down the scale. First means first. If you want to know what first means, just take a good look at yourself in most cases. How about moving yourself out of first place and putting the kingdom of God first? Many who are playing with their souls are going to lose them in eternal punishment if they are not careful. It makes gospel preachers want to cry out, "Repent for the kingdom of God is here and deserves first place in every life."

Why is it wrong to lie, steal, and cheat? Why is it wrong for a man to be unfaithful to his wife or the wife to be unfaithful to her husband? Why is it wrong to commit adultery or fornication? Why is it wrong to abuse little children? If there is no God and the Bible is not His Word, we have no such thing as objective truth or right and wrong. Atheists have no authoritative objective wrong or right and they know this. Only God and the Bible have the right and the wrong.
—Malcolm L. Hill