February 22: Your Sins Are Forgiven You!
♫ Music:
Week Two Introduction | February 22–28:
Who is This Man?
Throughout the Gospel of Mark Jesus constantly performed amazing signs and wonders, confounding the religious leaders with his brilliant counter cultural teachings and conducting large scale public events that attracted throngs of people. Crowds swarmed him wherever he went, to the extent that they physically pressed in upon him, making it almost impossible to move. Yet no one seemed to be able to figure out exactly who Christ really was. The masses knew he was special, but assumed he was a great prophet like “John the Baptist come back to life from the dead or the Prophet Elijah.” When he returned to his hometown, Nazareth, and preached in the synagogue, townspeople astonished at his sayings were confused because to them he was nothing more than a local carpenter, the Son of Mary. “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands?” (Mark 6:2).
Christ’s miracles, according to the Scribes and Pharisees, were a sure sign that he was demon possessed (Mark 3:22). And in the same chapter, family members try to take him out of the public eye because they think he’s loony. Immediate and extended kinsmen according to Mark don’t seem to have any inkling about his true identity (Mark 3:21). The only entities who know who Christ really is are the terrified demons being cast out of the possessed. “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me” (Mark 5:7), cry the legion of evil spirits Christ removed from the bedeviled Gadarene.
In fact, Christ’s very own disciples don’t seem to fully comprehend who they are following. Even though Peter acknowledges Christ as Messiah in Chapter 8, it seems that any messianic notion the disciples have regarding him is ultimately misguided. They don’t seem to get the idea that Christ’s earthly mission is not to overthrow the corrupt Roman government, but instead and much more significantly, to sacrifice his life as a humble servant for the sins of the world. “Who is this Jesus?” Throughout his gospel, Mark is prodding his readers with this poignant question!
Sunday, February 22 | Your Sins Are Forgiven You!
Mark 2:1-12 (NKJV)
And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.
When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”
And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
Poetry
“Forgiveness, and After”
by Suphil Lee Park
At Plitvice Lakes
Up the mountain light rushes.
So am I, following its dark future.
Over what floods back
place a plank and trek on.
It’s a lake that makes one feel right
at home among travelers.
Their time branching off mine, never
parallel.
Forgive me—when mourned
too long, the mountain replaces
life, as beliefs do life, and I
the ferry ride from which any
of us, though perhaps not me, bears
eyewitness—for putting this
into words.
Forgive the green of the greenest
settling in the shallows.
How my only pair of sneakers is soaked
through and must be replaced.
This is the lake where I choose to atone
no more.
The whole of it seconds: I’m through, through
and through.
Now it bemoans no one so.
“Your Sins Are Forgiven You”
Though the theme for this week’s devotionals is “Who is this man?”, today’s reading shows that Jesus, even if he was not fully understood, drew a crowd. This story is well-known to many of us because it is a story often told in children’s Sunday school classes. The story of a paralytic being lowered through the roof by his friends is a compelling one to children. But there is more to the story than just a sick man being made whole.
The house is crowded, Mark writes, because people flock to hear Jesus. Jesus enters a house and before you know it, it is teeming with people, so much so that “there was no longer room to receive them.” So, Jesus does here what He does everywhere—He preaches to them. We do not know what Jesus was preaching but there is little doubt in my mind that it was the gospel. Jesus may have been telling them that He is the Christ, the Son of the living God who has come to set them free, to make them whole.
And perhaps it was this promise of being set free, being made whole that made four men get creative with how they put the paralytic in front of Jesus. For when you need a miracle, you “tear off the roof” and lower your friend to the feet of the Good Physician. But mostly what this shows is that whatever Jesus was preaching, these men believed, they were people of faith. They knew that there was a “dead raising power in the room.” And Jesus recognizes and honors that faith by healing the lame man.
But it is how he does it that both confuses and confesses. The scribes are confused by the healing because Jesus heals by forgiving sins, which they considered blasphemous. They cannot see the forest of the healing for the tree of how Jesus does it. Somehow, they cannot connect that if only God can forgive sins, then Jesus must be God for His ability to forgive sins is manifested in the paralytic’s full recovery. But this miracle also confesses that Jesus, the man from Nazareth is, in fact, the Christ, the Messiah of God. The King is in the house! That the paralytic takes up his bed and walks out of the house confesses who Jesus is – the Savior of the world.
This Lent let us ponder the reality of the forgiveness of sins through the work of Jesus. For He still preaches to us today if we have the ears to hear and the audacity to rip off the roof in order to confess that He is the Christ
Prayer
May God the Father bless us, God the Son heal us, God the Holy Spirit give us strength. May God the Holy and undivided Trinity guard our bodies, save our souls, and bring us safely to His heavenly country; where He lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
Rev. Greg Peters, Ph.D., S.M.D.
Professor of Medieval and Spiritual Theology
Torrey Honors College
Biola University
Vicar of Anglican Church of the Epiphany
La Mirada, California
For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab near the top of the page.
About the Artwork
Caring for the Sick
Egbert Modderman
2018
Oil on canvas
300 x 140 cm
Used with permission from the artist
Photo by Artrevisited
In the painting Caring for the Sick, Dutch artist Egbert Modderman paints a young man wrapped in cloth being carried by his friends, who wear identical robes. From the title, we can discern that this young man is sick and that his friends are trying to help. Although there is no mention of anything religious, we liken this scene to the New Testament account of friends lowering their sick friend through the roof of a home in expectation of his healing by Jesus. The scene chosen here is perhaps filled with more suspense than traditional renderings of the story—the four friends are at the beginning of their act of faith. They have heard about a rabbi with healing powers and want to get near Him with their paralyzed friend, whatever the cost. Modderman’s painting has the visual impact of Renaissance artist Caravaggio’s work with its realism and use of chiaroscuro. There is something else that is special in Modderman in that he chooses scenes and moments that have seldom or never been immortalized in the course of the history of art. This painting about friendship without illusions is part of a series about works of mercy, commissioned by the Martini Church in Groningen.
About the Artist
Egbert Vincent Modderman (b.1989) is a Dutch painter who mainly focuses on painting life-size biblical scenes. Modderman studied spatial design at the Minerva Academy and the Classical Academy of Painting in Groningen, the Netherlands, and the Florence Academy of Art. After a brief period of portraiture and still lifes, he discovered his true passion—universal themes of meaning and humanity. He not only creates contemporary portraits, such as that of St. Martin, but also works on monumental paintings of the seven works of mercy. Modderman's style is characterized by a dramatic and lifelike depiction of biblical figures, inspired by the great masters Rembrandt van Rijn and Caravaggio. Modderman’s work emphasizes human acts of compassion and faith, as seen in his painting Caring for the Sick. His work is a visual celebration of the beauty of the Christian faith, without being moralistic. In 2020, his dedication to his art was recognized with the prestigious BP Young Artist Award from the National Portrait Gallery in London, England.
About the Music
“Tear Off the Roof” from the album Coat of Many Colors
"Jesus of Nazareth, my friend has been paralyzed since childhood."
Tear off the roof
The King's in the house
Just get me to Jesus
I don't care how
I don't have to wait to get the healing
I gotta faith without a ceiling
So tear off the roof
'Cause the King's in the house
There's power in the presence
Power in the blood
Power in the name of Jesus
There's power in the presence
Power in the blood
Power in the name of Jesus
And He has more in the hem of His garment
Than the camp of the enemy
There's power in the presence
Power in the blood
Power in the name of Jesus
I didn't come here to hide in the crowd
I'm pressing through to you
I don't care how
Reaching out my hand to get the healing
I've got a faith beyond the bleeding
'Cause I didn't come here to hide in the crowd
There's power in the presence
Power in the blood
Power in the name of Jesus
There's power in the presence
Power in the blood
Power in the name of Jesus
He has more in the hem of His garment
Than the camp of the enemy
There's power in the presence
Power in the blood
Power in the name of Jesus
There's power in the name of Jesus
There is a life changing
Grave shaking
Dead raising power in the room
Heart-healing
Hell-stealing
No ceiling power
So tear off the roof
Life changing
Grave shaking
Dead raising power in the room
Heart-healing
Hell-stealing
No ceiling power
So tear off the roof
Life changing
Grave shaking
Dead raising power in the room
Heart-healing
Hell-stealing
No ceiling power
So tear off the roof
Life changing
Grave shaking
Dead raising power in the room
Heart-healing
Hell-stealing
No ceiling power
So tear off the roof
Tear off the roof
Tear off the roof
'Cause there's power in the presence
Power in the blood
Power in the name of Jesus
There's power in the presence
Power in the blood
Power in the name of Jesus
He has more in the hem of His garment
Than the camp of the enemy
He has more in the hem of His garment
Than the camp of the enemy
There's power in the presence
Power in the blood
Power in the name of Jesus, oh
In the name of Jesus
So much power in the name of Jesus
"Go now in peace, your faith has made you well."
About the Performer
Michael Brandon Lake (b. 1990) is an American Christian worship singer-songwriter and guitarist. He writes songs at Seacoast Church in Charleston, South Carolina, and is a former member of Bethel Music and Maverick City Music. Lake began his recording career in 2015 with a successful crowdfunding campaign to produce an album, which resulted in the independent release of his debut studio album, Closer. Lake released Coat of Many Colors, along with its accompanying music video in 2023. In 2023, Lake released "Tear Off the Roof" as the second promotional single from Coat of Many Colors, along with its accompanying music video, which features the cast and characters of TV series The Chosen.
About the Composers
Brandon Lake, Chris Davenport, Jacob Sooter, Hank Bentley, and Jordan Colle
Chris Davenport is a songwriter and worship leader based in Spring Hill, Tennessee. Born and raised in Tennessee, Chris began writing songs for his local church as a teenager before heading to Australia to attend Bible college. Since 2011, he has been a key writer and contributor to Hillsong Worship and Hillsong UNITED, penning songs on each of their last ten album releases. After settling back in the US, Chris has had the honor of writing alongside Bethel Music, Phil Wickham, Jason Ingram, Mack Brock, Cody Carnes, Brandon Lake, Vertical Worship, and many others. He was a writer on the number-one song “Hymn Of Heaven,” which was nominated for a Grammy and won a Dove Award in 2022 for Worship Song of the Year. He also penned the recent number-one song “I Believe” from Phil Wickham’s Dove Award–nominated album. In 2023, Chris released his very first solo worship project, titled Time, which included the single “Plead The Blood.”
Jacob Sooter (b. 1982) is a Dove award–winning Christian songwriter and musician. He has won multiple Dove Awards.
With his multifaceted involvement in the music industry, Grammy-nominated songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Hank Bentley has become a staple in the Nashville community. Hank got his start as one of the most in-demand touring and session musicians in Christian music touring and recorded with many of the top artists in the industry before shifting his focus to writing and producing. As a songwriter and producer, Hank’s refreshing lyrical sincerity and compelling perspective has resulted in several Grammy nominations, Dove awards, radio number ones, and globally impactful church songs, including Elevation’s “I Know A Name,” Brandon Lake’s “Praise You Anywhere,” Cody Carnes “Nothing Else,” Mosaic’s “Tremble,” and Lauren Daigle’s “First,” just to name a few. A sought-after collaborator, he has cowritten songs with many of the industry’s biggest and most influential artists, including Brandon Lake, Lauren Daigle, Chris Renzema, Josiah Queen, Zach Williams, Crowder, Phil Wickham, Bethel, Elevation, Chris Tomlin, Passion, Matt Maher, Mac Powell, and many many others.
Jordan Colle is an artist and songwriter from Tallahassee, Florida. He was born and raised in the South, and being a part of the local church has deep roots and goes back many generations in his family. Jordan's heart and passion is to help people see the way God sees them and watch them discover what true freedom looks like through songwriting and leading. He has written songs with Brandon Lake, Maverick City, and other worship/CCM artists. Jordan has a TV and film project called The Invention of Flight, which has been featured on AppleTV documentaries, Hulu, and Netflix shows. He recently was on the "Tear Off The Roof" tour with Brandon Lake, singing background vocals and helping lead the nights.
About the Poetry and Poet
Suphil Lee Park (수필리박 / 秀筆李朴) is a writer and translator from South Korea. She is the author of two poetry collections, The Other Test of Time (forthcoming from Carnegie Mellon University Press, 2027) and Present Tense Complex (Conduit Books & Ephemera, 2021); and a poetry chapbook, Still Life (Factory Hollow Press, 2023). She also translated An Unraveling of One, an anthology of pre-20th-century Korean women’s poetry (forthcoming from TRP, 2027).
About the Devotion Writer
Dr. Greg Peters is a professor in the Torrey Honors College at Biola University and vicar of Anglican Church of the Epiphany, La Mirada. He is also the author of The Monkhood of All Believers: The Monastic Foundation of Christian Spirituality.