A few days later. I wonder how Mark chose the contents of his gospel. We know as we see Scripture unfolded that his words are ’God breathed’ and so You have had a direct influence on what he has written. But it is not dictation, and Mark is not copying from some other manuscript. As far as he is concerned he is writing an eyewitness account (Peter’s eye), but as he writes and Peter recalls those hectic days of the early ministry so You have guided his thoughts. There must have been so many incidents that crowded into these last few days but Mark chooses this one – probably because it stood out.
When I have been travelling, even for a few days, its nice to get home, sit down and put your feet up – but even though this is Your home there is no such luxury. I wonder whose house it was that You called ‘home’? Perhaps it was Peter’s house. But as soon as You had arrived, word spread like wild fire again and within minutes You are surrounded – hemmed in from all sides with crowds of people until no one could move in the heaving mass of humanity. And there, right in the centre of the room You preached the word to them.
The teachers of the Law were there. No queuing for them , their authority would guarantee that the crowds would part and let them through to the best seats in the house. As John said later in his gospel “Jesus did many other things as well, If everyone were written down I suppose the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written” Whatever You said as You preached the word in that packed room must have kept them in rapt attention – because they didn’t even notice when bits of straw and mud and sticks started dropping like rain and suddenly four faces appeared, peering down into the room through the hole (all except probably the house owner who I imagine was a bit anxious).
But You weren’t surprised
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.” .
