"8Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your bed and walk'? 10But that you may know that(I) the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"—he said to the paralytic— 11"I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home." 12And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and(J) glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!" -Mark 2:8-12
You gotta' love what's going on here! If you trek backwards just a bit, in the writings of Mark, you'll see that some of the "teachers of religious law" (...and don't miss teachers of "law", not "grace") were thinking (not out loud, according to Scripture, but thinking it nonetheless). In their minds they were murmuring ..."Why does this man speak like that?" They wondered where He thought He got His authority. They called Him a blasphemer ...no less.
EXHIBIT 'A':
Here's the "GO JESUS" part of this story. Yes, I'm gloating a bit for my Savior. That's "me". He loved those critics as much as He loves me (note to self). Jesus asked them why they were questioning "these things" (Jesus' authority, His actions, His words) in their hearts. GOTCHA'! Caught "thinking"! Only the Lord of Heaven and Earth knows the thoughts of men. So, I present, as evidence 'A' ..that Jesus, the God-man, knew their very thoughts.
EXHIBIT 'B':
Jesus fearlessly presented a challenge, an evidence of Who He is, upon Himself. As if "knowing their thoughts" wouldn't be enough to conclude this is... "more than man", Jesus asked these teachers of religious law.... "Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your bed and walk'?" As if to not stick these un-believing souls with the choice of having to answer Jesus' o' so wise questoin...... He said, and I para-phrase, "tell ya' what I'm gonna' do! So that you may know that I have the power to forgive sins, I'll show you some "earthly" Godliness! "I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home." So stands evidence 'B'. If He can read "their" thoughts... if He can heal 'the paralytic's' broken condition ....who, other than God, has the power to heal, to know our very thoughts .....to forgive us our sin?
Mark 2:12 finishes like this.... "And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"
Mark 1:7-8 quotes John the Baptist saying.... "After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
How much evidence do you need ...to believe in the One True God? How many eye-witnesses do you have to dis-believe in order to come to the conclusion that it's all a hoax? How much faith does it take to dis-believe? Yet, many will not believe. Jesus said... "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. NO ONE comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)
At the end of the day... "faith".... faith to believe, is a choice. No differently, faith to NOT believe, also, is a choice. As a favorite song-writer once said it..... "if you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice." Apathy, or an ambiguous mind-set, is not the answer. Nor is it an excuse. (Psalm 19:1-4) Using whatever degree of reason is in us ...we have to realize that a God who is Creator, a God who is Greater than you and I ...can, and DID, manifest Himself, as one among us, providing any ridiculous amount of evidence that HE IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS .....that we may be saved.
