Word for the Week

Week beginning: 5th July, 2015

By Dominic Hughes | London

"Some men came, bringing to [Jesus] a paralyzed man, carried by four of them … When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

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?"

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 this paralyzed man, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." So he said to the man, "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 2:3-12a (NIV)

What bothers us in life?

Many of my prayers and cries to God are about matters that are trivial compared to the difficulties that this man had to face.

The difficulties facing heavily paralysed people in the 1st century must have been enormous. Consi