Mark 2:1-12 – Jesus God-Identifies as Lord

Read Mark 2:1-12

What motivated Jesus to respond to the paralytic’s plight was his friend’s faith (2:5). Why do you suppose their faith made such a difference?

In order to get a sense for what it means to put your faith or trust in somebody share a time when someone has put their faith in you. What was it like? How did it make you feel? How about a time when you have put your faith in someone else? Describe what that was like. What adjectives come to mind (ex. exhilarating, scary, etc.)?

Read James 2:14-26

How do the paralytic and his friends display the kind of faith that James is speaking about here?

“Saving faith,” writes Douglas Moo, “reveals itself in works.” That is, if we truly trust Jesus for the forgiveness of all our sins (past, present and future) on the basis of his death then our lives will reveal that faith by how we live.

How do we see this in our relationships with other people or things? When we trust them how does that naturally impact how we live? Give an example.

Read Mark 2:13-17

What about Jesus from these two stories intrigues you about him? Is there anything in these two stories that leads you to look up to him?

Why might Mark choose to tell us this story about Jesus right after the story of the healing of the paralytic? Do you see a connection between these two stories? What is the flow or thought or the connection?