In the story from Mark 2 (or Luke 5) of the friends bringing the paralyzed man to Jesus, the storyteller uses a surprise to highlight something important in the story.
So in this “retelling” episode, we’ll be looking at the story I discussed with Kelly Needham back in our very first episode, “How to Live Like It’s True that You’re Forgiven.” You might be thinking, “Whoa! That was a while ago.” Yes, you’re right. I’m just now circling back to redo some of these retelling episodes for some of our most popular conversations. I’ve been learning as I go, and trying to improve the podcast as I go.
Did you notice we have new music also? That’s from my son Cade Popkin, our resident composer who insisted that I was ready for a refresh on my music.
So in this retelling episode, I’ll start by retelling the story of the friends lowering their paralyzed friend through the roof to get to Jesus so that it’s fresh in your mind. I’ll use my own words and my own way of telling the story. Then I’ll talk through some of the story elements that the author used as he told this story, asking, “Why was the author using these particular devices? What was his goal as the storyteller?”
Then I’ll close by retelling the story once more. I’d encourage you to see if you can retell the story, also – either after I tell it or pausing along the way. Stories are packed with rich theology and have power to transform our thinking and our lives. They’re easy to store up in our hearts and our minds, which I think is by design. It does take a little work, but once you’ve learned the story you have it with you, and you’re able to retrieve it for yourself and give it away to someone else.
Bible Passage: Mark 2:1-12 CSB
Referring Back to Episode:
“How to Live Like it’s True that You’re Forgiven.” with Kelly Needham
Transcript
Freebie: Live Like It’s True Workbook
Mentioned Resources:
· Friendish by Kelly Needham
· Comparison Girl by Shannon Popkin
Music: Cade Popkin Music
Do You Feel Too Dirty to Approach Jesus?
The fact is, we’re all sinful. We all need to be forgiven. And just like this man, it might be something else – some other problem or pain or struggle – that causes us to turn our attention to Jesus. Whether we’re approaching God for the first time, or we’ve been coming to him for many years, we often worry that our sin makes God unavailable to us. We’re too dirty. Our sin is too severe. We feel like we can only come to him when we’re cleaned up.
The next time you’re thinking that way, remember this story. This man was paralyzed. He couldn’t do anything to fix himself – either spiritually or physically, to make himself presentable to Jesus. And he didn’t have to. In just one short interaction, Jesus forgave his sins and healed his body.
