Mark 2:1-12

Well, good morning, church. How are we all doing today? Isn’t it just a beautiful Sunday? You know, like Kai said, it’s a little bit cooler today. It’s been a great week, but it’s been a hot week.

For those who do not know me, my name is Austin Fiedor, and I serve on staff here as one of the campus ministers. I work over at the Fenway schools as well as Boston College, Lasell, Bentley—honestly, pretty much any school that’s in the Newton/Waltham area. Yeah, they got me working out here. But I love it. I love it. And it’s truly a blessing to be on staff. And honestly, it’s a blessing whenever I get handed the keys to the pulpit. I’m not often in the pulpit—we’ve got a lot of preachers in the downtown ministry. So, it is a blessing when I get handed the keys to the pulpit and I’m very grateful to share what’s on my heart this morning. And I’m excited for God to speak through me.

This summer’s been a very, very eventful summer for me. Recently, one of the most exciting, life-altering things happened to me. I’m pretty sure most of you know, if you could go to the next slide… Your boy sold his car on Facebook Marketplace. Nah, no, no. Go to the next slide. Go to the next slide. Go to the next slide. I’m playing. Your boy got engaged! Let’s go, baby! I know many of us in this room probably thought I couldn’t get it done. Honestly, I had those feelings, too. But God did. God did. And I truly feel blessed. My fiancée’s name is Mari Sawmura, soon to be Mari Fiedor. I am very grateful, and she is just so amazing. She’s actually not here today, so I feel a little less supported. I need you guys to be loud!

But nonetheless, in other news, you could go to the next slide. Look at that. Look at that handsome guy. Yeah, we all know who this is. This is Will Thorne. Will and Chelsea moved here from Sydney, Australia a little over a year ago. Will has become a mentor figure to me and one of my best friends in life. If you’ve hung out with Will, even for an hour here and there, the one thing you know about Will is he loves pretending he’s 20 years old. Will, if you ask his age, he’ll say, “I’m 27, bro. I’m 26. No shame, bro.” We know you’re lying! Honestly, I took it to the people. We took a poll. 83% of people said this guy is 30 or older. I’m shocked at how many thought 40 or older. Hey, bro. But I think we settled it.

All jokes aside, Will is amazing. You can go to the next slide. This is the last announcement I got. Alex is my guy. He’s a centerpiece for the downtown region of the Boston Church of Christ. Alex and I have been getting really close this last year. My fiancée and his fiancée are friends, and vice versa. The last time I was here in the pulpit, I talked about a one-on-one that Alex has been trash talking me about—trying to play basketball. It’s been about four months since I was up here talking about that. I still haven’t got my one-on-one, bro. Where’s it at, dog? I need my one-on-one! Maybe the next time I come up here, four or five months from now, maybe we’ll have played it. Hopefully, there’s some video footage. I think we all know who’s going to win. But anyways, no more jokes. I digress. This is a sermon, not a comedy sketch.

It is genuinely a blessing to meet together this Sunday. And quite frankly, whenever we meet in person, it is a blessing. I’d love to give a special welcome to those visiting church. I hope you feel welcomed, loved, and feel God’s power this morning.

When Stuart told me I’d be preaching today, he said it was dealer’s choice—I could preach about whatever I want. For me, that’s a little tricky because I have so many ideas and things I want to preach about. I can never really decide. So, I called Will Thorne for advice. I said, “Dude, should I preach about this or that?” Will said, “Dude, how about I give you a passage, you get three points from it, and preach the passage.” I thought, “That’s a great idea.” So, let’s turn our Bibles to Mark 2. The title of my sermon today is Mark 2:1-12.

Mark 2:1-12, NIV:
A few days later, when Jesus entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers 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 paralyzed man 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 by digging through it and lowering the mat the man was lying on.

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. 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.

This amazed everyone, and they praised God saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

Let’s pray.
Dear God, I pray and thank you for this service. I thank you for how well it’s been going so far. I pray that you speak through me and that we can all be cut to the heart. Thank you in advance for answering this prayer. In your Son’s name, Amen.

Point 1: Don’t Let Your Faith Die at the Door

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left—not even outside the door—and he preached the word to them.

This passage shows crowds flocking to hear Jesus. In the chapter before, Mark 1, we learn that Jesus’ mission was to preach and spread the gospel. After Jesus prayed in a solitary place, many were looking for him hoping he would preach again, but Jesus said the word needed to be spread elsewhere. He kept pushing forward.

Now Jesus is in Capernaum preaching, and evidently the crowds want to listen. Then some men come bringing a paralyzed man carried by four of them. They couldn’t get him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and lowered the man on his mat.

The house becomes even more hectic than it already was. There are crowds flooding in, and now four men are on the roof digging a hole and lowering a paralyzed man down. That’s wild. This must have been one of the most chaotic moments in the Gospels.

When this happens, Jesus doesn’t rebuke them or criticize them for the mess they probably made. Roofs were dirt then, so it must have been messy. He doesn’t get mad they interrupted his lesson. Instead, it says Jesus saw their faith. Not that he heard them cry out, or noticed dirt falling on his head—he saw their faith.

Imagine these four men were probably desperate to help their friend. I don’t know how big Capernaum was, but as soon as they heard this Jesus guy was coming, they said, “We’re putting our boy on the mat and bringing him to Jesus because this is our last resort.” They did everything in their power to see Jesus so he could heal their friend.

Their faith was immediately tested. The passage says the crowd was so large, there was no room, not even outside the door. The men easily could have turned around and said, “At least we tried.” They could have given up, but their faith didn’t allow it. They climbed the roof, dug a hole, and lowered their friend.

If I were the owner of the house, I get it. There’s a lot of people, good times, Jesus is speaking, and then someone starts destroying my roof! I don’t know if it was easy to repair that ceiling, but these men didn’t care. They didn’t care about the crowded doorway or no room left. They were determined to see Jesus move.

When the odds were against them, these men didn’t stop.

If you’re sitting here today, ask yourself: Is your faith stopping at the door? When you keep falling into the same sin, is your faith stopping at the door? When your marriage is on the rocks, when you lose a job, when you get rejected sharing your faith, when you pray for healing and it doesn’t come—is your faith stopping at the door?

Or are you climbing the roof? Are you getting creative with obedience and finding new ways to get to Jesus, even when the easy path is blocked? Are you fighting through the crowd of disappointment, fear, shame, anxiety? What is it for you?

Are you willing to dig in and tear away anything that separates you from Jesus? Real faith doesn’t quit when it gets hard. It doesn’t fold when it hits resistance. Real faith says, “If I can’t go through the door, I’m going through the roof.”

Some of you are still sitting outside the house. Some have turned around and gone home, waiting for the next opportunity. The door got blocked. Life got messy. You got discouraged and your faith gave up.

Sometimes we don’t see breakthrough because we gave up too early. Sometimes it’s not that God said no—it’s that the room was crowded and you stopped pushing.

Hebrews 11:6 says:
Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Church, don’t let your faith die at the door. If your current self was in that house that day, would Jesus notice your faith? If you were in that house right now, would Jesus notice your faith?

Point 2: Are You a Good Mat Carrier?

Some men came bringing to Jesus a paralyzed man 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 by digging through it and lowering the mat.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Later he said, “Get up, take your mat, and go home.” The man got up, took his mat, and walked out in full view of all. This amazed everyone, and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

This paralyzed man had some great friends. These four guys probably had been pondering this on their minds for a while. I’m sure this wasn’t their first attempt to help their friend.

Can I get an amen to that?

When I was reading this story, I thought about a time in seventh or eighth grade. A few friends and I went fishing along a river by my house. We weren’t catching much, so I said, “Let’s go down the bank; I see a little opening.” My friends went ahead and I went back to grab my stuff. But as I walked over, I sank up to my chest in mud—maybe quicksand? I was scared. I called to my friends, and they ran over and pulled me out. They were laughing, but honestly, I had some good mat carriers that day.

We need mat carriers in our lives, and we need to be mat carriers for others. We need people who get us unstuck when things aren’t going well. We need people to get in the mess and help us get out.

Interestingly, Jesus noticed the faith of the paralyzed man’s friends, not the paralyzed man himself. For all we know, the paralyzed man could have been faithless, bitter, or angry—those are understandable feelings in his situation.

But because he had the right people around him, the man’s mat was carried to Jesus.

For many of us, it can be hard to be a good mat carrier, whether in relationships inside or outside the church. Some people in this room desperately need their mat carried back to Jesus.

And there are people outside this room—in workplaces, families, stores—who desperately need their mat carried to Christ.

We need to step up for friends struggling spiritually. Are you carrying them to Jesus, or are you affirming the sin they live in? Are you ignoring sin to keep peace? That’s not helping. If you care, you’ll help pull them out and get them to heaven. That’s what matters for your friends not yet disciples, or those figuring it out.

Are you carrying them to Jesus, or conforming to their patterns? Blending in? What’s worse than not carrying the mat? Carrying it in the wrong direction. That’s worse than not carrying it at all.

Being a mat carrier isn’t easy. These guys probably walked far, got their friend up on the roof—God only knows how heavy he was. It’s not easy, but it’s required.

Imagine if these men had left the paralyzed man alone. Nothing would have changed. He’d still be paralyzed, still sinful, and his soul would be lost.

Are you like these friends? Are you a good mat carrier?

I remember in college, my friends and I lived in an apartment in Jamaica Plain—a legendary place if you know it. We were all trying to build each other toward Christ. Toward the end, I was in some character sin—prideful and easily aggravated. One of my best friends, Andrew Glenn, sat me down and called me out on things hurting him and others. It cut me to the heart, but I was grateful. It gave me a chance to repent.

He could have avoided confrontation and just moved out, hoping things would get better someday. But no, he called it out and gave me a chance to repent.

For all we know, I might never have found out how I was hurting if he hadn’t been my mat carrier.

Truthfully, when I think of all the sin and mistakes I’ve made, I can confidently say I wouldn’t be standing here without the mat carriers in my life.

Let me ask you: Whose mat are you carrying today? And who’s carrying yours?

Being a good mat carrier is essential to discipleship. Also, it strengthens friendships. After this man was healed and forgiven, he and the four friends didn’t just forget. Moments like this are lifelong stories—“Remember when we broke the roof? You can walk now!”

We’re the same. Remember those Bible studies on campus, baptisms, struggles and conversations? We talk about those moments and celebrate how far we’ve come.

Tucker, who’s visiting from the Cape today, got baptized at Wentworth last semester. He’s one of our biggest joy stories. We randomly stumbled upon our church, started studying the Bible, and despite challenges, he committed his life to Christ.

We talk about it often—the excitement of studying the Bible and growing together.

That’s what happens with good mat carriers. Your relationships strengthen. You’re not afraid to call out sin. You’re not afraid to bring someone to the one who gives eternal life.

We must be good mat carriers. We must be good mat carriers.

Point 3: Jesus Heals What Matters Most

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Let’s get a tally of how many times I’ve read this today!

Some teachers of the law thought, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming. Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or ‘Get up, take your mat, and walk’? But I want you to know the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”

So he said to the man, “Get up, take your mat, and go home.” The man did, and everyone was amazed and praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

Jesus shook the whole room. People were jarred because:

• In Jewish theology, sin is an offense against God. Only God can forgive sin. So Jesus either blasphemed or he is God.

• People were used to offering sacrifices at the temple to cleanse sin. But here, Jesus simply offers forgiveness.

• Everyone expected Jesus to say, “Get up and walk,” but he first says, “Your sins are forgiven.” The four men who carried the paralyzed man were probably disappointed at first.

If someone just heard the story without knowing the Bible, they’d likely say Jesus healed the man’s legs. He did eventually. But first, he forgave his sins.

The greatest need in this man’s life wasn’t his legs—it was his soul. Jesus saw that. Without forgiveness, the man would be separated from his Father.

Jesus cared about the man’s inability to walk, but he knew if the man walked out with healed legs and an unforgiven heart, he’d still be lost.

Even if the man never walked again, his soul was made right with God. That’s more valuable than anything else he could receive.

Here’s an analogy: Imagine you walk into the ER with a broken leg, but they find a life-threatening heart problem and do surgery on your heart first. You might be confused because you came for your leg, but the heart surgery was more important—it would save your life.

That’s what Jesus did. He saw what was vastly more important.

Some of you are more concerned about your circumstances than your soul. You ask God to fix your situation—open doors, heal loved ones, take away stress and pain—but you don’t realize Jesus wants to change you first.

He’s not ignoring your requests; he wants to answer them. But he sees what you can’t.

A changed situation won’t matter if your soul stays the same.

If Christ changes your circumstances, great. But if your heart isn’t changed, you’ll always end up back in the same place—hurting, drifting, far from God.

But if He changes your heart, you will be changed forever.

My three points today were:

1. Don’t let your faith die at the door.

2. Are you a good mat carrier?

3. Jesus heals what matters most.

Thank you for letting me speak