Mark 2

A paralytic man was brought to Jesus to be healed by his friends. These men who brought their friend to see Jesus went to great lengths to get him there. They didn't let anything stand in their way. We need to make sure nothing stands in our way of bringing friends to Christ as well. We need to be bold and share Christ's love in the things we say and do every chance we get.


Jesus called Matthew, a tax collector to follow Him. Later, while having dinner at Matthew's house, Jesus countered the scribes and Pharisees objections to His eating with sinners by saying He came for sinners. If we only ever associate with people in the church, we can't fulfill our purpose of spreading the word of God. We need to take His message to people who have never heard it.


Jesus' disciples were accused of breaking the Sabbath by picking grain to eat. Jesus met the accusation with a well reasoned view of why there was no wrongdoing. We need to be careful not to make up new rules in addition to the ones God has given us and apply them to ourselves and others. Even if God has impressed a higher standard in some area of our personal lives, that doesn't necessarily mean that it applies to everyone else. When we see others doing something that doesn't seem right, we shouldn't be quick to judge. Unless God's word strictly forbids something, we need to allow for differences in personal freedoms and trust God to deal with each individual appropriately.