Two Kinds of Sons

God adopts. Sometimes He's flexible. 
We look a little more at how Jesus pivoted at a surprise time to show what matters, and what doesn't.

produced by static force llc sometimes things don't change.

Transcript

Two Kinds of Sons

by Eric Engelmann

All content © 2024 Static Force, LLC

When are we?

About the year 26 CE. This is in the New Testament after Moses and the prophet Daniel, after Jesus' birth, and just at the start of His Ministry. Before the ministry of Paul or the time John wrote the book of Revelation.

We’ll also skip ahead about two years to the year 28 CE.

Where are we?

We’ll be in two locations. The first is at the Jordan river somewhere in Judea. The second is upstream in Capernaum, on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee.

Why are we here now?

We're going to look at two kinds of Sons described in Mark 1 and 2. One is Jesus, the other is a man on a stretcher with some friends that want him healed.

By Way Of Background

Before the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians, God promised a new covenant with the people Israel in the 33rd chapter of Jeremiah:

Verse 31 “Behold, the days come,” says Yahweh,

“that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel,

and with the house of Judah:

Verse 33 “I will put my law in their inward parts,

and I will write it in their heart.

I will be their God,

and they shall be my people.

Verse 34 “for I will forgive their iniquity,

and I will remember their sin no more.”

-- Parts of Jeremiah 31:31-34

First Scripture Passage

In Mark 1

Verse 9 It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. 11 Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.

-- Mark 1:9-12

I'm assuming Jesus was bent backwards and put underwater when He was baptized. Part of the reason I believe this is Jesus "came up from the water."

Second Scripture Passage

In Mark 2,

Verse 3 Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. 4 And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.

5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

6 And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

8 But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, 11 “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 12 Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out…

-- Mark 2:3-12

NOTE: Jesus called the man "Son" before he healed him. Jesus didn't play some kind of a game where He said, "If you have faith to be healed, you can be a Son, too!" Jesus called him "Son" right away.

LET’S LOOK AT THE SIMILARITIES 

between Jesus in Mark 1 and the paralyzed man in Mark 2.

• Both men were surrounded by people.
• Both spent some time on their back -- either in baptism or on a mat.
• Both received life-changing blessings from God.
• Each had another voice refer to them.
• Each were under an opening after the event -- heaven was open after the baptism; the roof of the house was open after the healing.
• Each got up and went somewhere else immediately after the event.

LET’S LOOK AT THE DIFFERENCES.

• Jesus is "begotten". He is fully God and fully man. He came from God and grew in a virgin's womb before He was born. The paralyzed man on the mat is a candidate for adoption.
• Jesus received the power of the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Kingdom of God. The paralyzed man received the power from God to get well and carry his mat. With the man on the mat, Jesus spoke to that man on behalf of His Father.
• Jesus submitted to His Father. Whatever His Father wanted, that's what Jesus did. The man on the mat submitted to whatever Jesus wanted.
• Jesus had no need to be baptized by John for the forgiveness of sins. There were no sins to forgive. The man on the mat had the need, and was probably aware of his need to be baptized.
• Jesus wasn't sick -- the paralyzed man needed healing and received it.
• The voices referring to the men as "Son" were different. The voice from heaven referred to Jesus; Jesus referred to the man on the mat.
• Jesus faced the devil after His baptism. The man on the mat offended a handful of scribes when he got up and walked.

In the Future

Jesus will use the picture of being paralyzed on a mat and then being healed as an image of death and then resurrection. Jesus will say in John 5:

End of Verse 19 “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. 20 For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.

-- John 5:19-21

FURTHER IN THE FUTURE, Jesus will die and rise from the dead. The spiritual power He receives will be available to people who believe. This spirit is the spirit of adoption that fulfills our ability to become adopted sons of God.

All content © 2024 Static Force, LLC