It’s not surprising they had hang-ups. After all, we know them as hypocrites who always looked for other people to recognize how good they were. At the same time, they were always pointing out how bad everyone else was. The “Pharisees” were religious leaders in the time of Jesus, but give them a different haircut and a not-quite-that-vintage outfit, and they could fit in today. There are lots of hypocrites with hang-ups among us. In some cases, they are us.
In the second chapter of the Gospel of Mark, Jesus understands what others suspected. The Pharisees had a hang-up. Their hang-up was Jesus.
A lot of people still get stuck on Jesus today. This isn’t new or news. God’s Son has always been, “A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” (1 Peter 2:8)
Get Out of Your Head
Hang-ups happen in our heads. The Religious leaders were observing the scene, not getting involved. At the same time, Jesus taught and cared for a room so crowded with people that the door was blocked. Four friends made a hole in the roof and let down their paralyzed friend to get help for his problem. Jesus saw the incredible faith of the friends and said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven,” (Mark 2:5). He not only dealt with the man’s physical issue, but with the greater spiritual issue. The unseen issue in his heart.
Take a Look at Your Heart
Hang-ups begin with questions in our hearts. The Bible tells us some of the scribes were at this gathering of sick and curious and desperate people. They questioned the actions and identity of Jesus in their own pride-filled hearts. Truth be told, I instinctively envision them as a group of vultures, watching and waiting before they move in. Finally, they asked, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming. Who can forgive sins but God alone? ” (Check these references in Mark 2 to read the account.)
The religious leaders were hung up on Jesus. Their questions lead to a fixation that turned into bitterness and ultimately fed their imaginations. A hang-up like this can blow up.
But we can’t hide our hang-ups from Jesus. He sees into our hearts.
“And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, ‘Why do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’ — he said to the paralytic, ‘I say to you, ‘Rise, pick up your bed, and go home.'” (Mark 2:8-12)
3 Questions Between Jesus and Hang-ups
Jesus spoke to the hate-filled group of posers, pretending they were passionate about God when they were really passionate about themselves.
- First, he asked them about their motive. Why do you question these things in your heart?
- Second, he directed them to think in a truthful way. What’s the easier statement to make, your sins are forgiven or rise, take up your bed and walk? Say what’s true.
Jesus was saying, “What’s your real agenda here? Don’t overthink this. Truth is truth.”
3. Third, Jesus points to the source of the hang-ups. What was the point of healing the man in the midst of the crowded room? “The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”
Jesus was saying, “Sin is the source of our hang-ups.”
Ultimately, Jesus drilled down to the motive of the religious leaders, directed them to the truth, and pointed out the source of the hang-up. These must be good questions to ask ourselves about our hang-ups. The result? “They were all amazed and glorified God.”
And that’s what happens when we set aside our hang-ups. God is glorified.
