Sunday
Matthew 9:So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city. 2 Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”
3 And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!”
4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 7 And he arose and departed to his house.
8 Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.
Whether or no his sins were forgiven He alone could know who forgave; but whether he could rise and walk, not only himself but they that looked on could judge of; but the power that heals, whether soul or body, is the same. And as there is a great difference between saying and doing, the outward sign is given that the spiritual effect may be proved…
Monday
Mark 1 And forthwith, when He had come out of the synagogue, He entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John, But Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever, and straightway they tell Him of her, And He came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them. As was the custom on the evening of the sabbath, Jesus went to have supper at the house of His disciples. And she who ought to have served them was sick with a fever, but Jesus healed her and then she served them. This account makes clear that if you, O reader, are suffering from an illness and God heals you, make use of your health to minister to the saints and to serve God. A feverish man is also one who is angry and shakes his fist. But if God the Word should take him by the hand, and if he ceases to shake his fist, then this once angry man attends to the Word. For if the Word takes the angry man by the hand and he arises, then anger waits upon the Word.
Tuesday
Mark 1:. And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto Him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with demons. And all the city was gathered together at the door. And He healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many demons; and suffered not the demons to speak, because they knew Him. The evangelist does not add without cause the words, “when the sun did set.” Since the Jews thought that it was not permitted for one to heal on the sabbath day, they waited until sunset and then brought the sick to be healed. It says that “He healed many,” perhaps meaning, “He healed all,’’ for “all” are “many”. Or it could be interpreted that He did not heal all, because there were some who did not believe, and these were not healed on account of their unbelief; but many of those who were brought forward were healed, namely, those who had faith. He did not permit the demons to speak, as I have said, teaching us not to believe them even if they speak the truth. For if they find some persons who completely believe them, there is no limit to what can be done by these accursed demons, who mix falsity with truth. Likewise Paul stopped the spirit of divination from saying, ‘ ‘These men are servants of the most high God. For the saint did not wish to receive commendation or testimony from an unclean mouth.
Wednesday
Mark 1: And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, Jesus went out, and departed into a desert place, and there prayed. And Simon and they that were with Him followed after Him. And when they had found Him, they said unto Him, All men seek for Thee, And He said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth. And He preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out demons. After healing the sick He goes away by Himself, teaching us not to do anything for show. Even if we should do something good, we should strive to hide it. And He prays to teach us that if we do something good, we should ascribe it to God and say to Him, “Every good gift is from above.and cometh down from Thee.”18 For indeed He Himself did not need to pray. He does not give Himself over to the multitude that is seeking Him and longing for Him; while acknowledging their desire to see Him, He goes to the others who are also in need of healing and teaching. It did not befit Him to restrict His teaching to one place, but He shed the bright rays of the Word everywhere. See how He intertwines action with teaching. For He was both preaching and casting out demons. So you also, O reader, must teach and then act, lest your words be empty. For if Christ had not shown forth miracles, His words would not have been believed.
Thursday
Mark 1:40-42. And there came a leper to Him, beseeching Him, and kneeling down to Him, and saying unto Him, If T^hou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth His hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I am willing; be thou clean. And as soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and lie was cleansed. The leper had both faith and understanding,’so he did not say, “If Thou ask God,” but, “If Thou wilt/■ believing in’Him as God. Christ touches Him to show that there is nothing that is unclean. For the law forbade one to touch a leper, as he was unclean. But the Saviour touches the leper, showing that nothing is unclean by nature and that man ought to be set free from the observances of the law, ‘and that these observances applied only to man and not to God. Remember that Elisha had such reverence for the law that he could not endure to see, let alone touch, Naaman who was a leper asking for healing.
Friday
Mark 43–45. And He sternly charged him, and forthwith sent him away; and saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer Tor thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. But he went out, and began to’publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to Him from every quarter. By this as well we are taught not to make a show when we do good to someone. See how the Lord Himself commands the man who had been cleansed not to spread His fame. Yet He knew that the man would not obey, but would tell all. Nevertheless He commands him to say nothing, as I have said, teaching us not to boast. Still one must be grateful and thank one’s benefactor, even if the benefactor does not desire it. For though the Lord had forbidden him, the leper told everyone of the good thing that had been done to him. The Lord sends him to the priest. For the law decreed that unless the priest declared the former leper to be clean, he was not permitted to enter the city, but was to be driven away. Jesus also commands him to offer the gift which those who had been cleansed were supposed to offer, so that the gift might be testimony that Jesus was not opposed to the law. On the contrary, He held it in such high regard that He Himself commanded the very things that were prescribed by the law.
Saturday
Mark 2:1–5. And again He entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was heard that He was in the house. And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and He preached the word unto them. And they come unto Him, bringing a paralytic who was borne by four. And when they could not come nigli unto Him for the press, they uncovered the roof where He was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the paralytic lay. When Jesus saw their faith, He said unto the paralytic, Child, thy sins be forgiven thee. What does this mean—“after some days”? It means “when several days had gone by”. When Jesus had entered the house, the people heard that He was inside and all came running, hoping that it would be easy to meet Him there. The faith of those men was so great that they even made an opening in the roof through which they lowered the paralytic. Thereupon the Lord healed him, seeing the faith of those who carried him, or of the paralytic himself. For the paralytic would not have agreed to be carried if he himself had not believed that he would be healed. Many times the Lord healed the unbelieving sick on account of the faith of those who brought them. Similarly, He often healed the one brought to Him because of that man’s faith, despite the unbelief of those who brought him. First He forgives the sins of the sick man and then He cures the disease, since the most severe illnesses occur for the most part as a result of sins. So it is that the Lord said of the paralytic in John’s Gospel that it was as a result of sins that the man had been paralyzed. But the paralytic in John’s Gospel is not the same one mentioned here. For the man in John’s account had no one to help him, while this man had four.