With the young people

Yesterday afternoon I spent time with our church's youths in a bible study session.
They invited me to have two afternoons for Jan and Feb to have bible studies.

Long time ago did I spend time with young people in bible study. It's my delight to have them in Mark 2:1-12 past afternoon.The theme was on Jesus'claim on forgiveness on the lame visitor by his four friends who had faith on Him.

Through the passage I delivered several points for thoughts:

1. Interruption management.
Jesus handled the preaching interruption well and brought to the amazement of those who were there with His claims.

2. Both are easy (Visible healing and invisible forgiveness)
It's both easy for His claim to forgive sins as well as His power in healing the crippled.

3. Mind reading.
Jesus knew pretty well the complaints in the hearts of the Scribes sitting there which they considered His saying to be blasphemous.

4. Affirmed faith
The helping act of the visitors was rewarded and it's faith that healed the crippled and his sins were released.

5. The precedence of forgiveness over healing
It seems not making any sense when Jesus told that his sins were forgiven instead of healing him immediately. But He claimed both in forgiving and healing for people coming to Him through faith. He demonstrated instead the priority of forgiveness of mens' sins.