What Do You Want?

And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 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.” And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” (Mark 2:1-12 ESV). The paralytic man missed it, and so did his friends. In this familiar story, the man’s friends have gone to extraordinary measures to ensure that he can get close to the miracle-working Messiah. They’ve carried him a thousand times before, and they hope this will be the last. Healing his crippled body is clearly the goal. No one has worried about the state of his heart. So, down he goes into the presence of Jesus. “Tell me what you desire.” Jesus might have said. “Please, Sir! Can’t you see? I’m paralyzed! I want to walk. I want to support a family, contribute to society, play with my friends, enjoy life!” But Jesus knows that what we want isn’t necessarily what we need. He knows us better than we know ourselves. We want all sorts of things. Maybe, like the paralytic, what we most want is to be normal, like everyone else. But that’s not what we most need. Jesus looks deeply into the crippled man’s soul. He knows that he needs to experience life-transforming forgiveness. He knows that a healthy body can’t mend years of bitterness, disappointment, broken relationships, and pain. Multitudes of miserable people walk around on perfectly good legs. Jesus longs for the man to have wholeness and peace. So he speaks forgiveness. Likewise, he gives us what we need, even if it’s not what we want. I wonder how many times we have been looking desperately for what we want, instead of accepting what we need. I have found that when I concentrate on what God has given to satisfy my needs, my wants often are satisfied as well. Give it a try today!