They say beauty is only skin deep. What you see on the outside is not always what you get. I have seen some good-looking things in life but when you look a little closer it may turn out to be a façade. The only way to find out is to test them. What you have inside is what matters. Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Many times looks can be deceiving. Sometimes it is intentional, we don’t want to spill the beans and let everyone know everything. To say there is some gamesmanship in life is an understatement. Many times people don’t reveal everything until they need to. Sometimes it can be difficult to discern who someone really is.

A little mystery and intrigue isn’t a bad thing but in life people shouldn’t have to wonder if we are genuine or not. They shouldn’t have to wonder if what we show on the outside is really the person we are. Our commitment to Christ and service to him has to be more than skin deep. We need to be willing to lay down our very lives for the sake of others.

People tend to act differently depending on the situation and location. On certain days of the week we are fine upstanding members of the church community; on others you would never know we graced the doors of a church. We put questions in people’s minds about who we really are. That is not a good thing.

In the world where reality is perception, putting up a good front tends to lead people to think things are going well. Social media only gives us part of the story, the part we want others to see. That is only the outside, what’s on the inside? We only find that when we take the time to put the effort forth and get to know someone.

Mark 2:1-12; A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.

Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, `Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, `Get up, take your mat 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 tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

We find in this passage a few things that will help us understand how to reveal what’s on the inside. First, Jesus didn’t boast about who he was and what he could do. He simply started teaching those who came to hear Him. Be genuine and honor the position you are in.

Second thought; during the teaching, He witnessed the great faith of some friends who brought their injured friend to Him. He had compassion for that man and forgave his sins. Then to remove the doubts as to His authority, He healed the man.

Think about that, if we have the Holy Spirit inside would we not spend our time bringing our injured, hurting, crippled, burdened, suffering and broken friends to Jesus for healing, no matter  how much effort and money it takes.

Why, because Jesus can and will forgive them and heal them. If we don’t believe that we lack the faith we need to be a true follower of Christ.

Thirdly, Jesus knew who was in the crowd and he chose an interesting way to help them understand who he was. He chose to do something no one could see. Think about it, it is pretty easy to make claims about our abilities, but the fact remains; at some point we have to reveal what is on the inside or we risk being a fraud. Jesus knew this.

Some in the crowd started stirring up trouble and challenging Jesus about His ability to forgive sins. Jesus settled the issue with one statement; “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, He said to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”

Now the proof was there for all to see, the paralytic got up, took his mat and walked out through the crowd. Does Christ have the authority to forgive sins? Yes he does. Is He willing to forgive us and others? Yes he is. Is He willing to heal all the brokenness, burdens and hurt we all face? Yes he is.

The challenge remains with us, do we have the faith to bring them to Jesus? Will we put forth the effort to help others find the forgiveness and healing that comes through Jesus Christ? What’s on the inside?

Blessings,

Pastor Don