The Gospel of Mark
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?” Mark 2:8 (ESV)
“Did you like the movie?” “Yeah, but the book is better.” “Really? I thought the movie was better.” How many times have you had this type of conversation? It can be fun discussing whether a movie is better than the book and vice versa; some people have strong opinions on the matter. But the fact is: books and movies are stories told in different mediums – each with its own strengths and weaknesses. One strength of a book is that you get to see inside a character’s mind. Some writers have described writing as getting to “play a god” because they get to create their characters and go inside their heads. This is something not easily done in movies, and it certainly isn’t something we can do in real life. We can never truly read someone else’s mind. But Jesus is the Son of God. He is our Creator.
In Mark 2, when the scribes questioned Jesus in their hearts after Jesus told a paralytic his sins were forgiven, Jesus read their hearts and knew what they were thinking. How was Jesus able to do this? The scribes hadn’t said anything; there were no subtitles. He could do it because of who he is – the Son of God. There is no limit to his power. He can see inside our hearts and minds. In Mark 2, he showed the people that he is the Son of God. He forgave the paralytic’s sins; he healed the man, allowing the man to get up and carry his bed; he let the scribes know that he knew exactly what they were thinking. We too can be amazed and glorify God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” (Mark 2:12b)
Thank you, Lord Jesus, even knowing our thoughts – every last sinful one – you chose to save us. You took all the sinful thoughts and paid for them on the cross. Amen.