From Rich Dixon this week.

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I like Jon’s way of walking us through a chunk of scripture.

For many of us Mark’s Gospel is familiar territory. I appreciate this slow, unhurried journey with time to look around and see stuff we never noticed.

I’m not reading a story. He invites me into the house with Jesus and the paralyzed man. I can feel the anticipation and tension.

More than anything, I’ve learned from Jon that Jesus is mostly about conversations.

I’ve always believed God welcomed hard questions. Somehow, though, I had this idea that most of those questions came with correct answers. The goal was to discover the right way to understand Jesus’ words.

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Last week we read this passage: “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’”

And Jon tossed out what seemed like a throwaway question.

“Whose faith?”

The answer’s obvious, right? But what if it isn’t? What if he’s referring to the faith of someone else? What if “Whose faith?” isn’t important?

What if the whole point is for us to ask the question?

What if what really matters is the connection between faith and forgiveness?

What if the whole point of the story is for you and me to sit in that house with Jesus for a few days? To be part of the meal and the conversation? To really feel the surrender of being at His feet?

To experience, “Your sins are forgiven.”

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I’m not a theology guy. When someone offers an interpretation that makes sense to me or fits my experience, I tend to jump on it as the “truth.”

I’m pretty sure His truth is bigger than my experience. What if He doesn’t want me to define truth within my limited vision?

What if He just wants me to spend time with Him?