Sunday: Healing a Paralytic
Daily Lesson for Sunday 14th of July 2024
Read Mark 2:1-12. What was the paralytic looking for when he was brought to Jesus, and what did he receive?
The man was paralyzed; his four friends, therefore, had to carry him to Jesus. After they tore through the roof and let the man down into Jesus’ presence, Mark 2:5 notes that Jesus saw their faith. How can faith be visible? Like love, it becomes visible in actions, as the persistence of the friends openly illustrates.
Image © Lifeway Collection at Goodsalt.com
The man’s obvious need was physical. However, when he comes into Jesus’ presence, the first words Jesus pronounces refer to forgiveness of sins. The man speaks not a word during the entire scene. Instead, it is the religious leaders who object (in their minds) to what Jesus has just said. They consider His words blasphemous, slandering God, and taking on prerogatives that belong only to God.
Jesus meets the objectors on their own ground by using a typical rabbinic style of argumentation called “lesser to greater.” It is one thing to say that a person’s sins are forgiven; it is another thing to actually make a paralyzed man walk. If Jesus can make the man walk by the power of God, then His claim to forgive sins finds affirmation.
Read Micah 6:6-8. How does this text explain what was happening between Jesus and the leaders?
These religious leaders lost sight of what really mattered: justice, mercy, and walking humbly before God. So obsessed with defending their understanding of God, they were blinded to God’s working right before their eyes. Nothing indicated that the men changed their minds about Jesus even though He gave them more than enough evidence to know that He was from God, not only by letting them know that He could read their minds (no simple feat in and of itself) but also by healing the paralytic in their presence in a way that they could not deny.
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How can we be careful to avoid the same trap that these men fell into: being so obsessed with the forms of religion that they lost sight of what really mattered in true religion (see James 1:27)? |
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What's relationship does your sin's are forgiven and healing have
The Jews in Jesus' time had a good handle on religion. The Pharisees and Sadducees were theological experts and counted academic scholars, rabbis, scribes and lawyers in their number. You could give them a theological hypothetical and they would discuss it for days and add a note to the Talmud on how the law should be applied. They defined conservative religious doctrine and behaviour.
Then Jesus came; a radical outsider who not only challenged their authority but their sincerity. When the man with palsy was presented to Jesus, Jesus challenged the theology of the wise men of the Jews, "Which is easier; to forgive a man his sins, or to raise him in health?"
The scholars were faced with a dilemma. One alternative was blasphemy and the other was impossible. Jesus answered his own question by doing both. Jesus established his credentials in this event. The challenge that Jews faced was who should they believe; those who studied the law, or the One who defined the law.
I encourage readers to read all of Mark 2 in one reading to understand how the argument unfolds.
In my local culture, it’s considered quite admirable to help the homeless or those with obvious physical needs. It feels comfortable to tell somebody that I’ve been in the park, handing out waters or clothing or food. It’s far less comfortable to tell unbelieving friends that I’ve been in the park offering prayers and tracts of literature and telling people about Jesus. Our culture in America in these times is largely secular. And when religion is obvious, it often takes cringeworthy forms, people holding signs, yelling, accusing others of certain sins. Holding themselves as superior to others just like the Pharisees did in Jesus time. (Oh dear Lord, please take away any superiority feelings hiding in me!)
But what this story brings out is that contrary to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs… which every teacher has learned about… you know “you can’t preach to a man with an empty stomach”….. physical needs don’t always come first in priority. Paralyzed affections, a paralyzed mind, a paralyzed heart is a problem less obvious to everyone around….. but have more effect on health than legs that don’t work. Jesus here is showing us that forgiveness is our greatest need. For all of us.
EGWhite says that affliction had given the paralyzed man time for reflection. He realized his own sins were responsible for his suffering, and that weighed heavily on his mind. He sought health of soul as well as of body (Desire of Ages 267–268). Ok, but some of us aren’t even aware of our insides. We get used to hobbled hopes and drooping spirits, death, and violence in our world, chronic pain in our bodies, disabilities and heartache in our homes. Dreams and expectations lie limply at our sides like spent limbs… until Jesus offers us a forever relationship with Him! Then we learn that being with Jesus is a greater gift than even a life free of physical suffering.
The Pharisees and Scribes were paralyzed too. Jesus spoke forgiveness over them on the cross, even as they showered him with hostility …. “Father forgive them” (Luke 23:34). Forgiveness preached far and wide through the world is Jesus’s mission. “Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins” (Acts 2:38). The church is to be a lighthouse of forgiveness. Jesus empowers our wills to oppose sin and enables real change to happen.
I can hand out a bottle of water, but what we all need for lasting change is Jesus the Living Water. I can hand out some free clothes, but what we all need is Jesus’s robe of righteousness. We can help each other’s earthly circumstances to change and material suffering to cease, but Jesus says that real joy is knowing your name is written in heaven (Luke 10:20). Anyone can offer physical things and it is important … that’s why Jesus healed the man of his paralysis… but Jesus gave him the best gift first.
Let’s not ever dumb down what we have to give. The best we have to give is not silver or gold, but Jesus first and foremost (Acts 3:6). Living as a follower of Jesus amongst cultural indifference or derision or exclusion or hostility is not strange but normal (1 Peter 4:12-14). Praying to have faith that is humble in service, while at the same time ever bolder in giving what people are truly longing for! 🙏🏻
Sister Esther, thank you for the contribution. My question is are you implying that we meet the spiritual need before the physical needs? Just need clarification.
Thank you so much for this question, Sister Sarah. I was asking myself the same thing as I finished writing that yesterday. So I'm grateful to go deeper here.
For me, it's "both-and" rather than "either-or". I see Jesus meeting both the spiritual need and the physical need in every encounter. Both kind actions and truthful speaking. Not kind actions without pointing to where they originate from within the kingdom of God. And not speaking about God's mercy without kind actions demonstrating it.
We all have different temperaments and so one aspect of spreading the gospel may be easier than the other. For some of us it is more natural to reach out and help with physical needs, but is very uncomfortable to speak of faith in Jesus. For others of us, it may feel more comfortable to stand behind a pulpit and preach or do a mailing of literature, but very uncomfortable to make eye contact with someone standing on a street corner asking for help. We are gifted differently and as the Body of Christ each one's strength supplements another one's weakness. However, if we're working with Jesus and it's His love sap flowing through us, we're going to want to mention that. And if we're talking about Jesus and talking to Jesus, when we see someone in need we are going to be moved to offer whatever we have.
Usually whatever I contribute on this blog is something I'm in dialogue about with the Holy Spirit. Something I'm being made aware of that I need to surrender more deeply to God's heart. In this case, I'm aware that I need to step more surely into, first of all - having more faith, and secondly - speaking my faith. I see that I've been holding back on saying Jesus's name because I don't want that feeling of resistance coming from the other person, and I don't like my own corresponding feeling that I'm "weird" or one of "those" people.
A current example .....you can YouTube a news clip just aired locally in my area, "Who is behind 'The Great Controversy' books being mailed to Mainers?", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtO1Ajnu1Ao. In Maine, there is a bulk mailing going out, and we see that the response from this news station features the idea that the book and mailing could be "potentially dangerous". Maybe this was a case of spreading news about Jesus without showing with selfless actions that these words can be trusted. But also maybe this group donating so much for this mailing is being Holy Spirit-led to share The Great Controversy message liberally, regardless of the feedback.
In Acts 3:6...one of my favorite verses...Peter says, "Silver and gold I don't have (me neither!), but what I have I give you (wow! bold faith and generous action!)....in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth (Peter leads with this! not mumbling Jesus's name at the end of offering some physical help)...in the name of Jesus you can walk (plugging into Jesus's power is what transforms the physical world, the mental world, the spiritual world, the emotional world - all the needs are interconnected and centered around our need for Jesus).
A final thought that sobers my pride....Jesus is not ashamed to lovingly speak about imperfect me up in perfect heaven (Matt. 10:32). Jesus ignored the shame of the Cross as He thought about our future together (Heb. 12:2). I used to think this meant that Jesus hated feeling ashamed on the Cross, just like I do. No way! Not even close. It means that Jesus/God despised even the idea of personal shame when it came to acting out His love for me. Just....well, I have no more words.
Thank you so much Ma for the more insight. I'm really blessed and well understood.
Esther, thank you for sharing your thoughts and scriptures from God's Word. It was inspiring to read today.
Amen sister Esther!
Amen sister Esther for your nice contribution.
What was the paralytic looking for when he was brought to Jesus, and what did he receive? What are we often looking for when we come to Jesus, and what do we receive?
Sometimes we come to Jesus because of our Christian upbringing – we hope to receive social acceptance into this social group called a church. Sometimes we come to Jesus in desperation, like the paralysed man, in need of healing and restoration. It may be that we need physical healing or healing from deep emotional wounds. We may be in desperate financial circumstances, or our family may be falling apart. It is often the pains of life that draw us to Jesus.
And what do we receive? Always we receive the promise that our physical needs will be met – sometimes immediately and other times that our restoration will be in the Earth made new. And often Jesus adds what He knows we need even more, but we never dreamed or dared to ask for. He calls us “son/daughter” and brings the love of our Heavenly Father and all that entails into our experience. He forgives our sin, the only thing that can separate us from Him, and with the veil that separated us torn, He assures us that nothing can separate us from His love.
We receive exceedingly, abundantly above all we ask or can imagine.
Oh, what a Saviour!
For me what stands out most from the story of the paralytic man is "the radical faith" of the four friends bent on making sure that their friend is healed. The house was full, they could have said to their paralytic friend "Look friend, we've tried our best to get you to Jesus, but as you can see the house is full" but they made sure that they get their friend to Jesus
And when they couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd,they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus.
I wonder how do we "dug a hole through the roof" today in order to see JESUS. Can someone help me how can i apply that in real life?! Help
Here's a quick response to your asking Lynn Mecky.
Certainly! The story of digging a hole through the roof to bring a paralyzed man to Jesus (Mark 2:1-12) teaches us valuable lessons about determination, faith, and community. While we may not dig through roofs today, we can apply these principles in our lives:
Bold Faith: Like the friends who carried the paralyzed man, we need bold faith. Sometimes, we must take unconventional steps to encounter Jesus. This could mean stepping out of our comfort zones, risking rejection, or persistently seeking Him.
Community: The friends worked together to help the paralyzed man. We need a supportive community—a group of people who encourage, pray, and lift us up. We can also be that support for others.
Persistence: The friends didn’t give up when faced with obstacles. Similarly, we should persistently pursue Jesus, even when circumstances seem impossible whether it’s praying, seeking wise counsel, or studying Scripture, persistence matters.
Creativity: The roof-digging incident was creative and resourceful. In our lives, we can think outside the box to connect with Jesus. Maybe it’s through art, nature, music, or acts of kindness.
Remember, encountering Jesus isn’t limited to physical spaces. It’s about our hearts being open, seeking Him earnestly, and allowing His transformative love to impact our lives. I hope this may help in some way
Good morning Lynn. Digging a hole in the roof is akin to not allowing anything stop you from getting to the foot of Jesus. Example: at the time I was working 7a to 7pm. I typically got up at 0500 to leave the house by 530. My digging through the roof was getting up at 0400 so I could spend at least an hour with God before getting ready for my day. I also asked him to keep me from being tired secondary to rising early. I got up spent my time and was not tired.
So again the digging through the roof is whatever is hindering you from coming or getting to the foot of the cross on a regular basis.
And what caused the leader to be like that, i mean "so obsessed with their understanding on GOD" to the extent that they couldn't see GOD'S working?! How can we avoid being like that.
It seems that we should not be too hard on the scribes and Pharisees because if not for them we might not have the Scriptures/history of Israel. God used them to meticulously record and preserve the Sacred writings of the Old Testament. Protecting the Law and traditions was ingrained in their DNA.(A Sabbath School teacher expressed this thought yesterday..!)
Lynn, I believe the leaders became so focused on doing for Jesus, that they lost sight of the fact its actually opposite. What Jesus did and is doing for us. We as Adventist sometimes do the same. We get so focused on keeping the commandments that we can lose sight of the fact that the commandments are an expression of Gods character. We keep them as an expression of our responsive love for God. I guess another way of saying if we focus on the letter of the law and not the meaning and intent of the law.
Hopefully that makes sense and is helpful
Good early morning Lynn:
I was pondering the same question. The lesson states, "leaders lost sight of...(were) obsessed, were blinded..." "Nothing indicated that the men changed their minds about Jesus..."
Let us focus a bit on Mark 2:12 "Immediately he arose, took up the bed and went out in the presence of them all, so that they were all amazed, and glorified God saying, 'we never saw anything like this!'" NKJV
I had to look up some terms in Merriam-Webster's dictionary, 11th Ed. just to confirm my understanding of the mind-set of the crowd. I wonder if incredulity: (the quality or state of being incredulous: DISBELIEF) more accurately describes the reaction of the observers? If this is an accurate reaction of them all, then Mark could have wrote, "so that they were all amazed, and glorified God saying, 'We just saw something incredulous.'"
(Incredulous: unwilling to admit or accept what is offered as true: not credulous: SKEPTICAL), or Mark could have written, "so that they were all amazed, and glorified God saying, 'that's incredible.'" (incredible: too extraordinary and improbable to be believed)
In all these three examples the underlying theme is a lack of faith in the one who said, "Son, your sins are forgiven you." Mark 2:5
Scriptural evidence points to the accuracy of this interpretation of the listeners of Jesus, by His denunciation of entire cities' populations.
Matthew 11:21-23, Luke 10:13-16. I fear that this same warning needs to be heeded in our churches of today. As we near the the close of time the Holy Spirit will work with such power that some may be saying one Sabbath morning, "We just saw something incredible happen in church today." Let examine ourselves, "lest there be in any of you an evil heart if unbelief in departing from the living God;" Hebrews 3:12 NKJV
Have a blessed week; steven
There is a point about this lesson and what we studied last week that resonates with me. Jesus was preaching and during his discourse sick people appeared. However, in all cases, Jesus deviated from his script and healed the sick. In all cases, the healing seemed to bring tremendous glory to God. So, this is my question. "When we are at church and someone gets sick or a sick person is present, should we deviate from the regular program, ask the Holy Spirit to choose someone, endow the gift of healing and or miracles on that person, and then let the Holy Spirit perform healing to the glory of God?"
Thank you for that question, Melvin. We do want God to be glorified in our worship and our services to be centred around his will. I do have some thoughts about your question.
Firstly, I don’t believe Jesus deviated from his script in healing the sick. Healing was part of the Messiah’s script (Isaiah 35:5–6, Isaiah 29:18, Matthew 11:4–6). Jesus said what he did, we will also be able to do (John 14:12). The gift of healing is also a gift of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:7-11). God still heals today.
There is room in our church services to pray for the sick. In every worship service there is a pastoral prayer. This is an opportunity to pray for the sick. We have prayer requests where the sick are brought to our attention for prayer. I have been in a prayer meeting where I asked for prayer for healing from a headache, and indeed by the end of the prayer session, my headache was gone. I have also been in a service where someone fainted and had to be carried out. An ambulance was called, but we also paused for special prayer before continuing with our service. In our worship, we need to be flexible to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and to the needs around us.
However, there is a danger in making the miracle of healing the centre of worship. We must guard ourselves against the sin of presumption in assuming God will act in the way we desire. We must also remember that not all “healing” comes from God or brings glory to Him (2 Thessalonians 2:9, Matthew 7:21-23). God can also be glorified in our sickness (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). Every part of our worship service should be aimed at bringing glory to God – our study of his word, our songs of praise, our prayers, and our fellowship.
That's a useful question, Melvin. A follow-up one for me is, "Are we less disturbed by sickness around us than Jesus was?" I read this morning in The Desire of Ages, p.350,
It took time and effort for the men to dig the hole and let the man down to Jesus. Most times we do not want to take the time and make the effort to bring people to Jesus because we do not have a real burden for souls and it might cost us too much.
Picture the scene in your mind's eye. Can you imagine the debris from the roof falling on Jesus? (the man's bed must have been lowered right above Jesus's head). Jesus did not complain. We can never irritate or inconvenience God with our desperate need. Oh! what a God we serve.
Micah has the answer not only to walk humbly with our God but to do justly and to love mercy. Micah 6:8.
Don't be so proud as to refuse what Christ has done for you. Accept the gift of mercy. Mercy from God is given to us to vanish distrust and doubt, among other things. You may ask what will He do for me? Let's look at this quote from the devotional, God's Amazing Grace, page 109.5
"He will give you grace to be patient, He will give you grace to be trustful, He will give you grace to overcome restlessness, He will warm your heart with His own sweet Spirit, He will revive your soul in its weakness.... Then stay your soul in confidence upon God. Roll all your burdens upon Him." I believe this is a good answer to our questions, precipitated by todays lesson.
Christ came not to condemn but to save. Let's look at what Esther quoted. "He saught health of soul as well as body."
The deciever Satan had control of the minds of the Jewish leaders that confronted Jesus for evil, which caused them to be obsessed with contradiction of Christ words, because they turned not their eyes upon Jesus, as not only our Saviour, but also our Messiah, ignoring the teaching of the Prophets of old of which they had access to. They blinded themselves with pride, and all those other things that lead us to fail to see Jesus as our Lord who gives us a glimpse of our Father, and was given authority to forgive sins.
Does Micah 6:8 apply in relating to those who have same sex attraction disorder (SSAD)?
I'm sure it does, Dana. God provides the strength to trust Him enough to "walk humbly" with Him in His revealed will. I'm used to calling it simply "Same-sex Attraction" or "SSA." The attraction itself has complex causes, and I'm not sure it is always necessary to understand the causes. What is necessary is what is necessary for all of us - to trust God enough to walk humbly with Him in HIs revealed will, and to thus be content in whatever state one finds oneself, as Paul did. (Phil. 4:11)
While our natural attractions to sinful behavior may be wired into our brains, this "wiring" can be overwritten by God-honoring behaviors when we learn to have the mind of Christ. (1 Cor. 2:16) I think sometimes don't recognize what that involves - namely the self-forgetful focus on serving God and others. The key is the "self-forgetfulness." That's certainly not my natural inclination, but, arriving at an Adventist academy with painful shyness in my teens, I discovered that when I focused on the happiness of others, rather than my own, my social unease went away. Paul outline how "the mind of Jesus" worked in Phil. 2:5-11.
I believe it is a mistake to believe that people with SSAD are a unique group for whom special rules apply. We are all affected with the same malady of sin, which is self-focus. It just manifests itself in different forms. A very good friend, who was severely obese, voiced the thoughtful insight that her problem of food addiction, (great cook, btw!) was not much different from the battle that gay people face. I used to run support groups for gay people at a time when the church showed little compassion. (Oh, how the pendulum has swung!) I believe you can still find a lot of helpful material at GlAdventist.org even though the active support groups on Yahoogroups no longer exist. If you have more questions, ask. 😊
Is protecting our faith really this simple that all we need to know is that the spirit of antichrist is exactly what Micah 6:6-7 points out? I consider Micah 6:8 to show our Christian faith’s true heart: “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”
The first two verses list the works which can easily be copied or motivated by the spirit of anti-christ. Mercy in verse 8, though, lists the fruit of the Spirit of God to be evident and moving in our heart and mind.
For me, what stands out from the three listed aspects is: “to love mercy”. One can consider ‘doing justly’ and ‘walking humbly with our God’ the consequence, or result, of ‘loving mercy’.
Jesus came to teach and demonstrate how to express true religion. This is what would need to be remembered by anyone who considers supporting and ‘speaking out for Jesus’ cause’.
The paralyze knew and other people too , that what was happened to him because his mistake or his sin.
So for this man to be healed , he needs forgiveness first then healing. There’s why Jesus forgave him first . If Jesus just heal him without forgive , his healing is not complete. ( Like person was addicted to something bad and got sick , that person need to stop or help from the addiction, then get healing, if not his or her healing is not complete or just temporary)
Do we today face controveries on our when it concerns our belief
How can we be careful to avoid the same trap that these men fell into: being so obsessed with the forms of religion that they lost sight of what really mattered in true religion?
I would like to address this question using the same description that the lesson used to describe the religious leaders of the time. They "lost sight of what really mattered", "obsessed", "blinded to God's working right before their eyes".
I have a 1911 copyrighted edition of, "The Great Controversy" that somehow landed in my possession from a cast-off box of books no one wanted. It is fascinating to read what previous owners had written in the margins from the past 110 years. The 1960 election of JFK, the first Roman Catholic President, getting special notice in the chapter, Liberty of Conscience Threatened", and the same hand had written "T.V. Lovers" in the chapter, The first Great Deception. This must have been written way way back television was only available in black and white, and when broadcasting had only three stations that signed off of the air at 11:00 pm. Although the expectation of this previous saint must have been a sorrowful disappointment that the nearness of Christ's return has dimmed into his long forgotten past, we must not allow ourselves to become deluded thinking that we may still have decades into the future to wait for His return. This passage from the chapter, "The Time of Trouble" is a warning that we do not be like the religious leaders of Christ's time assume that His coming is still far into the future.
"We should rather dispense with selfish gratifications than neglect communion with God. The deepest poverty, the greatest self denial, with His approval is better than riches, honors, ease, and friendship without it." G.C. pg. 703
Here is precisely the warning for the church for today. Worldly interests can surely blind the mind as thoroughly as cherished preconceived notions did in the day that Jesus healed the paralytics. Obsessive day trading, can rob the mind of the preparation needful for complete reliance on God."Idols of gold", idols of real estate, idols within the mind will surely numb the understanding as did that natural animosity of the Jewish leadership toward Jesus.
The remedy is simple. "We must take time to pray." Ibid
May God have mercy on His people as we try to redeem the time to prepare to meet the darkness pressing deeper about us.
This week I discovered a question apart from our present discussion. So I am trying to come up with a prelimary answer:
Why is it that in the story about the healing of the leper Christ said: "See that you say nothing to any one...(Mark 1:44), while to the healed Paralytic Jesus merely told him to take up his pallet and walk home without charging him not to tell any one about his healing? (Mark 2:11) To be compared with the little daughter of Jairus who just had died. Jesus said to her: "Little girl, I say unto you, arise. And immediately the girl got up and walked. (Mark 5:41-42) But Jesus strictly charged the relatives not to tell any one about this. (Mark 5:43) There are other examples like this. So why did Jesus not charge the healed paralytic to keep silence and not spread abroad his healing?
In the story about the healing of the paralytic the center of Jesus´ ministry consits in forgiving sin. (Mark 2:5) When Jesus was eating and drinking with all kinds of sinners, he answered the charge of the Pharisees saying: "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." (Mark 2:15-17) This corresponds to the summary of his preaching: "Repent and belive the gospel." (Mark 1:14-15)
This message Jesus did not limit with the charge not to tell any one about it. There is no limit to the gospel dealing with salvation from sin.
Winfried Stolpmann
Good evening Winfried:
May I recommend reading the Book, "The Desire of Ages", chapter 27, "Thou Canst Make Me Clean" page 264 (standard pagination)
I found this to be very insightful in the motivation of Jesus'commands.
Thank you Steven. The quotation in DA chapter 27 gives me more light and insight.
My comment was directed against our german form criticism, where I live, teaching that the early church communicated oral tradition, thus shaping the gospel. According to form criticism, Mark was merely a collector and redactor of that oral tradition adding with his own hand all the passages where Jesus had told healed persons not to tell any one about healings: as this injunction was missing in the healing of the paralytic but who also was redeemed from his sin.
So I was trying to point out that this missing injunction was due to the element of sin centered preaching of Jesus`, which was not to be limited by telling sin healed patients not to tell any one about salvation from sin. Christ was come to call sinners and not the righteous. Jesus did not limit his sin salvation proclamation by insisting not to tell any one about his sin saving action.
In another comment I had pointed out that Jesus often was confronted with a mass of poeple misunderstanding the mission of Jesus who was a Messiah of a completely different kind as people had expected. In order not to direct people into a false messianic hope, Jesus often told them not to tell any one about a healing. But in the case of the healed paralyctic the issue is sin, which Jesus did not limit by insisting that the healed paralytic must not to tell any on about his sin being forgiven.
Living in Germany and being confronted with form criticism at in my country, I have tried to put the option of form and redaction criticism into its own sin-salvation-context which is not to be limited.
I think, we have to know our firm foundation which has to be the apostolic tradition not to be set aside by church oral tradition. Otherwise the church would stand on its own tradition and foundation. The apostels have clearly pointed out that they are the wittnesses preaching to the church and not the church preaching to the apostles. (1 John 1:1-4; 2:24-25)
So I hope, you will understand the backgroud of my comments.
Winfried Stolpmann