Seeing Beneath the Surface

“Why are you thinking such things in your hearts?” Mark 2:8

Who is this man who sees beneath the surface and knows what’s in our hearts? We cannot hide anything from Him. Even if we are impeccably dressed in Lagerfeld and smoothly made up, He can see our insecurities and pains. In the 2nd chapter of Mark, we read the amazing story of the paralytic with some faithful friends who carry him through the streets. There were too many people inside and around the house where Jesus was, so the four friends huffed and puffed their way to the roof, made a hole, and let down the mat. 

When Jesus SAW their faith, He did a miracle, forgave the man of his sins. Immediately, Jesus KNEW in His mind what the scribes were thinking, they accused Him of blasphemy. He said, “Why are you thinking such things in your hearts? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth” and he turned to the paralytic, “I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.” 

What we see here is love, mercy and compassion, in action. The exact opposite of what the scribes were watching out for. They were on the lookout for ways to catch Jesus, accuse Him, to find any excuse to haul Him to court. What Jesus teaches us is to see people with eyes of love and compassion so that we can bring change into the world. 

I read a story once of a man who had so many scars that he hid his face behind a mask in shame. After a long time of wooing, he wins the heart of a woman because he was loving and kind. They live happily for several years, until she requests him to remove his mask for she wants to know him fully. When he stands before a mirror, and slowly peels off his mask, they find that the scars have disappeared. He was healed by the unconditional love of his wife. We too can bring healing to a wounded world, if we choose to SEE others with love and compassion, instead of finding fault. We cannot see into hearts like Jesus can, but we can be sure that people around us are more in need of understanding than blame.