Andrew Wommack Devotional 15 March 2026 – Faith That Is Seen

Biblical Context

The Gospel of Mark gives us a quick, action-packed account of Jesus’ ministry. Written by John Mark, who was a close companion of Peter, this book often presents Jesus as a servant of God, always moving, always doing. It’s a vivid, direct story meant to show Jesus’ power and authority, often through His miracles. This specific story in Mark 2 takes place in Capernaum, a town that served as a central point for much of Jesus’ work in Galilee. People often came to Him there, bringing their sick and hurting, looking for a way out of their trouble. Mark’s direct style helps us see exactly what happened, pulling us right into the scene with the crowds and the desperate hope.

Key Word Study

Let’s look at the word ‘faith.’ In Greek, it’s ‘pistis’ (πίστις). It means trust, belief, or confidence. It’s not just a mental agreement with something; it’s a deep conviction that leads to action. It’s acting on what you believe, showing your trust through what you do. So, when Jesus ‘saw their faith,’ it wasn’t just that He sensed their belief; He saw their actions that proved their belief was real and alive.

Faith That Is Seen

We’re talking about a kind of faith that you can actually see. Just like Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:8, faith is like the wind. You can’t see the wind itself, but you can see what it does. Saving faith works the same way; it always comes with actions that prove it’s real. The Bible confirms this in James 2:17-26, where it tells us that faith without works is dead.

In this amazing story, Jesus didn’t just see the paralytic man’s faith. He also saw the faith of his four friends. Mark 2:3 tells us they literally broke through a roof to get their friend to Jesus. That’s some serious visible faith! This shows us how much our intercession in faith for others can change things. Our active faith on behalf of someone else can be very powerful. However, it’s not a complete replacement for their own faith; it’s more like a helping hand. The person who needs the miracle still has to have some level of trust. You see, even Jesus couldn’t do many mighty works in places where people just wouldn’t believe him, as we read in Mark 6:5-6.

In this particular case, it’s clear the paralytic man also had faith. He didn’t fight his friends when they brought him; he went along with their plan. Then, when Jesus told him to get up, he obeyed immediately, without needing help. This shows his personal trust was also in play, which we see in Mark 2:7.

Forgiveness First: God’s Priority

It’s interesting, isn’t it? Jesus first spoke forgiveness to the man, even though his physical need for healing was right there for everyone to see. Why did He do that? Well, God cares even more about a person’s spiritual health than their physical well-being. It’s possible that through a word of knowledge, Jesus knew the man’s deep desire was really to get things right with God. Sometimes—though not always, as John 9:2-3 makes clear—sickness can be a direct outcome of sin. If that was the case here, Jesus was going straight to the very root of the man’s paralysis. Whether his paralysis was directly linked to sin or not, unconfessed sin in our lives can give the devil a way to keep us in chains. When Jesus forgave this man’s sins, He set him free to get all of God’s good things, and that absolutely included healing.

The Authority of Jesus

Jesus was making a really important point: both forgiving sins and healing a paralytic are things no human can do on their own. If Jesus had the power to do one, He certainly had the power to do the other. By healing the man, He proved beyond a doubt that He did have the authority to forgive sins. In Jesus’ time, people were more ready to accept His power to heal than they were to believe He could forgive sins without them following all the rules of the law. Today, much of the church world accepts that Jesus forgives sins, but many doubt His willingness to heal. But you know what? These two things were never meant to be separated. They work together. So, believe and reach out to get all that God has for you today, because it’s all part of His amazing plan for your life.