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Yesterday, we read that, as the multitude pressed about Jesus to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net." And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men." So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.
And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately the leprosy left him. And He charged him to tell no one, "But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded." However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.
Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them. Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus. When He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you." And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise up and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house." Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today!"
- Luke 5:12-26
And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately the leprosy left him. My study bible says that "leprosy was one of the most dreaded diseases of the time. It brought great physical suffering as well as total banishment and isolation from society. It is also a symbol of our sin."
And He charged him to tell no one, "But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded." My study bible, citing Cyril of Alexandria, says that Christ gives the command, Show yourself to the priest, in order to convince the priests by a tangible miracle that He is superior to Moses. It says, "The priests hold Moses to be greater than Christ, yet Christ heals a leper immediately and with His own divine authority. However, when Miriam was struck with leprosy, Moses had to seek mercy from above, and still she was only healed after seven days (Numbers 12:10-15)."
However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. As Jesus' fame and renown grows, He is continually sought out, and made requests of. We see His response: He takes time more frequently to withdraw and pray. If even Jesus needed the kind of "timeouts" that drew Him more closely to the Father and the Father's direction, that would renew soul and spirit and an understanding of His mission, then how much more do we need such times? His example is far more important and essential to our lives than we may understand it to be. Let us remember this is especially so at times of great and frequent demand upon us.
Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. Jesus' fame has by now increased to such a great point that even the religious rulers are attending to listen to Jesus teaching. As the passage tells us, they have come from every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem.
And the power of the Lord was present to heal them. Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus. When He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you." The power of faith is at work here, and is mightily present to help Jesus effect the healings that He does. In other words, faith is an indispensable and undoubtable ingredient present to what happens. The text tells us, when He saw their faith, the sins of the individual were forgiven. The man's friends have made every effort to get him to Jesus. It's interesting that even through the faith of others, help can be brought to an individual, making faith also a collective sort of presence. We note that first, Jesus forgives. Historically, the Church has seen sin as a kind of spiritual paralysis; it leaves us stuck where we are. Repentance has traditionally been seen as a way to become unstuck, to be able to move forward.
And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise up and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house." Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today!" Who can forgive sins but God alone? is the key question here. As so often happens, it is the critical rulers who inadvertently reveal the truth about Christ. My study bible says that there are three signs of Jesus' divinity present here: He knows the secrets of hearts (see 1 Samuel 16:7, 2 Chronicles 6:30), He forgives sins (a power which belongs to God alone), and He heals by the power of His word. We note the effects of this miraculous healing: it works to glorify God.
Jesus' healing, as we said, works to glorify God -- both the healed man and all the people present "glorified God." It's important to understand how Jesus is at work in the world; what is His purpose. In this, we tie together His frequent isolation and withdrawal for prayer, despite (or perhaps more accurately, because of) all the demand for His time and attention. Everything is to God's purposes. None of this is for personal gain on the part of Jesus. Indeed, one suspects that perhaps He is far more comfortable while at prayer in the wilderness. Jesus' whole system of physical functioning in the world is a little mysterious. At one point, His disciples encourage Him to eat, and He replies, "I have food to eat of which you do not know." (The text has already told us He's weary from travel.) When the disciples wonder if someone else brought Him something to eat, He explains, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work." (See the entire chapter of John 4, here.) The withdrawal for prayer, then, can be seen as a kind of refueling, a time for replenishing. Obviously, with so much demand upon Him as His fame grows, this need becomes greater and more frequent. If it is His connection and service to the Father that truly serves as a kind of food for Him, then so much the more does He need time in prayer, for all that He does. This demand never stops for Jesus. We began in Luke by reading that just before He started His ministry, He withdrew for forty days, presumably for prayer but also to be tempted by Satan, as part of the preparation for what He is about to undertake. It is a sign and affirmation of total dependence upon and dedication to the Father. As His ministry has grown, and as He has more frequently taken time for prayer, so grows the display of healing and forgiveness that glorifies God, as we read in today's reading. The healing of leprosy, and the forgiveness of sin and healing of paralysis via the efforts of the friends of the paralyzed man, take on spectacular tones as they are done in the presence of the experts in the Law who are present from all over Jewish territory, including from Jerusalem. They are the ones who regulate religious activity, including, for example, the issuing of a certificate to the healed leper that he may rejoin community. All of this is to say that we must take a good look at Christ and what He does in order to understand His life in this world, and also to follow His example. He's not like a Hollywood star or some great music performer who suddenly appears and dazzles with all kinds of well-paid expert publicity and effects, and a machine that grinds out "image" nonstop in order to keep those profits coming. Jesus is first of all a Man who serves God, and not only serves but dwells in that place of relationship to God -- taking increasingly more time alone in the wilderness and far from all these public demands in order to pray. This is the focus of His life and His orientation in life. Perhaps the most famous time of prayer is the one recorded for us in the Garden of Gethsemane, the time of great crisis, just before He will be seized by the officers and taken to an illegal night court. Let us remember to take this time for ourselves, and "all else will be added unto you." We take time to seek the Kingdom and its righteousness in order to find our rightful place in the world, a life which includes room for the kingdom and our place as God guides us in the world. At least, we need the timeouts to make sure we revive that place in ourselves in which we, too, may share the food of Christ, the love of God that nurtures us.
