Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise, take up your bed and walk'?

And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you." And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, "Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, "Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise, take up your bed and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the paralytic, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house." Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"

- Mark 2:1-12

In yesterday's reading, we read first about Jesus healing Peter's mother-in-law, who had a fever. In the evening, the sick are brought to Him, so that all the city (of Capernaum) was at the door. He healed the sick and cast out demons, but forbade the demons to speak of Him. Then the reading began the day with Jesus going out before sunrise and praying in a "solitary place." Peter came to Him and told Him that everyone was looking for Him, but Jesus said they must go to other towns, to preach, "because for this purpose I have come forth." Finally Jesus heals a leper who comes to Him, and forbids Him to tell how it happened. But this new cannot be kept by the healed man, "so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction."

And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. Jesus returns to His ministry "headquarters" at Capernaum. By now the Evangelist lets us know that His fame is such that there is no room in the house, not even near the door. My study bible points out that Jesus preaches wherever He goes, in all sorts of places -- wherever there were people, in the synagogue, on the mountain, the plain, at the shore standing in a boat, and here in a house.

Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. We consider the notion of paralysis. And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. My study bible points out that "sin is a paralysis of the soul." Today's reading is often used during Lent, in preparation for Easter. Note that our friends, even through prayer on our behalf, and other effort, can help us get to Christ for the healing we need. Everything is a collaborative effort, and works through relationship -- while indeed, even those entirely alone and solitary may have a saving relationship to Christ, to the One who comes to your side when called, the Comforter or Advocate. We should let nothing deter us in the search for Christ, whatever obstacles are seemingly in the way. We may face a lot of rejection in life, but Christ is One who always awaits our efforts to come to Him.

So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you." This is such a powerful passage, and confirms the understanding of this story as symbolic of our journey to Christ. The one and only thing He regards is the faith with which we approach; here, even the faith of His friends counts. There is nothing else that can stand in the way.

And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, "Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" My study bible points out that they have unwittingly confirmed the divinity of Christ through their reasoning, and that it is true that only God can forgive sins. The "heart" in the context of the Scriptures, it notes, "usually refers to the center of consciousness, including the will and reason."

But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, "Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise, take up your bed and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the paralytic, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house." Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!" The point, according to my study bible, is not that one is easier than the other, "but that One who can say, 'Arise take up your bed and walk' is also able to forgive sins." So we have here a sign, a sign of the presence of God, which is the purpose and point of Jesus' miracles. He is revealing God to us, present in our world and at work among us. So, we take from these signs an understanding of God, God's mercy and love for us, and so much more. The effort we might make at getting "unstuck" in our own spiritual paralysis is indeed a critical factor in our own healing and well-being. Here in the story, it is clear that whatever it takes, our faith should not be deterred by seeming obstacles, and that even if we are not capable, we can get there with the help of others, who are indeed our friends.

So let's think about spiritual paralysis and what that means. Sin is indeed a form of such -- but if we really think about sin, we can consider so many ways in which we might "miss the mark" (the literal meaning of the word for sin in the Greek) of where we could be with God. Could we be more loving? Could we understand our own worth to God a little better? Could we have more faith in God's mercy? There are myriad, millions of ways in which we might consider what it is to be "missing the mark" and to be "paralyzed" in some way in our hearts and our understanding. There are all sorts of things in our lives that need healing or from which we may need healing ourselves in order to go forward. Today's story teaches us one thing of great importance, that nothing should stop us from getting to the One who welcomes and is glad to receive us in faith with love and mercy. We may not necessarily like the places we need to go for healing (perhaps in some ways, we are afraid of what it will mean), but, in effect, we may only be delaying the acts of mercy and love within us by staying "stuck." What could you use some help with today? Ask others to pray, or pray yourself. It's a concerted effort, and you are never alone. Find what lies beyond the paralysis, and the love and mercy that can ease the muscles that don't work, that need the balm of mercy to be guided into the right choice again, in order to move forward once more. Perhaps it may even be painful to get an unused muscle to work, but it's all well worth the effort!