Arise and walk

 So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city.  Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed.  When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you."  And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, "This Man blasphemes!"  But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?  For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- then He said to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  And he arose and departed to his house.  Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.

- Matthew 9:1-8

In yesterday's reading, Jesus and the disciples had come to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way.  And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God?  Have You come here to torment us before the time?"  Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding.  So the demons begged Him, saying, "If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine."  And He said to them, "Go."  So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine.  And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.  Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men.  And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus.  And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.

  So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city.  In this context, Jesus' "own city" is Capernaum, which served as His ministry headquarters.

Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed.  When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you."  And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, "This Man blasphemes!"  But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?  For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- then He said to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  And he arose and departed to his house.  Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.  My study bible tells us:  "As shown by the healing of the paralytic, faith is an indispensable condition for salvation.  And faith is collective as well as personal, for the faith of the paralytic friends is required for his healing, and the saving faith of the paralytic impresses the multitudes.  Three signs of Jesus' divinity are shown:  (1)  He knows the secrets of hearts (see 1 Samuel 16:7; 2 Chr. 6:30); (2) He grants the forgiveness of sins, a power which belongs to God alone; and (3) this healing is performed merely by the power of His word."

In today's reading we note some important things about this healing.  First of all, Jesus is back in the Jewish community, as attested by the presence of the scribes.  So there is an important community context, as opposed to the events of the Gergesene demoniacs in yesterday's reading.  Secondly, in this community, a man's friends or loved ones bring him to Jesus.  He's a paralytic and cannot walk for himself.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus Himself went -- journeying across the Sea of Galilee into a strange Gentile territory -- to heal and cast out demons from the two men.  But here in the Jewish community, it is the faith of community that is at work, and which impresses Jesus.  It's the faith of those who bear the paralytic that impresses Him enough to say, "Son, be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven you."  In both cases (yesterday's and today's readings) there is an oppression that is lifted.  But here, the circuit of faith is made through those who will help this paralytic man.  As my study bible points out, Jesus knows the critical thoughts in the hearts of some of the scribes, and so He goes one step further -- and this is a great indicator of the "community" nature of this healing.  That step further is for the scribes, and the whole of the Jewish community, "that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins."  In yesterday's reading, He had power "on earth" -- even in the Gentile territory -- to cast out the demons.  Here in community, against the expectations and assumptions of the expert religious figures of the scribes, He has power on earth to forgive sins.  He is heaven come to earth, God's power at work in our world.  Moreover, He has the power to give the paralytic the gift of his muscles, his legs, his body, so that he can respond to Jesus' command, "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  The Greek tells us that the multitude "were afraid" (rather than that they marveled), but this is the type of awe reserved for a display of unknown and unearthly power, so that it overwhelms people with its unknown capacity.  In so many ways, today's reading is about community:  the impact that Jesus makes on a community, taking it -- in some sense -- both beyond its supposed boundaries and expanding its understanding of its own history and values, and illuminating for us the power of community to help when we can't do for ourselves.  In all ways, this expansion and enhancement or illumination is the power of love at work:  others' prayers can help when we are "paralyzed" in any sense of the word, and Jesus' help and power isn't for one person alone, but rather for the whole of the community, in all of its capacity for healing in many dimensions.  Let us remember that love and illumination go together.  These two things embody Jesus' power.