"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"

 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 perceive 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

Yesterday we read that as soon as Jesus and His disciples had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.  But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.  So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her.  And she served them.  At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.  And the whole city was gathered together at the door.  Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.  Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.  And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.  When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You."  But He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth."  And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.  Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed."  As soon as He had spoken immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.  And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."  However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, 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.  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."  My study bible says that this story teaches us that faith is both individual and corporate, as this man's friends bring him to Christ.  In some way, it exemplifies or images for us the prayers of the communion of saints.  That is, we may all pray for one another, and in a very real way, prayers constitute corporate faith, a way of bringing one another closer to Christ when we pray for one another.   Even the fact that these friends went through the roof to help the paralytic seems to suggest that prayers to heaven that help one another. 

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 perceive 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!"   My study bible asks us to note here that one purpose of Christ's coming into the world is to forgive sins.  This is a way of freeing humanity from its bondage.  It is a greater power to forgive sins than to create physical healing -- as the scribes correctly note, only God alone can forgive sins.  So, the easier task is to grant physical healing.   My study bible says that although Christ is fully God and holds the authority to forgive, He condescends to those gathered and heals this man in order to draw people to God, whom they glorified.  Once again, this healing restores a man to his proper place:  Jesus tells him to take up his bed, and "go to your house."

The early Christian world built on the traditions of classical civilization, of the tradition of literature, poetry, and playwriting based on the myths such as are contained in the Iliad and the Odyssey.  At the same time, philosophy was an integral part of the culture of the classical world.  As the Hellenistic world (that is, the culture transmitted through classical Greek spoken all around the Mediterranean) came to view and understand Scripture, all those tools of culture and education were brought to bear on the Scriptures.  Scripture is understood properly not simply as a history textbook, or a book of rules or social and ethical instruction, but something much more profound and complex.  Scripture may be understood through many facets and on many levels.  Not least of which, the stories of Christ teach us to look via metaphor and poetry at the depth of meaning conveyed through His life and ministry.  As God and man, Jesus Christ intersects levels of being that extend to the absolute of divine life, and touch each of us in the most dire and barren of human circumstances, particularly at the Cross.  Paralysis, in the eyes of those who would form and shape the Church and its theology, is seen as a metaphor for sin.  That is, it is a way to describe what happens when we are "stuck" someplace, and stuck in sin.  We can easily see a metaphor, for instance, for addiction in paralysis.  We can know our own habits or ways of thinking that we might desperately want to change, and yet are so difficult to transform.  Paralysis can also be a metaphor for our inability to see beyond a current way of thinking or being.  When we pray for others, we often pray for them to find a kind of illumination, a way out of something they might think is good but which is in fact destroying their lives, and having the same effect on others in their circle or community.  (One might say that this is related to why we pray for our leaders and secular rulers, even when we disagree with them -- as we understand we all need such illumination for the dark places in our own minds.)  Modern psychology also understands a sort of paralysis when one is "stuck" in depression, or in ruminative states of mind -- modern pharmaceuticals such as anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medications seek to break this stuck cycle of thinking, this paralysis of repetition.  Paralysis also indicates an inability to move forward -- that may also extend to forms of fixation, the inability to recover from a loss or trauma.  The Bible, and particularly the understanding of the Gospel, truly extends to psychological insight.  Our corporate prayer for one another must also be prayers to move forward in the best way, to find the way to a light in our lives.  When we look at the Scriptures, we cannot leave ourselves simply to an understanding of what can be proven (or not) by a historian, as this is both a limitation on how we understand and know Scripture and the stories of Christ, and also is limited even by our current understanding of history.   Neither does Christ simply offer us a legalistic system of behaviors; love as the absolute reality of God forms the cornerstone of what we understand our faith to be all about, and mercy is its codeword.  Without these, we cannot understand what it is to be a follower of Christ.  With these things in mind, we view the stories and insights offered to us through the life and ministry of Christ -- and all the gems and facets of what these stories have to teach us and how they apply to our own lives.  It's all here if we but look at it with the light of illumination He brings, and the prayerful examination with which we are helped by grace and the work of the Spirit as He promised.  What do you find here?  Are there parts of your life that are paralyzed?  Is there something that can be helped by examination/confession -- even a place where hurt has kept you from facing truths necessary to move forward?  All of these things are found in today's reading.  Don't let the voices of "legalism" keep you from Christ.  Even a loved one's closed up paralysis can be helped through the intercession of prayer, and the help of a loving God who forgives and sees all things.