When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you"

 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

Yesterday we read that when 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.  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.  Here is yet another incident of healing; we can compare it and add it to those in this reading from Friday.  Each comes in its own way.  My study bible says that this healing of the paralytic teaches us that faith is an indispensable condition for salvation.  And we note that faith is collective as well as personal.  This story tell s that the faith of the paralytic's friends helped in his healing.  My study bible points out three signs of Jesus' divinity in today's reading.  First, He knows the secrets of hearts (see 1 Samuel 16:7; 2 Chronicles 6:30).  Second, He forgives sins, which is a power that belongs to God alone.  Finally, He heals by the power of His word (as in the case of the centurion's servant in the earlier reading).

Today's reading teaches us something about the power of prayer.  We see the influence on Christ because of the connection made by the power of faith in this paralyzed man's friends.  Not only that, but the first -- and really controversial -- element of this story is the forgiveness of sins.  It is the power of God's forgiveness that is given here in response to the faith of this man's friends (we note the text tells us this happens "when He saw their faith").   It's quite moving to think about what this teaches us about prayer.  Paralysis is frequently seen in traditional commentary as a parallel to sin.  We get "stuck" in places, unable to move forward in some sense.  Our behavior includes a pattern we repeat that may be destructive or unhealthful.  We learn ways to behave that aren't necessarily good for us or others.  Perhaps they come out of selfishness or convenience or attempts at manipulation.  It can be extremely hard to truly change.  Patterns of addiction fall into such a picture, complex as they are.  Even those for whom repentance is difficult or impossible can be prayed for.  By the tradition of the Church, it is the prayers of others that avail those in hell.  In the Orthodox tradition, hell is rather a state of mind than a place.  The same fire of God's love that inflames the saints is the fire that scorches when we can't unburden ourselves of sin, things we need to cast off or give up that obstruct that love.  (See this reading for Jesus' images of casting away habits that cause sin in our lives.)    Faith is such a powerful connection to Christ that even the faith of community can sustain and help where an individual cannot help themselves. Today's reading gives us a perfect analogy to that.  Sometimes prayer is all we can do, when we are dependent upon others to help resolve what is seemingly an insoluble situation or circumstance.  That is also a case of being "stuck" -- relationships between individuals, within families, and whole communities can also resemble a kind of paralysis of sin, selfish or self-centered behavior that damages and abuses relationship.   The Gospels teach us that the power of prayer and faith can reach into all of these circumstances, giving us a capacity for practicing love even when face to face communication is not possible nor available.  It's the connection that we make to God's love that links to ways of the heart, hidden means we don't necessarily know, or surprising opportunities for change and growth we can't foresee.   It is faith that makes this connection to Christ, bringing the possibility of healing even where other communication is broken or unavailable.  What do you need to pray about today?  Are there those you can help with prayer and love?  Even for the seemingly unreachable or hopeless situation, prayer remains a way we can practice and live our faith in God's love.  Let us note we can turn to others for help with our prayer -- "friends" here is plural.  This is what faith community is for.  And within the living tradition of the communion of saints, we always have help with prayer, even when we think we're alone with our problem.  Everything may not turn out as we hope.  Healing is also a question of acceptance and the heart of each person.  Christ's intervention always -- as in today's reading -- creates a time of choice.  But healing comes to us nevertheless in the love and righteousness which is always open to us, the participation in this kingdom He brings with His word and presence.