Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men

 

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 those 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 the 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.  My study Bible notes for us that Christ preached wherever there were people -- in the synagogue, on the mountain, on the plain, and here in a house.  This vital part of His ministry He always made time for, and put first in His care of the people.

 

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 comments that this passage shows us that faith is an indispensable condition for salvation.  It notes also that faith is collective as well as personal, for  the faith of the paralytic's friends helped in his healing.

 

 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 notes that the scribes are correct, that only God can forgive sins.  Unwittingly, they thus confirm the divinity of Christ.

But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, "Why do you reason about those things in your hearts?"  In Scripture, my study Bible says, the heart usually refers to the center of consciousness, including the will and reason.

"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 explains that the point of Christ's challenge ("Which is easier . . . ?) is not that either one is easier, but rather that One who could say, "Arise, take up your bed and walk" is also capable of forgiving sins.   Additionally, it's noted that there are three signs of Christ's divinity shown in today's passage.  First He knows the secrets of hearts (see 1 Samuel 16:7; 2 Chronicles 6:30).  Second, Christ forgive sins, which indeed is a power which belongs to God alone.  Finally, He heals by the power of His word (John 1:1).

Today's passage is read on the second Sunday of Lent in the Orthodox Church.  As such, my study Bible explains that it has a three-fold symbolism which relates to our preparation for Easter, and so, pertinent at this time.  First, we must come to Christ in faith, and let Him heal us of our spiritual paralysis.  Sin is thought of as a kind of paralysis of the soul.  That is, a place where we are "stuck," so to speak. Second, we should let nothing deter us from getting to Christ, for He alone can heal us in body and soul.  Finally, we need to help one another to come to Christ.  It's a powerful testimony to how we may find our way through the intervention of others, and especially by prayer.  Recently I saw a video of a woman named Tammy Peterson, who is the wife of the famous psychologist Jordan Peterson.  In it, she explained how prayer helped her through a diagnosis and treatment of a very rare and very deadly cancer.  See this video.  She was apparently greatly helped by a friend who prayed with her and brought a rosary to her, teaching her how to pray with it.  Tammy, who was not particularly religious, has found for herself a great source of faith and strength in the rosary, and has become Roman Catholic as were her great-grandparents.  I write this not to advocate for one particular Church or another, but to speak about the power of prayer, and how interconnected we are in prayer itself.  For when we open up communion with Our Father, with Christ, with the Holy Spirit, then we open up a vast interconnected web of communion that intersects everything, including our relationships with our own loved ones and community and the people around us.  There is no doubt that Tammy's "discovery" of prayer in her own life also affected the lives of her husband and family, for -- just like the paralytic in this crowded house in Capernaum that we read of today -- the interconnection of prayer as we root ourselves in communion with Christ also makes its connections, even though unseen by us, with all that is around us.  Jesus teaches Nicodemus in John's Gospel, "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8).  To be "born of the Spirit" can of course take many forms throughout our lives, and in constant fulfillment of our Baptism.  But so goes also the work of prayer, borne in the Holy Spirit, and carried where it will, even unseen by us and unplanned by us!  Let us think about the surprising power of prayer, for the Holy Spirit blows where it wishes, in ways we can't predict -- but we can nevertheless take confidence in prayer always working in us and among us in God's own way.  For this is what Lent is for, to deepen our prayer and to seek God more deeply in our hearts.