We have seen strange things today!

 

 And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately the leprosy left him.  And He charged him to tell no one, "But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded."  However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.  So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.  

Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem.  And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.  Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him.  And when they could mot find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.  When He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."  And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies?  Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise up and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.  And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today!"

 

- Luke 5:12–26 

 

Yesterday we read that, so it was, that as the multitude pressed about Jesus to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets.  Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land.  And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.  When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."  But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net."  And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.  So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them.  And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.  When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"  For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.  And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid.  From now on you will catch men."  So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

 

And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  My study Bible comments that leprosy was one of the most dreaded diseases of the time.  It was a disease that brought tremendous physical suffering, in addition to total ostracism and isolation from society.  Leprosy also figures as a symbol for our sin.  

  Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately the leprosy left him.  And He charged him to tell no one, "But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded."   Jesus commands the healed leper to "show yourself to the priest" in accordance with the Law.  My study Bible cites St. Cyril of Alexandria who comments that this command is given, also, so that the priests will see by a tangible miracle that He is superior to Moses.  The priests hold Moses to be greater than Christ, but Christ heals a leper immediately and with His own divine authority.  When Miriam, the sister of Moses, was struck with leprosy, Moses had to seek mercy from above, and still she was healed only after seven days (Numbers 12:10-15).  

However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.  So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.  Let us note that the Gospel is careful to tell us of Jesus' withdrawal from the great multitudes who come to Him to hear and to be healed of their infirmities.  Note that Jesus went into the wilderness and prayed.   This teaches us about our own need for withdrawal and prayer, to seek the peace of God we need.  We cannot only respond to others' needs and demands.

Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem.  And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.  Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him.  And when they could mot find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.  When He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."  And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies?  Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise up and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.  And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today!"  My study Bible says that, as shown by this healing of the paralytic, faith is an indispensable condition for salvation.  From this story it is clear that faith is collective as well as personal, for here the faith of the friends of the paralytic has helped in his healing (when He saw their faith).  There are three signs noted of Christ's divinity:  First, He knows the secrets of hearts (when Jesus perceived their thoughts; see 1 Samuel 16:7; 2 Chronicles 6:30).  Second, Christ forgives sins, which is a power that belongs only to God.  Finally, Christ heals by the power of His word ("I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house").

At the end of today's reading, the people are amazed.  At the same time they glorified God and were also filled with fear.   What they say is, "We have seen strange things today!"   The Greek word translated as "strange" is an important one in terms of how we know or perceive Christ.  It is παράδοξος/paradoxos.  As we can see it is the root of our borrowed word in the English language, paradox.  Para in Greek means by the side of something, alongside something.  Doxa means "glory" but it also means opinion or renown, that which determines a positive value.  So a "paradox" is something strange in that it is uncommon, unexpected, contrary to expectation.   In terms of theological insights and the history of the Church, paradox has come even to define the only ways that we can think of God, or of divine and holy things.  God comes to the world in paradox.  How can a virgin bear a child?  How is it that Jesus is both God and man?  How can God die on the Cross, and yet how can even the human Jesus ascend into heaven?  In the hands of the historical Orthodox hymnographers, these insights and glimmers of paradox shine in myriad poetry and poetic phrases that we have for the figures that populate the story of salvation, and especially of Jesus Christ.  Mary, Jesus' mother, has many names that enshrine and highlight the paradox of her identity.  Often one may find icons painted that are identified by these names given to the many paradoxes we know about her.  Among a myriad of names, she is known, for example, as the Unwedded Bride, or the one who is Greater than the Heavens (for she held the Creator of the universe in her womb).  She is called the Unfading Rose.  Her title (established at the Council of Ephesus in 431) is Theotokos, meaning God-bearer in Greek, or the Mother of God.  It invites us to ponder questions that open us up to think about God, when we ask things like, how can God have a mother?  Paradox, in other words, is the only avenue by which we can know or think about God.  For it is the way that God comes to us, in paradox.  When these townspeople exclaim, "We have seen strange things today!" they are responding to things unexpected, that don't seem to go together.  But this is the way that our eyes are opened to consider the things that are beyond our daily reality, our earthly expectations.  It is the way that God comes to us, in expressions that open us to what we don't know, the mysteries of the reality of God.  This is how God comes to us in signs. 

 

 

When He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you"

 

 And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately the leprosy left him.  And He charged him to tell no one, "But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded."  However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.  So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.

Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem.  And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.  Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him.  And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.  When He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."  And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies?  Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise up and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins: -- He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.  And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today!"

 

- Luke 5:12-26 

 

Yesterday we read that, as the multitude pressed about Jesus to hear the word of God, He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets.  Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's and asked him to put out a little from the land.  And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.  When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."  But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net."  And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.  So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them.  And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.  When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"  For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.  And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid.  From now on you will catch men."  So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

 

And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Leprosy, we should understand, was one of the most dreaded diseases of the time of Christ.  It brought great physical suffering, and also total banishment and isolation from society.  This was both in accordance with Mosaic Law and general practice of the time and for centuries later; my study Bible explains that leprosy is also a symbol of our sin. 

 

  Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately the leprosy left him.  And He charged him to tell no one, "But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded."  Christ gives the command to "show yourself to the priest" in order to convince the priests by a tangible miracle that He is superior to Moses.  So writes St. Cyril of Alexandria, who is cited here by my study Bible.  The priests hold Moses to be greater than Christ, but Christ heals a leper immediately and with His own divine authority.  When Miriam, the sister of Moses, as struck with leprosy, Moses had to seek mercy from above, and still she was only healed after seven days (Numbers 12:10-15).  In addition, we should understand that Christ is telling the healed leper to fulfill the precepts of the religious law, in which priests were charged with dealing with lepers and leprous houses, as well as giving a certificate to enable the person to again participate in the community.  

However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.  So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.  Note that this is Christ's response to the growing fame of Himself and His ministry:  He often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.  The more the world presses in and knows Him, the more He seeks communion with the Father.

Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem.  It's important to note that at this time, due to the rising fame of Jesus as described above, the Pharisees and other members of the religious establishment have clearly taken note of His ministry.  Here, Jesus is still in Capernaum, but these Pharisees and teachers of the law have come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem to observe what He's doing; that is, they have come from all areas of Israel.  

 

 And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.  Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him.  And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.  When He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."  And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies?  Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise up and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins: -- He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.  And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today!"  My study Bible comments that, as shown by the healing of the paralytic, faith is an indispensable condition for salvation.  It encourages us to note that faith is both collective as well as personal -- as here the faith of the paralytic's friends helped in his healing.  The text tells us that Christ acts to forgive when He saw their faith.  My study Bible cites three signs of Jesus' divinity here.  First, He knows the secrets of hearts (see 1 Samuel 16:7; 2 Chronicles 6:30).  Second, He forgives sins, a power which belongs to God only.  Finally, He heals by the power of His word.

We note that in the healing of the paralytic, forgiveness and healing go hand in hand.  The Gospels include careful examples of Jesus explicitly denying that sin is responsible for afflictions in particular cases.  For example, when the disciples observe a man born blind, they ask Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"  Jesus tells them that he is not blind because of sins, his own or those of his parents, but "that the works of God may be revealed in him" (see John 9).  In today's story, however, there seems to be a different understanding; that this man's paralysis is somehow connected to sin.  In fact, in patristic literature, paralysis is seen as an image or allegory to sin.  We become "stuck" in a repeated sin, habits we repeat and can't get past, ways of thinking we don't wish to change, false beliefs that keep us in the same bad place until we can come to a better understanding or more clarity.  Although we know very well that in this world 'bad things happen to good people' (and Jesus serves as our primary example of that), and the Gospels show us the malice of demonic presence and affliction of all kinds upon the innocent, here there seems to be some connection between this man's paralysis and sin -- as the first thing Jesus does, because of their faith, is forgive the paralyzed man for his sins ("Man, your sins are forgiven you").  The remarkable characteristic here is that forgiveness is extended to this man not because of anything he has done, but because of the faith of his friends, who so earnestly seek to get him before Christ that they go up on the roof and lower him down through the tiles into the crowded home.  They have made every effort on his behalf.  But again, we note that it's not simply because of their effort per se, but because of their faith that prompts those efforts.  Here, then, the power of faith is clearly on display -- because the great faith of the man's friends can work to free him from the paralysis of sin, and then even of the physical paralysis of his body due to Christ's spiritual and physical healing and intervention.  While there are several things to learn from this story, perhaps its greatest news for us is the power of prayer that is conveyed here.  Prayer is not only shown as being collective, but it is also somehow "contagious" -- that is, if we are a part of a praying community, we can benefit from that prayer, even when we are "stuck" somewhere in our own incapacity for prayer, our own sins or spiritual paralysis that puts us in such a state.  The prayers of a community can still help those who are nominally connected to that body of faith; prayers here work like a network that does not stop functioning just because one of its points isn't fully functioning.  Even if one is unable to participate due to some sort of affliction, be it of the soul, spirit, or body, prayer here works to bring that person before Christ, to help to gain freedom from sin and affliction, to find forgiveness.  This is why we may pray for others, why every Church service contains numerous prayers for both the living and the dead, for those of community and even outside the nominal church community in some sense (such as civil authorities).  It is why we pray for saints and we consider that saints may also pray for us; we are all part of the communion of Christ, the "great cloud of witnesses" that surrounds us (Hebrews 12:1).  In short, there are no real barriers to prayer that we know of, as illustrated in today's text.  We pray for those who have passed as well as for the living; and like the friends of the paralytic in today's reading, we may pray for those who, for whatever reason, may not be capable of praying for themselves.  It seems safe to say that we all know people who are either unaware of or unable to face their own problems, who may need our faith and our prayers even in secret for them.  Clearly, from the teachings of Christ in the Sermon on the Mount, our prayers need not be known to others to be effective.  The one thing we might say makes our prayers ineffective is insincerity, hypocrisy, doing things only to be seen by others (see Matthew 6:5-6).  (For Christ, we know this also includes charitable deeds.)  For today, let us take note of the amazing power of prayer to make itself effective against all kinds of barriers.  It need not be the person with the problem who prays to be effective; time and space make no difference in terms of boundaries or barriers.  And let us consider, also, that we pray together with an entire created order of beings, including angels of unknown number and rank.  When we think about prayer, let us consider what a wide network we join, together with the work of the Holy Spirit in us and among us, for all gather unto Him.  Jesus Himself sets the example in today's reading, withdrawing all the more for prayer as His ministry expands.  Let us take confidence in doing likewise.

 

 

 

 

I am willing; be cleansed

 

 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if you are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

 

- Matthew 7:28-8:4 

 

In yesterday's reading, we read Jesus' final word in the Sermon on the Mount.  He taught, "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'  And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'  Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.  But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell.  And great was its fall."   

 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.  The scribes would teach by citing the sayings of a famous rabbi or other teacher.  But Christ teaches with authority in Himself, as Son.  These sayings refer to the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  

 

 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if you are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."  The biblical law regarding leprosy is found in Leviticus 13 and 14.  Deuteronomy 24:8 describes the purification of lepers and of leprous houses, a duty which was entrusted to the priests.  My study Bible comments that leprosy was considered to be direct punishment for sins.  As lepers were considered unclean, they were not permitted to live in the community or to worship in synagogues or the temple.  To touch the unclean was forbidden (Leviticus 7:21).  But Jesus touched the leper, showing at once His compassion, and also that He is not subject to the Law but over it. My study Bible remarks that to the clean, nothing is unclean (Romans 14:14).   

Jesus tell the healed leper:  "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."  We have just read that the people were astonished at Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, because He taught not as the scribes did, but with authority, as if He had authority, when He bears no "earthly" authority in terms of the religious establishment.  In the healing of the leper, there is a subtlety to this command.  He commands the leper not to speak to others about what He has done, that Christ has healed him; and yet, in going to the priest and offering the gift Moses commanded by following the Law, this will be a testimony to the priest (and to the religious authorities) regarding Jesus and Jesus' divine authority, made manifest in this healing.  Christ follows the way of all righteousness (Matthew 3:15) in His ministry, thus fulfilling both the Law and the Prophesy regarding Himself.  In this prophetic sense, also, is the testimony made to the priests regarding this miraculous healing.  My study Bible cites the commentary on a similar incident in Luke by St. Cyril of Alexandria (Luke 5:14), that the priests hold Moses to be greater than Christ (the Messiah), but Christ heals a leper immediately and with His own divine authority.  When Miriam, the sister of Moses, was struck with leprosy, Moses had to seek mercy from above, and Miriam was only healed after seven days (Numbers 12:10-15).  Jesus actively engages in His ministry, and yet for these extraordinary miracles He does not seek publicity.  Rather, what He asks of people who've been healed is righteousness.  In this case, that means following the obligations of the Mosaic Law.  But in so doing, the healed will also offer testimony to the religious establishment regarding Jesus.  It is a "fitting and right" way in which Jesus expresses His divine authority in the world, and He teaches us to also do what is "fitting and right."  We don't need to go around making extraordinary claims about ourselves when we do something good, but we do need to put God first and follow the righteous way of life that God would teach us to do.  This involves humility, which we can observe in Jesus as a kind of strength under control.  He does something so magnificent as to be extraordinary, unheard of, and heals a leper.  But it's not just His extraordinary healing power on display; it is also the compassion that goes with it.  It is Christ's willingness to open up barriers in order to express that compassion that is also on display here.  He does not touch the leper simply to break a taboo regarding what is considered unclean, but in order to heal, and we understand Jesus to be expressing His compassion by doing so.  So, we can understand that righteousness must include compassion as one of its components, as a way to live that imitates God and shows our own capacity for "God-likeness" (Genesis 1:26).  We can look around ourselves and see a great tendency (always with us) for good deeds to be trumpeted right and left -- for virtuous actions to be heralded by individuals who often seek to shame others in so promoting their own appearance of righteousness.  Be that as it may, when we look to Christ we see these two components that accompany His divine authority and power:  He is both humble and compassionate, and these are two components of His righteousness.  How often can we observe that a publicly proclaimed righteousness is accompanied by both humility and compassion?  Nonetheless, this is the righteousness that Christ teaches to us, and this is the righteousness that He asks us to imitate.  These are the good elements that grace brings to our world; when we lose them, we lose the gifts of Christ.  Let us, also, make our own testimony to the good gifts of Christ by the living the righteousness of humility and compassion He shows us.