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"

 

 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 after a frighteningly stormy crossing, 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 was a herd of many swine feeding.  So the demons begged Him, saying, "If You cast us out, permit us to go away i"nto 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.  Here Jesus has returned from the country of the Gergesenes (see yesterday's reading, above) to Capernaum, "His own city" by virtue of it being His ministry "headquarters," with so much activity focused from St. Peter's family home there.  

 

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 comments that, as shown by the healing of the paralytic, faith is an indispensable condition for salvation.  Faith is collective as well as personal, it notes, for the faith of the paralytic's friends helped in his healing.  There are three signs of divinity manifest here, which were already known to the Jews.  First, Jesus knows the secrets of hearts (He is the "heart-knower" in the Greek language of the New Testament); see 3 Kings 15:7; 2 Chronicles 6:30.  He forgives sins, which is a power belonging to God alone (Mark 2:7); and He heals by the power of His word (Genesis 1:3; Psalm 107:20).  

 

 It's interesting that we're told in today's reading, Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men. This power is Christ's healing power, a sign of divinity.  But it's quite important that people marvel that God had given such power to men -- for this is the truth of the Incarnation, and of Christ's Ascension to come.  Indeed, this is the one thing to truly marvel at:  that God became human, and so we in turn can become like God, through grace and the gift of the Holy Spirit for this purpose.  There is a deep clue here that the people take note of something marvelous; if only they would consider a little further, for the signs of Christ's divinity are there, as my study Bible notes.  There are more hints here about how God works among us human beings.  For it's the prayers of his friends that help the paralytic sufferer be healed by Christ.  Paralysis, many patristic commentators remind us, is akin to sin, for it means we are "stuck" in something we need to change in order to grow closer to God.  It's often used as a kind of euphemism for sin in this context.  Jesus brings us this parallel, when He asks, "For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise and walk'?"  He is giving us this sense of paralysis as being of both soul and body, and He goes on to heal both at the same time.  St. John Chrysostom writes of this passage, "Do you see how He is shown to be Creator of both souls and bodies? He heals the paralysis in both soul and body. The healing of the soul is made evident through the healing of the body, even while the body still remains a creature crawling on the ground."  He later adds, "The crowds were slow to recognize who He was … He proceeded by His daily actions to arouse them and lift up their thinking. It would have been no small thing for Him to be thought greater than all others, as having come from God. If they had established this adequately in their own minds, they would have known in due order that He was indeed the Son of God."  Paralysis invites us to think about the times we are stuck -- with old thinking, habits we need to change, change we need to make but just can't come to terms with.  Sometimes we can be so stuck that we fail to see even where God is leading us.  To be true paralyzed is the equivalent of a stony, hardened heart, unable to perceive the things we need to see and to realize, even to save our lives or allow the healing of our souls (Matthew 13:13-15).  Sometimes it's fear that keeps in this hard, dark place; often it may simply be prejudice, a core belief we fail to let go in the face of God and our prayer.  Often we resist change.  But we may always turn and be healed, for He is always calling for us.  Or perhaps, like the paralyzed man, we may be lucky enough to have friends to help us to get there.

 

 

 

 

Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise, take up your bed and walk'?

 

 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 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 they had come out of the synagogue (where Jesus cast out an unclean spirit), 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."  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 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 the coming of Christ into the world as the incarnate Jesus is to forgiven sins.  This is to free humanity from its bondage.  To forgive sins, it says, is a greater power than physical healing.  As the scribes correctly note, God alone can forgive sins.  So, therefore, the easier task is to grant physical healing.  Although Christ is fully God and holds the authority to forgive, He condescends to those who are gathered in the crowded house in Capernaum (St. Peter's family home, His ministry headquarters) in order to draw people to God, whom they glorified.  

 

 Jesus asks the scribes, "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."   Although we're told that all were amazed and glorified God following this miraculous sign, we really don't know if the scribes were convinced and came to believe that Christ (the Son of Man) truly had the power on earth to forgive sins.  Jesus offers a crossroads to the people who witness this healing of the paralytic, because it takes one more step from simply witnessing the miraculous healing to truly believing that He is God, and has the power to forgive sins.  That one more step is the step of faith.  As shown by this healing, faith is an indispensable condition for salvation; the text tells us that this forgiveness was extended when He saw their faith.  My study Bible comments on this note that faith is collective as well as personal, which we can see here as the faith of the paralytic's friends which helped in his healing.  Additionally, regarding the power to forgive sins, there are other signs of Christ's divinity on display in this story.  First, He knows the secrets of hearts (when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, the text tells us).  This is a quality that also touches upon the power to forgive sins as it is essential for the One who will judge.  See also 1 Samuel 16:7; 2 Chronicles 6:30.  Moreover, He heals by the power of His word (as in the story of Creation, when God spoke the cosmos into existence; see Genesis 1:3).  All the people can see His miraculous healing.  But will all -- including the scribes -- believe that He has the power to forgive sins, and that as Son of Man He is fully human and fully divine?  Throughout the Church's history, we find that so many of the heresies ruled on by Ecumenical Council really had to do in some way or another with this question of the divinity and humanity of Christ.  For whatever reason, it is this paradox of our faith that seems to be the most difficult for many to accept, and this has been true throughout the history of Christianity.  But, nevertheless, this is our faith, and this is the claim Jesus makes in the healing of the paralytic.  It's perhaps extraordinary how Christ presents His claim to the power to forgive sins couched within the healing of the paralytic, for it cracks open the question of whether to believe or not to believe in His divinity.  The human Jesus they see before themselves; can they also believe that He has the power to forgive sins?  In this action, Jesus confronts everyone with an immediate choice.  And this is really our choice, for without faith there is no healing, either physically of the paralysis, or spiritually in the forgiveness of sin and salvation in reconciliation with God.  For the power of judgment and Resurrection is given to Christ, as He teaches in John 5:22-27.  The power to forgive and the authority to judge go hand in hand, and there is only One who can do both.

 

 

 

Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?

 

 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  

So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."

 

- Luke 17:11–19 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his  neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.  Take heed to yourselves.  If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."  And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."  So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.  And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'?  But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'?  Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him?  I think not.  So likewise you, when you have done all those thing which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants.  We have done what was our duty to do.'"

 

 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  My study Bible comments that leprosy was one of the most dreaded diseases of the time.  This illness brought tremendous physical suffering, as well as complete banishment and isolation from society.  It is also considered to be a symbol of our sin.  Jesus tells these lepers, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  This is because, in accordance with the Law, a certificate was necessary to rejoice community.  But, according to St. Cyril of Alexandria, another reason that Jesus gives this command is so that the priests will be convinced by a tangible miracle that He is superior to Moses.  The priests hold Moses to be greater than Christ, but these lepers are healed immediately and with Christ's own divine authority.  When Miriam, the sister of Moses, was struck with leprosy, Moses had to seek mercy from above, and even so she was only healed after seven days (Numbers 12:10-15).  

So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."  Jesus asks, "But where are the nine?"  My study Bible comments that Christ came to heal all of fallen humanity, but only a small portion receive Him in faith and thanksgiving to give glory to God.  Thus, it says, "many are called, but few chosen" (Matthew 20:16).  The lesson for our faith is that worship is the number one priority.

 

In a recent reading, Jesus gave two parables in response to the Pharisees and scribes, after they complained because He received and ate with tax collectors and sinners (see this reading from a week ago).  At that time, He began His response to them with two parables, both of which had a theme of seeking out that which was lost.  These are the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin.  In the parable of the Lost Sheep, a shepherd leave his flock of ninety-nine to seek the one that is still missing.  In the parable of the Lost Coin, a woman has a bridal necklace of ten coins, and she works tirelessly and diligently until she finds the one coin that was lost.  He ended that parable by saying that the woman called her friends and neighbors together, saying, "Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!"  He finished the parable by teaching, "Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."  Here in today's story, Jesus must travel through  Samaria (a Gentile region) and Galilee, His home region which consists of mixed populations, both Gentile and Jew.   We're told that He entered a certain village, but it's not made clear where.  We just know that  there were ten lepers, standing afar off (as they were required to be separate from community), who -- knowing who Jesus was -- called to Him from afar, referring to Him by name and calling Him Master, pleaded with Him to have mercy on them.  We note that the ten lepers are distanced from the community, in accordance with Jewish Law, and that Jesus also tells them to show themselves to the priests.  But only one of them, we're told, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at [Jesus'] feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  This is now, in a strange sense, the inverse of the parables Jesus taught to the Pharisees and scribes.  Whereas those parables of the Lost Coin and the Lost Sheep were given to express God's tremendous love in seeking out that which was lost, and so seeking a fullness or completion in God's creation, this story of the ten lepers is a very human one, and it describes the very human or worldly response to God and the good things of God for which we're meant to be grateful.  This story follows upon Jesus' teaching to the disciples that, when a disciple has done what is asked, in fulfilling the commands of Christ, we're to say, "We are unprofitable servants.  We have done what was our duty to do."  This notion of "unprofitable," as we discussed in yesterday's commentary, is meant to express the idea that as faithful human beings, we cannot possibly repay the grace of God.  We simply do not have any resources equal in substance or quality to what we've been given.  This story in today's reading illustrates that reality.  How can any human being possibly repay God for the gift of healing -- and from a disease symbolic of sin, thereby akin to being forgiven and released from sin, so to speak?  We don't have any kind of substance or capacity that is like that, with which to repay God.  So it is simply our gratitude that is appropriate to the gift of God's mercy, to grace, and to give glory to God.  To be healed of leprosy is an incredible reprieve from terrible suffering, but where are those others who failed to give any sign of gratitude to God?  This lack of gratitude gives us a sense of what is today called entitlement.  One thing is clear from this story:  it is the outsider, the stranger, the foreigner here who has come back to give glory to God and to give thanks to Christ for his healing.  Moreover, Christ tells him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."  Let's consider those words, "Your faith has made you well."  This seems to indicate the others are without faith, and given Christ's repeated teaching to others to "sin no more," their ailments possibly will return.  At any rate, given Jesus' response, we can perceive that the fullness of healing, or of any gracious action of God, is not complete without our gratitude and giving of thanks and glory to God.  This is what we should take with us from today's reading, and grasp that as Jesus directly says that it is this man's faith that has made him well, we need to live the fullness of our faith in turn.  The fullness of our faith, in accordance with Christ's remarks today, isn't complete without giving thanks, without giving glory to God.  As we are approaching a holiday season (at least in the West where I live) of official occasion to give thanks, let us take this very seriously.  For perhaps it is true that we cannot live good lives of faith without it.  Modern medicine often tells us that gratitude is a key antidote to depression and other ailments, both mental and physical.  Perhaps this tie with our faith provides the true key to that outcome, as this foreigner becomes the icon of faith.

 

 

Arise, take up your bed and go to your house

 

 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 (after crossing through a frightening storm), 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.  Jesus is returning from the encounter with the demon-possessed men, and so has crossed back over the Sea of Galilee.  Christ's own city is Capernaum.

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 comments on this reading that, as shown by the healing of the paralytic, faith is indispensable as a condition for salvation.  It notes also here that faith is collective as well as personal, because the faith of the paralytic's friends helped in his healing.  There are three signs of Christ's divinity on display in this passage.  First, that He knows the secrets of hearts (He is the "heart-knower" -- see 1 Samuel 16:7; 2 Chronicles 6:30).  Second, Jesus forgives sins here, and this is a power which belongs only to God.  Finally, Jesus heals with the power of His word.

What are we to make of the helpful faith of this paralytic man's friends?  We don't always have friends around to help us or to pray for us when we need it, but this fact of a cooperative, or collective faith remains a great gift to us, and a revelation as well.  For, in the communion of saints we also believe there is a kind of web of prayer.  This place of communion of the faithful, which transcends time and place, is put into words by St. Paul as "the great cloud of witnesses" (Hebrews 12:1).  In the Body of Christ in this sense, we are not alone, but we are connected to the faithful who have come before us.  This is particularly true of the martyrs and confessors for our faith, those who have sacrificed for the love of God and lived their faith in this sense.  In the ancient tradition of the Church, we may pray with such saints and witnesses.  It is for this purpose that we have iconography.  In the Eastern traditions, it remains a vital part of Orthodoxy, and icons are stylized in particular ways to make it clear that we enter a particular dimension of communion when we interact through prayer or ask for prayers and help.  They are not literal renderings merely for memory's sake or for teaching alone, but rather invite communion and participation in that place where "all live to Him" (Luke 20:38).   Christ on the Cross spoke of His own seeming abandonment in a worldly sense, and the communion in prayer which sustained Him, when He spoke to the disciples at the Last Supper:  "Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me" (John 16:32).  He sets the example for all of us, that we may be sustained in prayer, and the testimony for such effective communion and prayer is on display in today's reading.  We should never forget that we are sustained not simply of ourselves alone, and, like Christ, we have others with us even when we are seemingly alone.  We have the Helper, the Holy Spirit, and Christ, and the Father (for where one of the Trinity is, all are present) -- and we have the entire communion of saints, which includes angelic help.  Tremendous help and testimony has been made throughout the centuries by such prayer.  Let us have the faith and trust Christ asks of us. 

Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men

 

 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 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.  Jesus' own city, in this case, refers to Capernaum (Matthew 4:13).  It is His Galilean 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 says that, as shown by this healing of the paralytic, faith is an indispensable condition for salvation.  Faith is collective as well as personal, as illustrated by this story -- the faith of the paralytic's friends helped in his healing.  There are three signs of Christ's divinity shown here:  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; and finally, He heals by the power of His word.  

 

If we compare the people in today's story with the people in yesterday's story, we see a great difference.   In yesterday's reading, rather than finding it important that the demon-possessed men had been healed, the townspeople simply requested that Jesus leave them, as they had lost their swine.  But here, when this man was restored, the multitudes marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.   This is a key to something about faith; that is, in the recognition of what is truly good, people seek to glorify God.  It is an expression of an openness to God.  Clearly the capacity for gratitude is also linked to this mindset, just as the inability to feel or know gratitude -- or to recognize good things -- is linked to a spiritual deafness or blindness.  So, if we look at these details of the story, those involving the multitudes who witness, we see also the link to the expression of faith in a collective, community sense.  It is not only that the friends of the paralytic facilitate his healing, but that all of those who witness glorify God as well.  Moreover, let us take a look at what exactly it is they glorify God for giving to human beings:    they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.  This is another spiritual lesson within the story, this ability to recognize what God has done -- and specifically this power given to human beings.  That is an elevation of humanity in and of itself, a lesson of the Incarnation.  To recognize this divine blessing, a glorification of humanity in a sense, and to in turn glorify God, is a kind of reciprocation that is God-like in and of itself.  The ancient Orthodox liturgical prayer of Dismissal (written by St. John Chrysostom), begins, "Lord, You bless those who bless You."   They bless God who has blessed them.   Let us note the vast difference between those with spiritual eyes and ears, and those without.  For blessings, even stupendous ones as in today's reading, must be recognized.  We might be surprised at how often they are not.

But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, "Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?"

 

 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 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 the others 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 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 the 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 comments that what we can observe here is that faith is an indispensable condition for salvation.  This scene teaches us that faith is collective as well as personal, as 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?"  But immediately, when Jesus perceived 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!"  One of the purposes of Christ's coming into the world is to forgive sins, my study Bible notes, thus freeing humanity from its bondage.  It notes that to forgive sins is a greater power than physical healing.  As the scribes correctly note here, God alone can forgive sins.  Therefore the easier task is to grant physical healing.  Although Christ is fully God an holds the authority to forgive, He condescends to those who are gathered in this crowded house and heals the man in order to draw people to God, whom they all glorified God.   Additionally my study Bible also comments on three signs of Jesus' divinity shown here.  First, He knows the secrets of hearts (see 1 Samuel 16:7; 2 Chronicles 6:30).  Second, He forgive sins, which is a power that belongs to God alone.  And finally, He heals here by the power of His word.

 

 One of the notable comments on today's reading in my study Bible mentions a sign that Christ is divine, in the fact that He knows what is in people's hearts.  It cites 1 Samuel 16:7 as a Scriptural reference to this, which describes the time when the Prophet Samuel went to anoint a new king, guided by God's instructions.  The verse reads, "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'"  Jesus knows what is in the hearts of the scribes, for the text tells us that He perceived it in His spirit.  Of course, as Christ is the Lord, there are none who can claim an equal capacity for perception of the heart.  But this attribute of knowing in His spirit on the part of Christ is one that sometimes attributed to saints, and this is particularly so in Orthodox tradition.   It is a gift of grace, a gift of the Spirit, shared as other spiritual graces are shared -- but of course, not to the extent of Christ's understanding.  And yet, we can observe in some traditions this "knowing" on the part of older and experienced saints in particular, often those who are called "elders" and to whom many are drawn for help and advice.  Especially within the monastic tradition, the ascetics of this type of life are designed to reveal the truth of one's own heart.  This means, in particular to find the places where we are spiritually vulnerable, given more or less easily to temptation.  Fasting practices teach one about vulnerability to various desires.  This does not simply apply to food, but we should keep in mind that during traditional fasts (such as the forty-day period of Lent before Easter, in imitation of Christ's time of fasting and temptation; see Matthew 4:1-11), we are also guided to fast from many other things and passions, such as, for example, gossip and backbiting.  In modern times, it has become a common practice to refrain in whole or in part from social media as a Lenten practice, and we can each name a number of harmful things we're tempted to by social media.  The true purpose of all forms of spiritual discipline is to come to know the self, so that we may practice repentance or "change of mind" as the word literally means in Greek (metanoia/μετανοια).  But perhaps even more importantly in this context, we can't possibly understand others without first coming to understand ourselves -- especially in this sense of knowing our flaws and seeking to change more toward the image and likeness of God in which we are created, and which is modeled for us in the life of Jesus.  In Matthew 7 (part of the Sermon on the Mount), Jesus teaches, "Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.  And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye?  Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye" (Matthew 7:1-5).  These words of Christ to His disciples clearly allude to this principle of coming to know oneself and wrestling with our own weaknesses and vulnerabilities to temptation and sin of all kinds.  For how else could they become teachers of others without first removing the "plank" in their own eye, in order to know and help remove the "speck" in another's?  What results from a blindness to our own hearts and our own flaws is the phenomenon known as "projection."  In our own blindness to ourselves, we project our flaws onto others, and see the "evil" we carry in those other people.  We can see this happening all around us, and one only has to take a look at social media to understand modern forms of the kind of hypocrisy and false judgment condemned by Christ.  When we observe such things, it tells about the failure to value humility and the capacity to come to know our own flaws -- and especially to practice compassion in the light of such truths.  When we fail to follow Christ's teachings, such flawed and socially harmful behavior -- this harsh judgment -- becomes a part of our currency.  We run the danger of it becoming "normal" to us, and something in which we willingly participate and introduce to others through our own flawed behavior.  When the world loses track of the "better yardstick" which faith gives us by which to measure ourselves, then the whole of the community and society loses, for sin works this way.  Let us consider the importance of our own awareness of ourselves, and the practices designed to lead us toward better self-knowledge and spiritual growth in the light of Christ, and the grace He brings to us.  For it is only in this sort of humility that we can become "great."  It is there we find ourselves as we need to be, and the road toward the life to which He calls us, and the spiritual fruit that is ours to produce.

 

When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you"

 

 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 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 in Capernaum where He preached, 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 and 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 t 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.  Again, we observe that Mark's Gospel emphasizes the quick growth of Christ's ministry.  Once Jesus was known to be in the house of Simon and Andrew's family, a sort of Galilean ministry headquarters in Capernaum, immediately many gathered together.   The house is so full that there is no longer room to receive more, not even near the door.  How does Jesus respond to the crowds?  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 asks us to observe that this healing of the paralytic shows that faith is an indispensable condition for salvation.  It notes that faith is collective as well as personal, for it is the faith of the paralytic's friends that also 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?"  But immediately, when Jesus perceived 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 points out that one purpose of Christ's coming into the world is to forgive sins, which frees humanity from its bondage.  To forgive sins is a greater power than physical healing, it says, for, as the scribes correctly assert, God alone can forgive sins.  Therefore, the easier task is to grant physical healing.  Although Christ is fully God and holds the authority to forgive, He condescends to those who are gathered in the house, healing this man in order to draw people to God, whom they glorified.  Additionally, we're asked to note that there are three signs of Christ divinity shown in this passage.  First, He knows the secrets of hearts (see 1 Samuel 16:7; 2 Chronicles 6:30).  Second, Christ forgives sins, which is a power that belongs to God alone.  And finally, He heals by the power of His word (Genesis 1:3).

In the "immediate" nature of the people's response to Christ, and His growing ministry that results, we may make a new observation of the people's efforts to get to Him.  They seem desperate for Him, and for what He is offering.  The healings possible through Him could certainly explain this.  But there is more to the story, as what Christ responds with to the initial full gathering inside this house is preaching.  He preaches to them the word of the gospel, a message they need to hear.  It is as though they are hungry, and this is the way He feeds them, offering us one facet of meaning to the feedings that will take place in the wilderness (Mark 6:30-44, Mark 8:1-10).   Then we observe the great efforts made by the paralytic's friends to get him before Jesus.  They not only make a physical effort to go the "extra mile" (so to speak) to lift a part of the roof and lower him down into the midst of the house, they've also first made the creative plan to do so, and executed the plan.  This is a rather creative and adaptive thing to do in a situation that presents difficulties and possible complications.  Perhaps for that house and in that place and time it is a simpler concept than for a modern building of some type, but nonetheless we can see the various efforts they exert here.  But the thing to observe is that Jesus praises them, for this is the effort that displays their faith.  It is the expression of the faith that Jesus says is responsible for the healing.  So what we may observe in these obstacles and difficulties (i.e. the paralytic cannot move himself in the first place, neither can his friends easily bring him into the house without some sort of clever plan and the will to carry it out) is that they bring out the faith of the paralytic and his friends.  Their resourcefulness, their action, their capacity to respond to obstacles with creative plans and the will to execute them, are all expressions of faith and the actual living of that faith.  They were emboldened through their faith; they took courage in their efforts because of faith in Christ and their objective to reach Him.  In this same sense we must view our own lives when things don't come easily to us, when we seem to be surrounded by obstacles we have to think and work and plan and create alternatives around in order to find our way forward toward Christ.  In so many places in the Bible, we're asked to see that it is in this living of our faith -- especially around obstacles and difficulties -- that our faith is displayed, pulled out of us, drawn out, and discovered.  In Mark chapter 7, Jesus seemingly insults a Syro-Phoenician woman who is begging Him to free her young daughter from an unclean spirit.  He responds to her, referring to the Jews as God's children, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs."  But she takes up this challenge, this obstacle thrown in the way of her objective, and meets it with both cleverness and humility.  She tells Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs."  For this effort, He replies to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."  See Mark 7:24-30.   There are all kinds of ways in which we may observe the inherent power found in the efforts of human beings to live their faith in the stories of the Gospels, especially in the challenges met by people who are desperately seeking to encounter Jesus, or even the challenges Jesus Himself places before them in meeting Him.  It seems that we are repeatedly asked to understand that it is in the living of our faith, and the efforts we must make to use our physical capacities, our intelligence, our creativity, and the audacity and courage in our strength to pursue that faith and to discover its depth and power, that God takes delight.  All of the stories of the Bible, from Israel's forty years of wandering in the wilderness, to exile, to the struggles of the faithful individuals and burgeoning communities that fill the New Testament, teach us about challenges that reveal our faith, and call upon every resource we have to express it and live it.  Indeed, we may come to know and understand that this is what it means to "work the works of God" (John 6:27-29).  God, in this sense, seemingly challenges us to come to God, and this mysterious journey is worth every effort for what it gives us, and teaches us about ourselves.

"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"

 

 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 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.  This is again the family house of Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, mentioned in yesterday's reading, above.   We note that by now in Christ's ministry, He has become so well-known that there was no longer room to receive the people, not even near the door.  No doubt people are drawn by Jesus' reputation for healing, and they come to Him for this.  But note that He first 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 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 about today's reading that one purpose of Christ's coming into the world is to forgive sins, freeing humanity from its bondage.  To forgive sins is a greater power than to perform a physical healing, for, as the scribes correctly note, God alone can forgive sins.  Thus, to grant the paralytic physical healing was the easier task.  Although Christ is fully God and holds the authority to forgive, my study Bible says, He condescends to those gathered and heals this man in order to draw people to God, whom they then glorified.  Additionally, we observe that faith is indispensable for salvation; it is collective as well as personal, my study Bible notes, for it is the faith of the friends of the paralytic who help in his healing.  There are three signs of Christ's divinity revealed:  He knows the secrets of hearts (see 1 Samuel 16:7, 2 Chronicles 6:30); He forgives sins, which is a power belonging to God alone; and He heals by the power of His word.

One thing we might notice immediately about today's reading is related to our commentary on yesterday's reading (here).  That is, it is Christ's acts which speak so eloquently to reveal God to us.  Above all, it is Christ's compassion that is expressed through what He does.  No doubt, His first act is to teach, to preach the word of the gospel of the Kingdom to the crowd in the house.  But in this work of preaching the word, Christ is revealing Himself as the Good Shepherd.  In chapter 6, just before He feeds a multitude in the wilderness, Mark tells us that "Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things" (Mark 6:34).  The other qualities of divinity revealed by what Jesus does are listed by my study Bible, which I've noted above:  He knows the secrets of people's heart, He forgives sins, and heals by the power of His word.  Let us not forget that the power of God's word is part of all creation, as in "Let there be light" (Genesis 1:3), and that Christ is the Word (John 1:1).   Jesus, as part of the unfolding of His ministry, allows His identity to be "shown forth" through what He does.  He does not speak about Himself until it is time to do so, after He has been revealed through what He does, such as at the Last Supper to His disciples, or when He chooses to reveal Himself to one who will come to faith, such as the Samaritan woman in John 4 (whom we note is an outsider, a Gentile).  But Christ's way of life is most important for us as example, for we as His disciples are also drawn to this life where it is our actions that speak for us -- where what we live and do speak more eloquently than our declarations.  The spoken word is important and essential, but like Christ, we should endeavor that our words serve a purpose and reflect the reality of the Kingdom we wish to reveal and to bear into the world, and there we come to another good contemplation for Lent.  How can we let our actions speak for us?  How are we capable of using our words for their greatest effectiveness, including knowing when it is better not to speak, and not to reveal (Matthew 7:6)?  Lent is a good time to ponder how we can become more like Christ; that is, how the words we choose really matter, including the ones we omit.  But most especially we might wonder how our actions can reveal who we are, as Jesus taught (see Matthew 7:17-20).   It is said that we become "like" that which we love (Matthew 6:21).  Guided by faith, how will our expression, our works, express our love for God? 

 

 

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!"

 

 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 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 first 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."  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 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 comments that this healing shows us that faith is an indispensable condition for salvation.  It says that faith is collective as well as personal, for the faith of the paralytic's friends helped in his healing.  There are three signs shown here which indicate Christ's divinity:  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; and finally, He heals by the power of His word.  In addition, we see clearly that one purpose of Christ's coming into the world is to forgive sins, freeing humanity from this bondage.  My study Bible says that forgiving sins is a greater power than physical healing, for, as is correctly noted by the scribes, God alone can forgive sins.  Therefore, the easier task is to grant physical healing.  Although Christ is fully God, and holds the authority to forgive, He condescends to those who are gathered here and heals this man in order to draw people to God, whom they subsequently glorified.  

 

My study bible notes that because of the healing which Jesus condescends to perform, the people glorified God.   Of course, the healings in the Gospels as performed by Jesus are described as immediate, and astonishing.    But from a modern perspective, we might imagine a very difficult healing of paralysis, even one seemingly miraculous as it beats all odds of healing, as performed by doctors.  The question that arises for me is how often we think to glorify or to thank God for the things that happen, and for which we are grateful, in a modern context.  Clearly in this scene of the healing of the paralytic, it is Jesus who performs the healing.  But we are often tempted in a modern mindset to see nothing as coming from God or through the help of God.  In today's reading, it is the paralytic's friends who help him to come to Jesus.  These friends are often pictured as analogous to those who pray for us, friends who help us to come closer to God when we are incapable -- for whatever reason -- of praying for or helping ourselves.  We might be blind to our own problems, or possibly lost in a trap of addiction or some other malaise we don't even want to recognize.  But it is the prayers of others that help to free us from that bondage, and to come to healing.  It is surprising how effective prayer can be to help to bring someone to a new place where they can be healed.  Despite the development of medical progress, scientific endeavor, psychological help, and programs for all kinds of modern ailments, prayer is still at work helping us through it all, and it is still effective.  We are always going to be tempted to attribute every success story to some sort of modern material innovation, but we forget where hope, love, and care originate.  Twelve-step programs, which so frequently form the basis for healing from all kinds of addictions and work for recovery, are rooted in faith and stem from programs founded specifically through Christian faith.  If we look at the Twelve Steps, they are effectively a plan for putting repentance into action.  Our first hospitals and universities in the West began as institutions of the Church.  Walk into any hospital, and there will be a chapel for prayer.  While skilled surgeons and compassionate doctors and caregivers work to help heal without a doubt, we tend to forget how God works through people and through events, and that the power of prayer reaches into every endeavor.  Moreover, we know that God ministers to us through invisible means at all times, that "great cloud of witnesses" that is present with us in prayer.  Having been through several serious episodes with elderly family members in hospitals, I can only testify that it was the power of prayer which helped to renew and restore my energy so that I could petition doctors for what was necessary:  to take another look, to try another way.  It was prayer that gave me the peace to find the right time and the right way to say good-bye when that time came.  It was prayer that helped me make a connection with caregivers and medical specialists; and my prayer life helped me to discern when I needed to seek new help, and which help.  Through all this, there must be glory to God, and gratitude for all things in our lives.  In a modern world, it is quite tempting to see God as absent from the picture.  Possibly God is seen as the Master who winds up a clock that sets the universe in motion, and we human beings do the rest through our industriousness.  But the Gospels teach us something quite different, and our personal prayer lives will also teach us something quite other than that.  For ours is the personal God who became one of us, as close to us as we are to one another, experiencing all the joys and heartaches, and the pain and suffering, of our lives.  Our God is with us; let us always give God glory through all things.  As today's reading teaches, our God is closer to us than we know -- for God knows our hearts in places we don't even know ourselves.   It is this intimate personal God upon whom we rely, and who seeks to dwell with us and within us (Revelation 3:20).