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? 

 

 

That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit

 

 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which he did.  But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old  Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"  Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."  Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?  Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."

 

- John 2:23-3:15 

 

Yesterday we read that the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business.  When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables.  And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away!  Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!"  Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up."  So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."  Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?"  But He was speaking of the temple of His body.  Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said to this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which he did.  But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.  This was the first of three Passover feasts reported by John's Gospel, between the Lord's Baptism and Passion.  See also John 6:4, 11:55.  This is how we understand Jesus' ministry on earth to have lasted three years.  John gives us yet another divine characteristic of Jesus here, that "He knew what was in man."  Elsewhere the disciples pray to the Lord as the One who knows the heart (see Acts 1:24, 15:8).  There is a special single word in Greek used in these two example from Acts of the Apostles, that literally means "heart-knower," kardiognostes/καρδιογνώστης.

 

 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."   My study bible points out that Nicodemus believed that Jesus was from God.  But his faith is still weak at this point, as he is afraid of his peers and thus came to Jesus by night.   After this conversation, Nicodemus's faith would grow to the point of defending Jesus before the Sanhedrin (John 7:50-51), and eventually making the very bold public expression of faith of preparing and entombing Christ's body (John 19:39-42).  Traditionally in the Church Nicodemus is a saint and celebrated together with the Myrrhbearing Women and Joseph of Arimathea, all of whom were involved in the preparation and laying to rest of Christ's body in a special tomb, a brave public act after the Crucifixion.  According to some early sources, my study bible tells us, Nicodemus was baptized by Peter and consequently was removed from the Sanhedrin and forced to flee Jerusalem.

Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  To be born again has a specific nuance in the Greek.  Here, the word for "again" can also be translated "from above."   According to my study bible, it clearly refers to the heavenly birth from God through faith in Christ (John 1:12-13).  This heavenly birth, it says, is baptism (to which Jesus refers in today's reading in verse 5, "unless one is born of water and the Spirit") and our adoption by God as our Father (Galatians 4:4-7).  The new birth is simply the beginning of our spiritual life; its goal is the entrance into the kingdom of God.

Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old  Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"   This is a misunderstanding on the part of Nicodemus, and it tells us something important about the language that Jesus uses.  We're supposed to understand His figurative language as just that; it is language that opens up understand when we open up our own capacities to perceive what He's saying.  My study bible points out that misunderstandings occur frequently in John's Gospel (see John 2:19-21; 4:10-14, 30-34; 6:27; 7:37-39; 11:11-15).  It says that Christ uses these opportunities to elevate an idea from a superficial or earthly meaning to a heavenly and eternal meaning.  It is a deep clue to the powerful use of language by Jesus in John's Gospel, and the enduring images that help us to understand and deepen our faith.

Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God."  This is a direct reference to Christian baptism, and the gift of the Holy Spirit given at chrismation ("born of water and the Spirit").

"That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."   Adoption as a child of God via Christian baptism is not a matter of ethnic descent as in the Old Testament, nor by natural birth, nor simply by choice on our part (see John 1:13).  To become a child of God, my study bible says, is a spiritual birth by grace, through faith, and in the Holy Spirit.  This is accomplished and manifest through the sacrament of Holy Baptism.

"The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."  Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?" Here is a play on words in the Greek, as the word for wind and the word for Spirit are the same (pneuma/πνευμα).   This word is also related to "breath."  My study bible comments that the working of the Holy Spirit in the new birth is as mysterious as the source and destination of the blowing wind.  Just the same, the Spirit moves where the Spirit wills (that is, God the Holy Spirit, Third Person of the Holy Trinity), and cannot be contained by human ideas or agendas.

Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?  Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?"   St. John Chrysostom comments here that earthly things is a reference to grace and baptism which are given to human beings.  These are earthly, not in the sense of being "unspiritual" but rather in the sense that they occur on earth and are given to creatures.  The heavenly things are the ungraspable mysteries of the eternal generation of the Son from the Father.   They relate to God's existence before all time, and to God's divine plan of salvation for the world.  My study bible says that a person must first grasp the ways in which God works among human beings before one can even begin to understand things that pertain to God as divine Person.

"No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."  Moses lifted up an image of a serpent in order to cure the Israelites from deadly bites of poisonous snakes (Numbers 21:4-9).  This was a miracle-working image (mirroring the image of the snakes) which prefigured Christ being lifted up on the Cross, who thereby conquered death.   As believers behold the crucified Christ in faith, the power of sin and death is overthrown in them, my study bible says.  Just as the image of a serpent was the weapon that destroyed the power of the serpents, so the instrument of Christ's death becomes the weapon that overthrows death itself. 

If we think we see a strange mirroring at times in the Gospels, we need to look beyond the mirror to understand the divine reality that is at work in the Incarnation.  The power in this mirror is divine power.  That is, Christ was God Incarnate in the image of a human being, for the precise purpose that to enter into our earthly lives was to heal through that divine power.   Christ is a "mirror image" of us, but with an essential twist that changes the entire story of our lives.  He enters into our life as one of us to heal, to transcend, to transform, and to take us with Him on that journey.  It is the same with the image of the snake which was given to Moses by God, so that Israel could be saved from the poisonous bites of the serpents.  It is a "mirror image," but with a twist.  It came about through the divine help and instruction of God, so that it would intervene in the earthly affairs of the people, and heal and transform through their faith.  It's important that Christ stresses the act of "lifting up" because that is another mirror image, so to speak, given to us in the text.  The people had to look up to focus on the image of the serpent which Moses was taught to make, and we must also look up to behold Christ on the Cross, so that His ignominious and torturous death would transform and defeat death by Christ's divine presence dwelling as one of us and experiencing this earthly life right down and through the worst of it.  But there's another mirror image at work in the words "born again," as those words mean, in the Greek, to be born "from above."  So Holy Baptism is a form of being lifted up for our birth, looking up to heaven in order to be reborn, a mingling of the divine and earthly at work.  The key in the mirror image is precisely that it includes the divine in deep and full participation in our earthly life that transforms and heals, gives us cause to "look up" and be lifted up with Christ in virtually everything we might experience in our lives.  To be reborn in Spirit, and to experience the historical sacraments of the Church, is to experience the elements of earthly life in which the divine also comes to participate  -- to dwell in and thereby to transform and uplift us with it.  When Jesus speaks to Nicodemus about "earthly things" He speaks of an earthly life offered to us, in which the divine comes to participate with us and for us.  When we think of the spiritual -- in the context of Christian faith -- it must be with a sense of unification, of enlivening the body and the earthly, and not a separation.  Christ came into the world to unify us to Him, and everything in our faith is about deepening that communion and healing the split between Creator and creature.  Let us remember that in the Christian life, a mirror exists to heal and transform via participation of the divine which transfigures everything in which it may come to rest; in Christ's image He gives in today's reading, it's like the wind blowing where it wishes.   We join to that vivifying breath of Spirit through our faith and sacraments, as we invite the divine into our lives through prayer. 

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

Christ healing the paralytic at Capernaum,  Chora Monastery Church, Constantinople, 1315-1320

 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, with His disciples, crossed over the Sea of Galilee to return to Capernaum.  His own city is His ministry's headquarters, where Peter  has a family home.

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.    There are two things which stand out immediately in this story.  First of all, Jesus is brought a paralytic lying on a bed, seemingly the moment He returns to Capernaum.  We understand that by now Christ is well-known for His healings and all come to Him (particularly in this city).  Second, the scribes also attend to what Jesus is doing, meaning He has now earned their scrutiny as well, as He has become that well-known.  Third, Jesus quite consciously acts in a way to openly challenge the thinking of the scribes (and to reveal that He is aware of their thoughts).  Finally, the fact that there are multitudes that saw it testifies to how well-known He has become, and how openly He is displaying His authority.  My study bible comments that the healing of the paralytic shows us that faith is an indispensable condition for salvation.   The story also gives us, importantly, the understanding that faith is both collective and personal.  It's the faith of the paralytic's friends that help him in his healing.  There are also three signs of Christ's divinity shown here:  He knows the secrets of hearts (see 1 Samuel 16:7, 2 Chronicles 6:30);  He forgives sins, which is a power that belongs to God alone; and He heals by the power of His word.  Let us note also how the crowds marveled and glorified God, as God had given such power to men.  It is another aspect of the Incarnation, as in this sense, the Incarnation of Christ also glorifies humankind.

The mechanisms of the workings of faith are mysterious and intriguing, particularly as how faith works on both an individual and collective (or community) level, as shown in today's reading.   It's important to know that faith works not just one way or the other, but both ways.  Faith works as a kind of network, hidden behind the scenes.  It works directly between creature and Creator, and it also works as a network between human beings, although mediated and energized through Creator.  We can pray for other people, we can pray for ourselves, we can invoke and ask for the prayers of specific others, or collectively within the Church.  It is a network that functions so long as there is a willing voice.  It seems that the slightest opening of the door to faith will result in a far greater outcome than can ever be expected -- as Jesus' illustration of the mustard seed would indicate to us.  It is important to understand this flexibility of faith to work in different ways and on different levels, because in our lives each of us will have different needs at different times.  There will be times when an entire community is affected by particular problems which need to be addressed in prayer.  At those times, communal prayer isn't simply appropriate but perhaps the most beneficial to the members of the community as individuals -- as problems are addressed within that sense of community for each.  In other words, the times when communal prayer teaches us that we are not alone in our struggles can be fundamentally important as part of our own healing in faith.  There are other times when individual prayer is needful and effective, in the sense in which Jesus taught us to pray by going into our room and closing the door, and speaking in secret to our Father who sees in secret (6:6).   This is an intimate level at which prayer works, and the fact that Jesus includes it as a directive in the Sermon on the Mount tells us explicitly how essential this level of faith is to us, especially when we practice prayer.  In Church we pray collectively for those who have passed; in Requiem services we ask the entire Church to pray for our loved ones.  We also collectively invoke the prayers of saints, even as we honor their memory.  In the history of the Church, we are always encouraged to pray for those who have passed -- which teaches us that prayer reaches where nothing else at our disposal can.  So each of us also can do the same on an individual and private level.  Today's reading teaches us the power of the prayers of those who are able to help us, and their effectiveness when we cannot help ourselves, or even if, for some reason, we are unable to pray.  Whatever the circumstances, the Scripture seems to tell us, faith is effective.  All it takes is initiative, both collective and individual.  Whatever the circumstances, we are encouraged to be creative with our prayers, and flexible -- to know that our Father in heaven awaits our call, and that help is at hand.  In these very important ways, the power of prayer is given to us in an unlimited sense.  It calls on us to remember that "with God all things are possible" (19:26).  In today's reading, the crowds glorify God, who "had given such power to men."  While we are not all Christ, all of us have access to prayer and therefore to Christ, and to Father and the Spirit.  God makes this very communion with us possible, and our faith is the one thing necessary.  Let us think, also, about the power expressed in today's reading.  Do the people marvel at the power to heal paralysis, or to forgive sins?  Perhaps, indeed, the answer is simply both, as Jesus would seem to indicate.  In the understanding of the Church, paralysis itself is seen as a kind of analogy to sin.  When we struggle with sin, we are "stuck" somewhere, seemingly unable to move forward in our journey of faith.  Let us remember that prayer helps us to heal from all kinds of ailments, both seen and unseen.  If we need forgiveness, or help with our capacity to forgive others, it awaits simply our faith at work through prayer, on any level.  This is a power He has given to all of us.  It heals us as individuals, even as we are healed also in community.

Which is easier, to say, "Your sins are forgiven you," or to say, "Arise and walk"?

 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

In yesterday's reading, we were told that when Jesus and the disciples had come to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way.  And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God?  Have You come here to torment us before the time?"  Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding.  So the demons begged Him, saying, "If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine."  And He said to them, "Go."  So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine.  And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.  Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men.  And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus.  And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.

So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city.  Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed.  When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you."  And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, "This Man blasphemes!"  But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?  For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- then He said to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  And he arose and departed to his house.  Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.  Jesus and the disciples return to His own city, which is Capernaum -- home to several disciples, and Jesus' ministry "headquarters" is Peter's family house.  Paralysis is often seen as a spiritual metaphor for a state of sinfulness:  we become "stuck" in a place of error or sin.  My study bible suggests that this story shows that faith is an indispensable condition for salvation.   Faith is also something interactive, working something like a network between people, and it can be collective as well as personal -- here the faith of the friends of the paralytic helps in his healing.  This is why prayer for one another is powerful, and may include those living among the "great cloud of witnesses" such as saints and angels.   In this experience, faith is held by no barriers -- neither time nor space restrict its work and effects.  Here in today's reading, there are three signs present that point to Jesus' divinity.  He knows the secrets of hearts (1 Samuel 16:7, 2 Chronicles 6:30), He forgives sins -- a power which belongs to God alone, and He heals by the power of His word. 

What is paralysis?  How should we think of it?  As noted above, "sin" is traditionally seen as akin to a kind of paralysis.  We get "stuck" in someplace, some way of thinking, some habit that isn't really good for us, even a way of being in the world.  Faith, in my experience, is always a journey of forward movement and change; learning new things.  Jesus' powerful work here includes the work of forgiveness.  This gives us a particular perspective on moving forward and out of sin that we might not think about normally.  We think of being stuck in sin as a place where we need some self-correction.  But what role does forgiveness play?  It is also possible to be to stuck on sin oneself:  morbidly guilty about something that isn't necessarily our fault, stuck in self-punishment rather than turning to God.  Sometimes our own blindness keeps us in this place:  fear of guilt keeps us from asking God for forgiveness and being honest about our past shortcomings.  These are tricky kinds of temptations that work against our spiritual health and well-being, and work their way into physical ailment.  We can be stuck also in anger and helplessness; I have found a hidden need to forgive oneself for one's own limitation in order to let the anger go.  In such a circumstance, holding onto anger is also a form of avoiding God's response and answer to the dilemma in which we are stuck.  Many well-meaning people think it's their job to fix the world, but I don't think Christ gives us this assignment.  Paralysis can come in so many forms; sometimes just acceptance of God's grace for wherever we are and whatever the circumstances in which we find ourselves is the truly holistic answer to what ails us, and the accompanying stress that results in physical ill health as well.  Mercy heals and resolves so much; sometimes we are our own worst enemies in our refusal to accept its power at work in us and for us.  A true friend is one who helps us get to that place of faith.

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

 So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city.  Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed.  When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you."  And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, "This Man blasphemes!"  But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?  For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- then He said to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  And he arose and departed to his house.  Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.

- Matthew 9:1-8

Yesterday, we read that after Jesus and the disciples had crossed a stormy Sea of Galilee, and He had come to the other side, 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 is Capernaum, His ministry "headquarters" and home to several of His disciples.  Peter's family has a house there (Matthew 8:14-15, Mark 1:29-31, Luke 4:38-39).

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.  This may be a parallel to the story of the paralytic who was lowered through the roof of the house (Mark 2:4-12, Luke 5:19-26).  My study bible says that this story shows that faith is an indispensable condition for salvation.  Faith is also collective as well as personal -- the faith of this paralytic's friends helped in his healing.  It draws us back to ancient Israel, drawn and shaped as community to be a people of God.  My study bible tells us there are three signs shown here of Jesus' 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 belonging to God alone, as the scribes know.  Finally, He heals by the power of His word, as we have already seen in several readings in Matthew.

We really need to ask ourselves, "What is faith?"  Is it just an expressed belief?  I think faith is more than just belief or assent to something.  It means that our actions bear out this faith.  The heart of who we are is made in faith, created and constructed into the shape of something, and reflective of that faith.   That means we act accordingly.  In the Greek, the word for faith is reflective of the word "trust."  It means we trust in something (and in this case, Someone), or we trust that something is so.  Faith is indispensable to Jesus' healing miracles.  (In the story of the healing of the demoniac(s) in yesterday's reading, the Gospels of Mark and Luke tell us he fell at Jesus' feet, in a position of worship.)   Here, faith is of a community, in the body of the friends of the man who was brought to Jesus.  It tells us that faith can be shared.  The paralytic cannot come on his own, but the faith of his friends who bring him is evident here as Jesus remarks upon it.  We can pray for others, we can share faith between us that way.  Ultimately, faith is also about relationship.  Christ comes to the world incarnate in human form.  We worship God as a Person, or Three Persons -- Father, Son, and Spirit.  The faith we know isn't just in principles or morals or even values, it begins with Persons.  Why do we follow Jesus' word?  Why do we trust in it?  Because it is the word of the Person in whom we trust.   It is the connection with the divine Person in which we have our faith, it is Jesus who gives us the word, the Son who is the Word.  We worship, and have faith in, the Person who is truth ("I am the way, the truth, and the life" - John 14:6).  It is within this relationship that we start to really understand the meanings and ramifications of faith.  And we have to look at these stories and ask ourselves why faith creates such a strong bond that there are no miracles or healings without it.  We have to think about why there are places where Jesus can do none of His great works, because of the lack of faith in that place, one of which was His hometown of Nazareth (Matthew 13:58, Mark 6:5-6).  And He condemns places where He finds a lack of faith.  So we begin by understanding faith as relationship, and from there we see how Jesus responds to faith and what faith means exactly.  Faith is something we live, and it is something that forms and shapes our lives, both within the heart and the acts that come from the heart.   This is an active kind of reality, that necessitates prayer as dialogue, an active relationship to God.  It is an internal seeking that always actively desires discernment and direction, in which God's word becomes a "lamp unto my feet" as it says in the Psalms.   Faith goes even deeper within ourselves, creating persona in us, giving us an image of our own capability and even identity, revealing more as we travel deeper into relationship.  It is like a marriage, in which what we become is also reflective of this deep relationship of trust.  Within such faith God operates and lives.  As we're told in today's story, this depth of relationship comes from the One who already knows our hearts; in faith, we participate in that depth of relationship with God.  We come to know Jesus' word that "the kingdom of God is within you" and "in the midst of you"  (the Greek implies both).   This quality of relationship teaches us that faith isn't about a philosophy or a set of values or rules, or merely an intellectual construct.  It's not an abstract.  It's an active reality that shapes who we are and what we do, what we choose.   And, just as the people in today's reading marvel and glorify God, who had given such power to men, it means that we're not just a product of the material life around ourselves.   It isn't something predictable on our terms, like some sort of political platform.  Faith is something we live; it builds, shapes, transforms who we are.  Are we ready for that challenge?

Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you

 So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city.  Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed.  When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you."  And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, "This Man blasphemes!"  But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?  or 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's reading took place after Jesus had crossed the Sea of Galilee with His disciples, leading them far away from home territory.   When He had come to the other side of the Sea, 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 cam 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.   From the country of the Gergesenes, a Gentile area, Jesus has returned to Capernaum, back across the Sea of Galilee.  This is "home territory" for His ministry, where people already know Him.

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?  or 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 here:  "As shown by the healing of the paralytic, faith is an indispensable condition for salvation.  Faith is collective as well as personal, for the faith of the paralytic's friends helped in his healing.  Three signs of Jesus divinity are shown:  (1)  He knows the secrets of hearts (see 1 Samuel 16:7; 2 Chronicles 6:30); (2)  He forgives sins, a power which belongs to God alone; and (2)  He heals by the power of His word."

The first thing to notice here, to my mind, is the power of intercession, the power of "friends" to pray for others.  In so many ways, we see God's power work like a circuit, made complete through our faith, the thing that needs to connect us to God.  But this circuit, like electricity, can come through networks.  If we carry the analogy further, it would seem that the connection can also be made by proximity, like lightning jumps.  This connection between humans and God works through networks of friends, even those not in proximity, and even -- according to St. Paul, for one, and the Tradition of the early Church -- can work among us between heaven and earth, between those who have passed and those who are living in the world.  There are no barriers save one:  the necessity of faith to make this circuit, to increase its flow among us.  And there we stay, in this undeniable place of power, and the way in which "God gives such power to men."  That circuit also connects within us, as deeply as it will go, as everything goes through the Knower of Hearts, the source of all power to begin with.  It is the "Heart-knower" (as Acts 1:24 literally reads in the Greek) who knows our faith, who makes the circuit possible, who gives the power to man.  And in this extraordinary circuit, the Spirit is at work in us, the Lord truly knows everything in our hearts, and our faith is put to work.  It is even in this circuit that we truly pray the prayers of the heart, that we may be led to pray for those in need even if we don't know them in the flesh or are unaware of what is ailing them.  Let us remember this mysterious, "electrical" or "electro-magnetic-like" power through everything we know and that which we don't know as well.  What we do know is that the Owner and origin of this power knows us.  It's what makes it true that there is only one Judge.  But at the same time, through His work, He shares this power with us, and we are connected to Him, and to one another, through faith.  We just can't underestimate how that mysterious power, shared even with us, will work.  So, we, too, may marvel as these witnesses in today's gospel.  The greatest mystery of all may be in the power of that faith to find ultimate forgiveness.