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.

 

 

 

For 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 

 

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

 

 So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city.   Jesus returns to Capernaum, the city of His 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 comments that, as shown by the healing of the paralytic, faith is an indispensable condition for salvation.  Faith is collective as well as personal, my study Bible points out, for here the paralytic's friends helped in his healing.  There are three signs of Christ's divinity shown in this healing miracle.  First, He knows the secrets of hearts (see 1 Samuel 16:7; 2 Chronicles 6:30).  Christ also forgives sins, which is a power that belongs to God only.  And finally, He heals by the power of His word.

 

 What is the power of Christ's word?  This commentary in my study Bible is quite interesting, because it invites us to understand why that reveals Christ's divinity.  We think first of all of the story of Genesis, in which the world is created.  All is done by the power of God's word.  God both speaks things into existence, and gives them names by which they are called.  For example, we read, "Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day" (Genesis 1:3-5).  God does the same for the land and the sea, the plants and vegetation and fruit of all kinds, the stars, the moon and the sun, all the fish and every creature that populates the sea, and all the winged birds of the air of all types.  Then God created all the animals of the land, and finally we're told that God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth" (Genesis 1:26).  We notice that God does not say to Himself only, "Let Me make man in My image..." but rather, "Let Us make man in Our image."  This invites us to consider the plural "Us" involved in that creation.  And there we remember the Gospel of John, which also begins by paraphrasing Genesis.  St. John writes, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1).  And who is this Word, and what was this Word that co-created within the plural "Us" of God?  That word is the Son, whom we know as Christ who came into the world as a human being called Jesus.  Jesus is the Word, the Logos in Greek, and in today's reading He reveals the power of His spoken word.  Moreover, as we have just recently finished reading through the Sermon on the Mount, let us note that Christ also admonishes us about the power of our own spoken words, and does not discount nor minimize this power either.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'  But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.  And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council.  But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire" (Matthew 5:21-22).  Moreover, also in this sermon, He teaches us about swearing oaths:  "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.' But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.'  For whatever is more than these is from the evil one" (Matthew 5:33-37).  He teaches us about the power to harm, about a futile use of words in swearing, and about a proper use of our words as well ("Let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'").  How many of us take our own words this seriously?  In the context of today's passage, we read that the paralytics friends are necessary to facilitate his healing.  This is often interpreted to pertain to our prayers, and how our praying for others helps others (in addition to ourselves).  Through prayer we help to bring people to healing of many kinds.  But let us consider the words of the friends of the paralytic.  We imagine them to be encouraging, faithful, giving confidence, and kindness.  For without these, in addition to their heroic act of help, could they really have helped persuade the paralytic to allow them to pursue the help Jesus for him in this way?  And if, on the contrary, they had spoken words of discouragement to him, can we imagine what that outcome would be?  Therefore, let us consider the power of our words, for we are made in God's image, as Genesis tells us.  There is quite an interesting article on a blog written by Father Stephen Freeman about this topic of words, in which he writes of words as a type of icons (see Truth, Lies, and Icons).  Just as Jesus advocates about our "Yes" and "No," Father Stephen encourages us to recognize the power of truth, and the destructive emptiness of lies.  For just as we remember that Christ is the Truth, so we also remember that it is the devil who is the father of lies.  Therefore, although we are not ourselves divine, let us endeavor to be like Him in the power of our own words, and follow His teachings on this subject.  We note here that Christ even knows the false words in the hearts of others, the false judgment that "This Man blasphemes!"  Even the concept of blasphemy itself teaches us something about the power of words, the destructiveness of lies.  As Jesus says to them, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?"  Let us follow His example, and choose our words wisely, and truthfully, with meaning and integrity, and our power to choose.  For we also create something with our words.

 

 

 

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 the disciples had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.  But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.  So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her.  And she served them.  At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.  And the whole city was gathered together at the door.  Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.  Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.  And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.   When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You."  But He said to them, "Let us go into the next town, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth."  And He was preaching in the 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 that one purpose of Christ's coming into the world is to forgive sins, to free humanity from the bondage of sin.  To forgive sins is a greater power than physical healing, for, as the scribes correctly note, God alone can forgive sins.  So, therefore, the easier task is to grant physical healing.  Although Christ being fully God holds the authority to forgive, He condescends to the people gathered by healing this man so that He draws people to God, whom they then glorified.  

 

 There is another note in my study Bible on this healing of the paralytic, and that focuses on faith.  It says that this healing shows that faith is an indispensable condition for salvation.  Faith, it notes, is collective as well as personal -- as is shown in today's reading.  For the faith of the paralytic's friends helped in this healing.  Moreover, in addition to the power to forgive sins we may also observe other signs of Jesus' divinity here.  First, Jesus knows the secrets of hearts (see 1 Samuel 16:7; 2 Chronicles 6:30), and He heals by the power of His word, through a command ("I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house").  Today's reading asks us to ponder not just the power of faith, but perhaps what faith is, exactly.  Many people think faith simply means to believe in something.  Often I find people seem to understand faith as just the capacity for believing something is true, or being convinced of something. But in context with today's reading, and the relationship with God that faith implies so powerfully here, it seems we need to change that concept of faith.  It isn't simply believing in something.  Faith is entrusting oneself, which means to pursue and to follow the path that sets forth.  The paralytic's friends may believe, or possibly they hope, that Christ can heal their friend.  After all, by now His fame as a healer has spread, and so many people come to see Him in hopes of such help.  But what really happens here is all that extra effort the paralytic's friends make to pursue Jesus, to go where He is, and to bring their friend to Him.  This isn't just an analytical conviction about something or someone.  This is putting heart and soul into pursuing God, pursuing Christ.  They go the extra mile and make the extra effort, they use a creative strategy to overcome obstacles, and they come down even through the roof if that's the only way they can come to Christ.  And that is the real and true example of what faith is in this story.  Let us note that the text says it was when Jesus saw their faith that He pronounced the paralytic's sins forgiven.  Faith is the pursuit of God, of Christ, of going that extra effort, even thinking outside of the box, outside of conventions that make an obstacle, to come to Him, to meet Him where we need to.  That is a lifelong pursuit and a lifelong practice a lifelong journey.  For He is the path -- the "way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6).  Keep in mind that the word translated as "way" means "road" in modern Greek.  He is that very road, and faith is finding Him where He is, not where we want to meet Him.  And we are to meet Him where He leads us, for He is that very road, or path, of faith.  Faith is not about believing something hard enough so that it comes true, and neither is prayer, for that matter.  In prayer we seek Him, and we seek His path for us -- not the other way around.  Let your faith live in this pursuit and finding Him where He is, for that is where our salvation lies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you want to be made well?

 

 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.  In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.  For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.  Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.  When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"  The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me."  Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk."  And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.  And that day was the Sabbath.  

The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed."  He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'"  Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?"  But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.  

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well.  Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."  The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.  For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.  But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."  Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

 

- John 5:1-18 

 

 Now after two days following Christ's reception of the townspeople in Samaria, He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.  So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."   So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.  

 

  After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.   So far in John's Gospel, Jesus has attended one festival, and that was the Passover (see this reading).  According to patristic teaching, this feast is the Old Testament Pentecost, which is also called the Feast of Weeks.  It celebrates the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai.  The references to the Law of Moses later in this chapter, my study Bible comments, confirm this interpretation.  

 

 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.  In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.  For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.  This double-basin pool, my study Bible explains, was believed to have curative powers.  It has been discovered about 100 yards north of the temple area, near the Sheep Gate.   The water for this high-ground pool flowed from underground springs.  It was used to wash down the sacrificial lambs before they were slain.  My study Bible comments that this pool functions as a type of Christian baptism.  Under the old covenant, a great multitude waited to enter the water for physical healing after an angel touched it [stirred up the water].  These waters were special in that they were a way of participating indirectly in the animal sacrifices of the temple, as the animals were washed in the same water.  But, my study Bible notes, the grace was limited to the first person to enter.  But under the new covenant, baptism is given to all nations as a direct participation in Christ's own sacrificial death (Romans 6:3-6), without the mediation of angels.  Baptism thus grants healing of the soul and the promise of eternal resurrection of the body -- and its grace is inexhaustible.

 

 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.  My study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom, who teaches that Jesus singled out this man who had waited for thirty-eight years in order to teach us to have perseverance; it's also a judgment against those who lose hope or patience in far lesser troubles lasting a far shorter time.  

When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"  The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me."  Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk."  And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.  And that day was the Sabbath.   My study Bible comments that Christ's question to this man is relevant for several reasons.  First, it makes public the fact that the sick man kept his faith even in a situation that was seemingly hopeless -- for how could a paralytic ever be first into the water?  Second, Christ draws attention away from the water and focuses it toward the need we have for a man to help us.  He is that Man; and fulfills this human need, as He became Man to heal all.  Finally, not everyone who is ill actually desires healing.  My study Bible notes that sadly, there are some who may prefer to remain infirm in order to have license to complain, to avoid responsibility for their lives, or to continue to provoke the pity of others.  

The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed."  He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'"  Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?"  But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.     John, the author of the Gospel was himself a Jew, as were all of Christ's disciples and Jesus as well.  My study Bible comments on this passage that although the Law itself does not specifically forbid the carrying of burdens on the Sabbath, this is prohibited in Jeremiah 17:21-22, and it is explicitly forbidden in rabbinical teachings.  That Christ is Lord over the Sabbath is made clear by is command ("Take up your bed and walk") and also by the man's obedience as he immediately did so (see also Matthew 12:1-8).  We should note once again that the term the Jews is most often used in John's Gospel to designate the religious leaders in the temple, and not the people.  My study Bible asks us to notice the malice of these leaders.  They focus only on the violation of the Sabbath, asking the man, "Who is the Man who said to you, Take up your bed'?"  -- at the same time, they completely ignore the miraculous healing.  

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well.  Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."  My study Bible remarks upon the fact that this man was found in the temple.  It shows his great faith, it notes, because this man had gone there directly to thank God for his cure, rather than departing to someone's home or to the marketplace.  Jesus tells the man to "sin no more."  My study Bible comments upon this that while there is a general connection between sin and suffering (Romans 6:23), the connection is not always one-to-one.  The innocent frequently suffer, and often the guilty are spared earthly sufferings (see also John 9:1-3).  Nonetheless, sometimes our sins lead directly to our own suffering in this world.  According to St. John Chrysostom, the latter was the case with this paralytic.  But Christ's warning is that the sins that destroy the soul lead to a far worse result than an affliction of the body, my study Bible says.  The only hope is to flee from sin altogether.  

The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.    This man does not report Jesus to the leaders of the Jews in a malicious way, my study Bible comments, but rather he is a witness to Christ's goodness.  Even though the religious leaders were only interested in the violation of the Sabbath, this healed man give emphasis to the fact that it was Jesus who had made him well, and says nothing to them about carrying his bed. 

For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.  But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."  Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.  Jesus declares God to be My Father, and these religious leaders clearly understand the implication of absolute equality.  As our readings continue, Jesus will give a discourse in the following verses regarding this relationship of Father and Son.  But let us note for now the emphasis on working, and Christ's particular mission in working the work of the Father as well.  

Today's reading gives us the third sign of seven in John's Gospel.  My study Bible states that it exemplifies the divine power to restore a person to wholeness.  It is interesting to consider this in light of Christ's attitude toward healing which is expressed in today's reading.  Let us note that it gives us pause to think about what wholeness means exactly.  In a modern context we often think of healing in purely material terms.  When we come down with a certain malady, we take the prescribed medicine for it and expect to be cured.  But the truth is that even modern science must recognize there is more to healing than simply physical ailments healed by material medicine.  The level of stress a person is under, for example, is widely understood to influence all kinds of physical ailments, their degree of intensity, and our ability to heal.  This emotional core as one pillar of well-being certainly affects everything else.  Add to that the spiritual element of healing and we start to take in a recipe for wholeness, for surely spiritual well-being is part of the key to emotional health as well.  We cannot really separate any of these components one from the other, when it comes to the wholeness and health of a human being.  Environment plays a role too, as beauty and our capacity to enjoy it certainly plays a role in overall health and healing, and so does our attitude, particularly one that encompasses an active power of gratitude deliberately sought and cultivated.  There are endless ways in which these components of health can influence and be augmented in order to help healing within another dimension of our whole being:  we're not divided into separate pieces, but rather each has some influence upon the other.  But Jesus today ties in healing with the spiritual state of the soul, and in particular our relationship to or participation in sin.  It makes sense if we think of our participation in the life of Christ as participation in God's energies, which is another term for grace.  At the same time, we might consider what kind of energies we participate in when we engage in sinful behavior that cultivates bad habits, addictions, practices that are harmful, isolating, self-destructive, or socially harmful.  This subject is tied to today's reading, for Jesus suggests that this healed paralytic's future well-being is dependent upon his attitude toward sin and his own participation in it.  In many ways, sin is likened in theological or spiritual terms to paralysis.  We're said to be "stuck" in our spiritual path when sin becomes a habit we can't break, similar to addiction.  It becomes an inhibition to spiritual growth and maturity; we cannot progress in terms of our participation in the life Christ desires for us.  Without our own repentance of some kind and on some level, we don't go forward into the well-being Christ has for us, and the next step we might move onto in the journey of our faith.  In this sense of journey, sin sets us back.  An indulgence in a bad habit, such as gossip, can inhibit a better life, a better outlook, progress in terms of spiritual well-being.  Self-destruction is a long, long road with a lot of detours and possible outcomes, none of them taking us to real wholeness, and each a part of that "wide way" Christ warns about in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:13-14.  Let's note that part of the positive signs of healing of this man in today's reading is his practice of gratitude, that he was found in the temple to thank God for his healing.  It is in this context that Jesus also warns him not to go backward or invite trouble back into his life, by telling him, "Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."  Perhaps we should also take into account the notion that by forgetting about God, by indulging again in some sin in that forgetfulness, he will in fact be practicing ingratitude, and losing his spiritual ground he's gained.  If it's true that we reap what we sow, perhaps we all might consider what we sow and how we sow, and what outcomes we want in this spiritual sense that does indeed touch upon all other things in our lives.  Consider also how common it is that we encounter those who face their own ailments with faith and the practice of that faith.  It's not so much about a physical outcome as it is about our spiritual place in which we find ourselves.  Illness can also be a metaphor for spiritual struggle, and a very real place to struggle for faith regardless of material outcome.  If we in the Church recognize the martyrs of periods of persecution for our faith, perhaps we should come to terms also with modern martyrdoms in the often heroic struggle for faith midst the difficulties of illness and suffering of a physical sort.  Spiritual struggle around illness, and even death, in my experience, is a very real and powerful thing.  There is no time in which we forget about God, and how we are to go through the moments of our lives, and the best choices we can make for spiritual well-being through it all -- and even how such choices affect others.  Let us strengthen our spiritual lives at all times, and help others who may be struggling to do so as well.  Perhaps our most important choice is to continue the spiritual struggle midst the setbacks, hurts, and difficulties of life in an imperfect world -- and maybe this is the real crux of our faith.  In this context, the question, "Do you want to be made well?" takes on all kinds of meanings and possible responses.  Let us consider all the ways it might be answered, at all times. 

 

 

 

 

 

Who can forgive sins but God alone?

 

 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 had been preaching (and cast out a demon), 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 arisen 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 emphasizes in ts comments that, as shown by this healing of the paralytic, faith is an indispensable condition for salvation.  Faith, we understand, is collective as well as personal, because the faith of the friends of the paralytic (the four men who carried him) helped in his healing.  It notes three signs of Christ's divinity on display.  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 only.  And finally, He heals by the power of His word.  My study Bible further elaborates on the fact that one purpose of Christ's coming into the world is to forgive sins, which frees humanity from its bondage.  It notes that to forgive sins is a greater power than physical healing.  As the scribes correctly note, God alone can forgive sins.  So, therefore, it is the easier task to grant physical healing.  Although Christ is fully God and He holds the authority to forgive, to heal this man is to condescend to those gathered in order to draw people to God, whom they then glorified.

In a worldly perspective, we would see the healing of this paralytic as truly a more extraordinary power than forgiving sins.  But from a perspective that includes some sense of the reality of God, the forgiveness of sins is more extraordinary, as noted by my study Bible (see commentary above).  Perhaps in our modern world, we take forgiveness for granted, as in what is now frequently called a "post-Christian" culture, we are inculcated into a sense in which for centuries we have prayed the Lord's Prayer, the Our Father, which was given to us by Jesus, and in and through which we are taught to forgive as we are forgiven.  Forgiveness can be a tricky problem, as we don't necessarily think of it in the correct paradigm of understanding God's forgiveness as first and primary, and our own as something which is secondary to God's.  Christ teaches, in giving that prayer, that we can't ourselves realize God's forgiveness without being forgiving ourselves.  But the primary judge, our Lord, is the One who is the true arbiter of such forgiveness, as He shows in today's reading.  Once again, we may turn to the paradigm and culture of the ancient Jews which existed at the time of Christ, the context in which this event took place, and within which Christ so stuns the scribes in today's reading.  As discussed in yesterday's commentary, the system of sacrifices and institutions of the temple were a process whereby the people not only could understand what sin was, but in and through which they were reconciled to God.  Christ's remarkable forgiveness then, comes as a shock indeed to the scribes, for how could a man forgive sins?  Or, as they ask here, significantly, "Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  Indeed, and therein is the riddle that poses the question of just who Christ is.  Who is this Son of Man, as He refers to Himself?  And we know the answer, that Christ is both fully human and fully God.  It's within this understanding that the greater power is to forgive sins, but to express also the truth of the Son of Man, a miraculous healing is also given, expressing concretely the identity of the One who is present to them in a "worldly" sense that can be perceived and understood.  But if we don't have the mind and the understanding of the truth of the spiritual reality behind Christ and within which our world is created and known by God, then we moderns fail to understand the real impact of sin and its detriments to us.  Is it possible that this paralytic suffers from something sinful that has affected his condition?  This is possible, but one thing is clear:  although he suffers physically, he is still in need of forgiveness for his sins, and this is the great grace of God, and our Lord Christ, in response to the faith of his friends who help to carry him.  In the same way, we can pray for our friends and help to "carry" them to Christ.  Moreover, it's helpful to understand that in the tradition of the Church, paralysis is often seen as a metaphor for the condition of being "stuck" in a sin, unable to repent -- or to change -- that is, to get past it, to grow.  For sin is like paralysis, like slavery, as my study Bible describes it.  We are stuck in a repeated pattern, perhaps even despite our best efforts, and we need help to break it.  For that also, the Holy Spirit has been given to us as a gift of Christ and His Incarnation into the world, so that we have a Helper.  We might, today, take for granted this possibility of forgiveness, but for those who have experienced the freedom of God's forgiveness, the effect upon the soul and upon our lives is boundless, for we are set free to live differently, to establish something good in our lives, to live as we are taught to live in Christ's light.  Let us consider the power of God to forgive, for it is also the power to liberate us, to set us free from our paralysis within something detrimental to ourselves and our mental, physical, and spiritual health.  Let us also glorify God in return.

We have seen strange things today!

 

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

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

 

- Luke 5:12–26 

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you

 

 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.  In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.  For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.  

Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.  When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"   The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me."  Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk."  And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.  And that day was the Sabbath.  The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed."  He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'"  Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?"  But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. 

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well.  Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."  The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.  

For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.  But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."  Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

 

- John 5:1-18 

 

Yesterday we read that, after remaining two days with the Samaritans, Jesus departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast. So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  So Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.  

 

After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  The feast that marks the setting of today's reading is considered to be the Old Testament Pentecost, which is also called the "Feast of Weeks."  It celebrates the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai.  My study Bible says that this understanding is confirmed by the references to the Law of Moses later in this chapter.  

 

  In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.  For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.  This was a double-basin pool, and believed to have curative powers, as the text indicates.  My study Bible reports that this pool has been discovered about 100 yards north of the temple area, near the Sheep Gate.   It is a high-ground pool, and its water came from underground springs.  It was used to wash down the sacrificial lambs prior to them being slain.  My study Bible remarks that the pool functions as a type of Christian baptism.  Under the old covenant, there was a great multitude waiting to enter the water for physical healing after an angel touched it.  These waters are special, it notes, because they were a way of indirect participation in the animal sacrifices of the temple, as the animals were washed in the same water.  But this grace is limited to the first person to enter.  In the new covenant, baptism is given to all nations and as a direct participation in Christ's own sacrificial death (Romans 6:3-6).  This happens also without the mediation of angels.  So, my study Bible concludes, baptism grants healing of the soul and the promise of eternal resurrection of the body -- and its grace is inexhaustible. 

 

 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. My study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom's commentary.  St. Chrysostom says that Jesus singled out the man who had waited for thirty-eight years in order to teach us to have perseverance, and as a judgment against those who lose hope or patience in much lesser troubles which last a far shorter time.  

When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"   The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me."  My study Bible notes that Christ's question is relevant for many reasons.  First, it made public the fact that the sick man kept his faith even in a situation that was seemingly hopeless, for how could a paralytic ever be the first person into the water?  Next, Christ draws attention away from the water and toward the need we have for a man to help us.  This need is fulfilled in Christ Himself, who became a Man to heal all.  Finally, not all people who are ill actually desire healing.  It is a sad statement, but true, that some might prefer to remain infirm for certain things experienced as "benefits."  It gives one license to complain, to avoid responsibility for one's life, or to continue drawing the sympathy of others. 

 

 Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk."  And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.  And that day was the Sabbath.  The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed."  He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'"  Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?"  But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.  My study Bible comments that although the Law itself does not specifically forbid the carrying of burdens on the Sabbath, this is prohibited in Jeremiah 17:21-22, and it is explicitly forbidden in rabbinical teachings.  It notes also that it's made clear that Christ is Lord over the Sabbath by Christ's command ("Take up your bed and walk") and also by the man's obedience.  (See also Matthew 12:1-8.)  As we will see frequently in John's Gospel, the use of the term the Jews here refers to the religious leaders and not to the people in general; all the characters in our reading are Jews, as is the author of the Gospel.  My study Bible asks us to note the malice of these leaders, who focus only on the Sabbath violation, asking the man, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed'?" but they ignore completely his miraculous healing.  

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well.  Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."  The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.  My study Bible remarks on the fact that this man was found in the temple; it notes that this shows his great faith, as he had gone there directly to thank God for his cure rather than leaving for someone's home or the marketplace.  Jesus admonishes him to sin no more:  my study Bible comments that while there is a general connection between sin and suffering (Romans 6:23), this connection is not always one-to-one, as the innocent frequently suffer, and the guilty are frequently spared earthly sufferings (see also John 9:1-3).  But, nonetheless, there are times when our own sins lead to our own suffering in a worldly sense.  According to St. Chrysostom, this was the case with this man and his paralysis.  Jesus' warning, however, is that the sins that destroy the soul lead to a far worse result than an affliction of the body; our hope is to flee from sin altogether.  Additionally, this man doesn't report Jesus to the leaders of the Jews in a way that is malicious, but rather as a witness to His work.  Although these leaders were only interested in the violation of the Sabbath, this healed man emphasizes that it was Jesus who had made him well, and says nothing about carrying his bed.  

For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.  But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."  Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.  Here my study  Bible comments that when Jesus declares God to be My Father, the Jews (that is, the religious leaders) quite clearly know that this implies absolute equality.  The discourse by Jesus begun here will continue in our following reading.

In today's reading we are given the third of seven signs in John's Gospel; they are signs of the kingdom of God being extraordinarily present in the Person of Jesus Christ.  My study Bible comments that this healing exemplifies the divine power to restore a person to wholeness.  It seems important to note that, once the man is healed of his paralysis, Jesus also teaches him, ""See, you have been made well.  Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."  This is a distinct warning.  To avoid sinning is to avoid a "worse thing" to come upon him.  One must pause to wonder why this is so.  We might think, in effect, that the grace of God is something that is given but that also can be taken away.  But Christ's words regarding sin indicate that such a "worse thing" would be due to a kind of spurning of grace.  After all, it is God and God's grace that has made this man well.  To therefore go forward not seeking to avoid sin would be in some sense to spurn and reject God -- even after this great grace of healing has been given to the man.  Therefore, to go forward without the effort to avoid sin would be not to set out on a path of righteousness, or a deeper relationship with God.  God has come to the man, but to go forward and resume a healthy life without seeking to avoid sin would be in a sense throwing away that relationship offered by God.  In this way, a "worse thing" could come upon him, for a deliberate rejection of what we know is good, of grace that has been given to us, will have consequences.  In this sense, we have to see Christ's healing as wholeness, and as making the man whole, for we are not only a material body divorced from soul and spirit, but to be understood as a whole person.  We need to see ourselves as whole in this sense of completeness.  If we divorce the notion of our body from all that we are, we remain a kind of abstract being, not whole and not real.  We ignore the true importance of our bodies as temples of God (1 Corinthians 3:16-17), and thus we lack an understanding of what constitutes our own "wholeness."  So when we think about what it means to be truly "whole" as a person, and to be truly healthy, we cannot exempt our journey toward God, our walk with faith.  For life goes on, even after a healing, and to forget about how we need to live our lives is to forget about what we truly need in life, and what it is that makes us whole -- even what it is to be a whole person.  We go forward and life moves on, and as Jesus indicates here, we always need to consider in what direction we are going.  For this is what gives us real health, and the wholeness of who we are.

 

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.