So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed

 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 of Him by their infirmities.  So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.

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

- Luke 5:12-26

Yesterday we read that, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, Jesus 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."  Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately the leprosy left him.  At Christ's time, leprosy was one of the most dreaded diseases in the world.  My study bible notes that it brought great physical suffering as well as complete banishment and isolation from society.  It also figures in Scripture as a symbol of our sin.  It was forbidden to touch what was considered unclean; but Christ is Lord of creation and all healing.  To the clean, nothing is unclean; see Romans 14:14, Titus 1:15.

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."  My study bible cites Cyril of Alexandria, who comments that Christ gives the command to go and show yourself to the priest in order to convince the priests 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 was struck with leprosy, Moses had to seek mercy from above, and yet she was only healed 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 of Him by their infirmities.  So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.  With great demand comes also a need for solitude.  Let us consider how Jesus illustrates for us our own need to be alone in withdrawal for prayer.   This kind of solitude is necessary for our deeper relationship to God, for our own healing, and for connecting with the source of all true healing on every level of being.

Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem.  And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.  Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him.  And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.  When He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."  And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies?  Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise up and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.  And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today!"   We can note that in the healing of the leper, Jesus told the man to present himself to the priest (this would be in order to get a certificate that he may once again participate in the community), and here the Pharisees and teachers of the law from all throughout Israel are present to see Christ.  This is the first time they make their appearance in the Gospel, and Jesus' fame has obviously spread not only through Galilee, but He has been heard of elsewhere as well, including Judea and Jerusalem.  My study bible comments on this particular healing that it shows that faith is an indispensable condition for salvation.  Faith, it says, is collective as well as personal, as illustrated in the fact that the friends of the paralytic helped in his healing.  There are three signs of the divinity of Jesus shown here.  First, He knows the secrets of hearts (see 1 Samuel 16:7; 2 Chronicles 6:30).  Second, He forgives sins, a power which only belongs to God.  Third, He heals by the power of His word. 

It's quite interesting that while the story of the healing of the paralytic is an illustration of the power of collective faith -- of those who may pray for us when we cannot help ourselves, the Pharisees and teachers of the law function in the story as an obstacle to faith.  All they can seem to do is to criticize Christ.  But Christ's power is stronger.  It is somehow through their criticism that Jesus responds with an illustration of His enormous power to heal.  He responds with a stronger act, a greater authority.  In every confrontation, Jesus is not afraid to use His power and authority to manifest what is necessary as response.  This is the first time the Pharisees and teachers of the law make their appearance in the Gospel, and it's not really a good appearance; they are cast in a negative light.  We are also given a glimpse of Christ's divine power:  that He knows the hearts of human beings.  He knows what they are reasoning in their hearts.  It's not that they are wrong, it's just that they overlook the good.  Jesus responds precisely because of the faith of the people who are with the paralytic, his friends who go to such great lengths to let him down through the roof.  Jesus does not proclaim Himself Messiah, and He doesn't announce His divinity.  But He does defend the power and authority of God, at work in His ministry, which they don't recognize.  He tells them, "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."   Jesus uses this title, Son of Man, for the first time.  Son of Man is a title which comes from the book of Daniel (see Daniel 7:13-14).  It is specifically used by Jesus seemingly to refer to the Incarnation; His identity as both human and divine.  After His Resurrection, He will later declare to the apostles that they, too, have the power to forgive sin, but this is after the gift of the Holy Spirit is given, and in the understanding that they as such act in accordance with the Spirit and the will of God, and in particular in their roles as stewards of His Church on earth and guardians of His flock (see John 20:21-23) after He is gone.  In that sense, it is Christ's power and authority which He Himself extends as part of His gifts to humankind, and within the living Church on earth which must act in His name.  All of this is lost on those who have no sense of the commitment of faith to Christ within the power and authority that are at work in His ministry.  This is what they cannot perceive, and it is precisely what Christ will refuse to "prove" by extraordinary works of miracles on demand.  Only through the will of the Father in carrying out His ministry will Christ work to reveal His identity as Son of Man.  And within that particular understanding we must come back to Jesus' withdrawal from the demands even of the faithful who are around Him.  It is most significant that we pay attention here in this reading to the fact that Jesus often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.  In a time when there is constant attention demanded of us for externals:  how hard we work, how many achievements we have, even how much of a presence we have on social media, the need for time for withdrawal for a truly faithful and spiritual person is more profound than ever.  If everything comes through faith, and through our connection with Spirit (as in the giving of the Spirit to the disciples), then we desperately need time for prayer to make this connection.  "Good works" simply aren't the whole story, and faith is not just a nominal acceptance of a particular value system or even a particular article of what we believe to be fact.  Faith is an active, abiding, ongoing exercise of trust; that is, trust in Someone, in a relationship and communion.  And there is only one way to strengthen that, to keep it alive and active and here and now for precisely this moment.  That way is to do just what Jesus does, to often withdraw where there will be no personal disturbance from whatever else and whoever else demands our attention, and to pray.  In ancient times, the earliest monastics withdrew to the deserts for just this purpose.  Let us find our place to do this as well, for we must follow the same purpose, and learn from Christ just as much -- if not more -- right here and now.

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 not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his be through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.  When He saw their faith, he said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."  And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies?  Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise up and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.  And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today!"

- Luke 5:12-26

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

 And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately the leprosy left him.   Leprosy, says my study bible, was one of the most dread diseases of this time.  It not only brought terrible physical suffering, but it was also cause for complete banishment and isolation from society.  Leprosy is also symbolic of our sin.

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.  Christ gives the command to follow the law of Moses.  Cyril of Alexandria comments that by doing so, it will convince the priests by a tangible miracle that Christ is superior to Moses.  They held Moses to be greater than Christ, but Christ heals the leper immediately and with His own authority, while Moses healed Miriam only with help from above and after seven days (Numbers 12:10-15).    The text notes that Jesus increasingly withdraws into the wilderness for prayer; this is where His strength comes from.  He also takes important time for rest in prayer.  It's an important example of true health for all of us.   In Saturday's reading, the text also mentions that Jesus departed and went into a deserted place.  It reminds us of time for withdrawal as a necessity for His work, particularly time used for prayer.

Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem.  And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.  Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him.  And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his be 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!"  Jesus' fame in His ministry has spread far and wide, so that even the teachers of the Law and the religious authorities now come from all over Israel and are present to hear Him teach.  But so often in Luke's Gospel, healing takes place as part of this teaching ministry, and those who come to Him do so for such help.  In this case, a man's friends bring Him.  My study bible says that faith is collective as well as personal; here a kind of corporate or communal faith is instrumental in bringing this man to Christ and responsible for the healing.  It teaches us a great deal about helping others through prayer, the communion that isn't held back by restrictions of space or even time, nor apparently even of the individual heart in its immediate effects.  There are three signs of Christ's divinity on display here, notes my study bible:  He knows the secrets of the heart, He forgives sins which is a power that belongs to God alone, and He heals by the power of His word.  This is the first encounter with such authorities; in both stories of today's reading Jesus' power is openly on display for members of the religious ruling classes.

Again, as in yesterday's reading, we come back to questions of faith.  What is faith?  How does it work?  How does it work within us?  Today's reading teaches us about two kinds  of faith.  There is first of all the great faith of the leper, by which He understands that Christ can "make me clean," "if You are willing."   This is not just the earnest desire of the heart, but it is also the heart turning to Christ and trusting in Christ, understanding that His will is capable of cleansing; in this context of leprosy with its long associations and history of the Old Testament, that would include the faith that Christ could forgive sins, although the text does not overtly make a connection between leprosy and sinfulness.   But the second story in our reading does quite overtly make some connection between the man's paralysis and sinfulness, although it's not necessarily a direct connection nor a general statement about physical illness and sin.  What we do understand is that paralysis is a very apt symbol for some sort of sin, a kind of way in which we might be stuck in some way of thinking or habitual behavior or even a problem, say, of addiction of some sort.  Sinfulness can take on many forms; we need not associate it with overt or deliberate evil.  Since this is an act of corporate healing, we may also take this man's sins as those which will be found in community, in any community, within our parishes and faith communities.  In that sense, we're taught in some way by this story that sin is a problem for community; within our communities we're going to have many sorts of problems and different types of sins.  In some corporate way, we're all affected one way and another.  But the truly good news here is about our prayer; our prayer also heals community.  The example here shows an effectiveness of corporate prayer, meaning that within community also no one need be alone in suffering, but rather the focus can be on every level of healing.  Our prayers may reach out to help others even when there can be no direct means of opening up communication or action.  In the end, it is God's work that will respond to prayer, known and unknown, and in this we can take trust and learn about love.  There's a profound way in which the story lives on several levels; there is the prayer of the man's friends, which we can liken to private prayer or corporate prayer of any kind.  There is also the judgment of the leadership, and then there is Christ, whose power goes deep into the heart and knows all hearts.  But as the corporate Body of Christ, all of these layers intersect; there is nowhere this connection of communion cannot go.  It's a kind of network, in which each link in the chain is functional and important.  In that analogy, we could view paralysis as a kind of place in which one unit in a network isn't functioning fully or well.  But the action of the rest can help to heal and to restore.  In all of Christ's healing miracles, there is a kind of connection that is made with faith in order to be effective, for His power to work.  It seems safe to assume the power of the Holy Spirit works this way in our midst, in the here and now, as He is "everywhere present and filling all things," as the Orthodox prayer tells us.  Do you have a sense of communion in prayer?  What kind of "net" may we be a part of when we pray (perhaps analogous to the role of the nets of the fishermen who will catch men, from yesterday's reading)?   How do we live and thrive best within this "sea" of those who are connected through the energies of God, and through prayer?  Let us consider the connections and how they work.  They are restricted by nothing but the love and power of God with which they may connect.  If this seems "strange" or unusual, consider the response of the witnesses in today's story: "We have seen strange things today!"  In the Greek this word indicates something unexpected, but more clearly and precisely, something outside of the accepted opinion, not "traditional."  In fact, it is the word "paradox" (Gr. παράδοξα).  Let us remember that God is always greater than we know, beyond our understanding; and yet, God is revealed to us through paradox.

For this purpose I have been sent

 Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon's house.  But Simon's wife's mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of him concerning her.  So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her.  And immediately she arose and served them.

When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.  And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of God!"  And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.

Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place.  And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent."  And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.

- Luke 4:38-44

In yesterday's reading, we were told that Jesus went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.  And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.  Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon.  And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Let us alone!   What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.  Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, "What a word this is!  For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."  And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

 Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon's house.  But Simon's wife's mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of him concerning her.  So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her.  And immediately she arose and served them.  We see Jesus' "headquarters" of the Galilean ministry in Capernaum, in the home of Peter.  We also observe that Peter is married; here it is his mother-in-law who is ill.  To "rebuke" the fever is the same word used in yesterday's reading, when Jesus "rebuked" the demon.  This word (επιτίιμισεν/epitimisen in the Greek) gives us a sense of "correction" - to put things in their proper order and value.

When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.  My study bible says that "Jesus performed many miracles, healing countless people and releasing many from demonic spirits.  No sickness could resist His power; no demon could refuse His word."

And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of God!"  And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.  My study bible tells us that "Jesus prohibits the demons from identifying Him for two reasons:  (1)  theirs is not a confession of faith, and (2) He reveals Himself to the people in His own way and time."  We again see the use of the word for "rebuke."  It is a tone of command, and it gives us a sense of Jesus' authority.

Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place.  And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent."  And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.  We observe, as we will, Jesus' periodic withdrawal for prayer and rest.  It is a good thing to remember for ourselves.  As often happens in the Gospels, the crowds seek Him out.  My study bible says that "Jesus' ministry was not based on the wants and needs of people in any given locality.  Nor was the primary purpose of His ministry to heal.  Rather His purpose was to preach the kingdom of God.  Thus He moved to other cities, the miracles testifying to the power of the gospel message which He preached."

We note that Jesus doesn't stay where people love Him and want Him, nor where He's popular.  He's called by God the Father to other places, He knows His mission.  Neither does He stay in His hometown, where He's been unable to perform any signs for a population that will not accept Him as anything but their idea of the son of Joseph the carpenter.  Without faith, He cannot do what has been done elsewhere.  Again, this is an acceptance of the will of God; as the human Jesus, his human will conforms to the divine, and we continually get a sense of the acceptance of mission throughout the Gospels.  The times of retreat for prayer and rest (and hence dialogue) also conform to this understanding.  The challenge for us is to understand not only who Christ is and what He does -- for example in the authority of the rebukes that correct the ailments of humanity and set things aright -- but also in the example that He sets for each one of us.  Do we take time out for prayer, and for "dialogue" with our Father?  It's not by coincidence that we were taught by Jesus to pray to "Our Father!"  Do we understand prayer as a period of rest or a time to "recharge our batteries," so to speak?  We must also think of rest in this context of prayer:  we are to abide in Him, to take rest in Him.  And there we come to our imitation of Christ -- our way to follow His example of withdrawal for rest and prayer, to take refreshment in communion with God.  As Jesus always gives us the example of taking direction from the Father, so we take time in prayer to ascertain where we go in life, what we are doing, how we best serve -- and even, like Jesus, we can take our identity in life from this process.  We find "who we are" in this place of relationship to God, especially through prayer.  So let us find ourselves where we belong, in right-relatedness to God and hence to the world, in a community that is part of God's good creation.