Jesus Heals the Paralyzed Man Inside and Out

17 One day while Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and experts in the Law were sitting near him. They had come out of every village in Galilee and Judaea as well as from Jerusalem. 18 The Lord's power to heal people was with him. Soon some men arrived carrying a paralytic on a small bed and they kept trying to carry him in to put him down in front of Jesus. 19 When they failed to find a way of getting him in because of the dense crowed, they went up on to the top of the house and let him down, bed and all, through the tiles, into the middle of the crowd in front of Jesus. 20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, "My friend, your sins are forgiven."

21 The scribes and the Pharisees began to argue about this, saying, "Who is his man who talks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins? Only God can do that." 22 Jesus realized what was going on in their minds and spoke straight to them. "Why must you argue like this in your minds? 23 Which do you suppose is easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven' or  to say, 'Get up and walk'? 24 But to make you realize that the Son of Man has full authority on earth to forgive sins - I tell you," he said to the man who was paralyzed, "Get up, pick up your bed and go home!"

25 Instantly the man sprang to his feet before their eyes, picked up the bedding on which he used to lie, and went off home, praising God. 26 Sheer amazement gripped every man present, and they praised God and said in awed voices, "We have seen incredible things today." (Luke 5:17-26)

This sensitive painting was created by the young American artist, J. Kirk Richards. We might imagine we are sitting in the circular room, or looking in through a large window similar to the one on the opposite side. That's precisely what classic Christian meditation does - I enter and take up my place in the Gospel scene. 

Verse 17: These religious "experts" have been sent from headquarters. They do not love Jesus; they do not want his friendship. They are suspicious men, looking to catch Jesus either breaking a law or teaching unapproved theologies.

Verse 18: "The Lord's power to heal people was with him (Jesus). Maybe the first ones who need to be healed are these religious guys. We can lose sight of this, thinking that it's always the "others" who need the healing. 

And what wonderful friends this paralyzed man had. They are un-named; we don't know who they were. They understand an essential thing: we live to help and comfort others.

Verse 19: What determination - ripping open the tile roof through which they lowered their friend down before Jesus. A missionary priest was driving his jeep up into the mountains of Central America to celebrate the First Communion Day Mass for a group of seven year olds in a far flung community. But the river was so swollen and fast moving, the priest was unable to drive across where he was to meet the children and their families. So the dads made a human chain across the furious river and passed the little ones up in the air, one dad to the other, until everyone was safely delivered to the other side, where the priest offered the First Communion Mass. What determination - to get children to the Mass for this encounter with Christ. 

Verse 20: This is interesting: Jesus gave the paralyzed man the gift of forgiveness based on the faith of the friends who carried him. That's not what he wanted, but Jesus knew better.  The man's real need or problem was an interior one. But he was unable to walk! What kind of sins could he have possibly committed? We don't know. All we can do is come to know ourselves better.

Verse 21: The  Pharisees and "experts" get sniffy that Jesus has forgiven sins. Unattractive, isn't it?

Verse 22:  I love this line: "Jesus knew what was going on in their minds." The Pharisees are not not happy. Pity the person who doesn't find joy in his or her religion. Jesus doesn't give them a pass, but calls them out on it - so much fussing about things that are not essential.

Verses 23, 24: Jesus performs the outer wonder to draw attention to the real and deeper wonder, which is interior. Wonder! Have we lost it: wonder before God, about the gift of life, about beauty, about the treasure which is the planet-gift we've been given?

Verses 25,26: The paralyzed man has received a double gift: forgiveness and new legs. Healed inside-out, he goes off free, as if dancing. The crowd echoes the joy - everyone is filled with awe and gratitude. This is the spiritual life: wide-awake awe, wonder, praises, thanks - at least an interior dance before the incredible delights and gifts of God.  

Wonder, thanks and praise: It is nearly 7:00 P.M. in the middle of August. The sun is lowering just a bit. I can see the harbor through the trees, which are moving after the big rain. The water is reflecting light, like diamonds. 

Christ Restoring Health to the Paralytic

Mark 2: 1-12

ISN'T THIS ICON WONDERFUL (FULL OF WONDER)? Jesus is sitting because he is teaching. Sitting signifies authority. The iconographer has painted some of the crowd. The fellow on the left is perhaps interrogating Jesus, "Who are you to forgive sins?" The younger man in the middle has his hands up in the air - perhaps in awe of what he's hearing. The wide-eyed man second from the right, who is nervously adjusting his sleeve and looking away, seems to be saying or thinking, uh oh, as he hears Jesus forgive sins. He knows this will spell trouble for Jesus with the religious leaders. 

Two of the four friends are looking through the hole they've made in the roof and through which they've lowered their handicapped friend. The sick man stretched out on the portable bed, his head propped up on a pillow, is looking hopefully at Jesus who is addressing him.

There's a mix of inside and outside world here, right? The house door is open but Jesus and the man are outside, even though we know the scene is inside the house. That was the whole point of opening the roof and lowering the man down in the first place. Remember that icons depict not just the outer historical event but the underneath - the whats' really going on here. And so the perspective is off, as we'd say. What matters is God's perspective, God's idea, what God is doing.

Capernaum is far distant, Way of the sea beyond Jordan.

Jesus the Lord has left Nazareth and settled there.

Let us allow Christ to venture deeply to the far away place within

and there a light will dawn.

The Savior was surrounded by so dense a crowd

it was impossible to get the needy man to him.

O let us hurry to be part of that crowd,

that I might hear Christ's teaching and glorify God.

Having healed first the soul of the paralyzed man,

Christ the Lord ordered him to rise up and walk.

And so the people marveled and glorified Christ,

who works awesome wonders!

The paralyzed man, healed by Christ, is truly an image of ourselves

set before the Lord by the faith of others.

I join the long story of holy believers,

and glorify Christ from the waters of the font.

When the paralyzed man was lowered through the roof,

Jesus the teacher said, Your sins are forgiven.

Christ is not shocked by my past; neither should I be.

But thanks to Christ for his eternal mercies.

Divinity is revealed in the forgiveness of sins,

a physical cure and the reading of human hearts.

O Christ, I will stand with the four faithful friends,

whose hearts are clean, trusting in you.

Jesus was inwardly aware of their thoughts

as they accused him of blasphemy by his forgiveness of sins.

Yes, let us be zealous to please the Lord and Savior,

by merciful thinking that lifts others up.

While the roof is torn open,

all the more is heaven

and Christ-flame leaps down

to forgive and heal.

The healed man got up and walked in front of everyone.

Let us emulate this restored friend:

With gladness and without fear,

glorify Christ the Savior.

Capernaum you caught the Lord's scolding for your failure to turn,

though you'd heard the Lord's teaching and witnessed his wonders.

And so, let us not be dull of heart

but find a new standing in the changing of our minds. *

* Jesus asks for repentance. And repentance is not some mysterious thing but an inner turning: the changing of our minds. When was the last time you witnessed someone really changing his/her mind about something that matters: "You know, I was wrong about that, forgive me." "Thank you, I never looked at it that way." "It was very foolish of me to say that, I'm sorry." "Oh, your idea is a much better one."