by Mr. Carlos D'Souza
Mark 2:1-11
With this incident of the healing of the paralytic begins a series of conflicts between Jesus and the Jewish authorities.
- 1st conflict: Why does this fellow speak in this way?. It is blasphemy. Who can forgive sins but God alone? (Mark 2:7)
- 2nd conflict: Call of Mathew- Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners? (Mark 2:16)
- 3rd conflict: Fasting - Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast? (Mark 2:18)
- 4th conflict: Sabbath - Why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath? (Mark 2:24)
- 5th conflict: Healing on the sabbath - No questions are asked. The authorities are only observing the movements of Jesus closely to see if he cures on the sabbath. Jesus asks a question.. Is it lawful to do good or harm on the sabbath?. To save life or kill? (Mark 3:4)
All these conflicts climax to the point where the pharisees along with the herodian conspire to eliminate Jesus (Mark 3:6)
Jesus is back at home. Crowds gather on hearing the news that He is at home, The whole house is jam packed. People have gathered there in large numbers to hear the Word of God so much so that it is not possible for anyone to enter the house through the door. By now reports concerning the preaching and teaching of Jesus has spread through out the surrounding regions of Galilee. People know that when Jesus speaks, he speaks with authority and things happen.
Four men bring the paralytic to the house where Jesus is on a stretcher. These 4 men had :
- A deep love for the sick man and a desire in their hearts that he be healed and so they were keen to bring the paralytic into the PRESENCE OF JESUS.
- Willingness to reach our and so they were not going to be discouraged on encountering obstacles.
- Tremendous faith.
Reflection:
What about us?. Do we have a deep burden and a desire to bring someone who is sick spiritually into the PRESENCE OF JESUS?. Am I willing to overcome any obstacles that come my way or will I allow myself to be overcome by them?. How strong is my faith? Quite often people say... I have no faith or I have little faith. The seed of faith has been planted in us at our Baptism. So even if our faith is small as a mustard seed it is enough to move mountains.
Reaction of Jesus: Jesus saw their faith and that wins his attention and admiration. Jesus saw that nothing could stop the 4 men in bringing their friend into his presence. Their faith moves the heart of Jesus to bring about the cure of the paralytic. Faith is a pre-requisite for healing. This passage teaches us a beautiful lesson about the role of a Christian community and the role of Intercession. The paralytic was helpless. He was totally at the mercy of the 4 men to bring him into the PRESENCE OF JESUS. He was unable to speak for himself. This happens even today. The faith of the parents save the children. The faith of St. Monica saved her son Augustine who went on to become a saint himself. Some sects challenge the validity of infant baptism. How can the parents and the Godparents decide for the child? Let the child grow up and make the decision. True the child does not know what is happening during the Baptismal ceremony. The parents and the Godparents express their faith and God responds by releasing His Grace and Power and the little babe is cleansed of the original sin by the waters of baptism. At every Eucharist the priest prays. : Lord Jesus Christ you said to your Apostles, My peace I give. My peace I leave with you. Look not on our sins but on the faith of your Church and grant us the peace and unity of your Kingdom where You live and reign forever and ever. The faith and the intercessory pray of others can save us. God works in ways which are far above our ways.
The roof - The 4 men dug through the roof to lower the sick man into the presence of Jesus. Jesus did not mind this. He did not object or prevent the four men from digging into the roof of the house. No doubt the roof would need some repair work to be done. Jesus sees a far greater need of repair and restoration of a human being. For Jesus the restoration of a person to His Father is more important than the damage caused to a thing in case the roof of the house. Jesus values human life more than things.
Your sins are forgiven - These words addressed by Jesus to the sick man shock the teachers of the law. It causes stirring and questioning takes place in their hearts. They would think that Jesus is going too far. This is sheer blasphemy. Who can forgive sins but God alone. They believed on God could forgive sins. So if anybody else made a claim that he could forgive sins he was committing a sin of blasphemy. Such a person was making himself to be God. Now Jesus utters these words "your sins are forgiven" thereby He makes himself to be God. The Jewish authorities simply failed to recognize and accept Jesus as the Son of God. These words coming from the mouth of Jesus are unbearable and totally unacceptable and intolerable. Hence the questioning in their hearts and the discussion among themselves on this issue of the forgiveness of sins. We too may be astonished to hear these words from the mouth of Jesus. We would expect Jesus to say "Be healed". Jesus goes to the root problem. Though everybody present there sees the paralyses of the body, Jesus sees further and deeper the paralyses of the man's soul. This is because of sin. However Jesus does not explicitly say that the man was sick because of sin. The scribes and the people also believed that if a person was sick, it was because of sin. There was a close link between sickness and sin. Sickness was the consequence of sin. They also believed that if a person had to be healed, he had to be forgiven of his sins first. So the cure was the final proof that sins were forgiven.
Jesus reveals His divinity. He knows what is going on in their hearts and what they are discussing among themselves. Why do you raise such questions in your heart? (Mark 2:8). He also shows that He is the Son of God and that He has the authority on earth to forgive sins- (Mark 2:11) "I say unto you arise, take up your mat and go home".
The experience of the paralytic- He experienced the forgiveness of sin. This is another pre-requisite for healing. He also experienced a resurrection, not a resurrection in the sense of a final resurrection from the dead.
St Mark anticipates the resurrection of Jesus here in this healing.
Application - Jesus does the same today. He says unto us "Arise and Walk". He offers us His hand and is willing to lift us up. Many of us are paralyzed because of sin and we are down and out flat on the ground. We are paralyzed because of fear, worries, anxieties, hatred, jealousy and envy enmity, resentment, anger, unforgiveness, depression, rejection, loneliness, helplessness, hopelessness, doubt and lack of faith, because of betrayal, identity crisis, insecurity, negative complexes, failure, distress, wounds and hurts which are emotional, dreams are shattered, plans have flopped, decisions have back fired, temptation and trials and hardships and storms of life. Jesus who is the same yesterday, today and for ever says unto us - ARISE AND WALK.