5-Dec-16

Gospel LK 5:17-26

One day as Jesus was teaching,
Pharisees and teachers of the law,
who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem,
were sitting there,
and the power of the Lord was with him for healing.
And some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed;
they were trying to bring him in and set him in his presence.
But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd,
they went up on the roof
and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles
into the middle in front of Jesus.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said,
“As for you, your sins are forgiven.”

Then the scribes and Pharisees began to ask themselves,
“Who is this who speaks blasphemies?
Who but God alone can forgive sins?”
Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them in reply,
“What are you thinking in your hearts?
Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’
or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?
But that you may know
that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”–
he said to the one who was paralyzed,
“I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”

He stood up immediately before them,
picked up what he had been lying on,
and went home, glorifying God.
Then astonishment seized them all and they glorified God,
and, struck with awe, they said,
“We have seen incredible things today.”

Reflection:

In today's gospel, Luke sets the scene by telling us that "Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there...."
In Jesus' time, the prevailing thought being taught by the "teachers of the law" was that a person's infirmities, deformities and/or poverty were God's just punishment for one's sins. If someone was wealthy and healthy, it was viewed as a sign that the person was in God's good graces.
''And some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed;
they were trying to bring him in and set him in his presence.
But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd,
they went up on the roof
and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles
into the middle in front of Jesus."
Carrying the paralyzed man to the roof, removing the tiles, and lowering him down in front of Jesus was a demonstration of their tremendous faith of Jesus' ability to heal their crippled friend.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said,
“As for you, your sins are forgiven.”
Then the scribes and Pharisees began to ask themselves,
“Who is this who speaks blasphemies?
Who but God alone can forgive sins?”
Jesus responded: "But that you may know
that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”–
he said to the one who was paralyzed,
“I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”
There are times when I can be very much like the Pharisees and teachers of the law. When I see the beggar standing on the corner with a sign that reads, "Help me; is my first instinct to help or to condemn?
When I see the homeless person wandering with all their worldly goods in a shopping cart, do I wonder; "What did they do wrong that they ended up in such a situation?"
Then, thank God, I recall the many times in my life when I was "crippled" by my weaknesses and "paralyzed" by my fear.
I remember that as He did with the man who was lowered through the roof, Jesus healed me and let me know that I am loved and forgiven.
Help me, Lord, to always be a sign of your love and forgiveness and a friend to all who seek Your healing presence.

"As a Christian, my job is not to judge. My job is not to figure out if someone deserves something. My job is to lift the fallen, restore the broken and to heal the hurting." - - Unknown