Trinity Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Sermons 

"After some days," Jesus returned to the small town of Capernaum, located on the northwestern edge of the Sea of Galilee, where he was reported to be "at home." If Jesus had hoped that he would have some privacy when he returned to this town of less than 1,000 inhabitants, he was wrong! His popularity had not waned during his absence. People crowded into his house, while others stood outside the door – all there to hear Jesus "speak the word."

Can you visualize the scene at Jesus’ house? It probably was hot in Capernaum that day. His house was likely to have been a single-room, single-story structure, perhaps with one or two openings serving as windows to catch the occasional breeze off the Sea of Galilee. The construction typically would have been of mud bricks with a roof of wooden beams, covered first by palm branches and then by a layer of mud and straw to keep out the wind and occasional rain.

We were lucky to have arrived early and been able to squeeze into the room, where we found ourselves surrounded by peasant farmers, fishermen, artisans, merchants, and even a few scribes. Jesus was sitting on some floor pillows piled up next to the west wall, facing the east door, now filled with townspeople eager to hear his words. He was proclaiming the word, as he remembered it from the scrolls of the prophet Isaiah. He had been telling us that we should not remember the "things of old," but should be prepared for "new things." Continuing with the text from Isaiah, he declared, "I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins" (Isaiah 43:25). Little did we know how these words of the prophet would come to life before our eyes!

Then, all of a sudden, we began to hear scuffling sounds up above on the roof. And soon after that, pieces of the roof starting falling down on us. Within a few minutes, a hole appeared in the roof and the sun beamed through. Then several shadows appeared in the hole to block the sun. We held our hands over our eyes as we stared up at the rapidly growing hole in the roof. Then we could see the heads and shoulders of four men leaning down through the hole. They were yelling and laughing – intent on getting Jesus’ attention, who up to that moment had been ignoring the ruckus, as he kept on speaking the word. As our eyes adjusted to the alternating shadows and bright sun, another shadow appeared to fill the hole. And then the shadow seemed to grow larger as it moved closer. People began to scramble away from the center of the room. Little by little, the shadow turned into a person being lowered to the floor in front of where Jesus was still sitting, though now with a curious smile on his face.

Then we realized that the person being lowered into our midst was none other than the one we knew only by his nickname, "the paralytic." During daylight hours, he always could be found on the sea shore where the women did their laundry; at night he always sat on his mat on the north side of the synagogue – in the hope that some of the faithful might give him a bit of food and drink. Suddenly, there he was – on his mat, on the floor, in front of Jesus and the crowd.

With all the dust, noise, and commotion in the house, we barely could see or hear Jesus anymore, as he stood up and dusted off his long-sleeved robe. And then, as Jesus looked up and smiled at the four shadows still dangling through the hole in the roof, we heard Jesus declare, "Son, your sins are forgiven".

Frankly, this made no sense at all to any of us who had encountered "the paralytic" in our daily comings and goings. He seemed to be a harmless man who barely could eat the food he was given, much less get involved in sinful activities. To be sure, people were always gossiping that his condition was the result not of his own sins, but those of his ancestors.

Just then, over by the north wall, we heard three of the scribes murmuring among themselves. Just a moment later, Jesus spoke directly to the scribes, saying "Why do you raise such questions in your hearts?"

Now we really were puzzled. First, Jesus had declared that the sins of the paralytic were forgiven; now, Jesus is asking questions about unspoken questions. We didn’t know what sins were being forgiven and we hadn’t heard any questions spoken out loud. We were full of questions, but before we could formulate our questions, Jesus was already talking again.

He was saying, "Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and take your mat and walk’? (2:9)" But even before the scribes – or anyone else, for that matter – had a chance to answer this double-edged question or pose a question in response, Jesus said, "But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" – he said to the paralytic – "stand up, take your mat and go to your home (2:10)."

Now, we were filled with even more questions. We knew that God alone could forgive sins, but who was this "Son of Man" and what was this about his "authority on earth to forgive sins." But the answers to these questions were apparent immediately, as the paralytic took up his mat and went out through the crowd, which parted before him.

We all sat there in amazement, stunned by what we were witnessing. All at once, the people around us said "We have never seen anything like this!" and we were caught up in the excitement as we all glorified God (2:12). [pause]

This is quite a story, and perhaps that is why it also occurs in the Gospels of Matthew (9:1-8) and Luke (5:17-26), although later in their narratives.. As the Gospel of Mark presents it, this story is an early pivotal moment in Jesus ministry.

Consider the sequencing of the early ministry stories in Mark’s Gospel. After Jesus called the first disciples (1:16-20), Jesus went on to cure the man with an unclean spirit (1:21-28). Then, at Simon’s [Peter’s] house, Jesus healed many persons who were sick or possessed with demons (1:29-34). There followed a preaching tour in Galilee, which included "casting out demons" (1:35-39), and then came the cleansing of a leper (1:40-45).

At this point, chapter one of Jesus’ ministry comes to an end and chapter two begins. This is precisely where Mark locates this two-edged story of forgiving sin and healing an unnamed paralytic (2:1-12).

Did you know that this is the first story in which Jesus establishes the priority of forgiving sins over healing illnesses or casting out demons?

Did you know that this story also is the first to generate controversy with the authorities (represented here by the scribes who have questions in their hearts)?. It is followed by four more "controversy narratives." These include the calling of Levi [Matthew] the tax collector as a disciple and eating with sinners and other tax collectors (2:13-17), the question about Jesus’ disciples not fasting (2:18-22), the pronouncement about the Sabbath being for humankind, and not humankind for the Sabbath (2:23-28), and the curing of the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath (3:1-6). At the end of these five episodes, the "Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians [i.e., the followers of King Herod] against him, how to destroy him" (3:6).

Perhaps the authorities also were upset because Jesus had begun to call himself the "Son of Man," employing this self-reference for the first time near the end of the story of the forgiving/healing of the paralytic (2:10) and using it again in 2:28 when he says that "the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

This narrative of the healing of a paralytic also is the first place in the Gospel of Mark where Jesus asks questions of his audience. By the end of the Gospel, Jesus has posed dozens of questions to his listeners and has answered dozens of questions from those who seek to follow him or are determined to end his journey.

The paralytic was incapable of saving himself. It was the faith of his four friends that brought him freedom from sin and sickness. The story of the forgiving/healing of the nameless paralytic demonstrates God’s power to save us even though we can do nothing to earn salvation.

Can’t you just imagine the challenging questions that the paralytic had been asking God throughout his life? Everyday he would have asked, "Why me?"

Can’t you just imagine the sense of wonder that the paralytic felt as he carried his mat out the door of Jesus’ house? At that moment, his life-long challenge to God, "Why me?" took on an entirely new meaning. For the paralytic, the double-edged question "Why me?" summed up his transformation from suffering to salvation.

For us, too, being transformed involves challenging questions and questions of wonder. We all have our own "Why me?" In our suffering, God does not abandon us. In our salvation, God turns our "Why me?" on its head. At each place along life’s journey, give thanks that you have questions and God has questions. Amen.

© 2006 Van Kemper (e-mail: rkemper@trinitypresdallas.org)