From the Daily Lectionary for Thursday in the Seventh Week of Easter
Matthew 9:1-8
And after getting into a boat Jesus crossed the water and came to his own town. And just then some people were carrying a paralyzed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” Then some of the scribes said to themselves, ‘This man is blaspheming.’ But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Stand up, take your bed and go to your home.” And he stood up and went to his home. When the crowds saw it, they were filled with awe, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings.
More healing… the heart and soul of Jesus’ ministry. We have learned by now that healing is a mark of God’s kingdom in the world. Where there is healing, God is present; and healing is collaborative; it is a function of community. In the ancient mind healing and forgiveness are intimately connected. It was believed that illness was a result of sin. But Matthew’s theology is not that simple. Sin is more of a collective condition, not just an individual’s shortcomings… that is to say, sin is structural. Sin most certainly includes false choices, but it also includes the forces of society that shame and oppress and marginalize. The power differential between the elite and the poor is a prime example of sin as structural. Sin also induces isolation, in particular, isolation from one’s community. The paralyzed man would have been considered unclean by his community, and therefore he would experience isolation. And because of the perceived relationship between sin and illness, he would have experienced shame as well. Jesus came to save us from sin, its isolation and its shame. Another way to speak of Salvation is: the restoration to community.
I say that healing is collaborative, which is also to say that God’s kingdom is collaborative. Matthew writes that “people” carried the sick man to Jesus; and when Jesus saw “their” faith, he performed this so-called miracle. And lest we miss the point: Matthew concludes this vignette saying, “… and they glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings.” As you will recall, Jesus and the religious elite have been arguing over Jesus’ authority. Even here, in this passage, the scribes call him blasphemous, but Matthew gives us a twist. He proclaims that authority rests on all of the faithful. He doesn’t say, this authority rests only on those who follow Jesus, nor only on Jesus himself; he says, “on human beings.”
We know this to be true. We see healing collaboration in our world right now. It is sacred work, Gospel work. Matthew of course is speaking to a community initiated into the Jesus Movement, but “people of faith” surely means all people of conscience, all people who serve the greater good, all people who practice love of neighbor. Loving God cannot be contained by any human institution. Jesus’ ministry extends beyond his homeland, beyond his tradition, across seemingly intractable boundaries… even beyond his own understanding.
Faith, “acting as if,” in its broadest definition heals the world’s wounds, restores things lost, engenders love… moves mountains. I’ve heard it said that God doesn’t “need” anything, certainly not us. But that is not true. God needs us to do God’s work: healing, forgiving, raising up the dead of our world. Jesus tells the paralytic to “stand up,” (έγεριν) which in the Greek is the root word for resurrection. It is the faith, the acting in good conscience, of human beings that bears resurrection life to the world. Ours, good people, is to “act as if.”
A Prayer for Guidance (BCP p. 832)
Direct us, O God, in all our doings with your most gracious favor, and further us with your continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in you, we may glorify your holy Name, and finally by your mercy, obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
