Counter cultural. That’s a good description of how Jesus acted. He forgave sins, He ate with unclean people, He didn’t fast and He claimed to be greater than the Sabbath…one of the Jews most holy and revered traditions.The account of the paralyzed man is significant because of the friends, not the man himself. There’s no mention of the crippled man’s faith, only of those who lowered him through the roof. In an earlier reading I mentioned the homeowner, and what he must have thought. Today I am considering how we can bring our friends and neighbors to Jesus for healing. Our faith expressed radically will be rewarded by Christ. These men took quite a risk, digging into another man’s house, hauling their friend up there and then peering down through the opening to see what Jesus might do. I’m willing to bet that they were just as excited as the crippled man once he stood up and walked. Of course the more significant point, missed by the religious leaders, was the fact that someone was among them who could forgive sins. Wow. I’m reminded that Jesus says to us “if you forgive anyone their sins they are forgiven, if you do not forgive them they are not forgiven”. John 20:23 Just one more way that you and I are meant to demonstrate our connection to God.
Regarding His eating with tax collectors and “sinners”: I can only imagine what “sinners” looked like. I suppose it was anyone who didn’t follow the letter of the Law. There could have been some fairly influential people sitting around that table, who were probably more likely to receive an invitation than the poor people who also sinned. What’s important to me is that Jesus wasn’t worried about their sins “rubbing off” on him. That’s what the religious leaders were afraid of; contamination. Jesus, being full of the Holy Spirit knew He had nothing to fear from the “darkness”.
We should take a lesson from this passage. I’m not saying we shouldn’t be cautious, or that we should run headlong into dangerous situations throwing caution to the wind…but I am saying that if God leads us to step into a dark place, then He will protect us and keep us close, not allowing the darkness to harm us. We are a threat to the darkness, not the other way around! Satan trembles at the arrival of a devoted follower of Jesus! We are made in the image of Christ, filled with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit…the same power the raised Jesus from the grave! Hallelujah!
Celebrating,
PR