A broken man

After the people asked Jesus to leave their region, Jesus went back across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum, where He had been staying. Mark and Luke tell how several days later Jesus was teaching at home, surrounded by many people, in particular Pharisees and teachers of the Law. Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a litter. They were unable to bring the man to Jesus because of the crowd; so the men carried him onto the roof, made an opening in the roof, and lowered him to Jesus.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record that Jesus took note of the faith of those who brought the man to Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, "Take courage, My son, your sins are forgiven." The man had been brought by his friends to be healed; they had worked had to find a way to get him close to Jesus. What Jesus said at first was not what they expected.

What Jesus said was also not what the Pharisees and teachers of the Law expected. They spoke among themselves that Jesus spoke blasphemy, since only God could forgive.

But while this paralyzed man is lowered before Him, Jesus addressed the religious leaders and teachers. He asked them why they were thinking evil in their hearts. He asked them which is easier, to say that your sins are forgiven or to say rise and walk. Then, speaking loudly enough for all those gathered around Him to hear, Jesus said "But in order that you might know that the Son of Man had authority on earth to forgive sins", He turned to the paralyzed man and said, "Rise, take up your bed, and go home."

The man rose up, took up his litter, and made his way through the crowd to go home.

The people gathered around were afraid, not because the man had been healed, but because God had given the authority to forgive sins to men. This was something completely new; this was not part of the Law.

His disciples saw what happened, and knew that Jesus had made a point of saying in front of many people, including Pharisees and teachers, "...your sins are forgiven" before He healed him. Jesus repeated the point stating that the Son of Man had the authority to forgive sins. They knew this would bring a reaction from the educated; this was not part of the accepted interpretation of the Law. Jesus had a point to make with the religious scholars.

Jesus had been teaching many religious scholars, so many that this man could not be carried to Jesus. The scholars physically kept this man from being healed; they also spiritually kept him from being healed. In their thinking the man's paralysis was seen as an indication of the judgment of God against him. They could not offer the man forgiveness; only God could forgive. Jesus needed to deal with what this man had been taught by the religious teachers before He could heal him. The culture kept the man from believing he could be healed.

What the disciples saw was more than another healing. Their religion was built around the issues of sin and guilt, but within their religion there was no forgiveness, only covering. There were no sacrifices for intentional sin. Yet forgiveness is a part of Scripture; David spoke of the one whom God has forgiven. This essential part of faith was not a part of their religion.

But His disciples saw a completely different paradigm. Jesus forgave the paralyzed man because of the faith of his friends. The authority to forgive works in community through faith. Religion can become an obstacle to healing when the religious do not have the authority to forgive. The scholars did not make way for the paralyzed man on a litter to be carried to Jesus; they kept their backs turned to him. Carrying the broken to Jesus was not part of their paradigm; they were more concerned with the important matters of teaching. This broken man's friends had to find a way around the religious scholars to Jesus; they had to deconstruct part of His house to get their friend to Jesus.

His disciples saw the religious become an obstacle to the ones helping a broken man; His disciples saw Jesus give these men what the religion could not.

Religion without authority is an obstacle to the broken.