Monday 06 December 2010

Background

Around Jesus is assembled the moral and spiritual leadership ofall Israel. (Pharisees were highly disciplined and devout laypeople; the teachers of the law, or scribes, were formally trainedexperts in law and theology.) 

To what does Jesus bear witness? That he has God's power to heal -yes. But there is a more challenging and controversial claim: that,in God's name, Jesus may pronounce the forgiveness ofsins. 

In verses 22-23 Jesus confronts his critics with a difficultquestion: Is it easier to declare God's forgiveness or to heal?Popular religion at that time insisted that sickness was punishmentfor sin. So healing was forgiveness. (Thoughtful people knew thelinks were much more complicated - they, surely, had read the Bookof Job?) 

God regularly appointed people to heal the sick and to exorcisedemons. But when God healed, God was no more 'personally' involvedwith a sick person than a professional doctor would be today whenprescribing medicine.

But forgiveness would be something different. It would be aninitiative by God of a profoundly 'personal' kind: God clearing outof the way all that had prevented a relationship, so that afriendship could be formed. God and a forgiven person would be opento each other in love and trust. 

In ancient Palestine people supposed that God would forgive onlywhen the kingdom of God came - a new order of peace and justice todisplace the rough, tough life we all know. God would pronounceforgiveness through God's 'right hand man' (the Son ofMan). 

Jesus implies that he is the earthly embodiment of the Son of Man.He has authority to change everything in relation to God - now. Thekingdom is here! The healing of the paralysed man was a wonderful,but secondary, outcome of the greater mystery: God's decision toforgive his sins. 

In addition, the whole episode made crystal clear how forgivenessis made real. It is through faith. That's what the paralysed manand his friends had: determination, courage, imagination,confidence and hope, to achieve their ambition to get close toJesus. That's how to access divine grace. 

To Ponder

Think back to a situation where you badly wrongedsomeone and you had to wait for them to forgive you. How did youfeel when they let you know they held no grudge against you?

Is there someone who has hurt or wronged you,whom you need to forgive? What steps must you take to let them knowyou want to clear the air?

Has anything happened to you that you feel youcannot forgive? Who are you able to talk to about this, inconfidence?