SERMONS

Mark 2:1-12
The Reverend Angela L. Ying
Bethany United Church of Christ
March 1, 2009

They knew their friend needed healing. They knew they themselves needed healing. Their friend had not been able to walk for years.

Now, for the first time, there was a slight chance that this stranger from Galilee could do something.
Perhaps? …

But what to do?

The friends had brought their friend to a dozen physicians in town, and listened to the experts say that there was nothing they could do.

What if the stranger from Galilee saw them and told them the same thing? Would they dare risk disappointment once again? For healing does not often come when and how we want it.

Somehow, after much prayer and deliberation, with encouragement from others—they found the courage to go for it. Somewhere, somehow, the Spirit told them not to lose hope and that all was not lost.

As the four friends make a decision to bring their friend to the stranger from Galilee, they realize that getting their friend to the stranger of Galilee is no easy feat.

Squeezing five people into that home was one thing. Having four of you and a friend lying on a portable bed, was a different ball game.

Their hopes are initially dashed when they see that the house in which the stranger, Jesus is in, is packed. There isn’t even standing room.

The Word had obviously gotten out. Like being the last one to hear about a great inauguration, concert or book reading, the four friends realize they would not be able to get inside—even if the grace of God is free.

There was no way getting inside the front door. So, they tried the back door. That too was inaccessible.

I am sure they received stares from the crowd, who were probably wondering what the four friends were up to.

For the crowd had come to listen for the Word from the stranger of Galilee.

They knew when people gather to listen for a Word and to follow Jesus, something is going to happen! With Jesus, things do not stay static or the same. There is both urgency in their hope and anticipation for things to change. And the crowd, which included the disciples, knows a good thing when they see it.

They watch, listen, and give witness to their faith. For with Jesus, it is never business as usual.
What were these four friends with their friend lying on a mat doing here?

For the crowd, it did not matter. The crowd knew the man and his friends were a part of the community as well, and with Jesus, there is always room for “the Other”—room for one more.

The crowd makes space and waits to see what will happen.

Can you relate to the crowd?

The scribes or established religious leaders of the day, who gather at the same house, see it differently. For they had gathered at the home with their own agenda—and Jesus healing this man seeking healing was real a problem for them. It did not follow what they wanted or believed.

For, no matter how much the scribes knew about the teachings, they did not know they too needed healing and forgiving, not just the man.

The scribes were used to being in control. They often thought they needed to be in on everything and that everything needed to be a part of their agenda.

Change is hard for those who are well established. They work so hard at doing it right and “by the book” that they lose sight of Christ’s Spirit—and that at any moment the Spirit can come and break through their well laid plans.

When the scribes heard the word of God spoken by Jesus, I wonder what the stranger from Galilee was saying?

Was Jesus quoting the prophet Isaiah in the scriptures? “The Spirit of God is upon me, because God has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. God has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim the year of God’s favor.”

Surely, this stranger from Galilee named Jesus would not think of putting the great prophet Isaiah’s words into every day practice—the well-read scribes thought to themselves, would he?

As Jesus looks up to God for his power and authority, the four friends look up as well and a brilliant, yet different idea comes to mind.

By working together as a team, the four get themselves and their friend on top of the dirt roof and lower their friend down to the stranger, Jesus.

No doubt they had to dig.
In the Greek, it says that the four friends had to dig through it.

They had to dig deep through their own doubts.

They had to dig deep through their own fears.

They had to dig through their being looked at as odd, strange and not belonging.

They had to dig through all of it and realize that they were and are a part of God’s Beloved community of faith.

That if they did not come to Jesus, something would be missing. If they did not help in the healing, the whole community would miss out.

Digging through their own stuff that was keeping them from connecting with the stranger from Galilee, named Jesus, was necessary for healing to happen.

Though they could have easily found someone or themselves to blame—truth to tell, they knew they had their own digging to do.

Thankfully, the four in the community took the time to dig through it all.

Perhaps, they had remembered Jesus words from before, “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

When the stranger from Galilee saw what was happening, what do you think Jesus saw?

Disruption? Chaos? People needing his immediate attention?

The gospel says: Jesus saw the four friends’ FAITH.

Now notice, it is not the faith of their friend that is lying on the mat that Jesus sees first.

Nor is it the response from the scribes and established leaders.

It is not even the response or reactions of the crowd that Jesus first sees.

It is the faith of four friends of the community who are imaginative and creative enough in their faith to come up with a new and very different way of doing things in order that their friend and they, themselves, get healed.

The brilliant Einstein often said, “Imagination is better than knowledge.”

And in this case, the four friends knew this deep within.

They formed their own ministry team to get their friend to Jesus.

Margaret Mead reminds us: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

And after Jesus saw the faith of the four friends, Jesus himself says something just as strange as the four friends digging through and lowering their friend down through the dirt roof.

Jesus tells the man who cannot walk, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Really?

Every Sunday in worship, following our prayer of confession, we hear the words of assurance, which is another way of hearing Jesus’ words “Your sins are forgiven.”

Do we dare believe it? Do we believe forgiving is connected to healing?

The man and his four friends do.
Do you?

This countercultural team of five believe it—because they know we all sin.

They do not try to hide it. They, as we, know we make mistakes.

Can you relate to the four friends?

And who is it, paradoxically, that takes offense when the stranger from Galilee, Jesus, tells the man who seeks healing, “Your sins are forgiven.”

The scribes, of all people. Those of the established church. Those who have been around the church and who like things done their way.

The scribes, who have never really cared for the man who knows he needs healing or his friends, take offense or become defensive.

Could they have their own agenda in coming to the house where Jesus is speaking God’s Word to the people?
Probably.

For when you are of the established church, you often think you need to be in on everything. You enjoy the control and putting out your own agenda, and when you do, you are not easily changed.

Can you relate to the scribes and established church?

We see this is many established churches, which Bethany Church seeks not to move towards, but rather towards being a vital church, who in the 1940’s and 1950’s were thriving as the American and dominant culture supported the scribes and their set ways.

Remember when the culture in working with the established church would close stores on Sundays. Now, you have to choose church instead of shopping, sports and even at times birthday parties on Sunday morning!

Now in 2009, it is not the same as in the past. Things have change and instead of people coming to church because it is the social thing to do as a good citizen of society. People are coming to church, despite the stares because they hunger for healing, to participate in the healing of another and to a listen for Word from God that will give them courage and hope from the bruised world in which they live and work.

You can tell a scribe in the community, for they often speak as if they know what is best given their years of experience—with very little self doubt. A person of the established church will often introduce him/herself as “I’ve been in this church since (you fill in the blank _____), which sets up a distinct pecking order. I am in and you are out.

This in contrast to the four friends, who even if they have been in the church the same number of years as the scribe—would introduce themselves in this way: “I’ve experienced God in this church through my faith in seeing (you fill in the blank _______).

Can you see and hear the difference?

One looks faithfully to themselves. The other looks to God for faith.

And seeing the spirit that the scribes discuss and question among themselves about Jesus and the community gathered, Jesus says “Why do you raise such questions in your hearts?

For the established leaders, in its historical biblical context, to accuse Jesus of blasphemy was to sentence him to death, in those days, and they knew it.

Instead of focusing on the need to heal and be healed, the scribes focus on trapping the stranger from Galilee, Jesus himself—even after hearing him preach and teach day in and day out.

They will choose to carry out their own hidden agenda, without any change, through out the entire gospel.

Whether they feel unworthy or the flip side, self important—whether they have lost their joy and have become overwhelmed at keeping law and order, we do not know.

Which is easier, to say to the man who seeks healing, Jesus asks us: “You sins are forgiven or to say Stand up and take your mat and walk? But so that you (everyone gathered—not just the man who seeks healing) may know that the Son of God has authority on earth to forgive sins—Jesus says to the man who seeks healing “I say to you, stand up, take your mat and walk/go to your home.”

And what happens next?
The man brought by his four friends—does what Jesus says.

Take note: Jesus does not give the paralytic man unsolicited advice.

Jesus does not even tell the man needing healing that he needs to be more like Jesus.

Jesus does call the man by his name of belonging, “Son!”

The stranger from Galilee does forgive and heal the man and Jesus does tell him to do something he has not done in the past.

Something that does require faith. Jesus calls the man to stand up.

The man stands up, immediately takes up his mat and walks before the crowd.

And the crowd—are all amazed!

The crowd and community of faith gathered do not lose their ability to be amazed.

That’s amazing!

In making the connection with the man and his four friends, the community gathered makes the very connection to God and how God is in all of this! All were amazed and glorified God!

And being a community of faith open to what God has in store, the people proclaim: “We have never seen anything like this!”

How would you respond?
How would we at Bethany Church after witnessing this, respond?

Perhaps it depends on how you see yourself with the eyes of God—One in need of healing, as the man who has to come to genuine grips with his own vulnerability and sees now that in vulnerability there is power.

One in need of healing as the four friends, who can thus be open to how in healing we are dependent on God and God’s grace and interdependent with all human beings.

One in need of healing, and yet, does not know it, as the scribes, and thus finds it uncomfortable when someone else is asking for healing or given healing in an unconventional way.

Or perhaps, one in need of healing, and with the larger community of faith, makes room and a worshipful space for healing to occur, as in the unnamed people in the crowd.

Believe it or not, we have all of the people in this gospel text in this community.

And how do I know?
Without being too schizophrenic, I have been in the shoes of each one of them—the man flat on his back in need of healing, the four friends who show compassion, the scribes who have something else on their mind and the crowd who give witness through their amazement, thanksgiving and praise to God. Have you?
This past week, through great angst and elation, the Seattle Mariners, and Seattle, got our own chance to heal. After losing our Hall of Fame star, Ken Griffey, Jr. years ago—he came back where his All Star career first began!
After being torn for days, this man chose Seattle to come home to.

He needed his friends on the team to accept him as he is, with all his wounds and success.
He needed the established folks to offer him a space.

He needed the crowd and community to welcome him back with open arms.

He needed a prayer from Willie Mays and his family to have courage to stand up, take up his mat and walk back to home plate.

And the people said, “We have never seen anything like this!”

If for some reason you missed God at work in this, what about this week?

On Tuesday, there was a raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on the Yamato Engine Specialists in Bellingham, Wash. This military-style raid was reportedly conducted by 75 ICE agents in riot gear, who entered the work place with buckets of handcuffs and ankle chains.

It was the very first raid nationally since the new administration had taken office, and it was right here in our home town.

Faith leaders, including myself and others, gathered as a crowd of people to hold a press conference.

We needed to find a way for healing for the workers and for us who know we are all immigrants in this great country.

We needed the established to know that we found this injustice very disturbing.

We needed the crowd to give voice and witness so that the injustice would not go on unnoticed.

And before the day was over, President Barack Obama, who appointed Napolitano, of Homeland Security to look into the case, had signaled for a shift in immigration policy.

ICE spokeswoman in Seattle declined to comment.

And we, knowing that God was in this, are amazed, glorified God and said, “We have never seen anything like this!

On Ash Wednesday, our daughter insisted that she be able to come to the service, which begins the introspection of the season of Lent.

Thanks to you, this Bethany community of faith, she proclaimed, “we are an intergenerational church, you know.” Knowing it was a school night, her father and I attempted to convince her that there would be no children, that she would have to be very still and sit quietly and that she might not feel comfortable.

She decided to come anyways.

And to our amazement, so did seven other children along with a crowd of people of faith come for healing as we placed ashes on our foreheads and remembered our humanity as people of God.

I found myself say, “I have never seen anything like this!”

With the stranger from Galilee, Jesus, in our midst, I cannot wait to find out what will happen this week.

Are we ready and open?

Copyright © 2009, Angela Ying. All rights reserved.