SERMONS

The Reverend Angela L. Ying
Mark 2:1-12
October 2, 2011

Have you ever needed to be healed?

Have you ever needed healing, but you knew you could not do it on your own? Perhaps, a healing that called for more than pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps.

A healing that called for a physician – body, mind and spirit.

A healing that called for Jesus.

Now there was a paralytic. He does not say anything. He does not do anything, until the end of the passage.

He comes to recognize that he needs healing.

And it is only through his community represented here in the scripture passage by four friends that we even hear of this man’s need for healing.

If it were not for the four friends — we would not know that the paralytic man even wanted to be healed.

As we hear this story in the gospel, it is important not to think there were simply four, as the number four in the text represents so much more.

These people represent countless people you and I know, who see the need for healing in themselves and in others, and will dare to work towards that vision of Healing the Whole — the W-H-O-L-E.

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

And the people do it, paradoxically, by breaking open a hole!

The four represent ANYONE who sees the Vision of Healing and Forgiveness and seeks a new way of life from the very one they are now living.

As the story continues, we realize that the healing of the one — the paralytic man — is not without obstacles.

No worthy cause ever comes without any obstacles to overcome.

It is not a simple, easy phone call to the doctor, get a prescription and get well.

Why, we see — it is a lot more complex.

For one, the paralytic man cannot walk.

He cannot stand up and walk over to the healer and ask him himself for healing.

He cannot get himself to the one who can heal him, namely Jesus.

So, the community gets him on a mat and carries him to Jesus.

But then, there is another obstacle.

Jesus is busy with other people — not that Jesus does not want to heal this particular friend. It is just how it is. The four can be the paralytic’s legs, but they cannot get the man to Jesus.

There is a group of people, “the crowd” and unbeknownst to this group, because they are listening to what Jesus is teaching — inadvertently, block the door.

I hope it is not intentional and nothing in the gospel ever suggests that the crowd would do it intentionally, but nevertheless, the door to Jesus is blocked.

Again, I do not think it is any of the people’s fault, who are gathered. Simply, more people gathered to see Jesus than the community of four and one had anticipated in their attempt to bring their friend to see Jesus.

So, let us give the people gathered together, the benefit of the doubt and say that the four friends and the paralytic man cannot get into the place, because there are other people, just like them, in similar situations of hardship, who have come for the same reason — namely, to be healed.

Whether it is the healing of body, mind or spirit — they have all come together in one place.They have all come to Jesus, even if for different reasons.

The door is blocked. It would have been very tempting for the four and one to blame and get angry — believing that someone inside was blocking the door and stopping them from being healed.

It would have been very tempting for the paralytic man to convince his community — this is just not worth it. And worse, to convince his community, “I am not worth it.”

And yet, the good news of this gospel story is that none of these internalized ways of blocking the healing stops those of us who seek healing.

For we know these internalized ways of the mind can often be harder to open up and overcome than the physical door itself!

Amen?!

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, the four get themselves and their friend on top of the dirt roof and lower their friend down to the stranger, Jesus, so he cannot miss them.

No doubt they had to dig.

In the Greek language, the text 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 good news is that this community of four and one find a way — BY FAITH — to seek a way to find healing.

It is not your conventional way. On the contrary, it is quite countercultural.

Rather than knocking on the door and saying, “Please and may I” —
They get to the rooftop and break open a hole at the top and lower their friend down right in front of the one who can heal — Jesus himself.

The buildings and grounds crew may be shocked, for it is going to cost more money to get that roof fixed.

But for the 4 and 1, the healing of the community comes first.

For by faith, they realize — it is not just their paralytic friend’s healing or even their friend and their own healing that is at stake here.

By their faith, they realize this healing has the whole community gathered and even those not gathered at stake!

And with that kind of vision for healing — that goes beyond oneself and one’s small group of friends —

When healing involves a whole community — the four discover a faith and a courage and even the perseverance to find a way for HEALING TO HAPPEN.

Not a healing on the surface, but one in which Jesus’ healing of one is a healing of the whole.

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 our being forgiven and thus being forgiving is directly connected to our healing and that of our community?

The man and his four friends do.

Do we?

I wish the story ended right here.

After all the efforts and hard work of the community to seek healing and to be open to the presence of Jesus amidst their diversity.

I wish the 4 and 1 had done what they did, Jesus saw their faith, healed them and their friend and all was well.

But in the gospel text is a complicated, disturbing reality in life.

Whenever a community seeks genuine healing not just for one but for the whole community, there is often a few people — it just takes a few people— who do not like it and do not want it and do not want others to have it.

For these few — healing is not their vision. They have a different agenda.

It is heartbreaking, but throughout the gospel, this is so.

I am not sure what kind of brokenness leads to not wanting healing.

But it is deep and complexifies the community.

And Jesus and the gospel do not allow us to brush it aside.

The scribes, representing a few leaders, exist in the community and is present in almost every instance of Jesus’ preaching, teaching and healing.

Jesus knows it.
Jesus is aware of them.
Understands that they would not be this way without their own brokenness.

Yet, amidst their attempts, the scribes cannot stop Jesus from loving.

He hears their agenda, which they discuss among themselves and asks them why, amidst the healing of the whole congregation, would the scribes raise questions about his wanting and the community wanting healing.

Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or to say, ‘Stand up and take your mat and walk?’

In holding the whole community in love, Jesus helps them make the connection of forgiveness of sins with healing.

But so that all may know that Jesus has the power and love to forgive, he says to the paralytic man “Stand up and take up your mat and go to your home.”

And the man, by faith, does.

And the community gathered realizing that Jesus’ healing of one is a healing of the whole can rejoice and say:

“We have never seen anything like this!”

Would we at Bethany do the same? I believe we can in this community.

By faith and remembering our vision which includes one of healing of the whole, with God all things are possible.

Would not you say?

As followers of Jesus, my healing is deeply connected to your healing — as your humanity is deeply connected to my humanity.

And despite the obstacles that arise, the followers of Jesus come to see and believe that Jesus’ healing of one is a healing of the whole — the whole community — which includes you and me and everyone.

Thanks be to God!