After the healing of the person with leprosy, Jesus could not to return back to town openly and had to stay in the lonely places. Still, the people searched for him and came to Him from everywhere. After a few days, Jesus returned to Capernaum. Maybe, the ritualistic ‘quarantine period’ after having touched a person with leprosy was over.
1. The first thought of this lesson is that Jesus attracted a crowd wherever he went. It did not matter whether He was in the lonely places or in the privacy of the home at Capernaum. Jesus always dwelt within the people. The people were drawn towards Jesus on account of his authority in word and deed. Jesus’ presence brought about substantial positive changes within ordinary lives. People burdened by day-to-day necessities of life disturbed Jesus’ peace of mind. But, it became a life-transforming experience. Jesus preached the gospel to them. For, Jesus gave priority to His responsibility for the preaching of the gospel to the whole regions of Galilee. Jesus gave importance to His preaching of the Good News over His name as a miracle maker. He took upon Himself the name of being a ‘man for others’. The criterion of Jesus’ presence is the liberation from the believer from personal privacy and wants.
2. The four friends who carried the paralyzed man deserve our close attention. Jesus must already have been taken aback, rather much impressed by the attitude of faith of the four men who sacrificed their time and energy for the welfare of their sick friend. The four friends who brought the paralysed man to Jesus’ presence are heroes of faith in the healthcare ministry of Jesus. They had a vision and a passion to fulfil the mission. They did not lose hope when they could not bring the paralysed man to Jesus, because of the crowd which milled around Him. They must have weighed all options before deciding to open the roof and lower the paralysed man into the presence of the Lord. To bring a person to Jesus, even the roof of a house was no hurdle for them. The Lord Jesus who knows the longings of our hearts acknowledged the faith of the friends and the paralysed man. Actions of faith transcend words in our healing.
3. Jesus said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven”. Jesus is able to dig deep into our souls, know our thoughts beyond what is expressed outwardly. Jesus does not approve the commonly held notion that all sickness and troubles result from sin. (John 9:3). In Jewish thought, a sick man experienced God’s anger. Many illnesses can result from sin. The paralysed man could have been harbouring such a thought. Jesus told him that God was not punishing him. Jesus was preaching the good news of the forgiveness of sins. The good news of Jesus Christ continuously preached the powerful message of redemption from our sins.
Point to ponder: a. Do we realise that a fulfilled life in Christ cannot be attained in our selfish attitudes? Do we want to experience the liberating presence of Jesus in our lives by relieving ourselves from the burden of personal privacy and our wants?
b. Have we been influenced by the vision and the purposive action of the four friends who carried the paralysed man to Jesus? Are we awakened to similar purposive actions of goodness by the presence of our Lord Jesus?
c. Is it possible to proclaim and bring to action Jesus’ mission of redemption?
Prayer: Dear Jesus, You lived for others. Help us to imbibe your spirit, to live in your grace and share your love with those around us.
1. The first thought of this lesson is that Jesus attracted a crowd wherever he went. It did not matter whether He was in the lonely places or in the privacy of the home at Capernaum. Jesus always dwelt within the people. The people were drawn towards Jesus on account of his authority in word and deed. Jesus’ presence brought about substantial positive changes within ordinary lives. People burdened by day-to-day necessities of life disturbed Jesus’ peace of mind. But, it became a life-transforming experience. Jesus preached the gospel to them. For, Jesus gave priority to His responsibility for the preaching of the gospel to the whole regions of Galilee. Jesus gave importance to His preaching of the Good News over His name as a miracle maker. He took upon Himself the name of being a ‘man for others’. The criterion of Jesus’ presence is the liberation from the believer from personal privacy and wants.
2. The four friends who carried the paralyzed man deserve our close attention. Jesus must already have been taken aback, rather much impressed by the attitude of faith of the four men who sacrificed their time and energy for the welfare of their sick friend. The four friends who brought the paralysed man to Jesus’ presence are heroes of faith in the healthcare ministry of Jesus. They had a vision and a passion to fulfil the mission. They did not lose hope when they could not bring the paralysed man to Jesus, because of the crowd which milled around Him. They must have weighed all options before deciding to open the roof and lower the paralysed man into the presence of the Lord. To bring a person to Jesus, even the roof of a house was no hurdle for them. The Lord Jesus who knows the longings of our hearts acknowledged the faith of the friends and the paralysed man. Actions of faith transcend words in our healing.
3. Jesus said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven”. Jesus is able to dig deep into our souls, know our thoughts beyond what is expressed outwardly. Jesus does not approve the commonly held notion that all sickness and troubles result from sin. (John 9:3). In Jewish thought, a sick man experienced God’s anger. Many illnesses can result from sin. The paralysed man could have been harbouring such a thought. Jesus told him that God was not punishing him. Jesus was preaching the good news of the forgiveness of sins. The good news of Jesus Christ continuously preached the powerful message of redemption from our sins.
Point to ponder: a. Do we realise that a fulfilled life in Christ cannot be attained in our selfish attitudes? Do we want to experience the liberating presence of Jesus in our lives by relieving ourselves from the burden of personal privacy and our wants?
b. Have we been influenced by the vision and the purposive action of the four friends who carried the paralysed man to Jesus? Are we awakened to similar purposive actions of goodness by the presence of our Lord Jesus?
c. Is it possible to proclaim and bring to action Jesus’ mission of redemption?
Prayer: Dear Jesus, You lived for others. Help us to imbibe your spirit, to live in your grace and share your love with those around us.
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