1.Healing of a paralyzed man
Today, the 5th Sunday in Lent, we read Mark 2 to reflect on the link between healing and salvation. Jesus carried out numerous healing acts along with preaching. He cured persons who were suffering from leprosy or paralysis. Witnessing his divine power, people crowded around Jesus. For example, when Jesus came to Simon’s house to teach messages of God, many persons gathered together so that there was no room in the house, not even outside the door. (see Mark 2:1-2) An event took place there. ; - Four people came, carrying a paralyzed man. Since they could not get to Jesus because of the crowd, they dug a hole in the roof right above where he was speaking. When they got through, they lowered the mat with the paralyzed man on it. (Mark 2:3-4)
The four men must be relatives or neighbors of the paralyzed man. His paralysis might be caused by a stroke. Even today, recovery of sickness or disability is still keen desire of all humans. Patients of a harsh illness would do every thing for healing. Some will seek famous doctors or buy very expensive mushrooms said to have miraculous curing effects. Others will go abroad to get organs to implant. Before knowing about Jesus’ acts, the paralyzed man should have tried all available treatments, but in vain. So he came to Simon’s house to be healed. But the crowd prevented him to get close to Jesus. Nonetheless he and his friends didn’t give up. In stead they took an abusive action, which showed his zeal for cure.
The people inside the house must be astonished. However, Jesus was more moved than astonished by his faith in him. So much so, ; - he said to the paralyzed man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven."(Mark 2:5)
Hearing Jesus’ words, ; - Some of the teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this man say things like that? He is speaking as if he were God. Only God can forgive sins.”(Mark 2:6-7)
Immediately, Jesus gat insight into their mind and asked, ; - “Which is easier: to tell this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to tell him, ‘Stand up. Take your mat and walk’ ? ” (Mark 2:9)
It might be easy to say, “Your sins are forgiven” because nobody would know perceptible consequence. In contrast, “Stand up” should show a result clearly. If the man would remain still paralyzed, the crowd must deny the divine power of Jesus. And ; - Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, stand up, take your mat, and go home.” Immediately the paralyzed man stood up, took his mat, and walked out while everyone was watching him.(Mark 2:10-12)
2. People seek healing
Jesus declared forgiveness of sins before carrying out the healing act. Why? Thais is the theme of today’s lecture. Forgiveness of sins and recovery from a disease, which is more difficult to realize? Or, more exactly, which is more important to humans? Indeed, we look for being set free from secular pains before all. We aspire to be cured from untreatable illness or to get a resolution of difficult problems. Jobless situation makes our life very hard. Autism of a child would deteriorate inner relationship of family. Severe sickness makes us hopeless. We may undergo continuously severe experiences during our lifetime. And facing that reality, we naturally seek a powerful existence who could prevail over problems or sickness to save us. In the same way, sick and disabled persons came to the house of Simon to meet Jesus. Ordinary humans want a tangible solution of problems or recovery from an illness, rather than forgiveness of sins.
Nonetheless Jesus said to the paralyzed man at first, “Your sins are forgiven.” In the Jewish society of the time, disability was considered to be God’s punishment to sinful persons. That way of thinking, so called “Retributive justice,” is largely shared in many other religions too. But Jesus rejected it categorically. And he said, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ which implied ‘God loves you.’ Jesus meant that the disability of the man was not caused by the wrath of God. Because God is too merciful to make him paralyzed.
Recently, some said that the Northeast earthquake of Japan was a punishment given by deities. They think in the same way as the theory of “Retributive justice.” But teachings in the Bible won’t agree with that. Jesus told, “Stand up and go home,” to show God’s love to the man before the crowd. And “Go home” also suggest, “Be reinstated in the community.” Jesus said, ; - “This man was born blind so that God’s power could be shown in him.”( John 9:3) Thus he taught that acts of healing disability or sickness were carried out in order to show God’s glory.
God loves and has mercy on humans and won’t punish us because of the wrath. And Jesus healed the sick and disabled to prove the fact. Jesus’ compassion on suffering people generated his curing power. Majority of healed persons had been disdained and segregated in the society as sinners of the unclean. And, ignoring those social considerations, he cured the leprous and resurrected the dead by touching them.(see Mark 1:40-45, Luke 7:17) Furthermore, he saved them on the day of Sabbath regardless of the strict prohibition. For such conducts, Pharisees and law teachers accused Jesus. Then they made Jesus arrested and crucified. And Jesus ultimately shared and bore pains of suffering people on the Cross. Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven,” with the determination of bearing all humans’ sins.
3.Healing and Salvation
To reflect further on the theme of healing and salvation, we will see Luke 17:18-19 as today’s invocation verses. ; - “Is this Samaritan the only one who came back to thank God?” Then Jesus said to him, “Stand up and go on your way. You were healed because you believed.”
The episode above began this way. ; - While Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, he was going through the area between Samaria and Galilee. As he came into a small town, ten men who had a skin disease met him there. They did not come close to Jesus but called to him, “Jesus! Master! Have mercy on us!”(Luke 17:11-13)
“A skin disease” alluded to leprosy in that era. And the Law taught how to treat those who were infected with it. ; - If a person has a skin disease that spreads, he must warn other people by shouting, ‘Unclean, unclean!’ His clothes must be torn at the seams, he must let his hair stay uncombed, and he must cover his mouth. That person will be unclean the whole time he has the disease; he is unclean. He must live alone outside the camp. (Leviticus 13:45-46)
Jesus said to the men, ; - “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”(Luke 17:14) because according to the Law, the physical recovery alone couldn’t rehabilitate former patients of that disease. They needed to passe rites of purification undertaken by priests to be accepted again into the community. The cured persons must go to a priest who should announce their cleanliness.
Naturally, all of ten healed men must be very happy. But only one of them, a Samaritan, came back to Jesus to express the gratitude to God. ; - When one of them saw that he was healed, he went back to Jesus, praising God in a loud voice. (Luke 17:15)
The Samaritan might be impressed d by unbiased stance of Jesus toward non-Jewish people, not only by the healing effect. For that reason, the Samaritan should be more thankful than others. In contrast, other nine Jews didn’t come back to praise God. And “You were healed because you believed,” in today’s invocation verse was the prize from Jesus to the faithful man.
The episode shows the limit of healing acts. Persons who were cured must be happy and grateful. However they may stay on that phase. They might think that they won’t need any more God, the healer, after being cured. But our human body cannot remain eternally in health. Someday, all of us will get sick or injured to die. The last clause of Luke 17:19 in the New International Version is “Your faith has made you well.” It underlines that the entity of the man, not only body but also soul, was restored. In other words, he was saved, not merely cured. We could say that other nine persons lost the chance of salvation.
But how can be the faith of the Samaritan, which made him well? It was the believing that his sickness was healed by God himself. He recognized his bond with God through what happened to him. That was the very faith which gave him the salvation.
Jesus also said, ; - “Those who try to hold on to their lives will give up true life. Those who give up their lives for me will hold on to true life.” (Matthew 10:39)
People seek the reward of the faith: healing of physical sickness or mental sufferings. So much so, numerous religious groups pretend to have the power of healing before all and insist on it. But the belief based on the Bible must reject such a kind of faith as secular-egocentrism or idolatry. And the message of Mark comes in the line with that very teaching of the Bible. The Mark 2 point up the forgiveness to sin at first, not the effect of healing. The former is the most important theme of the message and the latter is secondary.
I told before about a witness of Aayko Miura*1, a Japnese novelist, who had had colorectal cancer. When she was diagnosed with it, she said:
—When I knew my disease, I read a book of P.Tillich*2 in translation. Tillich is a German-American Protestant theologian and wrote in it that even the cancer was made by God. The expression was a beam of light from heaven to me. For all believers, God must be the love itself. And, as God’s creatures, all things in the world must be good for us. Then I repeated, “God’s creatures cannot be bad,” several times to myself in bed, Then the cancer inside me turned into a gift of God .— (‘Invitation to the spring’ - ASIN: B000J7AZPO、1983/oct. in Japanese alone)
I think that her faith represents the real Christian spirit. Jesus who is Immanuel embodies the happiness for us. And the conclusion of today’s lesson given by the Bible is this: “From healing to salvation”
* 1 Ayako Miura http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayako_Miura
* 2 Paul Tillich http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Tillich
TrackBacks
TrackBack URL : http://shinozaki-bap.jpn.org/modules/wordpress2/wp-trackback.php/190
この投稿には、まだコメントが付いていません