Uniform Lesson for January 17, 2021
Scripture passage and lesson focus:Mark 2:1-12
Last week, Jesus called the fishermen to follow him. This week, a report goes out that Jesus is at home (not in Nazareth, but Capernaum). A crowd begins to gather, and eventually there’s no room for them — even jammed around Jesus’ front door and out onto the lawn. Jesus continues to focus on his primary vocation as a teacher, speaking the word to all those who have been called to this assembly. Then, a special contingent arrives: one on a mat and four more at each corner. Though they do not state their purpose, the details point toward a desire for healing — the man on the mat is paralyzed, and his four companions are not. Does Jesus call us to a ministry of healing, and if so, healing from what?
Mark 2:1-5 — A problem of access
Most miracle stories in the Gospels involve a petitioner calling out and Jesus responding. But in this story, the paralyzed man never speaks (can he?), and his friends are all action and no talk. Their actions, however, are coordinated, persistent and, some might say, destructive! At great risk to themselves, they come up with a plan, execute that plan and place their friend in the lap of Jesus. And Jesus sees all of this and calls it “faith.”
Thus, we are taught not only that faith is corporate, and strategic, and dangerous, but that access to healing is a problem. Before we get too far into the controversy that this encounter causes, we must think about how Jesus calls us to a ministry of healing. Are there those in our communities who cannot petition for their own healthcare due to problems regarding education or language or technology? Do we bear some corporate responsibility for getting our neighbors and fellow citizens to healthcare providers by providing them transportation, entry and insurance? Once we get them to the hospital, are we willing to be their advocates, knocking down protocols and barriers and legal requirements that prevent them from getting the care that they need? It’s hard for me to imagine a group of elders storming the local hospital on behalf of the uninsured in their community. But the faith of these four friends must first be seen as a response to God’s calling to care for our neighbors, especially those who cannot walk or talk or advocate for themselves. I cannot realistically imagine the scene on Jesus’ rooftop without worrying over my own reticence to open up Jesus’ ministry of healing to everyone and anyone in need. Yes, faith can be corporate, and strategic, and dangerous. And faith must always be concerned with peoples’ bodies as well as their souls.
Mark 2:6-9 — Sins are forgiven
After all the sweat and effort of this team of healers, I cannot help but be surprised by what Jesus says to the paralytic after this powerful demonstration of team-faith: “Son, your sins are forgiven.” “What?” I hear his four friends shouting from the roof. “If we were seeking forgiveness, we would have headed to the priests! Can’t you see? Our friend is paralyzed and cannot walk! We need a healer, not a hymn!”
It does not solve this problem fully to point out that Mark has purposes beyond showing Jesus’ authority through healing. Yes, Jesus is a suffering Messiah in Mark, and even now, with charges of blasphemy, his path to the cross begins. But Mark is also remembering that Jesus has authority to heal not only individuals’ bodies, but the sin that can destroy even healthy bodies — both individually and corporately. Jesus puts it quite simply: “Which is easier?” To get a paralyzed body moving or to reconcile human beings to one another and to God? Clearly, getting everyone on this planet access to proper healthcare is heavy lifting. But the reconciliation of the world is something only God can do. Correct?
Mark 2:10-12 — The ministry of reconciliation
If we think of the paralytic more parabolically, we might see this person as representative of all our fellow human beings, cut off from access to healthcare and the embodied reconciliation of Jesus toward the world. Yes, only God can reconcile the world, but we Christians believe Jesus has already done this. So, should we not be as zealous for this kind of healing as for any other? “To be reconciled to God is to be sent into the world as his reconciling community. … The church maintains continuity with the apostles and with Israel by faithful obedience to his call” (The Confession of 1967).
For discussion:Which do you think is easier: universal healthcare or universal reconciliation?
RICHARD BOYCE is the dean of the Charlotte campus of Union Presbyterian Seminary, and associate professor of preaching and pastoral leadership. He is a minister member of the Presbytery of Western North Carolina.
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