Reading
Luke 5:17-26
17 One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. 18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 25 Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
Comment
The scribes and Pharisees mentioned in this Gospel passage come from afar, as far away as Jerusalem; Jesus' fame has spread and the doctors of the law are beginning to look at him with suspicion. The scribes and Pharisees do not sit at Jesus' feet to receive his word, but rise above it, to judge and condemn it. This is the attitude of those who still today approach the word of God not to be enlightened by it but to manipulate or bend it to their own interests.
The attitude of the friends of the paralytic is different; unable to reach Jesus because of the crowd, they climb onto the roof of the house and open a passage to lower their friend right in front of his feet. Jesus is admired by so much faith and by the charity shown with this act of intercession and cannot remain indifferent.
It is Jesus himself who exhorts us to persist, with the parable of the importunate friend (Lk 11:5-8) for example, or with that of the widow who asks for justice from the unjust judge (Lk 18:1-8). The theme of hope that does not stop before any obstacle seems particularly dear to the evangelist Luke.
According to a Palestinian belief from the time of Jesus, dating back to the Old Testament tradition (Ex 20:5; Dt 5:9), sickness and infirmities are a consequence of one's own sins or those of the ancestors (cf. Jn 5:14 and 9:2).
Jesus ignores paralysis and addresses man's greatest need. Acting not as a mere healer but as the one who forgives sins, he ascribes to himself a prerogative that belongs only to God. The accusation of blasphemy by the scribes and Pharisees would be legitimate if Jesus were not the incarnate Son of God.
Christ teaches us to seek forgiveness of sins before healing from illness. Indeed, sin is in itself a "paralysis" of our spiritual life, blocked in its growth and unable to walk in God's ways.
But whoever recognizes the authority of God's word and accepts it with faith, experiences that power of the Lord - the power of the Spirit - who works wonders, arousing praise and awe (v.26); the latter to be understood not as fear, but as respect for the One who places our lives under his benevolent gaze.
Prayer
O Lord, give us the courage not to stop in the face of the obstacles of this life, but to welcome your word of salvation with faith. Amen.
- Rev. Dr. Luca Vona
