Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”
At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”
Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 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, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” Then the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.
As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (New International Version)
“The church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum of saints.”
Abigail Van Buren (“Dear Abby”)
Why does the Church exist? Why did Jesus come to this earth? What are we supposed to be doing? Does Christianity make any difference in this world? Why are we here?
The Church is not on this earth solely for the benefit of Christians, any more than a hospital exists for the benefit of the doctors or insurance companies.
Rather, the Church is designed to extend the mission of Jesus through proclamation of good news with the restorative touch of grace. The Church is the community of the redeemed, gathered together for worship and encouragement, and then sent into the world to be the continuing presence of Jesus on this earth.
This mean that the Church’s calling is not to find others who can help them with their tithing and budget, or to keep the pews warm with fresh bottoms.
Some folks are not healthy. Some are sick physically, and others spiritually. Even more are emotionally brokenhearted. And then there are those who are sick-and-tired of being sick-and-tired.
Please know that Jesus came neither to condemn nor heap a pile of unrealistic expectations on us. Christ points us to the source of healing and transformation, and invites us to come to him.
Conversely, there are many other people today who are healthy, spiritually alive, and have a good well-being. And they possess the opportunity to participate in ways that bring holistic healing to the world as Christians. The mission of Jesus is our mission, as well.
Jesus came to bring forgiveness and transformation. In today’s Gospel healing, it was a case where the person’s paralysis was both physical and spiritual. The paralytic found in Jesus healing of both body and soul.
The religious insiders observed the healing of the paralytic. Yet, they didn’t rejoice over it. Instead, they were hung up on Jesus claiming to be God. Although this may have been a hard truth to accept, Jesus labeled their response as evil – because of an inability to perceive the situation as a divine intervention. Since the religious insiders wrongly discerned who Jesus is, they wrongly interpreted the situation.
It’s important to see Jesus as the Human One who extends compassion and forgiveness. If we fail to see this about Christ, we will get caught up in all kinds of silly matters concerning personal preferences and power plays, based in how we think things should go, rather than how God is shaking out things.
Jesus came to forgive our guilt and shame. Healing the body is good, but it’s not enough. Christ came to heal both the body and the spirit. At the heart of the human condition is spiritual brokenness, and Jesus wants to remove the obstacle of sin and create a new healthy society. This is a radical vision which seeks to encompass all persons – which means Jesus touched many people overlooked by others.
Jesus came to call the despised people of society, the “sinners.” He called Matthew, a tax collector. Tax collectors were hated. They were corrupt characters who extorted money from innocent people. And furthermore, Jesus had dinner with Matthew, along with all of his unsavory buddies. This kind of behavior by Jesus was deeply offensive to upstanding citizens.
However, Jesus did not back down, saying that it’s not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. And he backed up his social actions with Scripture by encouraging offended folks to meditate on what the biblical phrase, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” (Hosea 6:6)
It is possible to engage in outward rituals of worship, do all the right things, fulfill duty, yet still miss the heart of what God wants for humanity. Mercy is what God wants. Jesus knew this. So, Christ entangled himself with sinners to bring spiritual healing and restoration.
If we want to see God deliver people from their unhealthy situations, we must entangle ourselves with them, into complicated lives that are not pretty, with persons who have been tainted by sin.
Lots of people are in awful predicaments. Christians, like their Lord, will need to get their hands dirty and their feet wet to extend Christ’s ministry of mercy and forgiveness.
The gospel was never intended to be proclaimed from afar, but up close and personal. The merciful mission of Jesus requires the following three activities:
- Intimacy with Jesus. Engaging in the spiritual disciplines of prayer, giving, fasting, reading, and meditating on Scripture. These practices help us to know Christ better and how to respond with mercy.
- Intimacy with fellow believers. We are hard-wired by God for community. Superficial relationships only provide superficial community. Christians need to help one another with spiritual growth, and to hold one another accountable for the mission of Christ.
- Intimacy with “sinners.” This world is filled with sick, needy, hurting, and lonely people who are locked in unhealthy patterns of living. They need a merciful change of life that comes from the merciful Jesus acting through merciful Christians.
Mercy, not judgment, is at the heart of all change. For things to be different, we must be acquainted with mercy.
Most merciful God, we confess we have sinned against you in thought, word, deed, and neglect. We have not held fast to your commandments and have strayed from your teachings. We turn away from self-centered actions and pride. For the sake of your Son, Jesus, have mercy on us and forgive us so that we are released from all sinful obstacles. Empower us with your wisdom, revelation, and discernment so that we might be your merciful hands, feet, and words to one another and those who do not yet know you. Amen.
Rev. Tim Ehrhardt 