We have two types of paralytics in our lesson this morning, physical and Spiritual. Unfortunately, we will see how the spiritual paralytics actually want to remain how they are, rather than see the Great physician.
The healing we read occurs in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and what is really interesting is how amazingly similar all three occurrences are recorded both in how they present the healing, and the context surrounding the healing. As you can see from my title, all three Gospels make what I’m gonna call Literary Sandwiches, 2 of them in fact, 1 Big one, using the greater context of the surrounding passages, and a small one within the lesson, which shows us what is most important.
The first larger sandwich shows us how Jesus mission was not simply to bring Earthly happiness like the people seem to want, but the Gospel. The second smaller sandwich, which you see in the bulletin like an overstuffed oreo, shows the same thing in a concentrated form.
First the Big Picture. M, M, and L directly before the story of the healing of the Paralytic talk about Jesus traveling around Galilee. Jesus Preaches (yay) and Heals (YAY!!) and shows God’s power in casting out demons, calming the seas. (Freak out, aaugh! Go away!!) I don’t think we appreciate some stories in the Bible because of our longing to be there.
Jesus’ miracles got in the way of his preaching, which caused him to keep moving around because people understandably followed him around to get stuff for themselves, rather than to hear the Gospel. (compa)
The sections before the healing shows Jesus’ desire to instruct the people, and it contrasts that with the desire of people to ignore his teaching in order to try to gain comfort in this world. Matthew records also that Jesus casts demons out of two men, in a village of pigherds.
The section immediately after, in all three records, brings us Jesus calling Matthew the tax collector, the wayward Jew, to become one of the 12 disciples.
Just like it is impossible to get a full grasp on the Awesomeness of Jesus calming the waves or driving out demons from a possessed person, it is near impossible for us to understand how incredible and AWESOME it was for Jesus to call Matthew, the Tax Collector to be a Disciple.
Do you really think Peter, who hated tax collectors, welcomed Matthew with open arms? (not a paid advertisement) The TV show “the Chosen” does an excellent job portraying this idea.
My favorite thing about the calling of Matthew is the irony of his name. What tribe are supposed to be the priests of God’s People under the Old Covenant? The Levites. What is the job of a Levite/Priest? They stand in the place of someone who cannot go before God and act as a mediator.
I am NOT a priest in the sense that I go before God Throne on your behalf, because you are incapable of going. Because Christ is our High Priest, all believers may boldly come before the throne of Grace. On the other hand, God’s people are described in the Bible as a Royal Priest-hood, meant to intercede before God for those who need of the Gospel.
The Religious leaders, who grumble against Jesus when he forgives the paralytic’s sins, and when he eats with tax collectors and sinners, were supposed to be the priests, and interceding for sinners and preaching the Word to bring them to God, so that they can be healed and forgiven.
But the Pharisees failed in their mission because they were too worried about the appearance of associating with unbelievers to reach unbelievers. Their Jealousy of Christ’s popularity was literally because they were jealous that Jesus was so successful in doing their job.
The irony? Mark and Luke do not, in this section call Matthew by his Greek name of Matthew. Instead, they call him LEVI! Here in the middle of two examples of Levites utterly failing at understanding and performing their duties, Jesus takes a Tax Collector named … Levi, the dregs of society, and gives to him their job since they weren’t doing it.
Every time I read it, I think how it is probably one of the coolest pictures of God’s Sovereignty in the Bible. God wants to preach the Good News to those who need to hear it. The Levites refuse to do their job, and Jesus finds the lowest, slimiest putz possible that he could find named Levi and equips him to do what the Levites refused to do.
So anyway, that is where our healing sits. Beforehand, Christ trying to preach forgiveness of sins and the people distracted by physical needs in this world, and afterward, Jesus seeking the healing and salvation of sinners, and God’s priests worried about how it looks to eat with sinners.
So now our Second Sandwich, the little one.
I highlighted it in the bulletin as a sandwich to show you how easy it is to read it without the meat. (Read without middle)
And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, …
“Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—
“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
See! A perfectly acceptable story, especially by the world’s standards. In fact, if that had been the whole story, the scribes never would have complained. Even the Levites would have been happy. That’s why I call it “the bread” because bread is never the important part of the sandwich. Even Potato Bread. The bread is there to hold together the important stuff. Reread important part.
The Meat of THIS story changes everything and shows us God’s intention in the passage. When Jesus saw the faith of the paralytic and his friends, Jesus had mercy on the man, and forgave the man’s sins. And that is the central part of the lesson in every Gospel.
Without the forgiveness of his sins, his physical healing doesn’t matter, because it was only there to show the spiritual healing was true.
It is interesting how so many peddlers of false theology focus on making this temporary life more bearable, rather than worrying about the forgiveness of Sin, and preparation for the next life. They will shove bread down your throat, without giving you the meat.
God Wants You Happy! Tastes Great! No Nutritional Value.
Jesus, however, says in response to them, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and to lose his soul.
The man Jesus healed was just like us beneath the surface in that he needed to be told to rejoice that his sins were forgiven. He had faith to believe that Jesus could heal his body, but I wonder if he had gone home still on his bed, …would he have rejoiced knowing Jesus wiped his sins off God’s record. And that’s the question for ourselves.
Do we rejoice in this gift of forgiveness of our sins, and our vocation to carry others? He may, in His sovereign will, give us temporary blessings, but they aren’t really indicators of our souls’ health.
The paralyzed man’s physical healing was a sign for the unbelievers. It was not an end, or the most needful thing. The most needful thing is that we rejoice in our salvation, and share that gift with others.
