even outside the door. While Jesus was preaching the word to them, some people brought to
him a paralyzed man. The four men who carried him couldn’t get near Jesus because of the
crowd, so they opened the roof above the room where Jesus was and, through the hole,
lowered the man on his mat. When Jesus saw the faith of these people, he said to the paralytic,
“My son, your sins are forgiven.” Now, some teachers of the law, who were sitting there,
wondered within themselves, “How can he speak like this, insulting God? Who can forgive
sins except God?” At once, Jesus knew in his spirit what they were thinking, and asked,
“Why do you wonder? Is it easier to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to
say, ‘Rise, take up your mat and walk?’ But now you shall know, that the Son of Man has
authority on earth to forgive sins.” And he said to the paralytic, “Stand up, take up your mat
and go home.” The man rose and, in the sight of all those people, he took up his mat and
went out. All of them were astonished and praised God, saying, “Never have we seen
anything like this!”
Reflect
“Loving relationship.” While an ill intention is at all times paralyzing, a good intention of
separate individuals, put together, is liberating. A loving relationship existing within a small
group of people will always find a way to liberate one more person so that this person will
himself experience the saving power of God’s love. Are we the type of persons who want
others to experience God’s saving power or are we the kind of persons who would try to
pull others down? In today’s Gospel, Jesus healed a paralytic brought to him by four other
men via the roof of a house. Jesus healed the paralytic by first forgiving his sins. With
this, the teachers of the law thought ill of Jesus. The four men became instruments of
the paralytic’s liberation. The teachers of the law appeared to be the ones who are truly
paralyzed due to their legalistic tendency and hardened hearts, preventing them to
understand what a loving relationship truly is. When we are in a loving relationship, we can
only become God’s instrument of salvation and we can only be happy for other
people whenever they receive blessings from the Lord.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2024
