The Fifth Sunday of Easter (CL)

Mark 2:1-12

And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. ² And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. ³ And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. ⁴ And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. ⁵ And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” ⁶ Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, ⁷ “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” ⁸ And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? ⁹ Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? ¹⁰ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— ¹¹ “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” ¹² And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

The great blessing of Jeuss Christ is very simple, he comes to put things back together. The paralytic man is placed before Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ makes him how he was supposed to be. Christ is Risen from the dead, and he will raise each of us from the dead. He will take these frail bodies and put them back to the way they were created to be.

This text has a message of forgiveness, but inside that message is a message of brokenness. The man who is brought to Jesus is visibly broken.the room is filled with many broken people. Many people who are not doing what they were designed to do. Many people who are not living lives they are supposed to live. This many gives them a visible picture of what is going on in each of their inept lives.

We are all like the paralytic. Our sins have paralyzed us from doing what is good right and salutary. Therefore, Christ comes to forgive us of these sins. He comes to remove these sins, and their paralyzingly effect. He comes to heal each of us of our deeds and even our very nature. Jesus Christ dies on the cross on account of our sins. He dies to take our paralytic desease upon himself. And He is risen from the Dead. Death no longer has any hold over him, and therefore you.

God comes to make things better, no perfect. God will make you perfect, and holy as he is holy.