Testing Our Faith

 

After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town.
And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.”
At that, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.”
Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, “Why do you harbor evil thoughts? 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 stretcher, and go home.”
He rose and went home.
When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe and glorified God who had given such authority to men. (Matthew 9: 1-8)

 

What did you do with my son Jesus? And what did you do with the gifts I gave you?

 

These are the two questions that our faith most frequently confront us with, and those are the two questions God will ask us at our judgment, because how we respond to them requires faith.

 

Our gospel today is a familiar one, but also one that is greatly misunderstood. This whole story is an example of God testing faith on three levels. We all know the story. A paralytic is brought to Jesus by his friends. In Luke’s gospel, Luke adds the detail of the friends having to open the roof and lower the paralytic down through the opening because of the crowd.

 

The first thing to note is that this miracle occurs because of the faith of the friends, not the paralytic. Both gospels say, when Jesus saw their faith Plural. Whose faith? The friends. They make this miracle possible. And in Luke’s version, theirs is the first faith tested, because they can’t get to Jesus easily, but they don’t give up.

 

This is valuable on two levels. It shows us the value of persistent prayer. Sometimes God doesn’t answer prayers right away. Why? He’s testing faith. God isn’t sadistic. He doesn’t play games with us, but he wants us draw us to an experience of trusting him. That takes persistence.

 

The second thing the friends show us is the value of intercessory prayer. We should pray for others because our prayers can affect the lives of others.

 

Third, the faith of the paralytic is tested. Because when Jesus sees him, what does he say? “Your sins are forgiven.” Can you imagine what his reaction to that was? ‘Oh, wonderful! These guys told me this Rabbi could cure me. They carry me through several villages in the heat, and lower me through a roof so this guy can say, ‘Your sins are forgiven.”’ Little does he realize that Jesus is going to heal him, but he’s already received a much better gift. The spiritual healing precedes the physical one.

 

Fourth, the faith of the Pharisees is tested by their reaction to Jesus’ statement. When Jesus says “Your sins are forgiven,” their first reaction is, “Blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!” And they’re right. Only God can forgive sins. And note this: they don’t say it; they just think it, and had I been in their position I probably would have thought the same thing.

 

You see, Jesus wants to heal this man, but even more important than that, Jesus wants his people to understand who he is. Jesus can heal everyone of every infirmity, but they still must die someday. But if he can increase their faith, if he can draw them into an understanding of who he is, he can save them from eternal death. So he sets up this opportunity to demonstrate that he’s more than a rabbi, more than a healer, more than even a prophet.

 

And he answers them, “To help you realize that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,”—he said to the crippled man—“Stand up, pick up your mat and go home.”

 

Why is this significant? When Jesus identifies himself as the Son of Man, he’s not referring to his humanity. He’s referring to his divinity! In the book of the prophet Daniel, which Jesus draws heavily from, the Son of Man is the one who rides the clouds along side of the Ancient of Days, (an Old Testament reference to God the Father) and who is given the authority of the Ancient of Days. Jesus says this so that the Pharisees cannot misinterpret who Jesus is claiming to be. But before they can really charge him with blasphemy, he heals the paralytic. Because no one can do that unless God is with him. Right?

 

And what about us? God is testing us all the time. In his book “the Purpose Driven Life,” Reverend Rick Warren claims that God tests our faith through problems, he tests our hope by how we handle possessions, and he tests our love through how we deal with people.

 

What did you do with my Son Jesus Christ, and what did you do with the gifts I gave you? These are the questions faith asks us everyday. How we answer them will dictate our actions in this life, and they are the questions God will ask us at our judgment when we die. How we answer the first question will determine where we spend eternity. How we answer the second will determine how we spend eternity.

 

So what does your faith tell you? Think about it.

 

And blessed be God forever.

Father Michael Anthony Sisco, Visitor, Confraternity of Penitents