Reflection on Luke 5:17-26

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Monday, December 6, 2021

In the wonderful story of the healing of the paralyzed man, what do we see? First, we see the generosity of the men who brought the paralyzed man to Jesus. We see the generosity of the house owner who allowed the roof of his house to be torn open. As the roof of his house was being torn open, he did not protest and stop the “invaders.” We also see the generosity of Jesus who restored the paralyzed to wholeness. What else do we see? We see the tenacity, the persistence and the perseverance of the men who brought the paralyzed man to Jesus. When they saw the house and its entrance crowded by the Pharisees and teachers of the law and possibly other listeners, they could have said to themselves, “Oh well, we tried. Let’s take him home and wait for another day.” But they refused to end their pursuit for healing for their friend. In a dramatic fashion, they tore the roof of another person’s house and lowered their friend right in front of Jesus. They had the urgency of the now and it paid off. But that’s not the only thing we can see in this Gospel passage. For we also see the undying faith of these men. Because of their faith in Jesus, their friend was able to walk again. Upon seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “As for you, your sins are forgiven.” Surely, the Lord can heal another due to your own faith. 

We see a lot of good things in this Gospel, but the most significant is what Jesus said to the paralyzed man: “… your sins are forgiven.” If you still harbor doubt about the divinity of Jesus, I hope you find your answer in this passage. The scribes and Pharisees are right to ask, “Who but God alone can forgive sins?” They are right to protest and kick against Jesus’ utterance. Only God can forgive sins. But what they failed and refused to understand was that the man speaking is the very incarnation of Yahweh, the God of Israel. He is God-man who has come to set us free, redeem us and usher in the reign of the God’s kingdom. Jesus is God. That is why he can say, “Your sins are forgiven.” 

Our Gospel narrative is about the healing of a paralyzed man. Do we see a lot of paralyzed people today? If I have the time to go round and ask how many of us have seen paralyzed people, I won’t be surprised if the number is not much. But believe me, there are an awful lot of paralyzed people around. Some of them may even be our relatives, friends, colleagues at work, celebrities on TV, politicians who run our government and powerful men and women who wield a lot of power. Some of them are paralyzed by fear, doubt, anger, arrogance, pride, resentment, ignorance, self-reproach, lack of forgiveness, hatred, and bitterness. Some are paralyzed by the choices they make on a regular basis, paralyzed by the abuse of substance, paralyzed by the abuse of the internet, by pornography, masturbation and and sexual immorality. Whenever God allows us to encounter such people, I hope we have the same urgency the men who brought the paralyzed man to Jesus had. When we come face to face with such people, what should be our job? To bring them closer to Christ. How? By a word of encouragement, word of hope, word of challenge, an explanation, word of forgiveness, a note, a card, a phone call, a visit, emphatic listening to their story. 

Sisters and brothers, there are a great number of people who are paralyzed. I see them everywhere. They are not really physically paralyzed but spiritual. Refusing to surrender to the grace of God is the greatest paralysis any human being can suffer. It is only in God that we can live, move and have our being. The stubborn refusal, the arrogant rejection and the hesitance to surrender to God’s grace is a very sad and painful paralysis. As you can see now, there are an awful lot of such people around us. As the mystical body of Christ, may we always feel the same urgency to bring others closer to Christ, the Truth. Only in him can we and all people truly live, move and have our being. 

God bless you!