Miracles of Faith
Scripture
One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.” (Luke 5:17–26).
Reflection
Jewish tradition considers the parting of the Red Sea to be the greatest of miracles—greater than all the other miracles recounted in the Hebrew Bible. At that time, every one of the Jews rescued by God could remember the wonder of the parted waters and rejoice in the power and the love of Yahweh.
In his book, God Was in This Place, & I, I Did Not Know, Lawrence Kushner tells a story of the Israelites escaping Egypt and coming to the Red Sea. God parted the water and the seabed was safe to traverse—but it wasn’t completely dry. Two men, Reuven and Shimon, complained continually about the mud and the slime as they crossed the sea, going from slavery to freedom. They never looked up to see the wonder that God was performing; they didn’t understand why their fellow Israelites were shouting for joy on the opposite shore. Reuven and Shimon missed the miracle!
The Pharisees and Torah scholars had come to sit with Jesus, watch him, and listen to him with critical ears. But they hadn’t come prepared to see a sign that the messianic age had dawned. Even though the power of God was upon Jesus, these critics had not come to be impressed, nor had they come to learn or be healed themselves. They watched with jaundiced eyes, ready to criticize the young rabbi whose reputation as a healer spread rapidly throughout Judea.
Others who had faith in the healer from Nazareth came, though, and some were prepared to go to great lengths to bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus’ attention. Unable to wade through the crowd, they removed roof tiles and lowered him into the room where the Lord was teaching. Then came the miracle: seeing their faith, Jesus forgave the man’s sins.
Knowing that only God can forgive sin, the lawyers and Pharisees started to grumble within themselves: how could this man presume to forgive sin? It was outrageous—it was blasphemy! Jesus addressed their disbelief: was it easier, he asked, to forgive sin or to tell a paralyzed man to walk? Then, to demonstrate his authority to forgive sin, Jesus told the man to get up and walk. He did so immediately and went home praising God.
Luke wrote that the people were awestruck at the remarkable thing they had seen. What about the Pharisees and lawyers? Like Shimon and Reuven, they likely missed the miracle, but those who had come to see Jesus and experience his power praised God.
And for us? What does this passage ask of us? It asks us to look for the miracles of faith that occur all around us and be grateful for them. The cry of a newborn child, the kindness of a stranger, the providential meetings that changes our lives and our history. All these, and more, cry out for us to give praise and thanks to God.
Prayer
God our Father, thank you for being present to us every moment of our lives. Thank you for the wonders of your love surrounding us. Open our eyes to those wonders, and give us the wisdom to look for your hand in the simplest things in life; help us to see you in the order of nature, in the love of friends, and in the faithfulness of our loved ones. Help us to find ways to share your love with others. We ask this in Jesus’ name and through the power of the Spirit; with You, they are One God forever. Amen
Activity
Make a list of the miracles of God’s love that are in your life today. Think of ways to express your gratitude.
Watching and Waiting For the Lion of Judah: Advent Day by Day
Rev. Richard Hasselbach