The Read and Run
The Read:
Mark 2:1-12
Jesus Heals a Paralytic
And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 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. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 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. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 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? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 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 Run:
I want to talk today about silence. Not silence from God, but our silence.
There is so much going on in this narrative, and in this house. As we read we may be drawn to a different element in the story: some of us are the watching crowd murmuring about what Jesus is doing; others have a sick friend who they have contended for over the years; some of us see ourselves as that one who is paralyzed, some just simply do not believe, or perhaps some of us have heard this passage so many times that we tuned out a little bit there!
When I read this passage what I am drawn to is this deafening silence. For me, the things that are not said in this story are some of its most powerful elements.
In the text, there are two major moments where Jesus hears and responds to unspoken need or concern. First, we don’t know if the man laying on the mat spoke of his need. The author doesn’t record it. We do know that Jesus saw the faith of the friends, we know he saw the man, and we know he responded. The paralytic man in our text does not speak. We do not know what he would have said if he had spoken. Would he have asked for a healing? Would he have asked to walk again? Or would he have not even imagined this possibility? For us, this man is silent. It is Jesus who speaks and responds. He knows what this man needs, and the man has not even opened his lips. Jesus’ healing power transforms the inner heart and the paralytic’s sins are forgiven.
The next moment of silence, as I like to call it, is the interaction between Jesus and the scribes. We do know that they were silent. No one in the room heard them speak. Despite this, they were not only heard, but understood by Jesus.
In both these cases Jesus perceives the needs of those in his house. For the man, his need was salvation through the forgives of his sins. For the scribes, their need was located in their doubt of Christ’s divinity. They have this huge blind spot. Jesus gives voice to that blind spot, and addresses it. It isn’t even that this blind spot is so off: they know their scriptures. They have read it clearly: only God can forgive sins. To say otherwise is blasphemy. Rather than condemn, Christ responds to their doubt - as he would later respond to his disciple Thomas – by giving them what they needed to believe. “You doubt that I am Christ? You are worried because you know the ancient scriptures that say that only God forgives sins. You are right, this is true! I will show you then, definitively, so that you may know that I am God. I have this authority. I can cause this man to walk. This is within my power -- wonder no longer!”
We all desire to speak eloquently. I find myself often, silent, trying to formulate a perfect sentence, even in prayer. But time and again, I am silent before God. I have things in my own heart that I can’t even express. I have doubt and concern. I have critical and harsh judgments of others that I know I am thinking but would never say. Every Sunday at my church we have a time of confession. I have to confess that sometimes this is the most silent my heart and mind go all week. I force myself to close my eyes, I attempt to say something, anything, but often it is silence, and that is my confession to you, and most weeks, my confession to God.
As human beings we sometimes don’t even know what we need. It is hard to articulate. It was hard for me to articulate this here today! In our moments of need Jesus hears. In our moments of doubt, he hears.
The paralytic man has so many needs he can’t even articulate them all. Yet Jesus responds not to his under-articulation, but to the full depth of his need. The scribes’ hearts over-articulate. Their hearts feel like they know everything. As if they have the full measure of the situation figured out. Jesus works to show them that their concern is misplaced – he is God. In the end we read that because of this they were all amazed. The scribes, the friends, and the paralytic all experienced the glory of God regardless of their unspoken faith or doubt.
This is so much at the heart of who God is. In Psalm 139:2 we read, “You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.” In Romans 8 it says, “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groaning’s which cannot be uttered.”
Most of the time, I feel constrained or disappointed by my silence. I have things I know I need, I have sin I know I live with, times when I am passing judgment, when I have blind spots and doubt. Jesus is the knower of all things, including our hearts. This to me isn’t a removal of agency, it doesn’t require I am always silent; there is a time to speak, to petition, to question, to cry out. But the hidden things deep in our hearts, those are known, and perceived, by Jesus. Just because there are things that may remain unspoken, doesn’t mean God isn’t working. Jesus frees us from the things that paralyze our tongues, our hearts and our minds, and allows us to be made new in spite of our sin, our doubt and our silence.
