Taking your faith through the roof – Monday, 2nd Week of Advent/Isaiah35:1-10/Luke 5:17-26
Jesus Christ, Superstar!
By the fifth chapter of the Gospel, Jesus is clearly a superstar. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law have come from every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem. He is the emerging national icon of religious life and the go to man for healing and preaching. This was the first mega-church long before others ‘invented it.’
As petty as a Pharisee (a newly coined simile)
Yet even the Messiah is not immunized from human pettiness. The religious leaders have come to him perhaps hoping for an ally to boost their religious world and yet the miracle eludes them simply because they choose to trip over the technicalities of his words rather than be blessed with his heart.
Stop at nothing, just get to Jesus.
Jesus has just called his disciples (5:1) and cleansed a leper (5:13). Now, a faith filled bunch of men came with a paralyzed man. Luke’s Gospel does not mention how many they were but does indicate that they were faith filled; actually, Jesus acknowledges their faith (5:20). These super achievers can’t take no for an answer. Imagine shoving your way through a crowd with a paralyzed man only to find no way in. ‘Plan A’ had to be improvised, and some one’s roof just got ripped off. This is the go-getting faith we are called to have. Stop at nothing, just get to Jesus.
He sees, He deals, He heals.
Hard work coupled with faith, is rewarded. There are no words exchanged between Jesus and the men, who by now, must have been peering down from the roof. Jesus does not need prodding or direction; he sees the actions of the friends; he deals with the spiritual need of the penitent and he heals the paralytic. Amazingly, this is intercession on its feet. The men intercede and that teaches us the power of intercession, even for someone who may not believe in Jesus or thinks he can’t work a miracle for them.
Two legs to walk into hell?
Interestingly, at first, Jesus does not give the paralytic a healed body. Jesus knew what the man’s real need was, and what his greatest need was. His sins had to first be forgiven. What good was it if the man had two whole legs, and walked right into hell with them? We can imagine how the friends on the roof felt. They went to a lot of trouble to see their friend healed of his paralysis, and now the teacher seemed to only be concerned with his spiritual problems. Jesus first addressed the man’s greatest need, and the common root of all pain and suffering; man’s sinful condition. Then to make a point he healed his body too.
Fr. Warner D'Souza is a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Bombay. He has served in the parishes of St Michael's (Mahim), St Paul's (Dadar East), Our Lady of Mount Carmel, (Bandra), a ten year stint as priest-in-charge at St Jude Church (Malad East) and at present is the Parish Priest at St Stephen's Church (Cumballa Hill). He is also the Director of the Archdiocesan Heritage Museum and is the co-ordinator of the Committee for the Promotion and Preservation of the Artistic and Historic Patrimony of the Church.
Fr Warner . It is amazing how well you portray Jesus. A unique gift. My heart swells with admiration for Jesus is the only superstar of all time. This generates a feeling of reverence and awe for the Lord of all time and things. The outcome of all this is the constant desire to share this with others who don’t know him …like Mary Magdalene when she saw the risen Superstar.