Sermon 8-22-2010

Psalm 71:1-6                                                                                       Mark 2:1-12

“Faith in Action”

PRAYER

Once in a while we find ourselves surrounded by crowds, not like in New York City

where everyday everywhere you go seems crowded with people, I am talking about places like a stadium, Fenway park and other parks, ice rinks, basketball courts, theaters, opera houses, etc. Places where even though when we are not crowd-lovers, we will go and surround ourselves with people especially when there is something we are interested in that is taking center stage, those are the crowds we don’t mind. When we go to see a game, for example, we prepare ourselves knowing that the whole ordeal is crowded; the train, the park, the restaurants, the food stands, everything.

Sometimes I hope to have a church as diverse and as crowded as Fenway Park, or maybe a crowd like the Brockton Rox would satisfy me.

Jesus’ crowds were not as much different than they are nowadays. Crowds followed their leaders, teachers and prophets. They did not need to purchase a ticket but they followed the one that was taking center stage whether it was at the synagogue or out in the open.

Jesus was not looking to be center stage, but his message was leading people

to a better understanding of the Kingdom of God. Jesus’ message was one of

hope, love, and forgiveness, which called the attention of many to follow him.

“As Jesus returned to Capernaum… the news of his coming immediately spread

abroad. Life in Palestine was very public. (In contrast to us here in the U.S.).

In the mornings the door of the house was opened and anyone who wished might

come in or out… an open door meant an open invitation for all to come in. In the

humbler homes, such as this must have been, there was no entrance hall; the

door opened directly to the street. So, in no time, a crowd had filled the house to

capacity and jammed the pavement around the door; and they were eagerly

listening to what Jesus had to say.”                         (William Barclay, Mark, pg. 46-47)

‘Then a crowd of people comes towards the house bringing to Jesus a paralyzed man, carried by four friends. “And when they could not bring him through the door, they expend the additional effort required to make a hole in the roof and lower him to Jesus.”

                                             (Texts for Preaching, Walter Brueggemann, Year B, pg.160)

Where these friends Scout masters or strategic planners? They were ready to create a plan and work as a team; they had ropes and perhaps they were very good at making knots; they had to be strong men, and they dared to accomplish the unexpected task ahead of them. The four friends planned to take their paralytic friend, who was lying on a stretcher, a canvas held between two poles, up the stairs and up on to the roof, in order to lower him down. To do that they carefully removed the tiles on the roof, created an opening big enough to lower down the friend on the stretcher with ropes.

“The roof of the Palestinian house was flat. It was regularly used as a place of rest and of quiet, and so usually there was an outside stair which ascended to it… The roof consisted of flat beams laid across from wall to wall, perhaps three feet apart. The space in between the beams was filled with brush-wood packed tight with clay. The top was covered over with dirt. They found it easy to dig out the filling between two of the beams; it did not even damage the house very much and it was easy to repair it again.”  These friends believed that their faith could move mountains and roofs too; no crowd was going to stop them from getting to Jesus. “So, the four friends dug out the filling between two of the beams and let their friend down direct at Jesus’ feet. When Jesus saw this faith that laughed at the barriers he must have smiled an understanding smile.”            (Barclay, idem, pg.47)

 A smile like the one a parent gives to a child when they do something cute, or when they achieve an accomplishment. And Jesus calls him, son, friend, child, (depending on the translation) “your sins are forgiven.””                   (Barclay, idem)

When they heard Jesus say to the man that his sins were forgiven it came as a shattering shock, (and they questioned in their heart, Why does this fellow speak in this way?) It was an essential of the Jewish faith that only God could forgive sins. For any man to claim to do so was to insult God; that was a blasphemy…”

                                                                                                       (Barclay, Mark, pg. 49)

“it was implicitly believed that if a person was suffering he had sinned… That is why Jesus began by telling the man that his sins were forgiven. Without that the man would never believe that he could be cured. This shows how in debate scribe and Pharisees were completely routed. They objected (amongst themselves) to Jesus’ claim to extend forgiveness to the man. But on their own argument and assumptions the man was ill because he had sinned; and if he was cured that proved that his sins were forgiven…”                                 (Barclay, Luke, pg. 62)

“At that moment they were not ready to launch their attack (against Jesus) in public, but Jesus knowing what was in their minds and hearts, he poses the question, ‘Which is easier to say to this man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and take your mat and walk’?  Jesus’ point was that anyone could say, “Your sins are forgiven.” There was no possibility of ever demonstrating whether those words were effective or not… But to say, “Get up and walk” was to say its effectiveness would either be proved or disproved there and then.”

                                                                                  (Barclay, Mark, pg. 49-50)

Jesus perhaps was signing his own death sentence… but he proves his authority on earth as the Son of Man to forgive and to heal, and Jesus said to the paralytic “I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home. And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them; and they all were amazed and glorified God, saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this!”

                                                                                                                    Mark 2:11-12

What do we want to see happening at CSCC that we haven’t seen before?

The wonderful thing about this story is that this man was saved by the faith of his friends. Jesus saw their faith in action and their eagerness to bring their friend to him, and nothing stopped them from doing it.”                               (Barclay, Luke, pg. 62)

What is stopping us from putting our faith in action?

One of the daily challenges we face as Christians in the world is that we are watched by others, our beliefs and our behaviors are questioned.  We find that everything we do and say can be in favor or against us, there is always going to be those who will not agree with what we do or with what we believe to be true for our lives, but that is the cost of discipleship for us and it was not much different for Jesus. Who do we find at the center stage of our lives? Jesus!

Jesus paid the price on the cross by dying in our place for the forgiveness of our sins and the sins of the world!  

And His resurrection gives us new life and a reason to believe and to stand up, walk and follow him! Amen!

BENEDICTION

Touched by the presence of God,

We go to be a healing presence in the world.

Uplifted by the Sprit of Christ,

We stand firm for all that is just and true.

Go, and show your faith in action. Amen!