24-10

JESUS IS NOT A DEAD FACT, BUT A LIVING FRIEND

Luke 5:17-26

Rev. Paul Wrightman  ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 10/24/21

 

 

OUR SCRIPTURE READING THIS MORNING IS,​​ AMONG OTHER THINGS,

A MOVING COMMENTARY ON THE POWER OF FRIENDS.

 

IMAGINE BEING​​ PARALYZED​​ AND HAVING FOUR FRIENDS​​ 

SO​​ DEVOTED​​ TO​​ YOU​​ AND SO​​ CONVINCED​​ 

OF THE​​ POWER​​ OF JESUS TO​​ HEAL​​ 

 

THAT THEY LITERALLY PICK YOU UP – SLEEPING MAT AND ALL –

TO BRING YOU TO​​ JESUS FOR HEALING.

 

IMAGINE THE PERSISTENCE AND DETERMINATION OF THESE FRIENDS

WHEN, SEEING A​​ CROWD​​ BLOCKING THE ENTRANCE  ​​ ​​​​ 

TO WHERE JESUS WAS,

 

THEY SIMPLY TAKE THE OUTSIDE STAIRCASE TO THE ROOF,

REMOVE A FEW TILES, AND CAREFULLY LOWER THEIR FRIEND,

POSITIONING HIM RIGHT IN FRONT OF JESUS.

 

IT SEEMS THAT THE FAITH OF THESE FRIENDS IS SO STRONG

THAT THEY COME​​ PREPARED​​ FOR JUST THIS EVENTUALITY,

ROPES AND ALL, KNOWING THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE TO DO

SOMETHING​​ DRAMATIC​​ TO GET THEIR FRIEND TO JESUS.

 

I SINCERELY HOPE THAT EACH PERSON HERE AT COMMUNITY CHURCH

CAN CLAIM FRIENDS OF THIS CALIBER –

PERSONS WHO​​ LOVE​​ YOU,​​ CONSOLE​​ YOU,​​ CHALLENGE​​ YOU,

PRAY​​ FOR YOU, AND WILL DO MOST​​ ANYTHING

TO GET YOU TO JESUS FOR HEALING.

 

I’M SO THANKFUL THAT LUKE THE PHYSICIAN,

AS​​ PART OF HIS PROCESS OF GATHERING EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS --

A PROCESS WHICH HE MENTIONS AT THE VERY BEGINNING

OF HIS GOSPEL -- CHOSE TO INCLUDE THIS STORY IN HIS GOSPEL,

 

BECAUSE THIS STORY IS THE ONLY ONE IN ALL OF SCRIPTURE

WHERE WE ARE EXPLICITLY TOLD THAT​​ SOMEONE IS HEALED

BECAUSE OF THE FAITH OF THEIR FRIENDS.

 

ALTHOUGH WE SHOULD NEVER BE SO FOOLISH AS TO THINK

THAT WE CAN​​ DEMAND​​ THAT GOD HEAL,

 

OR TO THINK THAT WE CAN​​ PREDICT​​ WHEN GOD WILL HEAL –

 

OR TO SET UP IMPOSSIBLE BURDENS FOR OURSELVES

AND OUR​​ LOVED ONES BY TELLING OURSELVES OR OTHERS

THAT IF HEALING DOES NOT TAKE PLACE

THAT OUR – OR THEIR – FAITH SIMPLY WASN’T UP TO THE TASK –

 

LET US NEVER​​ UNDERESTIMATE​​ THE POWER OF​​ FRIENDS,

AND THE POWER OF A​​ COMMUNITY​​ OF FRIENDS

LIKE THAT WHICH WE FIND HERE​​ AT COMMUNITY CHURCH,

TO BE​​ INSTRUMENTAL​​ IN THE HEALING PROCESS.

 

WE ARE TOLD AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF TODAY’S TEXT

THAT PART OF THE CROWD BLOCKING THE ENTRANCE

TO THE HOUSE WAS A HUGE GROUP OF SCRIBES AND PHARISEES.

 

LUKE TELLS US PARENTHETICALLY THAT “THEY HAD COME​​ 

FROM EVERY VILLAGE OF GALILEE AND JUDEA​​ 

AND FROM JERUSALEM.”​​ 

 

WHY SUCH A LARGE DELEGATION?

 

WORD OF JESUS’ TEACHING AND HEALING​​ 

HAD BECOME KNOWN THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE REGION.

 

THE PHARISEES AND THE SCRIBES – SELF-PROCLAIMED WATCHDOGS

OF THEOLOGICAL​​ ORTHODOXY​​ AND RITUAL​​ PURITY​​ –

WERE THERE TO CHECK OUT JESUS FOR THEMSELVES,

 

TO MAKE SURE THAT HE WAS OPERATING WITHIN

THE APPROPRIATE THEOLOGICAL AND RITUAL​​ BOUNDARIES.

 

THE SCENE IS SET: ​​ THE WATCHDOGS ARE ON THE​​ OUTSIDE

OF THE HOUSE LOOKING IN,​​ INTENT ON CATCHING

ANY THEOLOGICAL IMPROPRIETY OR RITUAL INFRACTION.

 

IRONICALLY, THESE MASTERS OF ORTHODOXY​​ 

ARE ACTUALLY MAKING IT​​ IMPOSSIBLE​​ FOR ANYONE ELSE

TO GET​​ INTO​​ THE HOUSE TO BE WITH JESUS.

 

THIS SCENE IS IN​​ ITSELF​​ A TYPE OF​​ PARABLE:

 

HOW OFTEN IT IS THAT THE MOST “RELIGIOUS” –

OR AT LEAST THOSE WHO​​ CONSIDER​​ THEMSELVES TO BE SO –

WHO​​ BLOCK​​ THE WAY, WHO MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE

FOR OTHERS TO BE WITH JESUS.

 

THE FRIENDS OF THE PERSON WHO IS PARALYZED

SHOW SOME WONDERFUL​​ IMAGINATION​​ AND​​ INGENUITY

AT THIS POINT.

 

WE CAN’T GET THROUGH THE​​ DOOR?

 

NO PROBLEM! ​​ WE’LL SIMPLY TAKE A BIT OF A​​ DETOUR​​ 

AND BREAK IN THROUGH THE​​ ROOF!

 

THEIR DETOUR, IRONICALLY, BECOMES THE MOST​​ DIRECT​​ ROUTE

FOR THEIR FRIEND TO GET TO JESUS.

 

RATHER THAN HAVING TO JOSTLE FOR JESUS’​​ ATTENTION,

OR HAVING TO WAIT PATIENTLY IN LINE,

BY BREAKING IN FROM ABOVE THEY ARE ABLE​​ 

TO LOWER THEIR FRIEND DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF JESUS.

 

THIS IS ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS IN THE GOSPELS

WHEN I PASSIONATELY WISH THAT WE COULD HAVE BEEN THERE.

 

I PASSIONATELY​​ WISH THAT WE COULD HAVE BEEN THERE

TO SEE THE LOOK OF​​ AMAZEMENT​​ ON THE FACE OF JESUS

AS HE IS SUDDENLY RAINED UPON BY FALLING MORTAR,

 

LOOKS UP, AND SEES A PALLET BEING LOWERED DOWN.

 

LOOKING UP AGAIN AFTER THE DUST HAS SETTLED

AND THE MAN WHO IS PARALYZED​​ IS LYING RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM,

JESUS LOOKS INTO THE EAGER AND EXPECTANT EYES

OF THE FOUR FRIENDS,

 

AND THEN INTO THE EAGER AND EXPECTANT EYES

OF THE ONE STRETCHED OUT IN FRONT OF HIM.

 

THEN JESUS DOES SOMETHING WHICH IS TOTALLY​​ SURPRISING​​ TO​​ US,

BUT IS​​ NOT​​ SURPRISING​​ AT​​ ALL​​ GIVEN THE BELIEF-SYSTEM​​ 

OF THAT TIME:

 

LUKE WRITES, “WHEN JESUS SAW THEIR​​ FAITH,​​ 

HE SAID, ‘FRIEND, YOUR​​ SINS​​ ARE​​ FORGIVEN​​ YOU.’”

 

WE,​​ EXPECTING​​ TO HEAR A PRONOUNCEMENT OF​​ HEALING,

ARE​​ TAKEN​​ ABACK​​ AT HEARING​​ 

A PRONOUNCEMENT OF THE​​ FORGIVENESS​​ OF​​ SINS.

 

TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON HERE, WE NEED TO REMEMBER

THAT AT THE TIME IN WHICH JESUS MINISTERED,

THEOLOGICAL ORTHODOXY MAINTAINED

THAT ILLNESS OR POVERTY WAS​​ GODS​​ PUNISHMENT​​ FOR​​ SIN.

 

AMONG OTHER THINGS, JESUS CAME TO​​ CORRECT​​ 

THIS​​ MISUNDERSTANDING​​ ABOUT GOD AND GOD’S WAYS.

 

HE KNOWS THAT THE PARALYZED MAN LYING BEFORE HIM

COULD NOT POSSIBLY BE​​ RECEPTIVE​​ TO GOD’S HEALING POWER

AND GOD’S​​ DESIRE​​ TO HEAL IF HE WAS STILL CONVINCED

THAT HIS OWN SINFULNESS – OR EVEN THAT OF HIS PARENTS –

HAD MADE HIM THAT WAY.

 

JESUS KNOWS THAT IN ORDER FOR HEALING TO HAPPEN,

THE PROBLEM OF​​ BLAMING​​ ONESELF​​ FOR ONE’S ILLNESS

HAD TO BE DEALT WITH​​ FIRST.

 

THUS, BEFORE JESUS HEALS THE MAN​​ PHYSICALLY,

HE​​ FIRST​​ HEALS THE MAN​​ SPIRITUALLY:

“FRIEND, YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN YOU.”

 

NOW​​ REMEMBER, A CROWD OF SCRIBES AND PHARISEES

ARE STANDING OUTSIDE, STANDING ON TIPTOE,

PEERING IN TO MAKE SURE THAT JESUS DOES NOT SAY OR DO

ANYTHING THAT HE ISN’T​​ SUPPOSED​​ TO SAY OR DO.

 

HOW​​ DELIGHTED​​ THEY MUST HAVE BEEN

THAT THE​​ FIRST THING THEY HEARD OUT OF JESUS’ MOUTH

WAS NOT JUST A MINOR INDESCRETION, BUT, IN FACT,

THE VERY WORST FORM OF​​ BLASPHEMY:

 

JESUS WAS CLAIMING A PEROGATIVE –​​ 

THE ABILITY TO FORGIVE SINS – RESERVED FOR​​ GOD​​ ALONE.

 

IN​​ THEIR​​ MINDS, JESUS HAD​​ ALREADY​​ COMMITTED AN OFFENSE

PUNISHABLE BY​​ DEATH.

 

JESUS WAS MUCH TOO POPULAR AND POWERFUL​​ 

TO TAKE HIM TO TASK FOR THIS NOW.

 

BUT, OH, WHAT A JUICY STORY THEY WOULD HAVE TO TELL

TO THEIR SUPERIORS IN JERUSALEM!

 

INDEED, THE RELIGIOUS ESTABLISHMENT OF THE DAY

DID​​ FINALLY HAVE ITS WAY,​​ 

AND THE CHARGE THAT LED TO JESUS’ DEATH

WAS PRECISELY THAT OF BLASPHEMY –

 

OF CLAIMING FOR HIMSELF POWERS RESERVED FOR GOD ALONE.

 

INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH,

IF THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES HAD BEEN​​ CORRECT​​ –

 

IF JESUS HAD INDEED SPOKEN​​ BLASPHEMY

WHEN HE FORGAVE THE MAN’S SINS –

 

THE MAN’S PHYSICAL HEALING COULD NEVER HAVE TAKEN PLACE,

 

BECAUSE TO THEIR WAY OF THINKING

A PERSON GUILTY OF THE HIGH SIN OF BLASPHEMY

WOULD,​​ BY​​ DEFINITION, BE​​ INCAPABLE​​ OF PERFORMING A HEALING.

 

HOW​​ SHOCKED​​ THEY MUST HAVE BEEN​​ 

WHEN, AFTER HAVING PREPARED THE WAY

FOR THE MAN’S HEALING BY RELEASING HIM FROM HIS​​ SINS,

 

JESUS CALMLY PROCEEDS TO RELEASE HIM FROM HIS​​ PARALYSIS.

 

ACCORDING TO THEIR OWN LOGIC,​​ 

THE VERY FACT THAT JESUS COULD PULL OFF

SUCH A MAGNIFICENT​​ HEALING IMMEDIATELY AFTER

UTTERING THE GRAVEST OF BLASPHEMIES,

 

SHOULD​​ HAVE GIVEN THEM​​ PAUSE​​ 

AS TO WHO THIS JESUS REALLY​​ WAS:

 

IN THIS SITUATION BEING​​ ABLE​​ TO​​ HEAL​​ WAS​​ PROOF​​ 

THAT THE HEALER DID, INDEED, HAVE THE POWER TO FORGIVE SINS.

 

I SUSPECT THAT AT​​ LEAST A FEW OF THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES

MADE THIS CONNECTION, AND BEGAN TO SEE IN JESUS

SOMETHING​​ MORE​​ THAN A​​ PROPHET.

 

JESUS HIMSELF SAYS AS MUCH WHEN HE CLAIMS FOR HIMSELF

THE TITLE OF THE “SON OF MAN,” A TITLE THAT COMES​​ 

FROM THE BOOK OF DANIEL IN THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES,

 

AND WHICH MANY IN JESUS’ DAY SAW AS THE MAJOR TITLE

OF THE​​ MESSIAH​​ FOR WHOM THEY AWAITED.

 

PERHAPS A NUMBER OF PHARISEES AND SCRIBES

TOOK IN THE WONDER  ​​ ​​​​ 

OF WHAT HAD JUST UNFOLDED BEFORE THEM,

 

BUT WE KNOW THAT FOR A MAJORITY​​ 

OF THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES EVENTS LIKE THIS

SIMPLY SERVED AS FODDER​​ 

FOR THE FURTHER HARDENING OF THEIR HEARTS.

 

LATER IN THE GOSPELS WE FIND THEM CLAIMING

THAT JESUS HEALS THROUGH THE POWER OF THE EVIL ONE,

 

AGAIN, A BLATANT CONTRADICTION OF THEIR OWN LOGIC,

WHICH HELD THAT THE EVIL ONE, AGAIN, BE DEFINITION,

COULD PERFORM NO REAL HEALINGS.

 

WE HAVE LOOKED AT THE POWER OF FRIENDS

AND AT THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS TO FORGIVE SINS AND TO HEAL.

 

TO CLOSE THIS SERMON I WOULD LIKE TO LOOK BRIEFLY

AT THE REALITY OF​​ JESUS​​ AS​​ FRIEND.

 

IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN JESUS TELLS HIS DISCIPLES

THAT, FOR HIM, THEY ARE NOT MERELY SERVANTS, BUT​​ FRIENDS.

(John 15:15)

 

GRADUALLY GROWING INTO A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS AS FRIEND

IS A​​ HUGE​​ PART OF WHAT CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY IS ALL ABOUT.

 

FOR NOW LET IT SUFFICE TO SAY THAT COUNTLESS CHRISTIANS​​ 

THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE DISCOVERED

THAT FRIENDSHIP WITH​​ JESUS, AND THUS FRIENDSHIP WITH​​ GOD,

 

IS AN AWESOME REALITY THAT CAN ACTUALLY BE​​ EXPERIENCED

AND​​ LIVED​​ OUT​​ ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS.

 

HERE IS A​​ TRUE STORY WHICH I THINK BEAUTIFULLY CAPTURES

THE REALITY OF FRIENDSHIP, BOTH WITH A SPECIAL PERSON,

AND WITH JESUS:

 

“AS PART OF AN ASSIGNMENT FOR A DOCTORAL THESIS,

A UNIVERSITY STUDENT SPENT A YEAR

WITH A GROUP OF NAVAJO INDIANS

ON A RESERVATION IN THE​​ SOUTHWEST.

 

AS HE DID HIS RESEARCH HE LIVED WITH ONE FAMILY,

SLEEPING IN THEIR HUT, EATING THEIR FOOD, WORKING WITH THEM,

AND GENERALLY LIVING THE LIFE OF A TWENTIETH-CENTURY​​ 

NATIVE AMERICAN.

 

THE OLD GRANDMOTHER OF THE FAMILY SPOKE NO ENGLISH AT ALL,

YET​​ A VERY CLOSE FRIENDSHIP FORMED BETWEEN THE TWO.

 

THEY SPENT A GREAT DEAL OF TIME SHARING A FRIENDSHIP

THAT WAS MEANINGFUL TO EACH,

YET UNEXPLAINABLE TO ANYONE ELSE.

 

IN SPITE OF THE LANGUAGE DIFFERENCE,

THEY SHARED THE COMMON LANGUAGE OF​​ LOVE

AND UNDERSTOOD EACH OTHER.

 

OVER THE MONTHS HE LEARNED A FEW PHRASES OF NAVAJO,

AND SHE PICKED UP A LITTLE OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.

 

WHEN IT WAS TIME FOR HIM TO RETURN TO THE CAMPUS

AND WRITE HIS THESIS, THE TRIBE HELD A GOING-AWAY CELEBRATION.

 

IT WAS MARKED BY SADNESS SINCE THE YOUNG MAN

HAD BECOME CLOSE TO THE WHOLE VILLAGE

AND ALL WOULD MISS HIM.

 

AS HE PREPARED TO GET UP INTO THE PICKUP TRUCK AND LEAVE,

THE GRANDMOTHER CAME TO TELL HIM GOOD-BYE.

 

WITH TEARS STREAMING DOWN HER EYES, SHE PLACED HER HANDS​​ 

ON EITHER​​ SIDE OF HIS FACE, LOOKED DIRECTLY INTO HIS EYES

 

AND SAID, “I​​ LIKE​​ ME​​ BEST​​ WHEN​​ IM​​ WITH​​ YOU.’”

 

THE SHARER OF THIS STORY GOES ON TO SAY:

 

“ISN’T THAT THE WAY WE FEEL IN THE PRESENCE OF​​ JESUS?

 

HE BRINGS OUT THE​​ BEST​​ IN US.

 

WE LEARN TO SEE OURSELVES AS​​ WORTHY​​ AND​​ VALUABLE

WHEN WE ARE IN HIS PRESENCE.

 

THE​​ HURTS, THE​​ CARES, THE​​ DISAPPOINTMENTS​​ OF OUR LIVES

ARE​​ BEHIND​​ US WHEN WE LOOK IN HIS EYES

AND REALIZE THE​​ DEPTH​​ OF HIS​​ LOVE.

 

OUR SELF-ESTEEM NO LONGER DEPENDS​​ 

ON WHAT WE HAVE​​ DONE​​ OR​​ FAILED​​ TO DO;

 

IT​​ DEPENDS ONLY ON THE VALUE THAT​​ HE​​ PLACES ON US.”

 

I WOULD LIKE TO CLOSE THIS SERMON BY SAYING

THAT I HAVE KNOWN FAR TOO MANY

SO-CALLED “PROGRESSIVE” OR MAINLINE CHRISTIANS WHO​​ REJECT​​ 

THE VERY​​ NOTION​​ OF FRIENDSHIP WITH JESUS.

 

THEY DO THIS FOR TWO​​ REASONS:

 

ONE, SINCE​​ EVANGELICAL​​ CHRISTIANS TALK SO MUCH

ABOUT A “PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS,”

 

THEY WANT​​ NOTHING​​ TO​​ DO​​ WITH THIS,

 

FEARING THAT FRIENDSHIP WITH JESUS

WILL TURN​​ THEM​​ INTO FUNDAMENTALISTS.

 

MY RESPONSE TO “PROGRESSIVE” OR MAINLINE​​ CHRISTIANS​​ 

WHO TAKE THIS TACK IS TO REMIND THEM​​ 

THAT FRIENDSHIP WITH JESUS DOES NOT BELONG

JUST TO EVANGELICALS AND FUNDAMENTALISTS,

 

BUT IS AT THE VERY HEART OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

AND THE SPIRITUALITY OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

 

REASON NUMBER​​ TWO​​ FOR NOT DESIRING JESUS AS A FRIEND

IS THE FEAR THAT FRIENDSHIP WITH JESUS

WILL SOMEHOW CAUSE THEM TO​​ LOSE​​ THEIR​​ UNIQUE​​ IDENTITY

AND TO BECOME PART OF A​​ FORMLESS​​ MASS.

 

TO THIS I RESPOND THAT ALL THE GREAT SPIRITUAL MASTERS

OF CHRISTIANITY – PEOPLE LIKE FRANCIS OF​​ ASSISI,​​ 

HILDEGARD OF BINGEN, JULIA OF NORWICH, CATHERINE OF SIENA,

FYODOR DOSTOEVSKY, AND DIETRICH BONHOEFFER –

 

IN FACT,​​ ALL​​ OF THE DEEPEST PERSONS

WHO IDENTIFY THEMSELVES WITH JESUS,

ARE​​ UNANIMOUS​​ IN THEIR VERDICT​​ 

THAT BY​​ GIVING​​ THEMSELVES TO JESUS IN​​ FRIENDSHIP,

 

NOT ONLY DO THEY​​ NOT​​ LOSE THEMSELVES,

BUT THAT THEY​​ FIND​​ THEIR TRUEST AND DEEPEST SELVES

FOR THE FIRST TIME.

 

TO A ONE, THEY WOULD ALL, LIKE THE NAVAJO GRANDMOTHER,

SAY ABOUT THEIR FRIENDSHIP WITH JESUS:

 

I​​ LIKE​​ ME​​ BEST​​ WHEN​​ I’M​​ WITH​​ YOU.”

 

AMEN.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Independent and United Church of Christ