7th Sunday in Ordinary Time – B

In the past few years, public figures have made giving sworn testimony in the public forum something of an art form. Whether in a trial or before a grand jury, or in a congressional hearing, or simply when in public in front of a microphone, prominent people have sometimes stretched the truth as far as possible, and not only are we debating these days what the meaning of “is” is, but we are also debating the meaning of telling the truth and committing perjury.

St. Paul reminds us today that with Jesus there is absolutely no ambiguity – He is not alternatively “Yes” and “No” but always “Yes” as a person Whom we can count on the speak and act in a way that is truthful.

With Jesus, there is no hesitation to proclaim and announce the Good News that God loves us and desires to share with us a Word of instruction that teaches us the truth as well as a Word of forgiveness that accomplishes reconciliation, and a Word of healing and consolation that brings us peace.

In the story of Jesus' healing the paralyzed man, He speaks the truth quite clearly when He confronts the scribes and challenges them in their hardness of heart. He speaks a Word of forgiveness to the paralyzed man which certainly was addressed to the greatest of all of his needs. And he speaks a word of healing and consolation to the man and his friends as physical healing becomes a source of peace for the one who suffered and a confirmation of the faith of those who lowered him to the feet of Jesus.

The story of Jesus' healing the paralyzed man teaches us many lessons: It teaches us that Jesus has the power to forgive sins and to accomplish physical healing. It teaches us the importance of friends bringing the needs of people they love to the feet of Jesus for His intervention in their lives. It teaches us the importance of being able to be astonished at the great things God can do in our lives and the need for us to give glory to God in our prayer and worship.

More than anything else, this story of Jesus healing and forgiving the paralyzed man teaches us that Jesus knows the truth about us, He knows our needs better than we know them ourselves, and we can be healed if we accept the truth as it is known and revealed by Jesus.

In the estimation of the paralyzed man and his friends, his greatest need was the need for physical healing, and so they went to great lengths to seek the healing power of Jesus. But Jesus knew the truth that the man's greater need was for forgiveness, mercy, and reconciliation, and so these are the gifts He offers, with physical healing given only as a proof of His greater power to forgive.

May we always have hearts that trust that Jesus knows what we truly need when we place our needs and the needs of others before Him in our prayers, and may we also always have the courage to accept whatever Jesus shares with us as His gifts of love even if they are not exactly what we ask for in our prayers.

Thomas P. Ferguson
February 19, 2006