However, this morning's event leaves no question that Jesus' primary concern was the spiritual needs of people. Not that their physical needs were unimportant. It was a matter of which came first. What good was it to heal this man's legs if he did not know where he should walk or why he should walk there?
Imagine that you were one of those who brought that man to Jesus. Picture the hope that you came with for the healing you wanted for your friend. Then imagine your reaction when the first words Jesus spoke were, "Your sins are forgiven." What would you have felt?
I am intrigued by Jesus' comment to the scribes who objected to his actions. Which is easier to say, "Your sins are forgiven," or "Get up and walk"? These two phrases are descriptive of the kinds of ministry done by the church today. But I found myself wondering if we have put them in the same order that Jesus put them.
In the past two generations we have worked hard to meet the physical needs of people. We have developed a network of places where the homeless can stay during the cold months of the year. We have set up food pantries in almost every community so that the hungry can be fed. We have established advocacy networks to work with government and have fought for the civil rights of those in society who are disenfranchised. We have enhanced our response to natural disasters so that when a hurricane strikes, the resources of millions of church people are brought in to alleviate the suffering.
The church is involved in health care needs through its hospitals and social service agencies. Today it is only a matter of moments before a fully equipped ambulance with trained medical technicians arrives at a home or accident scene to save lives. Because of advances in medicine, people are now living longer, so there are more mornings that we will get up and walk than our grandparents had.
All this testifies to our concern that people will be able to get up and walk. On the level of material and physical need, the picture is bright and getting brighter. Yet, despite all our efforts, the eyes of people are still empty and fearful. Political demagogues find eager followers for their offers of security at the expense of freedom and justice. New age spirituality promises to fill the vacuum in peoples' souls with its brand of religion. Add to it a pinch of corruption in government, a dash of drive-by shootings, a cup of racism, and garnish with widespread traffic in drugs, and what we have is a bad recipe for the happiness of humanity.
It is not that we have ignored this emptiness. Society has developed a billion dollar entertainment industry whose prime function is to provide an escape -- an opportunity to forget ourselves and the "soul sickness" of our age. And if that doesn't do the job, we throw ourselves into our work or our school activities or our household chores, only to discover at the end of a day we are jittery and tense, not merely physically tired.
Which is easier to say: "Get up and walk," or "Your sins are forgiven"? Perhaps we have been so focused on helping people get up and walk, that we have neglected addressing clearly the emptiness which is filled only by hearing, "Your sins are forgiven." It would appear that the word "sin" does not seem to be relevant in a society that has become the healthiest, longest-lived, most comfortable, and most technologically advanced that the world has ever known.
"Your sins are forgiven." We still need to hear those words. They are words of hope for those whose lives are disfigured by discontent and frustration. They are words of purpose for those who have become warped by the drive to carve out a place in the sun on their terms. They are words of direction for those who have strayed from living the way God intended humanity to live.
They are the words which, over the centuries, have drawn people to the cross of Jesus Christ. In the shadow of that cross there is a strange sense of peace. There we know that we are loved and accepted -- not because of our brains or wit or good looks or career -- not because we are better than someone else. At the foot of the cross we know that we are accepted simply for who we are -- irreplaceable and infinitely worthwhile in the eyes of God!
The simplest analogy (and yet, the best I have heard) is the small child who is blessed with wise and loving parents. These parents love their child regardless of whether she is dull-witted or bright -- regardless of whether he is homely or handsome -- regardless of whether the child is devilish or well-behaved. With an assurance that he or she does not consciously recognize, it is this child who bounds out of the house to play because he or she knows that he or she is accepted, forgiven, and loved.
Call it "salvation." Call it whatever you like. It is what God has given to us. It is what we, God's people, have to share with our world today. The rest of it is merely commentary. "Your sins are forgiven!" This is what makes it possible for us to go out into the world with a sense of confidence that we are part of God's creative answer to the needs of our times.
"Which is easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Stand up and take your mat and walk'? But so 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, stand up, take your mat and go to your home.' And the man stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, 'We have never seen anything like this!' " (Mark 2:9-12)