Healing of the Paralytic Homily Help

Sunday of the Paralytic

1 Timothy 5:24-6:5

Some people’s sins are public, preceding them to judgment; but other people are fol-lowed by their sins. Similarly, good works are also public; and even those that are not cannot remain hidden. Those who are under the yoke of slavery must regard their mas-ters as worthy of full respect, so that the name of God and our teaching may not suffer abuse. Those whose masters are believers must not take advantage of them because they are brothers but must give better service because those who will profit from their work are believers and are beloved. Whoever teaches something different and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the religious teaching is conceited, understanding nothing, and has a morbid disposition for arguments and verbal disputes. From these come envy, rivalry, insults, evil suspicions, and mutual fric-tion among people with corrupted minds, who are deprived of the truth, supposing reli-gion to be a means of gain. Praise be to God always.

Mark 2:1-12

When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it became known that he was at home. Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them, not even around the door, and he preached the word to them. They came bringing to him a para-lytic carried by four men. Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves, “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can for-give sins?” Jesus immediately knew in his mind what they were thinking to them-selves, so he said, “Why are you thinking such things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth”– he said to the paralytic, “I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.” He rose, picked up his mat at once, and went away in the sight of everyone. They were all astounded and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”
This is the Truth. Peace be with you.

I. Biblical Resources

A. Exegesis of 1 Timothy 5:24-6:5
Since the eighteenth century 1st and 2nd Timothy and Titus have been referred to as the Pastorial Epistles. They deal with “church order”; the pastoral concerns of those with the Apostolic Mission (the Apostles and their disciples, like Timothy and Titus) in choosing presbyters and bishops (which at this time in the early church may have meant the same ministry), and in protecting their flock from those who wanted to im-pose Jewish Law on Gentile converts and the growing onslaught of gnosticism, which would become a greater challenge in the second and third centuries.

5:24 – This verse actually completes Paul’s suggestions to Timothy on selecting those presyters and bishops. He tells Timothy that everyones sins and good deeds come to light, all eventully becomes public knowledge.

6:1-2 – Paul gives the rules for slaves and slave owners. In his Letter to Philemon his ideas on the relationship between Christian owners and Christian slaves is in the same vein as here, possibly even more forceful, in that he would like Philemon to free his Christian slave Onesimus, and even if he does not must treat him as a Christian brother.

6:3-5 – Paul tells Timothy that he will be able to know who the false teachers are by their bad conduct and foul attitude. He also reminds him that these same people really use religion for personal gain. From this we can ascertain that those who the Apostles layed hands on to be deacons, and presbyters/bishops, must have been taken care of my the Christian community, and this care could have been exploited by some who sought only material gain.

B. Exegesis of Mark 2:1-12
2:1–3:6 – This section relates a series of conflicts between Jesus and the scribes and Pharisees in which the growing opposition of the latter leads to their plot to put Jesus to death.

2:1–2 – To the crowds that gathered in and outside the house Jesus preached the word, that is, the gospel concerning the nearness of the kingdom and the necessity of repentance and faith.

2:5 – It was the faith of the paralytic and those who carried him that moved Jesus to heal the sick man. Accounts of other miracles of Jesus reveal more and more his em-phasis on faith as the requisite for exercising his healing powers.

2:6 – Scribes: trained in oral interpretation of the written law; in Mark’s gospel, adver-saries of Jesus, with one exception (Mk 12:28, 34).

2:7 – He is blaspheming is an accusation made here and repeated during the trial of Jesus (Mk 14:60–64).

2:10 – “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth”: although Mk 2:8–9 are addressed to the scribes, the “ the sudden interruption of thought and structure in Mk 2:10 seems not addressed to them nor to the paralytic. Moreover, the early public use of the designation “Son of Man” to unbelieving scribes is most unlikely. The most probable explanation is that Mark’s insertion of Mk 2:10 is a commentary addressed to Christians for whom he recalls this miracle and who already accept in faith that Jesus is Messiah and Son of God.

C. Supporting Biblical References
1. For 1 Timothy 5:24-6:5 – Ephesians 6:5; Titus 2:9-10; Philemon 1:16; Galatians 1:6-9; 2 Timothy 1:13; Titus 1:1; 2 Timothy 3:8; 4:4; Titus 1:14.
2. For Mark 2:1-12 – Matthew 9:2-8; Luke 5:18-26; Isaiah 43:25.

II. Patristic Resources

A. For 1 Timothy 5:24-6:5
Chrysostom.: The Lord having forbidden to make merchandize of spiritual things, pro-ceeds to pull up the root of all evil, saying, “Possess neither gold, nor silver.”
Jerome: For if they preach without receiving reward for it, the possession of gold and silver and wealth was unnecessary. For had they had such, they would have been thought to be preaching, not for the sake of men’s salvation, but their own gain.
Jerome: As He had cut off riches, which are meant by gold and silver, He now almost cuts off all necessities of life; that the Apostles, teachers of the true religion, who taught men that all things are directed by God’s providence, might show themselves to be without thought for tomorrow.
Chrysostom.: It aided the Apostles to be supported by their disciples, that neither they should be arrogant towards those whom they taught, as though they gave all, and re-ceived nothing; and that the others, on their part, should not fall away, as overlooked by them. Also that the Apostles might not cry, He bids us lead the life of beggars,… call-ing them “laborers,” and that which is given their “hire.”…”The labourer is worthy of his meat.” This He said not to signify that the labors of the Apostles were only worth so much, but laying down a rule for the Apostles, and persuading those that gave, that what they gave was only what was due.
Augustine., Serm., 46: The Gospel therefore is not for sale, that it should be preached for reward. For if they so sell it, they sell a great thing for a small price. Let preachers then receive their necessary support from the people, and from God the reward of their employment. For the people do not give pay to those that minister to them in the love of the Gospel, but give a stipend that may support them in their work.
Hilary: “Neither a staff;” that is, we are not to seek rights of extraneous power, since we have a rod from the root of Jesse.

B. For Mark 2:1-12
Now the Pharisee, doubted our Lord, doubted that He was not a proph-et,but by doing so he was actually supporting the Lord, in saying—Had this man been a prophet, he would have known that this woman is a sinner. Therefore, if it should be found that our Lord knew that she was a sinner, He is, according to your word, O Pharisee, a prophet. Our Lord, therefore, hastened to show both that she was a sinner, and that her sins were many; that the testimony of his own mouth might reveal he is not a liar. For the Pharisee was companion of those that said: Who is able to forgive sins, but God only. – Ephrem, Three Homilies, On Our Lord

II. Magesterial Resources

A. The Church, entrusted with the task of extending Christ’s mission in time and space, cannot neglect these two essential tasks: evangelization and the care of the sick in body and in mind. Indeed, God wants to heal the whole of man and in the Gos-pel the healing of the body is a sign of the deeper recovery that is the forgiveness of sins (cf. Mark 2:1-12). – Pope Benedict XVI, MEMORIAL OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES – 18th WORLD DAY OF THE SICK, Vatican Basilica, Thursday, 11 February 2010

III. Biblical Word Study

A. Sin (1 Timothy 5:24): αμαρτία – hamartia is the most common word for sin in the Greek New Testament. However there are thirty-three words used for sin in the New Testament, see (https://bible.org/article/thirty-three-words-sin-new-testament-part-1) for an indepth study. In classical and biblical Koine Greek it is defined as “missing the mark”; in the New Testament in the moral sense of missing the mark.

B. Blasphemy (Mark 2:7): βλασφημεῖ – blasphēmei is used here to show the Phari-sees blaming Jesus for what is according to Leviticus 24, committing a capital crime, “forgiving sins”. Only God is allowed to forgive sins, and the Pharisees fail to see that Jesus in his act of forgining and healing is revealing that God is in their midst. For an indepth study see (www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/blasphemy/)

Sample Homily

Paul’s First Letter to Timothy ends with these words, “Grace to you,” in the plural. Therefore, we can assume that this was not a private letter to Timothy but was intended to be read to the Church in Ephesus, and by extention to the Uni-versal Church, throughout the ages. That being so, we can in this season of Great Lent apply the words of Paul to Timothy on how he should judge those worthy of being ordained as presbyters, as a guide for our own worthiness in being pro-fessed Christians. How are our actions and deeds judged in the light of day? While we thankfully do not own slaves today as in the time of Paul and the early Church, we still have other human beings to whom we are responsible; our chil-dren, parents, co-workers, friends, and fellow parishioners. Do we treat them as brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus, can they count on us to be honest, com-passionate, and ethical.
Possibly most importantly this reading from the First Letter to Timothy chal-lenges us to examine our motivations in life. Are our actions motivated by a love for Christ and his Church, or for personal gain, be it material or merely to have the praise of others. As Paul will write later “we brought nothing into this world, and we will take nothing out of it.” If our goals are earthly gain, they are fleeting, tem-porary, and ultimately lost. If our goals are the things of heaven, the things that do not pass away, then in the “light of day”, where all is seen clearly by all; we will not only be acknowledged as true followers of Christ, but we will truly be good and worthy servants of a loving God.
In our second reading from Mark’s Gospel, we see Jesus at odds with the Pharisees. The Pharisees were concerned with preserving outward appearances of faith, and following the letter of the Mosaic Law, so that the Jewish people would in no way compromise their cultural identity to their Roman rulers. Jesus refers to them in the Scriptures as “whitened sepulchers”, that is to say, their ap-pearance is clean and orderly, but as Our Lord said, “they are full of death.”
The healing of the paralytic proclaims to us that “faith” not “appearances” are central to our relationship with God. While the Scribes and Pharisees are more concerned with what seems to them as blasphemous activity on the part of Jesus, he is moved by the faith of the paralytic and those who present him for healing.
In healing the paralytic, Jesus reveals his power to forgive sins, the power of God.