Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany, Feb. 19, 2006
BCP: Isaiah 43:18-25, Psalm 32 or 32:1-8, 2 Cor. 1:18-22, Mark 2:1-12
RCL: Isaiah 43:18-25, Psalm 41, 2 Cor. 1:18-22, Mark 2:1-12
Mark tells us that Jesus packs the room and it spills over into the street. A paralytic is brought to Jesus, lowered by his friends from the removed roof. The stage is now set for a theological discussion of who can forgive sins. Jesus forgives the man his sins, causing a protest from the scribes. “Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:7).
Let us continue the discussion set on this stage of an overcrowded house and irked learned scribes. Of course, the scribes were not totally wrong. Who can forgive sins except for God? They just did not understand the relationship of Jesus to the divine. So how about when we absolve each other? Are we overstepping into God’s prerogatives?
Isaiah speaks of God doing something new (Isaiah 43:19). This passage concludes by pointing out that the new thing is God not remembering our sins (43:25). God, and no one else, is the one who puts our sins away. What, then, can we do for each other?
Jesus has something new for us to do. He asks us to forgive each other (Matt. 18:21). But let us not forget the paradox that it is still only God who can forgive. When we forgive, we are stepping into a power not our own. We move into the realm of the divine. We act enabled by the authority of Jesus, not our own power. Our forgiving, or accepting forgiveness, is itself a proclamation of what God has done. Unless we go there, we stand outside the good news.
Whenever we do not forgive or do not receive forgiveness, we do not seem to be able to move on with our lives. We become stuck. God has already forgotten our sins, and now waits for us to proclaim this good news to each other. By offering God’s forgiveness to each other we become liberated. We taste salvation here and now. We take up our mat and walk.
The scribes were right. They just did not realize how freely God lets people speak for him.
Look It Up
In the movie “The Last Sign,” Kathy is not able to move on with her life until she forgives her dead husband. Check out the video.
Think About It
The man in the gospel story is paralyzed. Metaphorically, the unforgiven and the unforgiving are both paralyzed.
Next Sunday
Last Sunday after the Epiphany, Feb. 26, 2006
BCP: 1 Kings 19:9-18, Psalm 27 or 27:5-11, 2 Peter 1:16-19(20-21), Mark 9:2-9
RCL: 2 Kings 2:1-12, Psalm 50:1-6, 2 Cor. 4:3-6, Mark 9:2-9
