Rising from Paralysis

"Then Jesus said to him, ‘Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.’ At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked."

John 5:8-9

In the Gospels, we find two almost identical episodes concerning two paralytics healed by Jesus, but with different locations and circumstances. The first story, reported in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 9, Mark 2, Luke 5), takes place in Capernaum. The second takes place in Jerusalem and is reported by John (chapter 5). The two places are about 150 km apart, equal to 5-7 days' walk. In Capernaum, the town of Peter and other disciples, we are in a house, probably Peter's own, where his mother-in-law was also staying. Jesus is surrounded by such a crowd that has come to listen to him that there is no more room for anyone else. And while he is teaching, four men carry a paralytic onto the roof and lift up the tiles. The Master looks up at the ceiling and sees them making a hole and lowering the man with ropes. It was necessary for someone to bring him to Jesus' feet. But this is not always the case. In fact, in the other story, it is Jesus who moves. He is going to the temple in Jerusalem for a feast when he makes a detour and heads for the sheep gate, near the pool of Bethesda, where there were tanks for washing the lambs to be sacrificed. Jesus changes his route and plans to meet someone like the paralytic who has been paralyzed there for 38 years.

This man had no home and lived on alms and the mercy of those who went to the temple. The first paralytic, on the other hand, has four friends who carry him and bring him to Jesus. He has no one to take care of him. He could not have entered the temple because, according to the Law, paralytics and disabled people were considered unclean. In the same way today, some people are unable to have a personal relationship with God because they find themselves in a state of paralysis. You too may be “paralyzed” by fear, anxiety, or tragedy. The two men share a bed to welcome them. The paralytic in Jerusalem, however, is stuck at the pool; he cannot move. He lives on the edge of a pool, depending on the mercy of passersby. His hope was linked to the belief that an angel would stir the water in the pool, performing a miracle. The man from Capernaum, on the other hand, leaves his house, goes back and forth, but is always lying down, cannot walk on his own, and can count on his friends, who are very important when you are going through a difficult time. These situations describe the condition of many people, carried back and forth by some problem or other. For all of them, the therapy has the name of Jesus.

That day, being Saturday, it was not possible to heal and walk. There are always rules or patterns that condition us. Jesus broke the patterns, shattered the rules of men. He tells the paralytic of Capernaum that his sins are forgiven, proving that he is God and that, before the physical condition, the spiritual one is more important, the first illness he came to heal. “Take up your bed and walk.” Jesus orders both of them to take up the beds on which they were lying. The moment the two paralytics rise from their condition, they free themselves from the help of others and regain their dignity and autonomy. The first one in Capernaum is told to go home because he has a home. The other, who has no home, Jesus orders to walk. Both must walk a path. When we meet Jesus, we must choose a path. You cannot remain paralyzed; you must get up and decide where to go. Perhaps precisely where they told you you could not go and bear witness to the change. And the paralytic in Jerusalem, once healed, goes to the temple. Whatever bed is holding you back, at this moment you are encouraged to take it up and walk. Don't let the problem carry you, but lift it up yourself and go with the help of the Lord. Rise from your paralysis!

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Weekly Bible Reading Plan #12

March 16, Deuteronomy 28-29; Mark 14:54-72

March 17, Deuteronomy 30-31; Mark 15:1-25

March 18, Deuteronomy 32-34; Mark 15:26-47

March 19, Joshua 1-3; Mark 16

March 20, Joshua 4-6; Luke 1:1-20

March 21, Joshua 7-9; Luke 1:21-38

March 22, Joshua 10-12; Luke 1:39-56