Healing the paralyzed. Sunday Gospel: Healing the Paralytic, How to Be Saved from Sin

True: Together we can do so much more for God.

Target: Teach never to despair and be confident in God.

Dogmatics: The Church (in unity is strength).

Practical Christianity: Love for neighbor (the perseverance of friends in helping their neighbor).

Interest:

Teacher with an alarm clock in his hands: “This is an old alarm clock. Everyone knows him. Few can boast that they do without his help. It is especially needed when it is important to wake up on time. People are resting. They sleep peacefully. They are sure that the alarm clock will not let them down. When the right time comes, he calls with all his might (alarm clock rings). It happens that his owner is fast asleep and does not hear the call. So he calls again and again, calls. Often he gets it for perseverance. But he is not offended. The important thing is to do what you have been asked to do."

With phone:

“The phone is also helped by the perseverance of those who use it. Once he had to call for a very long time. His owner was sure that the call was expected at the house of his friends. He dialed the correct number, but no one answered him. The owner waited. But the answer is still silence. The persistent man continued to wait. More time has passed. He waited. Imagine how the phone rang in the house of his owner's friends. Suddenly, something clicked in the receiver, and a familiar voice was heard. It turned out that the children were naughty and hid the phone under the pillow, so the parents did not immediately hear the phone ring. If not for the persistence of their friend, a very important conversation would not have taken place.

Knock on the door. The teacher pretends not to notice, keeps talking about how often we need to be persistent in life. All the while, the knocking on the door continues, getting louder and louder. Children should prompt that someone is knocking on the door.

• Who is this?

One of the insistent adults enters the class.

Bible story:

1. Jesus in Capernaum.
2. The four men run to their friend's house.
3. Description of the patient.
4. Friends carry the sick man to the house where Jesus is.
5. The crowd prevents friends from showing the sick Jesus.
6. Friends find a ladder and take apart the roof.
7. Sick at the feet of Jesus.
8. The patient is healthy thanks to the persistent faith of friends.

Repetition of the biblical story according to the drawing.

Golden Verse:

2 Chronicles 14:11 "... Help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in You..."

Whenever there is an obstacle on the way, you need to say: "Help us, Lord, our God, for we trust in You." Children are divided into 3 groups:

1. "Help us."
2. "Lord, our God."
3. "For we trust in You."

Each group repeats their phrase several times. Children line up and each, speaking a word from the golden verse, steps forward. Then you can swap groups.

Craft:

"Help a friend" Color and fold along the fold lines.

Application:

1. “Help a friend” - ask the children: how they could help their friend who fell ill (call him, visit with his parents, talk about the lesson in Sunday school, pray with him, etc.). Ask them to share next Sunday, in class Sunday school how they could help their friend.
2. Prayer. Ask the children if there have been situations in their lives when they promised their parents to be obedient, but failed. Or they prayed for something, but did not receive what they asked for. Encourage the children not to despair, but to persevere and continue to pray

Christ comes into the world he created and heals the soul from sin. A person has four helpers in this work of salvation: self-contempt (humility), confession of sins, a promise to refrain from evil and prayer to God. This is how the holy fathers interpret the gospel story of the healing of a paralytic, which happened in the evening, two thousand years ago, in a winter and damp fishing village on the shores of the biblical Lake Kinneret. Hegumen AGAFANGEL (White) tells - Coordinator of the Missionary Camps Sector of the Synodal Missionary Department.

1 “After a few days He came again to Capernaum; and it was heard that he was in the house.
2 Immediately many gathered together, so that even at the door there was no room; and He spoke a word to them.
3 And they came to him with a paralytic being carried by four;
4 And being unable to approach Him for the multitude, they opened the roof of the house where He was, and digging through it, lowered the bed on which the paralytic lay.
5 Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, Child! your sins are forgiven you.
6 Here sat some of the scribes, thinking in their hearts:
7 Why is he so blasphemous? Who can forgive sins except God alone?
8 Jesus immediately knowing by his spirit that they were thinking this way in themselves, said to them, Why are you thinking this way in your hearts?
9 Which is easier? Shall I say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven? or say: get up, take your bed and walk?
10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins, he says to the paralytic:
11 I say to you, get up, take up your bed, and go into your house.
12 He immediately got up and, taking up the bed, went out in front of everyone, so that everyone was amazed and glorified God, saying: We have never seen anything like this.
(Mark 2:1-12)

Few paid attention to the fact that among the many cities mentioned by the evangelists, only one bears the name of Jesus' "own city". So Matthew calls him: "... and come to your city." And this is not Bethlehem, where the Lord was born, Not Nazareth, where He grew up, and not even Jerusalem. This is Kfarnachum, the “house of comfort”, one of the cities where His powers were most manifested, which “ascended to heaven” and who is destined for unbelief to be cast down to hell: “the land of Sodom will be more joyful on the day of judgment than you.”

Biblical Capernaum is now more than two and a half thousand years old. In evangelical times, this fishing village prospered due to its location on the border of the state of Herod Antipas. It was crossed by trade routes from the coast. mediterranean sea to Syria and Asia Minor. The local people hunted for a living by harvesting the local Galilean fish tilapia, which is still offered in local restaurants as “the fish of the Apostle Peter”. After the conquest of Palestine by the Romans, a detachment of legionnaires and a customs house were located in the city on the way from Caesarea to Damascus.

It is in Capernaum that Christ settles after the imprisonment of John the Baptist, there His first sermon about the near Kingdom of Heaven is heard, there He calls Peter, Andrew, the Zebedee brothers to the apostolic ministry: John the Theologian and James, and Levi Matthew.

It was winter. “Pray that your flight does not happen in winter,” the Savior said, predicting the destruction of Jerusalem. Roads in Palestine in winter became impassable from continuous rains. Christ returns from preaching in the Galilean villages back to Capernaum, because the journey at that time was difficult and dangerous. In this small village on the shores of Lake Kinneret, by the way, the world's lowest freshwater reservoir - 200 meters below the level of the world's oceans, known to us as the Sea of ​​Tiberias (or the Sea of ​​Gennesaret), everyone from young to old knew the Teacher, therefore, when there was a rumor about that he had returned to the city, many, according to custom, came to hear him.

Also, according to custom, the sick were brought to him for healing: “When evening came, when the sun was setting, they brought to Him all the sick and possessed. And the whole city gathered at the door” (Mark 1:32). The people crowded at the entrance to the small dwelling of Peter - most likely, it was there that the Lord found refuge. And the four people who carried the paralyzed man on a stretcher could not approach the Lord “because of the multitude”. Who were these people, who was the paralytic to them? We don't know.

It is usually accepted to consider this gospel episode as evidence that the prayer of neighbors for someone can affect salvation. What exactly by the faith of those who brought it was granted to the paralytic both health and forgiveness of sins. But Saint Gregory Palamas, whose day we celebrate today (March 31), believed that the situation was different. Indeed, in other cases, Christ did not ask faith either from the daughter of Jairus, or from the daughter of a Canaanite, or from the centurion's servant, or from the son of a courtier, in the same place, in Capernaum. But in these episodes, it was not possible to demand faith from the healed themselves: the daughter of Jairus was dead, the daughter of a Canaanite woman was insane, the centurion's servant and the courtier's son were generally in other places.

Here - the relaxed was nearby and, moreover, the paralysis of the body does not at all mean the absence of will and reason. A serious illness raised him above worldly cares and carnal pleasures - those that hinder active faith. He was a sinner, this man lying on a stretcher and unable to move, and his illness was terrible: often paralysis ended in a quick death. The Old Testament law is clear that the penalty for sin is death. Physical weakness in the logic of Revelation is a consequence of the distortion of human nature by the transgression of God's will. And the paralytic well understood this terrifying logic of the highest law of our nature. But a good hope moved him and his neighbors, who were ready to break public order, to destroy the clay roof of someone else's house, which has become for them the abode of the last hope, and to enter this space of the special presence of God in order to create a work of love.

There is often an obvious connection between sickness and sin. Therefore, in order to heal the disease, one must first destroy the consequences of sin. Apparently, the paralytic barely hoped to receive forgiveness, which is why the Savior encouraged him with the words: “Be of good cheer, child!” - so in this place in Matthew. He was a repentant sinner, this man, and that is why Christ, seeing their faith - him and his friends, at first pronounces words about the forgiveness of his sins, and then, denouncing the unrighteous thoughts of the Pharisees, orders him to appear before everyone in a sound body.

The Great Pre-eternal Logos, "whom all was," descends into His city, into the world he created, and heals the soul, which bears the consequences of sin - deadly relaxation and illness. Four helpers for man in this work of salvation: self-contempt (humility), confession of sins, future promise to refrain from evil and prayer to God. This is how the holy fathers figuratively interpret this gospel story that happened in the evening, two thousand years ago, in a winter and damp fishing village on the shores of the biblical Lake Kinneret.

In the Gospels, only Mark and only this passage say that the Son of Man has the right to forgive sins. And if we hear from Him this encouraging call: “Be of good cheer, child,” we are left with only one question: what to do next in order to hear, like the Paralytic of Capernaum, “Your sins are forgiven you”?

Last Sunday we heard the gospel conception about the miraculous action of the great and mighty presence of Christ. Nathanael, who doubted the words of the Apostle Philip that the long-awaited Messiah appeared in the world in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, that same Nathanael, as soon as he found himself in the presence of the Lord Himself, immediately recognized and confessed Him as the Son of God and the King of Israel.

And today's passage from the Gospel speaks of the greatest efforts and labors of true believers, applied by them, in order to be in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Four of them carried the paralytic, their relative or friend, they carried him on the bed - he was in such a desperate position, unable to move. They pushed in vain through the crowded crowd to get closer to the Lord - they did not succeed.

And then they climbed to the roof of the house, opened it, and through the roof, with difficulty and effort, lowered the bed on which the sick man lay, to the feet of the Miracle Worker and Healer. So strong was their faith in Christ.

Jesus, seeing their faith, says to the paralytic: child! your sins are forgiven you. The Lord did not hear the confession of their faith, but He saw their faith. His clairvoyance penetrated to the most secret depths of the human heart, and, considering these depths of the heart, the Lord saw their great faith. But with His bodily eyes He saw and knew their faith, according to the efforts and labor that they applied in order to bring the sick to Him. So, their faith was evident to both the spiritual and bodily vision of the Lord.

In the same way, the unbelief of the scribes, who were present at this event, was also obvious to the Lord. and they thought in their hearts: why does he blaspheme so? Who can forgive sins except God alone? Seeing their thoughts of the heart by his spirit, the Lord begins to gently rebuke Them in this: Why do you think like this in your hearts?

The perspicacious Lord reads with equal ease both in pure and impure hearts.. As soon as he saw pure heart Nathanael, in which there was no deceit, so now He clearly saw the impure hearts of the scribes, full of deceit. And, may He show them that He has power over bodies, as well as over human souls, the power to forgive sins, and to heal relaxed bodies, the Lord said to the paralytic: I say to you, get up, take up your bed and go to your house. In response to such an imperious command, the sick immediately got up and, taking the bed, went out before everyone, so that everyone was amazed and glorified God, saying: we have never seen anything like this.

look, how many miraculous powers the Lord reveals at the same time:

• He penetrates with His gaze into the hearts of people and reveals the faith of some and the slyness of others;
• He forgives the sins of the soul and makes it healthy and clean from the root cause of sickness and infirmity;
• He restores health to a paralyzed, paralyzed body with His mighty word.

ABOUT, how great, and terrible, and marvelous, and healing, is the presence of the living Lord!

But one must come and stand before the living Lord. This is the most important thing on the path of salvation: to come with faith into the presence of the Lord and feel this presence. Sometimes the Lord Himself comes and reveals His grace-filled presence to us, as He came to Bethany to Martha and Mary; how unexpectedly He appeared on the road to the Apostle Paul; or to other apostles - on the Sea of ​​Galilee, and on the way to Emmaus, and in a closed room; or Mary Magdalene - in the garden; or many saints - in a dream and in reality.

Sometimes people come before the Lord, being led by the apostles. So Andrew brought Simon Peter, Philip brought Nathanael; so the successors of the apostles and missionaries brought thousands and millions of believers to the Lord; and so in general some believers bring other believers.

Finally, sometimes people themselves make great efforts to find themselves in the presence of God, as was the case with these four who climbed onto the roof of the house in order to lower their sick person before the Lord. Here are three ways people can feel in the presence of God. Our business is to labor diligently, that we may come into the presence of the Lord; but the work of God is to admit us into His presence and illuminate us with it.

Therefore, we must use all three methods in reverse order. That is, we must, in faith and earnestly, do everything in our power to come into the presence of the Lord; further, we must follow the call and instructions of the Holy Apostolic Church and the fathers and teachers of the Church; and, finally, only after the fulfillment of the first and second conditions, prayerfully expect with hope that the Lord will admit us to Himself, that He will illuminate us with His presence, that He will strengthen, that He will heal and that she will save us.

And what should be our work in discovering the presence of God, the example of these four people shows us best of all, who do not disdain even to climb onto the roof of a house; and are not embarrassed by any shame or fear, bringing down their sick comrade from on high into the presence of the living Lord. This is an example of jealousy, if not more, then at least similar to the example of that widow, who constantly pestered the unjust judge with a request to protect her from her rival (Luke 18: 1-5).

This is what it means to fulfill the commandment of the Lord, that one should always pray and not lose heart(Luke 18:1). This is proof of the truth of another commandment of the Lord: knock and it will be opened to you(Matthew 7:7). This, finally, is the explanation of the amazing saying of Christ: Kingdom Heavenly power is taken, and those who use force admire it(Matthew 11:12).

So, the Lord requires from His faithful that they make every possible effort, put in all the work that they do, while there is light, that they pray unceasingly, ask, seek, knock, fast, do countless works of mercy - and all this with that goal, may the Kingdom of Heaven be opened to them, that is, the great, terrible and life-giving presence of God. Therefore, watch at all times and pray that you may be able to avoid all these future disasters and stand before the Son of Man.(Luke 21:36).

Watch unsleepingly over your heart, lest it cling to the earth; watch over your thoughts, lest they turn you away from God; watch over your deeds in order to increase your talent, and not to belittle or squander it; watch over your days, lest death take you by surprise and snatch you away, unrepentant, of your sins.

Such is our Orthodox faith: active through and through, prayerful and invigorating through and through, tearful and fraught with effort. No other faith offers believers to make so much effort to be worthy to stand before the Son of God. All these efforts were offered to the whole world and commanded to the faithful by our Lord and Savior Himself; The Church constantly refreshes them, repeating from century to century, from generation to generation, revealing to the faithful more and more spiritual heroes who have fulfilled the law of Christ and have been honored with glory and power unspeakable both in heaven and on earth.

But, on the other hand, one should not be deceived and think that all these labors and efforts of a person bring salvation in and of themselves. It should not be imagined that a person can come into the presence of the living God solely by his labors and efforts. If the Lord did not will, no mortal could ever stand before Him. For the Lord Himself, Who commanded all these labors and efforts, says in another place: So also you, when you have done all that is commanded to you, say: We are worthless slaves, because we have done what we had to do.(Luke 17:10).

And also, elsewhere: No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him(John 6:44). And also, elsewhere: without me you can do nothing(John 15:5). The Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Ephesians says in the same sense: by grace you are saved(Eph. 2:5). What shall we say after that? Shall we say that all our labors for salvation are in vain? Shall we lower our hands in anticipation until the Lord appears to us Himself and by His power places us in His presence? Does not the prophet Isaiah himself cry: and all our righteousness is like a filthy garment and (Is.64:6)? So should we not give up all labors and all efforts? But will we not then become like a slave who has buried his talent in the ground and therefore heard from the master: crafty slave and lazy(Matthew 25:26)?

We must be sober and work, fulfilling the commandments of the Lord, which are clear as the sun. We must put all our work into it, and it is in God's power to bless our work and admit us into His presence. The Apostle Paul explained this wonderfully when he said: I planted, Apollos watered, but God increased; Therefore, neither he who plants nor he who waters is nothing, but God who makes everything grow.(1 Corinthians 3:6-7). So, everything depends on God - on God's power, wisdom and mercy. But still, our business is to plant and water; and we cannot neglect our duty without exposing ourselves to the danger of eternal destruction.

The duty of the farmer is to plow and water, and it depends on God's power, wisdom and mercy whether the crop will sprout, whether it will grow and bear fruit.

The duty of the scientist is to search and seek, and it depends on God's power, wisdom, and mercy whether knowledge is revealed to him.

The duty of parents is to raise their children and bring them up in the fear of God, and it depends on God's power, wisdom and mercy whether the children will live and for how long.

The duty of a priest is to teach, enlighten, denounce and correct believers, and it depends on God's power, wisdom and mercy whether the work of a priest will bear fruit.

It is the duty of all of us to be diligent and labor in order to be worthy to stand in the presence of the Son of God, but it depends on God's power, wisdom and mercy whether we will be admitted to the Lord.

However one should not work without trusting in the mercy of God. Let all our work be illumined with the hope that the Lord is near us and that He will receive us in the presence of His face. There is no deeper and inexhaustible source than the source of God's mercy. When prodigal son repented after his deplorable fall to the level of a pig's life, the merciful father ran out to meet him, fell on his neck and forgave him.

The Lord tirelessly comes to meet His repentant children. He stretches out His hands to all who turn their faces towards Him. All day long I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient people- says the Lord about the Jews (Is.65:2). And if the Lord extends His hands to the disobedient, how much more so to the obedient? The obedient prophet David says: I will take out the foreknowledge of the Lord before me, as if at my right hand, but I will not move(Ps. 15:8). So, the Lord does not deprive the humble workers in the matter of His salvation of His presence.

Therefore, let us not consider our labor in vain, as those who have fallen into godlessness and despair do; but, trying and working with all our strength, let us hope in the mercy of the Lord God. Let us deliberately intensify our labors during Great Lent, as the Holy Church commands us.

Let the example of these four shine upon us in that, who climbed to the roof of the house, and opened it, and lowered the fifth - their paralyzed friend - before the Lord. If one-fifth of our soul is weakened or rotten from illness, let us hasten with the rest, healthy, four-fifths before the Lord, and the Lord will heal that which is sick in us.

If one feeling tempted us in this world and got sick from the temptation, let us hasten with the other four feelings before the Lord, so that the Lord would have mercy on our sick feeling and make it healthy. If one part of the body hurts, doctors advise doubly taking care of the rest of the body, doubly protecting and nourishing it, so that the healthy becomes even healthier and stronger and thus overcomes the disease of the sick. So it is with our soul. If we have doubted with our minds, then we will quickly work with our hearts and souls to increase our faith and heal and strengthen the sick mind with the help of God. If we have sinned by abandoning prayer, then let us hasten to return the lost prayerfulness by deeds of mercy, and vice versa.

And our Lord will look down on our faith, on our efforts and labors, and will have mercy on us. And by His infinite mercy He will admit us into His presence, into the immortal and life-giving presence, giving life, strength and joy to the innumerable angelic forces and the hosts of the saints. Honor and glory befits our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity of Consubstantial and Indivisible, now and forever, at all times and forever and ever. Amen.

Saint Nicholas of Serbia (Velimirovich)

The paralyzed man was brought to the Lord Jesus Christ by four of his friends; and seeing their faith, Christ absolved the sick man's sins, that healing was possible, and that he should rise.

There are two things in this story that I would like us to think about.

First of all, this man was sick, he was in need; maybe he was not able to express his need or express his belief in the possibility of healing; but his friends had faith: faith in Christ, faith in His power to heal, to make a person whole. And they took the paralytic and brought him to the Lord.

But their faith alone would not be enough: there were many paralyzed, many were sick who did not have friends to bring them to the Healer. And so it was not only their faith in Christ, but also their love for a friend that spurred them to action.

And precisely because this man, in the years when he was still whole and healthy, managed to awaken love, friendship, devotion, fidelity in their hearts - in an hour of need they came to his aid.

Here we have a double lesson: firstly, that it is possible to bring to God the needs of people: physical, spiritual and others, if we have enough faith in His healing power, and this faith of ours can open the doors of salvation for those who may not have enough faith that maybe they can't even say: “I believe, Lord, help my unbelief!” or who doubt, who hesitate, who are not even sure that we can bring them to Christ.

But this becomes possible only if a person in need has somehow awakened love in us, a love so personal, so true that we become able to act.

Or maybe if our life in God has such depth that God could sow in us so many His compassion, His own love, so that we can turn to a stranger, someone we have never heard of, prompted only his need, and bring him to God, for salvation, for healing.

The faith of these people was effective. They took it upon themselves to carry this sick man to Christ. True faith does not look at any obstacles. She overcomes everything. “Be of good cheer, child, your sins are forgiven you”, says Christ, because he sees that these people have real faith. They, in fact, do not even pray to Christ, nothing is said about this. They simply lay down at the feet of the paralyzed Christ, and that is enough.

We seem to be shown what prayer is. Prayer is not necessarily words, but it is necessarily such a standing before God, when we ourselves stand before Him and offer Him people who need God's help. All our experience for our personal grief, for the grief that happens to the whole people, when it is in Christ, when we present this grief before Christ God - this is prayer.

Let us remember that in equal measure we must become able to love and capable of awakening, evoking love around them. We must also learn boldness in faith so that when we see the need around us, bring it to God, Who alone can solve the need and heal, make whole not only the body, and mind, and soul, but also complex relationships between people.

This is our calling, this is our call; let us listen attentively to what God tells us in this gospel story, in this good news about the power of love, divine and human, and about the power of faith, upon which God's love and God's mercy respond. Amen.

Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh

Matt. IX, 1-8:1 Then he got into the boat and crossed back and arrived in his city. 2 And behold, they brought unto him a paralytic, laid on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic: Be of good cheer, child! your sins are forgiven you. 3 And some of the scribes said to themselves, He blasphemes. 4 But Jesus, seeing their thoughts, said, Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier to say, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Arise and walk? 6 But that you might know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins, then he said to the paralytic, Get up, take up your bed, and go to your house. 7 And he got up, took bed my and went to his house. 8 When the people saw this, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.

Mk. II, 1-12:1 through some days again he came to Capernaum; and it was heard that he was in the house. 2 Immediately many gathered together, so that even at the door there was no room; and He spoke a word to them. 3 And they came to him with a paralytic being carried by four; 4 And being unable to approach Him for the multitude, they opened the roof Houses where He was, and having dug through it, they lowered the bed, on which the paralytic lay. 5 Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, Child! your sins are forgiven you. 6 Here sat some of the scribes, thinking in their hearts, 7 why does he blaspheme so? Who can forgive sins except God alone? 8 Jesus immediately knowing by his spirit that they were thinking this way in themselves, said to them, Why are you thinking this way in your hearts? 9 Which is easier? Shall I say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven? or say: get up, take your bed and walk? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins, he says to the paralytic, 11 I say to you, Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house. 12 He immediately got up and, taking up the bed, went out before everyone, so that everyone was amazed and glorified God, saying: We have never seen anything like this.

OK. V, 17-26:17 One day, while he was teaching, and the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from all the places of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem, and the power of the Lord appeared in healing sick- 18 Behold, some brought a person on the bed who was relaxed, and tried to bring him V house and put before Jesus; 19 And, not finding where to carry him beyond the multitude, they climbed on top of the house and let him down through the roof with his bed into the middle before Jesus. 20 And he, seeing their faith, said to that man, Your sins are forgiven you. 21 The scribes and Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this that blasphemes? Who can forgive sins except God alone? 22 When Jesus understood their thoughts, he answered and said to them, What do you think in your hearts? 23 Which is easier to say, Your sins are forgiven you, or to say, Get up and walk? 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins, he said to the paralytic, I say to you, get up, take up your bed, and go to your house. 25 And immediately he stood before them, took what he had been lying on, and went into his house, glorifying God. 26 And terror seized them all, and they glorified God, and being filled with fear, they said, We have seen marvelous things today.

A guide to the study of the Four Gospels

Prot. Seraphim Slobodskoy (1912-1971)
According to the book "The Law of God", 1957.

The power of faith and prayer for others - the healing of the paralytic in Capernaum

(Matthew IX, 1-8; Mark II, 1-12; Luke V, 17-26)

The Lord Jesus Christ taught us to pray not only for ourselves, but also for others – for our neighbors. For out of His love, the Lord gives mercy (His help) to those people for whom others pray.

While in the city of Capernaum, Jesus Christ taught in one house. The inhabitants of the city, as soon as they heard that He was staying in the house, gathered to Him in such a multitude that it was already impossible to go even to the door. Among the listeners were Pharisees and teachers of the law, who came here from all places in Galilee and Judea, and even from Jerusalem.

During the conversation, the Savior performed many miracles, healing the sick.

At this time, four people on the bed brought the paralytic and tried to bring him into the house, to the Savior, but could not get through the crowd of people.

Then they went up to the top of the house, opened the roof and lowered the bed with the paralytic right at the feet of the Savior. Jesus Christ, seeing the faith of the people who brought the sick man, said to the paralytic: “Child! your sins are forgiven."

The Pharisees and lawyers began to mentally reason: “Why does He blaspheme? Who can forgive sins except God alone?”

Jesus Christ, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Which is easier to say, Your sins are forgiven you, or to say, Arise and walk? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins, I say to you (he turned to the paralytic): get up, take up your bed and go to your house.

The sick man immediately got up, took the bed on which he lay, and went home, thanking and glorifying God for the mercy received.

So the Lord healed the sick man by faith and the prayer of his friends. The people, seeing this, were horrified and glorified God. And everyone began to say: “Wonderful things we have seen today; we have never seen anything like it."

Archbishop Averky (Taushev) (1906-1976)
Study guide Holy Scripture New Testament. Four Gospels. Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, 1954.

14. Healing of the Paralytic in Capernaum

(Matthew IX, 2-8; Mark II, 1-12; Luke V, 17-26)

The three Evangelists, Matthew, Mark and Luke, agree on this miracle, and Mark directly names Capernaum as the place of its performance, and Matthew says that the Lord performed this miracle by coming “to His city”, by which name He was honored to be called, as we have already seen above, namely Capernaum, as evidenced by St. Chrysostom: "He was born in Bethlehem, raised in Nazareth, and lived in Capernaum." The paralytic was brought to the Lord on a bed and therefore was not able to move himself. Judging by the description and the very name of patients of this kind in the Gospel, he suffered from an illness that is currently called paralysis. Sts. Mark and Luke add that for the multitude of people who surrounded Jesus in the house, those who brought the paralytic could not bring him into the house and lowered him on a bed through the roof, presumably through a temporary roof, which was made of boards or leather or linen in the hot season above the courtyard of the house, surrounded on all four sides by buildings with flat roofs, which were easily climbed by stairs. Only strong faith could move those who brought the paralytic to such a bold act. Seeing this faith, as well as the faith of the most paralyzed one, who allowed himself to be lowered in this way at the feet of Jesus, the Lord says to the paralyzed one: “Be of good cheer, child! your sins are forgiven,” thus pointing to the connection that exists between his illness and sinfulness. According to the teaching of the Word of God, diseases are the result of sins (John 9:2, James 5:14,15) and are sometimes sent by God as a punishment for sins (I Cor. 5:3-5, 11:30). Often there is an obvious connection between sickness and sin, such as diseases from drunkenness and debauchery. Therefore, in order to heal the disease, one must first remove the sin, forgive it. Apparently, the paralytic himself was so conscious of himself as a great sinner that he could hardly hope for forgiveness, which is why the Savior encouraged him with the words: “Be of good cheer, child!” The scribes and Pharisees present at the same time began to mentally condemn the Lord for blasphemy, seeing in His words the unlawful appropriation of the power belonging to the One God. The Lord, knowing their thoughts, made them understand that He knew their thoughts, saying: “What is easier? Shall I say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven? or say: get up, take your bed and go!” Both obviously need the same divine authority. “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins: (then he says to the paralytic:) get up, take your bed, and go to your house.” How beautifully St. Chrysostom: “Since the healing of the soul cannot be seen, and the healing of the body is obvious: then I add to the first and the last, which, although lower, is more obvious, in order to assure by it of the higher invisible.” The miracle of healing that followed these words of the Lord confirmed that Christ, invested with divine power, did not say to the paralytic in vain: your sins are forgiven you. However, one cannot, of course, think that the Lord performed a miracle only because of the desire to convince the Pharisees of His Divine omnipotence. And this miracle, like all others, was primarily a work of His Divine goodness and mercy. The paralytic testified to his complete recovery by carrying his bed on which he had been brought earlier. The result of the miracle was that the people were horrified and glorified God, who gave such power to people, i.e. not only the Pharisees, but, apparently, the people did not believe in Jesus as the Son of God, considering Him only a man.

A. V. Ivanov (1837-1912)
Guide to the Study of the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament. Four Gospels. SPb., 1914.

Healing the Weak

(Mt. 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26)

Jesus Christ has always been followed by multitudes eager to hear the great Prophet—or even just to see Him. So, when He was in a house in Capernaum, not only this house, but also all the places adjacent to the house were occupied by the people.

At this time, they brought a weakened person to Jesus, but because of the tightness, those who carried him could not go to Jesus and, having climbed onto the roof of the house, they dismantled part of the roof and lowered the sick person at the feet of Jesus. The faith of the bearers, which moved them to such an act - and even the patient himself, agreeing to such anxiety - inclined the Heart-Knower to forgiveness of the weakened sins, as the main reason for his illness - and this aroused in the scribes and Pharisees who were here grumbling against Jesus and suspicion of Blasphemy.

Jesus' question, put to the Pharisees about which is more difficult - whether to forgive sins or heal diseases - should have led doubters to the conviction that both these actions are possible only for God; and the ensuing command to the paralytic: Get up, take up your bed and go to your house, accompanied by the very deed, proved that such Divine power of remission of sins and healing of the sick really belongs to Jesus - and led to extraordinary amazement of all the witnesses of the miracle.

So in this story we see:

a) The action of faith, which overcomes all obstacles and attracts the favor of God not only on the believers themselves, but also on those who have anything to do with them; b) The action of the omniscient love of God, which grants not only what is asked for, but also what serves as a guarantee of the good of the future; finally c) The action of unbelief, in the very benefactions of which he seeks reasons for grumbling, and in miracles - reasons for doubt.

Note. Raising a patient to the roof of a house and lowering him through a disassembled hole in the roof is very easily explained by the arrangement of houses in the East, where the roofs of the houses are flat, have stairs from the street, from the yard, and even from neighboring houses, and are very often made of easily disassembled material. In this case, the roof of the Evangelist could be called a part of it, lying above open space courtyard or above the gallery of the house, which consisted of several boards and carpets or mats (bast mats) that protected this part from the sun's rays.

a) The forgiveness of sins was naturally assumed in the former cases of healings, although it was not expressed. An indication of it can be seen in the requirement by Jesus Christ of faith from those who are being healed.

b) The healing of a weakened person is all the more remarkable because it was accomplished not so much according to the faith of himself, but according to the faith of those who carried him (Jesus saw their faith - verse 2), and can serve as proof of how mutual love, kinship or other relations between members Churches or one great family of Mankind are given the right to mutual communication of higher spiritual gifts and to impute the actions of one person to another. If the faith of one weakened person made him capable and worthy of receiving remission of sins, then the faith of those who carried him moved Jesus to give him healing from his illness.

c) The murmuring against Jesus Christ for the remission of sins is understandable, because the scribes considered this authority to belong to God, and they considered Jesus to be an ordinary person. But they did not understand that the power to heal diseases also belongs to God alone. They saw examples of these healings among the ancient prophets and, considering Jesus no more than a prophet, they thought that He, like them, could use only the power of healings. Jesus Christ, by His explanation of this issue, wanted to show the scribes that even the ancient prophets, using one right, had to use another, obviously, only in the name of God. Moreover, this power should belong to the Son of Man, that is, the Messiah, who at the same time is the Son of God.