Sunday of the Paralytic 2021 Fr. Matthew Tate

Today, as we pretty consistently do during this

period of time, the Gospel readings are from

St. John the Theologian. The Epistle readings

are mostly from the Acts of the Apostles. Both

of them, such gifts to us. The Acts of the Apostles

is a unique book in the Gospel because it tells

about things that we wouldn't hear about in any

other way. We have the Pauline letters. mostly

talk about his journeys and activities there

but the acts of the apostles really takes us

back to the pentecostal jerusalem and traces

all of that all the way through and so the stories

and information we get is absolutely unique to

the book of acts thank you saint luke and john

the theologian is a different type of gospel

not like the synoptics but is a theological gospel

and you notice i'm sure that on the evening of

Pascha, you would think that we would read some

kind of resurrectional gospel, like we do, say,

Matthew from out on the porch. But at the service

of Pascha itself, we read the prologue of St.

John, at least a portion of it. In the beginning

was the word and so on. And the reason for that

is that historically, the catechumens would not

hear the gospel of John until they were illumined,

until after their baptism. So then during the

Paschal tide, the Paschal period, they would

come to church every day just like we do, right?

And they would hear the readings from St. John

because it being a theological gospel, now that

they're illumined, they can understand it. Now,

we think that's kind of quaint and interesting

and so on, but that's really how they lived.

That's really how they believed. And they felt

that, the church felt, I should say, that to

read John the theologian before illumination,

it was impossible to understand it. It couldn't

be brought into the heart and into the soul.

So it's really a beautiful custom that we have,

but it's really more than a custom. It really

does have to do with Paschal illumination, both

for the newly illumined that you baptized at

Pascha. And for all of us who, in a sense, have

a re -baptism at every Pascha. And then we sort

of bask in the beauty and joy of that in the

weeks that follow. Can't quite get enough of

it. Bright week's not enough. And then every

Sunday thereafter. So it just continues. And

we're bathed in that and the great joy and illumination

that comes with it. Today's Gospel. is one that

you're all very familiar with. It's the healing

of a paralytic, but not just any paralytic, a

paralytic who had been so for 38 years. Can you

imagine? And everyone knew him, you know, in

Jerusalem. It was not as big a town back then.

And so the Lord is in Jerusalem because of Pentecost,

Old Testament Pentecost. the law being given

at Mount Sinai. And remember that the Lord came

to fulfill the law and the prophets. So he was

an observant Jew. He followed the customs and

literally fulfilled the law and the prophets.

He's the only one who ever lived who could fulfill

the law because he is the only one who didn't

sin. So fulfillment of the law, as the scripture

tells us, is impossible for humans. But for the

Lord, it was. So it's kind of like, I often think

of it this way, the fulfillment of the law and

the prophets, is that the law was like a chalice

that could never be filled. But when the Lord

came, he filled it unto overflowing and it finished.

And the same thing with the prophets, because

most of the prophecies are messianic in nature.

So they're talking about the coming of the Messiah,

what he'll do. Today, we're seeing one of the

signs from Isaiah, and that's the healing of

the paralytic. So he is fulfilling the prophets

as well. So when he fulfills each of them, the

law and the prophets, then the new covenant comes

because all of that's completed. No more temple.

Ultimately, it was gone within 30 years and has

never been restored. And even Judaism without

a temple is not really Judaism. It's become rabbinical

Judaism, which is an entirely different thing.

You could say it's Judaism without sacraments

anymore, because they can't make the offerings

in the temple. So he's piece by piece, as St.

John shows us, because remember, he's more interested

in, it isn't so much, here's an event, here's

what happened next, here's what happened next,

as it is, I want you to know this, I want you

to know this, and I want you to know this. And

what he's showing us today is the fulfillment

of one of the messianic signs, the healing of

a paralytic. And it's important that the man

is a paralytic for 38 years because then there's

no question about it. You know, a new paralytic,

maybe the healing, you know, was just sort of

a restoration or something like that. But for

38 years, for the people to know this man, to

see him healed. is an absolutely remarkable thing.

He's at the sheep's pool, the sheep's pool called

Bethesda. And this is where the sacramental lambs

would be brought to be washed and prepared to

be offered for sacrifice. So people would be

there. An angel is the way that the scripture

describes it. An angel would stir the waters

and the first person who would get in the water

would get healed. Well, the paralytic, no chance.

You know, how does he get in? He can't. So someone

always gets in before him and gets the advantage

of that healing. So the Lord comes to him. And

this is an interesting thing, too, in that, let's

say, on an average day like this, maybe there

were 40 people there. Just guessing, but maybe

50, maybe 10. I don't know. Blind, lame, with

various diseases and illnesses. But he only healed

one person. Which is kind of like our experience,

too. You know, in the epistle this morning, we

heard about the healing of Aeneas, which is Peter,

the apostle, within the Pentecostal power of

Christ, healing someone. And then he raises someone

from the dead. But the Lord... Sort of in my

idea of how it should be, he would just kind

of sweep the crowd and go, everyone's healed

up. But he didn't do that. He was very particular.

He was in many places many times, but physical

healing didn't always happen for everyone. There's

an important lesson for us in that. We'll come

back to it. So he healed this man, and he said

to him three things, three commands. Arise, take

up your bed, and walk. Now, there's a beautiful

statement from St. Ephraim the Syrian that I

want to read to you, where he comments on this,

and he said, Would it not have sufficed to say,

arise and go? Would it not have been a miracle

that he, who was not able to turn himself about

on his bed, should arise easily and go? that

he had given him a complete healing, the Lord

also made him carry his bed. Not like the sick

who come back to health gradually, even if he

were silent, his bed would cry out. It's very

reminiscent of the Lord's triumphal entry into

Jerusalem, isn't it? Even if they silence the

children, the rocks will cry out. So the Lord

heals him. an important moment before that as

well, because the Lord comes to him and says,

do you want to be made whole? Translated better

would be healed, really. Do you want to be healed?

And, of course, that word is completely connected

to sason, to salvation for us, because for us

salvation is not a born -again experience at

a tent meeting, but rather it's a lifetime of

dedicating. our lives to god that brings about

an internal healing that ultimately prepares

us to be fit for the kingdom so he comes to the

man he says would you like to be healed and the

man's thinking on the track of i got to get in

the water but he says to him the man says to

the lord i have no man i have no man very important

statement and really kind of a commission for

us so he had no one to help him the lord didn't

put him in the water in this case, but simply

healed him on the spot. Well, he took up his

bed and walked. What would that be like? 38 years

of paralysis and all of a sudden, you know, those

muscles have energy and life in them again. The

sinews are put back together. You're up and you're

moving and you literally can pick up your bed

and walk. I mean, talk about a complete healing,

head to toe. So, of course, what happened? This

was a sign. for the people of jerusalem to see

that the messiah had come and the in the scripture

it says and the jews didn't like it but this

always means the temple elders when john uses

the expression in that way the average jewish

person in jerusalem was probably thrilled but

the temple elders didn't like this it was dangerous

for their future and they knew it so early on

There's confrontation that goes on time and time

and time again. Rather than looking at the healed

man and going, glory to God. Look, the Lord has

acted through this man. He's healed this man

who, you know, what a joy. After 38 years of

paralysis, now he's up and he's able to move.

But rather than doing that, they say, what are

you doing carrying your bed on the Sabbath? Don't

you know that's illegal? And so they just never

quite grasp it, that the law is being fulfilled

before their eyes. Because what was the Sabbath

for? A time of rest and healing and regeneration.

Well, what could be more regenerative than to

have a 38 -year paralytic up and moving about?

Well, we're reminded, as John always does, of

the fact that the Lord is the Messiah. He's the

one to come. And he fulfills all those signs.

But you know, the guy who was healed after 38

years still died. Lazarus, raised from the dead,

still died. Tabitha Dorcas still died. So, you

know, our humanity continues even when that type

of a healing or restoration takes place. Because

what really matters is not so much that we get

physically healed, because that's somewhat rare

throughout the life of the church. It's somewhat

rare for that to happen. And why someone is healed

and another isn't is an absolute mystery to us.

We don't know. We simply don't know why. And,

you know, St. Basil the Great in his Inafra puts

in our mouth the words, we thank thee for the

things we know and the things we do not know.

because we have to live with a lot of do not

know, and that's just fine. Mystery is fine with

us. If the Lord heals someone, that's wonderful.

But the healing that we're really looking for

is the healing of soul and body. And it's interesting.

I used to be a hospital chaplain, and some of

the most alive and glowing people I would meet

were people who were right on death's door. because

they got rid of everything superfluous in their

lives, and they were just very focused. And I've

seen that in the parish time and time again.

You know, when people, the sicker they would

get, the more alive they would get. As their

outer man perished, their inner man came fully

to life. And that's the goal that we have as

well. It's wonderful when a physical healing

takes place, and it does. Again, the healing

that we're really after, that we're really looking

toward is that Sosun healing, salvation healing,

long term. And this is why you can't be part

-time Christians. It doesn't work if you are.

You can't just sort of do a church on Sunday

thing and that's it. We all have to follow that

way of the cross continuously throughout the

course of our lives, deepening our faith and

deepening our love for the Lord and our knowledge

of his love for us. And as I was saying earlier,

the man who was lying there who needed the healing

didn't have anyone to help him. He was paralyzed.

And that we also have to be attentive to as well.

Because there are thousands, millions of people

in the same position who are paralyzed by atheism,

paralyzed by any number of isms. or thoughts

that they've had or bad experiences that they've

had or whatever the case may be and they need

a person they need someone to come along and

help them and to bring them to the place of healing

which is where we are we all are right now we're

not forceful about that kind of thing but i believe

that if we're mindful and our hearts are open

and we listen carefully that on a regular basis

god will bring into our lives People who are

like this man, who are stuck and need to be brought

to the church to be healed. They probably don't

even know it yet. And we have to be very subtle

and careful in the way we approach them and respectful.

But at the same time, it really is our job. It

really is our job to hear that voice out there

saying, I have no one. I have no one to help

me. I'm stuck. And we need to respond to that.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy

Spirit. Amen.