A Borrowed Faith--August 8, 2023

A Borrowed Faith--August 8, 2023

"When [Jesus] returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them. Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, 'Son, your sins are forgiven.'" [Mark 2:1-5]

Healing is never the prize awarded for your believing hard enough.  And faith is not the currency that buys you access to God's help.  

Here's one way you can know that: the man in this story who gets healed isn't the one named as having faith.  It's his friends.  Mark, the narrator of this story, says that "Jesus saw their faith," that is, the friends who lowered their companion on the mat.  And it's from being moved by their care for their friend and their trust in Jesus that the rest of the story unfolds.  We don't know anything at all about the faith of the man on the mat--we don't know if he was hoping Jesus could heal him, or if he was uncertain or downright skeptical.  We don't even know how aware he was of his situation.  What we are told is that the friends who lowered him through the hole in the roof (which they had dug, mind you!) were determined to get their friend in front of Jesus, and that something good would come of it.  That's what faith in Jesus looked like in this moment.  

Now, let's hit the pause button for a moment here, and rewind the scene.  As Mark the narrator tells it, Jesus sees these guys tearing a hole in the roof of this house and lowering their friend down, but as far as we know, he hasn't had a chance to inquire about their theology, grill them on their biblical interpretation, or hear them recite a creed.  What Jesus sees is their love for their friend. And that love is expressed, at least in this case, by pulling apart the barrier that kept their friend from being in the presence of Jesus.  Jesus sees this action of compassion, and he can see their faith from that compassion.  If you want to say that the man on the mat is healed by faith in Jesus, you have to concede that in this story, it's a borrowed faith.

He knows they have put their trust in him because he can see the gamble they've taken in the very act of pulling apart the roof.  They are willing to bet, not only that Jesus is able to help their friend, but that he will be willing, rather than, say, angry about the damage to the roof. And it turns out that their faith is well-placed, because Jesus responds with compassion--he's not upset about the roof, offended at their impertinence, or mad about what they've done.  Instead, Jesus has seen the faith that animates their actions, and the way they are embodying love. The paralyzed man isn't healed, forgiven, and restored as a reward for his fervor in faith, but because the love and faith of his friends brings him to Jesus, who really is as compassionate and merciful as they had hoped.

In our culture, we so quickly want to turn faith into a transaction, where my belief in God is rewarded with answered prayers or good fortune and prosperity.  We have a way of seeing God as some kind of celestial appraiser, who assesses how much to compensate us as payment for our proper theology or the strength of our devotion.  We are tempted to take a story of healing and say, "Ah, well, he was healed because he believed hard enough, and Jesus knew he was deserving."  But that's simply not how this story goes--the faith that gets Jesus' attention belongs to the friends, and all they want is the chance for their paralyzed friend to meet Jesus.  There is no quid pro quo, no cures given in exchange for creeds, and no reduction of faith to a commodity you can trade for something else.  There is only an observant and compassionate Jesus, who knows faith when he sees it, and who is moved by the mercy of the man's friends.

I wonder--how could our trust in Jesus lead us to action for other people whom we care about?  Who might we be led to bring to Jesus, even if we don't know quite what to expect, other than that he is good, he is gracious, and he doesn't turn away even the man breaking through his roof?  I'll bet there are people you know who are waiting for you to help pull down the barriers that are keeping them from Jesus.  And I'll bet you Jesus recognizes it when we spend our energy removing those barriers for the sake of others.  In fact, I'd wager Jesus recognizes that as the calling card of love and of faith alike.

Lord Jesus, let our trust in you lead us to remove the barriers that have been keeping others away from you.