17 January 2014 - come to jesus

17 January 2014 - come to jesus

What do we really need?  Do we know?

We are quick to say, "appoint a king over us," but is a king really what we need? 

Maybe a king represents a human intermediary when we are unwilling to trust God to act directly.  If we make a choice like this we may find ourselves suffering the consequences of allowing a man with flawed human nature to take a role which should be God's.  Will he take our sons and daughters for his work, take our fields, vineyards and olive groves for his officials, take even our best oxen and asses for his purposes? 

He will tithe your flocks and you yourselves will become his slaves.
When this takes place,
you will complain against the king whom you have chosen,
but on that day the LORD will not answer you.”

We want to "be like other nations" but of what are we really envious?  We want something that is direct and easy.  We want the power of a king but not the responsibility of a God.  And it is true that God is less direct.  We have to be still to hear his voice speaking in our souls.  God is a gentleman.  He always approaches us in  a way that respects our free will.  The enemy, on the other hand, is loud, oppressive, and immediate.  We see quickly that he doesn't regard our free will, only his own malevolent designs.

In today's Gospel reading the friends of the paralytic are wise enough to bring their friend directly to Jesus.  They know what this direct access to Jesus can mean and are willing to go to extremes to achieve it.  Yet even here we see that God knows our needs better than we ourselves know them.  True, being healed of paralysis is a good.  When he is cured his body may be likened to a earthly kingdom in good order.  An earthly king may accomplish the analogous work in good conditions.  Food may be plenteous and the kingdom may be at peace.  But this good is still transitory.  It is passing.  Given enough time any kingdom will experience war and famine and eventual dissolution.  Our hope must rise above these earthly goods to the eternal.  And for this no earthly king can suffice.  For the individual no mere physical healing can suffice.

After they had broken through,
they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to him,
“Child, your sins are forgiven.”

Jesus is not concerned with just one dimension of our lives.  He is concerned with the whole person.  We need to come to him directly and give him the stillness that he needs to speak to us.  Let us hear him tell us to "rise" from our paralysis, from all that holds us captive in this life. And even more than this we need to here him say, "your sins are forgiven" that he may one day welcome us into his kingdom.

If we give him enough stillness we will learn to hear his voice better and better.  What was once a whisper may become "the joyful shout".

Blessed the people who know the joyful shout;
in the light of your countenance, O LORD, they walk.
At your name they rejoice all the day,
and through your justice they are exalted.