One of the lepers has been cured! Normally they stay on the fringe of the city yelling "Unclean" "Unclean". As children we where always told to stay clear of them for they have sinned terribly. Even Moses condemned them. Now there is one of these lepers dancing around saying he was healed and people with all manner of afflictions are crowding round Jesus
Lukes Gospel
And having brought their ships to land, leaving all things, they followed him. [12] And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy, who seeing Jesus, and falling on his face, besought him, saying: Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. [13] And stretching forth his hand, he touched him, saying: I will. Be thou cleansed. And immediately the leprosy departed from him. [14] And he charged him that he should tell no man, but, Go, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing according as Moses commanded, for a testimony to them. [15] But the fame of him went abroad the more, and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities.
The Pharisees are grumbling again, they do not like this prophet. I heard that he was almost thrown off a cliff in the town where he was raised by his Mother and Father because the people in Nazareth didn't like what Jesus was saying to them. He is only another prophet telling us about the promises of the Kingdom of God. "repent for the Kingdom of God is close at hand" well Moses has been telling us this for years. What harm can this prophet do? Its not as if he is changing the laws we live by.
We went to the house of one his many friends, he is so popular everyone wants to be his friend. I want to be his friend. I have tried to get nearer but this place is crowded out. I am sitting here now hearing what he said because its being repeated by the Pharisees, still grumbling at him. There is a bit of a noise behind us, and this man is being carried on his bed. Perhaps they think that Jesus can heal the poor man, well he healed the Leper man.
It doesn't look like they are going to get near him today though, they will never get the bed through the door. Someone is taking the roof off, I don't believe what I am seeing! Someone is actually taking the roof off the house and lowering the bed into the house. I have to edge closer to see whats going on, I just have to see this for myself.
The man has been lowered to the floor, I am perched on a water just peering into the window, hope my jug doesn't topple over. I will hold onto the frame for safety's sake. Jesus is talking to him, the man on the bed.
"Get up your sins are forgiven" he says to him.
Wonder why he said that! its forbidden by Law of Moses to forgive sins, who is this prophet? he heals lepers, cures fevers, casts out demons and forgives our sins. He must be a special person, is he Elijah reborn as some say he is, I feel unholy in his presence now. My clothes are ragged, my feet are bare and I am poor, surely this man would think so little of poor ones, he is after all talking to Lawyers and Pharisees and this house has wealth. I feel ashamed at my poverty.
He is talking again now "Which is easier to say, thy sins are forgiven thee or to say, Arise and walk? But that you may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins," he is looking down at the poor bedridden man. "I say to thee, Arise, take up they bed, and go into they house," and then to our astonishment the man who was bedridden just got off his bed, rolled it up and I jumped off the water jug and ran from the house. This man healed the cripple and the man got up and walked out of the house with no roof. I am hardly worthy to be in his presence, he walks and talks with the rich and yet he has healed the poor, the leper, the unclean and the afflicted. I am shaking with fear, I look up to the clouds and wonder, wonder why he calls himself the Son of man for he must be Elijah, I will live my days in the Synagogue praising the lord, discovering who is this man.
Lukes Gospel
[16] And he retired into the desert, and prayed. [17] And it came to pass on a certain day, as he sat teaching, that there were also Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, that were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judea and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was to heal them. [18] And behold, men brought in a bed a man, who had the palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. [19] And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in, because of the multitude, they went up upon the roof, and let him down through the tiles with his bed into the midst before Jesus. [20] Whose faith when he saw, he said: Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.
[21] And the scribes and Pharisees began to think, saying: Who is this who speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? [22] And when Jesus knew their thoughts, answering, he said to them: What is it you think in your hearts? [23] Which is easier to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee; or to say, Arise and walk? [24] But that you may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say to thee, Arise, take up thy bed, and go into thy house. [25] And immediately rising up before them, he took up the bed on which he lay; and he went away to his own house, glorifying God.
Note well.
As I write I am sharing in the mystery of the Lord as a Jewish woman, I decided to write her as a young woman, not yet betrothed or wed, living in the commune with her poor family her mother and her father, sharing with the commune what they have. How would you feel if you pictured yourself in that existence, and here is a man so powerful, so loved and welcomed into rich houses, and eating with Lawyers and Doctors and people who's shadow never even falls on you, how would you feel seeing what others saw. To try and witness it all in the eyes of one who saw it all and followed him and heard it all first hand. Frightened, poor and timid, questioning what Moses Law had taught her and afraid to step out into the light. It would be romantic fable to write myself in as one of the important players of Jesus' life, I would rather be in the shadows and write it as I can only imagine it could be written by one who saw but was unknown to Jesus, except as one of those many followers. "Daughters of Jerusalem weep not for me, but weep for yourselves" so my part is as a Daughter of Jerusalem the bit players or the extras that no one knows or cared to know about.
No comments:
Post a Comment