Study #7: Communal Healing

Mark 2:1-12
When he 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.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and he said to them, “Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and take your mat and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” —he said to the paralytic— “I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home.” And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!” ^{23456789101112}

Recently I attended the “Launch Pad Family Reunion,” an annual gathering of friends who are part of a recovery home network in our community. Some of the friends currently live at one of the homes, some have “graduated” from the program, and others have loved ones (sons, daughters, spouses, parents) currently living in the homes. People came from far and near to celebrate the recovery they have experienced in their lives. There were people there with 25 years of recovery and people with 25 days. We celebrated with great food, lots of laughter, good music, and inspiring speakers throughout the weekend.

“John” (name changed), the Saturday-night speaker, was celebrating 25 years of recovery from alcohol addiction. Tears ran from my eyes, from laughter one minute and from moving testimony the next. One of the themes that I heard over and over in his testimony was: “You people kept me coming back. You people helped me make it. You people helped me stay sober.”

Many of the people at the reunion had heard John speak before, but few, if any, had actually been around when he was working to get sober himself. However, people like the folks at the reunion had been there supporting and encouraging John to take it one day at a time, to change his surroundings when he felt the desire to drink alcohol and to call his sponsor when times were rough. John’s recovery had been and continues to be a communal healing.

Mark’s account of Jesus healing the paralytic who had been let down through the roof is a communal healing. The paralyzed man needed to get to Jesus, but his paralysis and other people blocking the way prevented that from happening. I don’t know how the paralytic managed to get his friends to take him to Jesus. Maybe it was the friends who got word that the One who heals was back at home, and now was the chance to help their friend.

The four friends used a makeshift stretcher to carry their friend, and all seemed to be going well until they got to the house where Jesus was teaching. People had packed the house and had spilled over into the yard. No
one moved away from the door as the friends approached the house.

“Excuse me, please. We need to get our friend to Jesus.”

The folks looked at the friends as if to say “Too bad. You should have gotten here earlier.”

The friends would not be stopped. There had to be another way to get to Jesus. The roof! Carefully, they carried their friend onto the roof, pulled it away, and even more carefully let their friend down into the healing presence of Jesus.

I’m amazed at their persistence and creativity. Would the crowd have dissuaded me? I’m also amazed at their selfishness. Shouldn’t they have moved aside? Someone needed to get to Jesus and all they could think about
was their own need.

The church is called to be the friend that gets those in need to Jesus. Sometimes we have to get out of the way, sometimes we have to carry folks, and sometimes we have to be creative with new openings to Jesus. “John” needed others to encourage, support, and love him during his recovery. Isn’t this Christ’s call to the church—to participate communally in the healing of the broken and the lost?

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

• How have you experienced healing as a communal event?
• Where do you see signs of the church participating in recovery ministries?
• How do we in the church (unintentionally or intentionally) dissuade folks needing recovery from “getting to Jesus”?
• What new ways can you/your church encourage folks in recovery?

Rev. Trish Archer, USA