What would you say if someone walked up to you and asked, “How
would you like to be happy for the rest of your life?” You might laugh.
You might say, “Sure.” Or, more likely, you might start listing off all
the reasons why this could not possibly happen. You might say, “I have
chronic pain,” or, “My kids have stopped speaking to me,” or, “I hate my
job.” In other words, you might assume that there are certain
insurmountable obstacles to you being happy for the rest of your life.
But what if the person then said to you, “I didn’t ask you about the obstacles. I asked if you want to be happy for the rest of your life. Go ahead and answer the question I asked.”
This scenario is very similar to what happens in the story we’ll read on Sunday. Jesus performs his third sign, healing a paralyzed man. But before he performs the miracle, he asks the man if he wants to get well. The miracle itself, as well as the way Jesus approaches the recipient, reveal a powerful truth about Jesus’ ability to bring hope to all of our lost causes.
But what if the person then said to you, “I didn’t ask you about the obstacles. I asked if you want to be happy for the rest of your life. Go ahead and answer the question I asked.”
This scenario is very similar to what happens in the story we’ll read on Sunday. Jesus performs his third sign, healing a paralyzed man. But before he performs the miracle, he asks the man if he wants to get well. The miracle itself, as well as the way Jesus approaches the recipient, reveal a powerful truth about Jesus’ ability to bring hope to all of our lost causes.
Dan
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