Paradox
“Everyone was amazed and
gave praise to God. They were filled
with awe and said, ‘We have seen remarkable things today.” Lk. 5:26
Here is the scene:
A crowd had gathered at a house because they heard Jesus was in
town. Some friends were taking drastic
measures to get their buddy to Jesus and when all else failed, they lowered him
through the roof. Observing this were
the Pharisees and teachers of the law.
Jesus was struck by the faith of the friends and told the man lying on
the mat that his sins were forgiven.
Blasphemy, thought the Pharisees.
Only God can forgive sins. Jesus
called them out and in so doing, referred to Himself as the Son of Man – the
Messiah. Jesus then healed the man on
the mat.
The final verse in this passage illustrates the awe and
amazement of the people who gave praise to God.
The expression “remarkable things” in Greek comes from the root word
paradox. That is exactly what is going
on in this story, in this gospel; indeed, in all four gospels. There is always a paradox.
The Pharisees and teachers of the law were not among the
cheering crowd of onlookers. And so we
have the paradox: it is one the kingdom.
The religious rulers of the day believed the kingdom would be political,
militant, victorious, and regally-royal.
Jesus ushered in a kingdom that was peaceful, kind, humble, and by all
appearances, defeated (at least through the cross). We see the faith of the friends pitted
against the fear of the Pharisees. The
religious leaders were having their ideas and ideals threatened – by supposed
“no-bodies!” The power system of the
Pharisees was being challenged by the One claiming to be the Messiah. The power system had become a power struggle
as the power shifted.
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