[AI translation] In our Thursday Bible study, where we study the Gospel of Luke chapter by chapter, we are following the passage I just read from the Gospel according to Luke. And according to the Bible reading guide, which is the basis on which most people in this congregation read their Bibles every day, this is also the passage from the Gospel according to Mark for today. Thus, the story of the healing of the man with a stroke, which I am happy to take as the theme of today's sermon, is almost a natural one, because God has a very topical message for us. If only we could understand and accept it!The story tells of one healing case among many. A man paralysed by a stroke is brought to Jesus. It is clear from the situation that the case was serious, the poor man had to be carried, so he could not walk, perhaps not even speak, at least according to the description he did not say a word. He may not have been conscious - in any case, he lay helpless on a stretcher-like bed, and four men lifted him up by his four corners and carried him to Jesus. Without a word they laid him down before Jesus. And then the miracle happened, which is described in our basic verse: "And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the man with the palsy, 'Son, your sins are forgiven you.'" And in order to prove to the Pharisees, who were still complaining, that he had power on earth to forgive sins, he said to the man with the palsy, "Arise, and taking up thy bride, go thy way homeward.
Thinking about this story, I couldn't help thinking that we too have a very sick person who should be brought to Jesus for mercy. And this great patient is the whole of humanity, the whole of human life on earth today. We all know how serious the condition of this patient is, how critical is the tension that, like an inner fever, is consuming his strength. We know how his life, his very existence, his tomorrow, is hanging by a thread: we know it, because this very sick condition is the main topic of our conversation with each other. In November last year, the World Buddhist Fellowship held a major meeting in Burma. It was attended by many thousands of delegates from all over the world. It was the sixth Buddhist General Assembly since Buddhism has been in the world. Such a gathering is held when something special or urgent requires it. The timeliness of calling the gathering now is that, as they say, the 2500th year of their calendar - which is now and next year in our calendar - coincides with the most critical time in world history. Many Buddhists are convinced that the world's turmoil is the fault of Christianity. For, as they say, in the present generation, Christian nations have already fought two world wars in bloody battles with each other, and now the third is being prepared. Therefore, before the Christians can set the world on fire again, Buddhists must intervene to save lives.
This is shocking news. We are ashamed to learn that this is how much of the pagan world sees Christianity. But it is also good to see that, behold, the whole world is concerned about the great sick, about the crisis of humanity, of human life. The spiritual stroke has the same signs as the physical one: stupefied helplessness, hesitant perplexity, paralysis, oppression. The soul of humanity is fatally ill. Can we be indifferent to this? Is it possible to ignore it? Is it possible to take the position that whatever must happen, must happen, and I cannot stop destiny. Or is it possible to intervene with some serious, hopeful help?
Well: that is why I rejoice in this Word, because it is our specific task that is at stake here. Behold: Jesus had compassion on the condition of that wretched, helpless patient, and that in view of the faith of others. Behold, we read: seeing their faith - not the faith of the stricken man, for he was perhaps not conscious, but the faith of the four unknown, nameless men who carried him - Jesus spoke the words of absolution, healing, the gift of new life over the sick man in view of their faith. Such is the importance of faith. So much depends on the faith of believers. Today, too, people of faith in Christ can offer as much real help to the sick world as their faith can bear, as much as they can receive from Jesus, the great Healer, for the world. The great and decisive question that confronts us here is whether we have the faith that those four good friends had!
Our faith is of decisive importance in experiencing the miraculous power of God to have mercy on the world. Luke describes the story as beginning, "the Lord had power with him to heal." (Lk 5,17c) The reason Luke notes this is because it was not always the case that the Lord had the power with Jesus to heal. We also read in the Bible that in another place and on another occasion Jesus could not perform any miracles among men. It was not that he did not want to, but that he could not do great things. Is there such a thing as Jesus not being able to do something, not being able to do something? Could He have had His moments of weakness? No, but He could not do great things where and when He was surrounded by the unbelief of men. When the hearts of men were closed to Him. He always came with an abundance of His rich blessings to pour out upon them, but He was not accepted, He found no believing welcome, and so He had to carry His gifts on from there with a sad heart. Here, however, the Lord had power with him to heal, because the hearts of the people were open to receive what he wanted to give. Behold, what happened was that Jesus, seeing their faith, acted with mercy and healing power!
The healing power of Jesus Christ is no less today, it is just a question of finding the faith to pour it into? He comes today with the rich gifts of His power, comfort, help, victory, joy and yet it happens that He can do nothing because of our unbelief. We must be in this state of acceptance in faith, which is necessary for the heavenly healing power to flow out! Our faith is like a lightning rod, the point of which is not to ward off lightning, but to collect and suck out the electricity in the air. It is precisely the role of faith to draw, to draw off, to absorb the healing divine power that is in Christ. Not, of course, to neutralise it, like a lightning rod to destroy lightning, but to bring this blessed heavenly electricity into the visible world, into life on earth, here where there is trouble, where there is sickness, where there is hatred, where there is sorrow, where there is injustice, where there is mortal danger! And it is our unbelief that the power of God is not always present to heal and bless. It is our unbelief that blocks the infusion into the world of the miraculous powers that would heal the spiritually sickly life on earth!
Can we believe that this sick world needs Jesus Christ? Do we believe that Jesus Christ can help all mankind; that His blood is truly an atoning sacrifice for the whole world; that He can work miracles, that He can save the lives of the very sick? Whoever has experienced for himself the saving grace of Christ, the life-giving power of His forgiving power: can he believe that the same power, the same power of grace, can bring healing, physical and spiritual cleansing, empowerment, in the lives of other people, other nations, other parts of the world, all humanity on earth? Do we dare to believe in Jesus Christ, our Saviour, as the four men who carried the fifth? That is the faith that is needed, and that is the faith that God wants to inspire in us now with this Word.
Look: this faith does not speak, but acts. It does not speak, it does not assert itself, it does not argue, it does not defend itself, but serves in silence. This faith is not heard in big words, but seen: "seeing" the faith of Jesus! As far as can be seen from the description, the four men did not speak, did not ask Jesus to do anything, but here there was no need for words. The very effort with which these men brought their sick companions to Jesus was the most powerful testimony to the strength of their faith. It is not necessary to prove or defend faith with words when faith has such actions. And the faith most beautifully expressed and most noble and solemnly professed is of no avail if it does not lead to the corresponding action. It is in vain to confess, with a moved spirit, at the distribution of communion, "I believe and confess, I promise and receive."- True faith is not expressed in such words, but in such actions as this story. These four men simply grabbed the four corners of the wicker bed and carried the patient. True faith does not talk much, but acts; it does not lament over trouble, but seizes the opportunity to serve; - it does not criticize, but wherever it is, it takes up the task assigned to it and goes with it to Christ!
Those four unknown men must have had personal problems, troubles, but they did not bring Jesus to them, but someone who was in even greater trouble. Could our faith serve in this way, could we love this sick world so much that we do not put our own troubles first? Could we put our real or perceived grievances, our personal issues, our familiar comforts, into the background? Is it such a holy endeavour, filling every part of our being, to help the very sick person to recover by any means we can? Jesus hears our faith often, because at least here in church we talk about it a lot, but does he see it? Does it show in anything that we believe? Do we even believe that we can bring this sick world to Jesus? Is it not the case that we shrink from the magnitude of the task? We are filled with little faith: what can I do alone with a whole society, with a whole world!
Well, here too there were four who carried the fifth. One man alone could not have done it, two could only have done it with great difficulty, three could hardly have done it. But when four such men unite their strength, their will, their faith, their love, they can carry their burdens to the goal without any difficulty. There is unheard-of power in the union of hearts and hands. Jesus said directly: If two of you are of one mind about anything, ask whatever you will, and it will be done for you. We are not alone: all over the world, many believers want the same thing, ask the same thing in prayer, work for the same thing: for the healing of this world through Christ, for the grace of God to save human life from being destroyed by its own sins. Just as the four men grasped the four corners of the bier, so we grasp the corner of the world that is closest to us, that is in our hands, that which is entrusted to us to do out in the world: Whether it is the care of the household, or public service, or child-rearing, or a grey robot: let us do it with the faith and prayer that, together with many other thousands and millions of believers, we will lift, carry and carry this sick world towards Christ.
It depends on your faith, on your faith manifested in your deeds, in your acts of charity, in your honest stand, whether the healing, miracle-working power of Jesus can be poured out on the world. And let's start small, but in concrete terms: if, for example, there are already two of you at home in your family who have faith, then the two of you should pray together and bring a third to Christ. And in the same way, two couples together bring a third, three good friends together bring a fourth! And even you alone together with hundreds of thousands of other believers for the cause, the trouble, the destiny of all mankind!
Do you really believe that the Lord has the power to heal today? Do you believe that the same miracle can happen today, that Jesus, seeing your faith, our faith, says to your child, says to our church, says to the world, "Your sins are forgiven you, arise and walk?" Do we believe that Christ can work a miracle through our faith? It really just depends on whether we believe it!
Come then, let us pray for this faith!
Teach us to believe, Lord, teach us to ask!
Childlike, teach us to ask for great faith.
Revive my heart,
Inspire me, for thee
Gather souls!
Teach me to ask!
(Canticle 479, verse 1)
Amen
Date: 20 March 1955.