I thought I heard him laugh

Lily Cathcart September 12, 2022 0 1

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Luke 5: 17-26 (NRSVA)

17 One day, while he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting nearby (they had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem); and the power of the Lord was with him to heal. 18 Just then some men came, carrying a paralysed man on a bed. They were trying to bring him in and lay him before Jesus; 19 but finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the middle of the crowd in front of Jesus. 20 When he saw their faith, he said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven you.’ 21 Then the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, ‘Who is this who is speaking blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ 22 When Jesus perceived their questionings, he answered them, ‘Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, “Your sins are forgiven you”, or to say, “Stand up and walk”? 24 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—he said to the one who was paralysed—‘I say to you, stand up and take your bed and go to your home.’ 25 Immediately he stood up before them, took what he had been lying on, and went to his home, glorifying God. 26 Amazement seized all of them, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, ‘We have seen strange things today.’

This week we are reading passages in Luke through the eyes of Joanna one of Jesus’s supporters and followers.

JOANNA:

“One thing I learned with Jesus is that he doesn’t just create creative responses he inspires them too. This one is a classic. They dropped a man through the ceiling! I mean who saw that coming? We loved telling it again and again, round the table or the fire it always brought a smile. The way lots of them tell it they leave out the best bits. I love to tell about the people whose house we were in. You should have seen their faces when someone slipped through their roof. Or about Jesus, did he know it was coming? Who can say, but I swear I saw him glance upwards just before they broke through. Maybe only he could hear their efforts above the noise of the crowd. When the bed came swinging down I thought I heard him laugh. Creative solutions are his thing. Creative problems too mind you. He likes to keep us all on our toes.”

PRAYER:

Dear God of solutions

Teach us to seek creative responses to problems in our lives and planet

Comfort us through the problems we face

Help us to laugh at the unexpected with you

Amen