Transcription
Christ is risen from the dead, and by death has trampled down death, and to those in the tombs bestowing life.
At this time of the ecclesiastical season we cannot get enough of that particular hymn – Christ is risen from the dead and by death has bestowed to those in the tombs life. Life is what we all want. Life in its fullness is what we are all searching for. The problem of course is that life in its fullness means that we need to work and work particularly hard.
Today’s Gospel reading took us to the paralytic, and we are told that this paralysed person was for 38 years immobilised and seeking to be cured. He certainly worked within his own capacity and ability to be cured. However we know from the story that at a certain time in the season the angel would come down and stir the waters, and the first person who went in after the stirring of the waters would be cured from whatever illness they had. And this particular person didn’t have anyone to help him get into the pool first. So he was left behind, and had been left behind for 38 years.
Now, most people, you and I, would probably feel despair, would probably feel the hopelessness of the situation. But not this person. This person was steadfast. It would get better. 38 whole years he was saying to himself it would get better. Therefore he stayed where he could, awaiting in expectation the coming of the angel.
You notice something. The angel comes, the Spirit comes, the Holy Spirit comes, and stirs the water. And you have to be willing, ready, and able, to go and assist and become at one with the Holy Spirit. The reality is this – the angel of health, our guardian angels, the Holy Spirit, all work in synergy and in concert, to give us the life that we want in holiness. But it is a synergy that involves not just the Spirit, not just the angel sent to protect us, but also ourselves.
If we are not prepared to work, whatever we can do, to assist the transformation of ourselves, we will never be transformed. Even if we fail like this person had failed for 38 years, unless we are ready, willing, and able, we will never be transformed. And the most important thing that we have in this world is the ability to understand that God loves us. And yes, we need to love God back, but we also need to be ready, willing, and able to do whatever is necessary.
If you like, we are God’s arms and we are God’s legs. If you like, we are the active part of what God gives us. God gives us the thought, God gives us the hope, God gives us the expectation, but we have to get up, take our pallets, and walk. We have to do that. Christ can tell us, get up, and take up your pallet and walk, but unless we are prepared to do so, then it won’t happen.
And you notice something further, this person, he was found in the temple praising God. What a wonderful thing, to praise God for the good things that we have. I’m reminded of Job in the Old Testament, when he was told by his wife after he had suffered all those terrible things, to curse God and die. And he told her she was talking the talk of a silly woman, because God gives us good things should we not also expect bad things in our lifetime?
So don’t think that for one moment that because we are Christians we are somehow cocooned. Somehow made invulnerable. Somehow that we are free from all risk. That we can’t get sick. That death can’t happen to us. That death can’t happen to our loved ones. Of course it can. The issue isn’t what can happen to us, what may befall us, but the issue is what do we do. And you will notice at the end of the Gospel reading, what does Christ say, He says something peculiar. He says to the man ‘see that you sin no more, lest something worse befall you’.
Not a physical ailment, the body can die, the body suffers decay, but it is the spirit that lives forever and ever. It’s the spirit that unites us to Christ. It’s the spirit that lives. So when Christ says to us, or said to this man, ‘sin no more, so that nothing worse can befall you’, what he’s really talking about is: do no harm to yourself spiritually, because by doing harm to yourself spiritually, you are putting yourself beyond the help of God.
And when we stop and think about that, that is just so so important to understand. We separate ourselves from God, God doesn’t separate Himself from us, we separate ourselves from God. Through sin. Through our own wilfulness. Through our own mind, our own thoughts, all our own work, we are separated from God. See that you sin no more, lest something worse should befall you. This man was paralysed for 38 years. This was not enough because that something worse could have happened to him. And that thing that was worse is a product of sin.
Make no mistake, that the devil is real, the devil is out there, the devil tests us, the devil wants to win us. It doesn’t matter, promise us anything, do anything, give us anything, it doesn’t matter, so long as he wins us over. So we’ve got to be alert, we’ve got to be steadfast like this man, 38 years. Not give up. Always full of hope. Always saying, Lord Thy will be done, Amen.
Also, today is mother’s day, happy mother’s day to all the mothers out there. Remember you are treasured and loved. Sometimes we sons, we husbands, we get it wrong, we may say the harsh things, but remember we’ve got a male brain so you need to forgive us. Happy mother’s day, we love you dearly and deeply, amen.
