Group-Orientation
(Today’s Gospel) story resonates with indications of the group-centered character of Mediterranean culture. Notice that the paralytic was brought to Jesus by a group and carried by four men (v. 3). This is not just camaraderie but customary, strong Mediterranean social cohesiveness. In fact, it is the loyalty of this group to Jesus that moves him to heal the paralytic (v. 5).

The Greek word ordinarily translated “faith” is more appropriately translated “loyalty.” It describes people who pledge themselves to another person “no matter what.” This group was well aware of the hostile scribes who sat in Jesus’ home watching him carefully (v. 6). That didn’t deter them from publicly demonstrating their loyalty to Jesus.

Paralysis
Leviticus (21:16-24) specifies that among other physically challenged people, a lame person may not approach to offer the bread of his God (see also Deut 23:1-2). To our ancestors in the faith, the physical condition itself was not as serious as the social consequences: exclusion from God’s holy community.

In today’s episode, Jesus phrased it thus: “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ [repairing the social condition], or to say ‘Rise, take up your mat and walk’ [repairing the physical condition; v 9]?” Clearly his culture sees restoration to normal functioning as easier to achieve than restoring someone to full membership in the community.

Healing
Recall the distinction between disease and illness offered by medical anthropology (see Fifth Sunday). Sickness, one among many misfortunes in human life, can be viewed as disease or illness. The disease view focuses on causes of sickness from a scientific, biomedical perspective. It looks for germs, viruses, and the like and seeks to find the “silver bullet” (penicillin, radiation, chemotherapy) that will destroy the cause and restore health. The illness view focuses on social consequences of a sickness event, both for the sick and for family and community.

The process of conquering a disease is known as curing; the process of restoring meaning to the life of a sick person and that person’s family and community is known as healing. Modern science admits that cures are rare, but healing takes place always, for everyone, all the time. Everyone ultimately finds meaning in life.

Jesus first heals the paralytic by pronouncing that God forgives his sin and wants to revive their mutual, intimate relationship: “Your sins are forgiven!” (v. 5). By addressing this man as “son,” Jesus publicly announces that the man is now a member of Jesus’ fictive-kinship group, his own family-like community.

When Jesus perceives that the scribes grumble because he acts like a broker on behalf of God, who alone forgives sins (v. 8), he takes yet a further step. He cures the man’s disability: “Take up your mat and go home!” (v. 11). Even here, Jesus demonstrates his primary interest in healing. By telling him to “go home,” Jesus restores the man to his own community. Regaining full membership in his community and finding welcome in Jesus’ community truly restores meaning to this group-oriented man’s life. He is definitely healed.

By mentioning the man’s mat (vv. 9, 11-12), Mark indicates the social status of the man or of his community: poor. Matthew and Luke raise the social status by replacing mat with “bed.” In either case, the commitment of the entire ancient Mediterranean community to caring about the health and well-being of all its members—poor and rich—is a stirring challenge to individualistic Western believers. We must indeed be our sisters’ and brothers’ keepers.