The Miracle of Friendship
Did Jesus own a home?
Father Martin begins chapter 11 with an interesting
question. The question makes sense,
since Capernaum was a kind of
home base early in Our Lord’s ministry.
While we do not have a definitive answer to this question, I
was excited to learn about the ancient graffiti in the first century structure
(see pages 182 – 183) in Capernaum
known as Peter’s House. In the courtyard
of this primitive home, ancient graffiti, written in Aramaic, Hebrew, Greek,
Latin and Syriac speak of Jesus as “Lord and Christ.”
This room in a private residence in Capernaum ,
according to the author, “was held in special regard by many people only a
century after Jesus’s activities in Galilee ” (page 183).
The graffiti suggests that Jesus himself had a connection to
this home. Did He in fact visit this
home, the home of Peter? Did He own a
home nearby? It’s a tantalizing
question. And was it in or near this
place that the Healing of the Paralytic took place?
And, what, indeed, is the miracle that takes place in this
home with the thatched roof in Capernaum ? The healing of a paralytic man? Yes, to be sure. But I would also suggest a second miracle, a
miracle that paves the way for this healing.
I would suggest that it is the miracle of friendship.
Father Martin writes,
The men’s love for their friend has always moved me. They care for their friend so much that they
carry him on his krabattos, which must have taken a great deal of effort on
their part. They love him so much that
they are willing to make a spectacle of themselves. . . .And they want him to
meet Jesus so much that they risk angering Jesus (or Peter) by destroying an
important part of the house. But no
matter—these men want healing for their friend (p. 186).
So, these four unnamed friends take a significant risk in
order to place their friend in the presence of the Lord. “Come
hell or high water” they took action--a gesture which clearly got the
Lord’s attention.
Sometimes, it is not enough for us to pray for friends and
loved ones. Sometimes, we need to take
action. How blest was the paralyzed man
to have these wonderful friends. It is a shining example of Christian friendship.
Questions to Ponder and Discuss:
1. Mark's Gospel says the paralyzed man's friends "unroofed the roof," in other words, ripped off the thatch. Luke, writing later for a more cosmopolitan audience, changes that explanation to "they let him down. . . .through the roof tiles." Do such edits in the Gospels surprise or bother you?
2. The "scribes and Pharisees" have frequently been portrayed in negative terms in Christian history. Yet, as Amy-Jill Levine and other scholars remind us, they were devout believers trying to lead holy Jewish lives. Can you understand some of their suspicion of Jesus?
3. How have your friends "carried you" to God?
Steven Olson
I remember well the time many years ago when not only did friends carry me to God, but also acquaintances and some strangers. I had suffered a back injury, and my husband who was already physically disabled and in a wheelchair broke a leg, and we had two young children 10 and 12. I had several women friends who helped take my children to extracurricular activities, helped take me to physical therapy, and helped with meal preparation. The extraordinary thing that happened (if all of that isn't extraordinary enough) was a women from the church that we were attending formed a committee of men who came to my house between 6:30 and 7 a.m. to help my husband get dressed for work. Some men came in business attire since they were on their way to work! Then, in the evening, another group of men took turns coming to my home at 10:30 p.m. to help my husband into bed, and the cycle would begin again every morning and evening for six weeks. During this time, Christmas was fast approaching, and my family became the 8th grade CCD project, in that, several students came to get our tree out of the attic, and decorated it for us. They returned in January to help take down the holiday decorations. During that six week period, there were many other instances of being "carried" by God and to God!!
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