AP – Look and see!

In fact, even more the word about him was coming through and many crowds came together to hear and to be cured of their disabilities. In fact, he was withdrawing to wilderness places and praying. And it came to be on one of the days, he again was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem, were seated. And the power of the lord to cure was his. (Luke’s AD 60 research report re Jesus: Chapter 5: 15-32)

The picture portrayed by Luke is one of many immense crowds coming together in many places in Palestine. They “came together to hear and to be cured of their disabilities.” At the same time – and from the same places – the religious authorities were there. They “were seated”. What about Jesus? “The power of the lord to cure was his.” And (look and see!), some men, carrying upon a bed a man who was paralyzed, were seeking to bring him in and to place him in the presence of Jesus. And, finding no way to bring him in through the crowd, they went up on the housetop, sending him down with the mattress through the tiles into the middle in the presence of Jesus. And he, seeing their faith, said, “Man, your sins are sent away from you.” “Look and see!” How would you have felt – if you had been the paralysed man and found yourself unable to run away - “in the presence of Jesus”? That’s where the men wanted to place the paralysed man: “in the presence of Jesus”. Would you have been ashamed of yourself – of your total worthlessness? Jesus said to him, “Man, your sins are sent away.”
And the theologians and the Pharisees began to reason, stating, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who is able to send away sins except God alone?”	.
Do you accept the assured reasoning of the (“seated”) religious experts? In fact, Jesus, upon knowing their reasonings, responding to them, stated, “What are you reasoning in your hearts? What is an easier thing to say, ‘Your sins are fsent away from you,’ or to say, ‘Rise!’ And walk!’? In fact, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority upon earth to send away sins” - he said to the paralyzed - “I say to you, ‘Rise! And pick up your mattress! And move into your house!’” Jesus didn’t dispute the theological correctness of his critics. Instead, he asked them, in effect, to work out who he was. If he was a fraudster, he could pretend to send away the man’s sins because nobody could then see if they were sent away or not. Instead, he commands the paralysed man to do three things which the man could not possibly do. They could then decide. And immediately he rose up in their presence and picked up what he was reclining on and came away into his house, glorifying God. And ecstasy took hold of everyone, and they were glorifying God and were filled full of fear, stating that, “We have seen beyond glory today.” The man formerly totally paralysed: “Glorifying God.” Everyone ecstatic: “Glorifying God.” And “they were filled full of fear”. Why? Sins? And after this he went out and looked on a tax collector named Levi, sitting over the tax office. And he said to him, “Follow me.” Not only was Jesus interested in a paralysed man, but he also he "looked on" a traitorous wealthy man who was in the pay of the Roman Empire.
And, leaving behind everything, he rose up and followed him. And Levi made him a great reception in his house, and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining with them. And the Pharisees and their theologians were complaining to his disciples, stating, “For what reason do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?” And, responding, Jesus said to them, “No need of a healer for the ones having health, instead for the ones having wretchedness. I have not come to call righteous ones instead sinful ones into a mind-change.”	.
What possible religious “reason” could there be for being with traitors and “sinners”? Is it possible that he is still only interested in the “sinful ones”?

Sinner Syvret

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