Getting Creative

The Palsied Man Let Down through the Roof by James Tissot
Image Courtesy of Brooklyn Museum

Scripture

^{Luke 5:17-26}

¹⁷ One day, while he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting near by (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 paralyzed 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 paralyzed—“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.”

Devotion

I'm often struck by the sheer tenacity of people in the Bible.  Despite everything that was stacked against them, God helps them find creative ways to tackled life's difficulties.  Is your army being decimated by a giant?  Send out a young shepherd armed with a slingshot.  Are you worried that you and lack the male protection you need to survive in your patriarchal society? Promote a match between your widowed daughter-in-law and her late husband's cousin.  Is a sea blocking your path to freedom? Why not just pass through it?

Today's reading from Luke takes part in this grand tradition of finding creative solutions to problems.  The friends of a paralyzed man want Jesus to heal him, but crowds of people keep getting in their way. When they realize that they can't force their way through, they decide to climb on top of the building Jesus is and tear a hole in the roof.  Then, they lower their friend down towards Jesus.

This approach is more than a little unorthodox.  Imagine the look of shock that must have passed over people's faces when the man's friends first broke through and started lowering him down.  I'm sure the owner of the place said a few choice words. Meanwhile, the folks up on the roof are taking a big risk.  What if they drop their friend before they manage to get him all the way down?  What if noone inside is willing to help catch him or carry him to a place to sit?  Worst of all, what if Jesus can't or won't  heal him?  Despite all the things that could go wrong, they continue with their creative plan to get their friend to Jesus. 

A fascinating detail of this story is why Jesus initially decides to help the paralyzed man.  Luke says that Jesus forgives the man's sins because he saw not only the paralyzed man's faith but also  "their" collective faith.  The folks up on the roof weren't just people who were able to think quickly on their feet.  Strange as their actions may be, their creativity demonstrated their deep faith in God. When other people would have just given up and gone home, the paralyzed man friend's stayed committed to their task.  Together, they and the person they were helping were inspired to find a way forward and then trusted God enough to see their plan through to the end.  The collective faith that helped them find a creative answers to their problem moved Jesus to do much more than simply healing the man's body; he also forgave the man's sins.

Luke's account provides me with comfort and inspiration when I encounter life's obstacles.   I think it can be be a great help to us right now.  Thanks to COVID, many of us are discovering roadblocks that separate us from the people and activities that give us a sense of joy.  We are told not to touch people.  Or to travel.  Or to gather in large groups.  It can all feel demoralizing at times...especially when rules, restrictions, and recommendations impact the way we show our love for God and one another.

Just because there are thing standing in our way doesn't mean we should give up.  Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can open our minds to creative ways of connecting with one another and doing the things we love. It won't always be the same.  People may be a little surprised with what we came up with.  But if we have faith God, then our efforts will be blessed. 

What's more, we don't need to worry that won't be able to come up with a plan.  God created each of us with our own unique gifts and approach to life.  When we trust God enough to listen for the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit that lives within us, we will find that we are more creative than we thought.  We may even discover that the gifts we have a positive impact on the people around us.

The creativity that comes from God manifests can show up in surprising ways.  Last week, as my family and I grieved not going to the family reunion, some of us focusing on how we would miss taking our putting our camp chairs in the creek and chatting with each other.  Then, while I was talking to my sister, the Holy Spirit gave us an idea.  What if we ran some water in our bathtubs, put our feet in, and called a few relatives?  My sister suggested that we could take pictures as well.  It was a quirky idea, but it caught on.  On Saturday afternoon, my family and I laughed as we swapped "feet in the water" images via text message and social media.  My sister even "introduced" some of our cousins to her baby by sending them photos of her splashing her feet in the bathroom sink.  As we laughed and reconnected, we found joy in what a few of us had expected to be a hard and grief-filled day.  When we trusted God and one another enough to be a little silly, Christ rewarded our faith by showering us with more blessings than we expected.

I invite each of us to spend some time pondering how we can faithfully respond to life's current obstacles.  Perhaps you feel God urging you to get creative in how you connect with friends and loved ones.   Perhaps the Holy Spirit is encouraging  you to help your faith community come up with new ways of worshiping together.  Or perhaps Christ is inspiring you to help people who are struggling in new and innovative ways.  Whatever you are called to get creative with, I hope you trust Christ enough to give it a try. 

What you are doing may seem quirky.  It may seem like it can't possibly work.  But I am willing to bet that whatever you come up with won't be as strange as tearing a hole in someone's roof and then lowering a paralyzed man into the building.  Just as Jesus rewarded that group for its faith, I am sure that when you place your trust in him and seek new ways of moving forward, Christ will fill your life with unexpected blessings. 

Prayer

Christ, you are there for us at every moment along life's journey.  When we encounter obstacles, may we continue to trust in you so that we may think creatively and act in accordance to the guidance of your Spirit.  May our faith in you help fill our world with blessings.  Amen.