By Derek Lang
One day my dentist asked whether I was under a lot of stress. I told him that I might have been, but asked how he knew. He pointed at the fact that I had been grinding my teeth, and that was a typical sign of stress in a person’s life. He could have just fixed my teeth. Instead there was something deeper that had to be fixed.
The first time I heard the story of the paralytic who was dropped down into the home of Jesus to be healed was when I was a child. It was a cute and encouraging story. It was not until I read the story again that I realize Jesus’ first response was to tell him that his sins were forgiven, rather than healing his paralysis. I wonder what would have happened if the scribes did not complain or grouse. Would the man have retorted to Jesus, “Uh, excuse me. It was nice of you to forgive my sins, but I’m still paralyzed”???
Jesus knew that there was something deeper that the man needed – that even the man probably did not realize. So often it is the things right in front of us that we think are emergencies needing to be fixed. They are the traumatic things in our lives. And yet, those are the relatively easier things to fix. It is the heart and soul things that are more difficult to fix – broken relationships, deep-seeded fears, old hurts that cannot be forgotten. I am glad that Jesus sees right through all my pride, façades, and saving-face, and fixes what really needs healing in my life.