Today, as we pretty consistently do during this
period of time, the Gospel readings are from
St. John the Theologian. The Epistle readings
are mostly from the Acts of the Apostles. Both
of them, such gifts to us. The Acts of the Apostles
is a unique book in the Gospel because it tells
about things that we wouldn't hear about in any
other way. We have the Pauline letters. mostly
talk about his journeys and activities there
but the acts of the apostles really takes us
back to the pentecostal jerusalem and traces
all of that all the way through and so the stories
and information we get is absolutely unique to
the book of acts thank you saint luke and john
the theologian is a different type of gospel
not like the synoptics but is a theological gospel
and you notice i'm sure that on the evening of
Pascha, you would think that we would read some
kind of resurrectional gospel, like we do, say,
Matthew from out on the porch. But at the service
of Pascha itself, we read the prologue of St.
John, at least a portion of it. In the beginning
was the word and so on. And the reason for that
is that historically, the catechumens would not
hear the gospel of John until they were illumined,
until after their baptism. So then during the
Paschal tide, the Paschal period, they would
come to church every day just like we do, right?
And they would hear the readings from St. John
because it being a theological gospel, now that
they're illumined, they can understand it. Now,
we think that's kind of quaint and interesting
and so on, but that's really how they lived.
That's really how they believed. And they felt
that, the church felt, I should say, that to
read John the theologian before illumination,
it was impossible to understand it. It couldn't
be brought into the heart and into the soul.
So it's really a beautiful custom that we have,
but it's really more than a custom. It really
does have to do with Paschal illumination, both
for the newly illumined that you baptized at
Pascha. And for all of us who, in a sense, have
a re -baptism at every Pascha. And then we sort
of bask in the beauty and joy of that in the
weeks that follow. Can't quite get enough of
it. Bright week's not enough. And then every
Sunday thereafter. So it just continues. And
we're bathed in that and the great joy and illumination
that comes with it. Today's Gospel. is one that
you're all very familiar with. It's the healing
of a paralytic, but not just any paralytic, a
paralytic who had been so for 38 years. Can you
imagine? And everyone knew him, you know, in
Jerusalem. It was not as big a town back then.
And so the Lord is in Jerusalem because of Pentecost,
Old Testament Pentecost. the law being given
at Mount Sinai. And remember that the Lord came
to fulfill the law and the prophets. So he was
an observant Jew. He followed the customs and
literally fulfilled the law and the prophets.
He's the only one who ever lived who could fulfill
the law because he is the only one who didn't
sin. So fulfillment of the law, as the scripture
tells us, is impossible for humans. But for the
Lord, it was. So it's kind of like, I often think
of it this way, the fulfillment of the law and
the prophets, is that the law was like a chalice
that could never be filled. But when the Lord
came, he filled it unto overflowing and it finished.
And the same thing with the prophets, because
most of the prophecies are messianic in nature.
So they're talking about the coming of the Messiah,
what he'll do. Today, we're seeing one of the
signs from Isaiah, and that's the healing of
the paralytic. So he is fulfilling the prophets
as well. So when he fulfills each of them, the
law and the prophets, then the new covenant comes
because all of that's completed. No more temple.
Ultimately, it was gone within 30 years and has
never been restored. And even Judaism without
a temple is not really Judaism. It's become rabbinical
Judaism, which is an entirely different thing.
You could say it's Judaism without sacraments
anymore, because they can't make the offerings
in the temple. So he's piece by piece, as St.
John shows us, because remember, he's more interested
in, it isn't so much, here's an event, here's
what happened next, here's what happened next,
as it is, I want you to know this, I want you
to know this, and I want you to know this. And
what he's showing us today is the fulfillment
of one of the messianic signs, the healing of
a paralytic. And it's important that the man
is a paralytic for 38 years because then there's
no question about it. You know, a new paralytic,
maybe the healing, you know, was just sort of
a restoration or something like that. But for
38 years, for the people to know this man, to
see him healed. is an absolutely remarkable thing.
He's at the sheep's pool, the sheep's pool called
Bethesda. And this is where the sacramental lambs
would be brought to be washed and prepared to
be offered for sacrifice. So people would be
there. An angel is the way that the scripture
describes it. An angel would stir the waters
and the first person who would get in the water
would get healed. Well, the paralytic, no chance.
You know, how does he get in? He can't. So someone
always gets in before him and gets the advantage
of that healing. So the Lord comes to him. And
this is an interesting thing, too, in that, let's
say, on an average day like this, maybe there
were 40 people there. Just guessing, but maybe
50, maybe 10. I don't know. Blind, lame, with
various diseases and illnesses. But he only healed
one person. Which is kind of like our experience,
too. You know, in the epistle this morning, we
heard about the healing of Aeneas, which is Peter,
the apostle, within the Pentecostal power of
Christ, healing someone. And then he raises someone
from the dead. But the Lord... Sort of in my
idea of how it should be, he would just kind
of sweep the crowd and go, everyone's healed
up. But he didn't do that. He was very particular.
He was in many places many times, but physical
healing didn't always happen for everyone. There's
an important lesson for us in that. We'll come
back to it. So he healed this man, and he said
to him three things, three commands. Arise, take
up your bed, and walk. Now, there's a beautiful
statement from St. Ephraim the Syrian that I
want to read to you, where he comments on this,
and he said, Would it not have sufficed to say,
arise and go? Would it not have been a miracle
that he, who was not able to turn himself about
on his bed, should arise easily and go? that
he had given him a complete healing, the Lord
also made him carry his bed. Not like the sick
who come back to health gradually, even if he
were silent, his bed would cry out. It's very
reminiscent of the Lord's triumphal entry into
Jerusalem, isn't it? Even if they silence the
children, the rocks will cry out. So the Lord
heals him. an important moment before that as
well, because the Lord comes to him and says,
do you want to be made whole? Translated better
would be healed, really. Do you want to be healed?
And, of course, that word is completely connected
to sason, to salvation for us, because for us
salvation is not a born -again experience at
a tent meeting, but rather it's a lifetime of
dedicating. our lives to god that brings about
an internal healing that ultimately prepares
us to be fit for the kingdom so he comes to the
man he says would you like to be healed and the
man's thinking on the track of i got to get in
the water but he says to him the man says to
the lord i have no man i have no man very important
statement and really kind of a commission for
us so he had no one to help him the lord didn't
put him in the water in this case, but simply
healed him on the spot. Well, he took up his
bed and walked. What would that be like? 38 years
of paralysis and all of a sudden, you know, those
muscles have energy and life in them again. The
sinews are put back together. You're up and you're
moving and you literally can pick up your bed
and walk. I mean, talk about a complete healing,
head to toe. So, of course, what happened? This
was a sign. for the people of jerusalem to see
that the messiah had come and the in the scripture
it says and the jews didn't like it but this
always means the temple elders when john uses
the expression in that way the average jewish
person in jerusalem was probably thrilled but
the temple elders didn't like this it was dangerous
for their future and they knew it so early on
There's confrontation that goes on time and time
and time again. Rather than looking at the healed
man and going, glory to God. Look, the Lord has
acted through this man. He's healed this man
who, you know, what a joy. After 38 years of
paralysis, now he's up and he's able to move.
But rather than doing that, they say, what are
you doing carrying your bed on the Sabbath? Don't
you know that's illegal? And so they just never
quite grasp it, that the law is being fulfilled
before their eyes. Because what was the Sabbath
for? A time of rest and healing and regeneration.
Well, what could be more regenerative than to
have a 38 -year paralytic up and moving about?
Well, we're reminded, as John always does, of
the fact that the Lord is the Messiah. He's the
one to come. And he fulfills all those signs.
But you know, the guy who was healed after 38
years still died. Lazarus, raised from the dead,
still died. Tabitha Dorcas still died. So, you
know, our humanity continues even when that type
of a healing or restoration takes place. Because
what really matters is not so much that we get
physically healed, because that's somewhat rare
throughout the life of the church. It's somewhat
rare for that to happen. And why someone is healed
and another isn't is an absolute mystery to us.
We don't know. We simply don't know why. And,
you know, St. Basil the Great in his Inafra puts
in our mouth the words, we thank thee for the
things we know and the things we do not know.
because we have to live with a lot of do not
know, and that's just fine. Mystery is fine with
us. If the Lord heals someone, that's wonderful.
But the healing that we're really looking for
is the healing of soul and body. And it's interesting.
I used to be a hospital chaplain, and some of
the most alive and glowing people I would meet
were people who were right on death's door. because
they got rid of everything superfluous in their
lives, and they were just very focused. And I've
seen that in the parish time and time again.
You know, when people, the sicker they would
get, the more alive they would get. As their
outer man perished, their inner man came fully
to life. And that's the goal that we have as
well. It's wonderful when a physical healing
takes place, and it does. Again, the healing
that we're really after, that we're really looking
toward is that Sosun healing, salvation healing,
long term. And this is why you can't be part
-time Christians. It doesn't work if you are.
You can't just sort of do a church on Sunday
thing and that's it. We all have to follow that
way of the cross continuously throughout the
course of our lives, deepening our faith and
deepening our love for the Lord and our knowledge
of his love for us. And as I was saying earlier,
the man who was lying there who needed the healing
didn't have anyone to help him. He was paralyzed.
And that we also have to be attentive to as well.
Because there are thousands, millions of people
in the same position who are paralyzed by atheism,
paralyzed by any number of isms. or thoughts
that they've had or bad experiences that they've
had or whatever the case may be and they need
a person they need someone to come along and
help them and to bring them to the place of healing
which is where we are we all are right now we're
not forceful about that kind of thing but i believe
that if we're mindful and our hearts are open
and we listen carefully that on a regular basis
god will bring into our lives People who are
like this man, who are stuck and need to be brought
to the church to be healed. They probably don't
even know it yet. And we have to be very subtle
and careful in the way we approach them and respectful.
But at the same time, it really is our job. It
really is our job to hear that voice out there
saying, I have no one. I have no one to help
me. I'm stuck. And we need to respond to that.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit. Amen.