After the Miracle

¹⁰¹¹At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk.Now that day was a sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had been cured, ‘It is the sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.’ But he answered them, ‘The man who made me well said to me, “Take up your mat and walk.” ¹²¹³’ They asked him, ‘Who is the man who said to you, “Take it up and walk”?’ Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had disappeared in the crowd that was there. Later Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, ‘See, you have been made well! Do not sin any more, so that nothing worse happens to you.’ The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. Therefore the Jews started persecuting Jesus, because he was doing such things on the sabbath. But Jesus answered them, ‘My Father is still working, and I also am working.’ - Matthew 5:10-17

Interesting to hear what happens after the miracle. Usually we just hear about Jesus' fab-ness, close the book and turn out the lights. The End. Healing may require adjustment, though, a tiny lifestyle change. I said before that healing often requires you to do something different than you have done before. And then you have to keep doing it.

Jesus slips into the crowd, and our ex-lame guy is on his own. He's walking around with his mat and runs into the temple officials (Don't you just cringe at the way John calls them "the Jews" as if everybody in the story wasn't Jewish, including the main character? I know that the John community for whom this was written was being kicked out by mainstream Judaism and had a few reasons to be cheesed. But you can just see centuries of hatred being inspired by these few words. Wish I could get in there with my big politically correct eraser. But you probably don't want to turn me loose.)

Actually, when you get past this, it's kind of funny. Here's this guy people have seen limping around for decades. He's just been miraculously healed and all they can think to say is "No mat-carrying." Jesus is saying that God is more interested in compassion and easing human suffering than rules about doing stuff on the Sabbath. But our guy doesn't get this yet. He panics. Well I wouldn't be carrying this mat except that this guy who healed me said to. What a weinie. You can also picture the officials, can't you, cramming their helmets down on their skulls like the keystone cops, and taking off to chase the healer.

No wonder Jesus finds him and tells him not to sin again. Once again, centuries of silly ideas in these words. Jesus definitely isn't buying into the notion of God punishing people for their sins with physical affliction. Nor do I think he's saying that he is the same as God. 'My Father is still working, and I also am working.’ sounds rather smug. I might have said, "God wants us to care for each other, no matter what day it is, and if you want to encourage that spark of God in you, you have to practice. " Or to the newly healed man: "Don't get caught up in legalism and blame. You have to think differently than you did before. You will stay healed if you remember to have gratitude for your healing and value compassion. Including the people who were stuck where you were before."

Easy enough to say, I guess.