The curious thing about this familiar Sunday School story is that when the man was let down from the roof so that Jesus could heal him, Jesus does not directly address his paralysis. Jesus spoke to the man about his sin.
Simone Weil on Affliction
It is sometimes easy to deliver an unhappy man from his present distress, but it is difficult to set him free from his past affliction . . .
Don’t play the Korah card
I have been in a couple of situations where concerns were brought to a pastor who then likened the one who brought the concern to Korah attacking Moses. While I understand the temptation for a leader to deal with a complaint in this way, that temptation must be resisted. Not only is it inappropriate, it does nothing to fix the situation (unless of course the leader’s goal is to eliminate any other opinion than his own).
No man, Lord – Reflections on John 8
John 8 teaches us that the memory of our own sins should be a sufficient deterrent against judgment of others. If it is not, we better start remembering before we start casting stones.
