Reflection
In our readings today, there is a contrast between what kind of king is offered to the people as their ruler.
These readings lead us to reflect on what type of “king” do we want to “rule” over our life?
In our first reading, the elders of Israel demand that Samuel, due to his old age, appoint a new ruler over them. Prompted by God to give them what they desire, Samuel sets up the conditions by which the new ruler will have power. Samuel describes a tyrant, who will take everything they have, turn them into slaves, and make their lives miserable to the point that they will complain against this king. Strangely, they accept all the harsh conditions, hoping for a leader to help in their battles and warfare against other nations. God advises Samuel to “Grant their request and appoint a king to rule them.” (1Sam. 8:22a)
In today’s Gospel, Jesus shows the people, and especially the Jewish scribes, that He is the “Son of Man” (cf. Mk. 2:10), the Messiah in his full humanity, by forgiving the paralytic’s sins and eventually healing him. The scribes take offense to Jesus’ words, rightly believing that only God has the power to forgive sins, and not wanting to believe that Jesus was God made man. Like their ancestors, they were seeking a ruler to restore all earthly power to Israel, not someone who would show mercy to the poor and sinners.
The elders in Samuel’s time were wanting a ruler to restore Israel’s power as a nation and were willing to be slaves to accomplish this purpose. The scribes, while also seeking a Messiah to return Israel to power, saw Jesus as a threat to their and their elders’ personal power over the people. Jesus, the Son of Man, was offering a kingdom of spiritual power and prosperity, that defeated the power of sin and death and resulting in eternal glory.
While the paralytic was afflicted with physical paralysis, the elders and the scribes displayed spiritual paralysis. We are at times like both the elders and the scribes. We are willing to be slaves to the world around us to enjoy temporary power and pleasure. At other times, we reject the offer of following Jesus’ way of love and mercy toward others because it threatens our personal independence and control of daily life. We ignore the fact that our lives are about more than our earthly power, possessions, and pleasures. We are created by a loving God with a body and soul, that will live forever.
Like the elders of the first reading, and the scribes in the Gospel, God gives us the freedom to choose the life we have here on earth. Let us not forget that our choices have eternal consequences. Where do you want to spend eternity?
Today’s Questions for Prayer and Reflection
What is my spiritual paralysis? What keeps me from walking with Jesus along the path to eternal life?
Source for today’s reflection: https://epriest.com/reflections/view/3312