Present at ‘The Healing of The Paralytic’ faith event were Scribes, the office of which plays a major role in the teaching ministry of Jesus.  To be sure, many of the most radical sayings that place Jesus in direct conflict with those things that were established in both the religious and national life, were pronounced as a direct result of the probing and questioning of the Scribes.  Such is the case on this occasion.

The person and position of the Scribe has already been made clear by Jesus in his ‘Sermon On The Mount’ where he tells ‘the following’ and ever growing multitude that “unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribe… you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”

When I was studying Old Testament Literature, I came upon a picture of an ancient Egyptian Scribe.  The discussion centered around his life’s commitment to the transmission of faith.  His papyrus was hand made using the reed plant  from the Nile; the finished scrolls of which are still being viewed today.  One of our professors asked the class what direction we would take in ministry?  I replied, “I want to be a scribe!”

Ezra was a scrivener, “skilled in the Laws of Moses”, whose responsibility for the transmission of faith came at a time of exile.  His people were displaced, disenfranchised, disinherited— (among other ‘dises’), when the King wrote that “Ezra had the wisdom of (his) God in his hand…”

It must be borne in mind that there is no ‘written word’ for Jesus to ‘rise and read in the synagogue’ in his ‘bar mitzvah’ days— without the scribe.

So what has happened to the office and personhood of the Scribe for Jesus to pronounce this Word of Woe towards them:  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith.” It is a ‘last will and testament’.

Who in 2025 can even be seen with the righteousness that Jesus sees in the Scribe?  — in attendance to the “weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith.”  Justice?  And Mercy?.  And Faith?  Where is he and she who is, skilled in the Laws of the God of History into the Times in which we live?   Who takes  responsibility for the transmission of faith at THIS time of exile?  There is so much identifiable displacement, disenfranchisement, disinheritance— (among other ‘dises’); but Who will speak the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith? 

The Negro Church must be Transformed!  It has lost it’s transforming power that lies in attending to the “weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith.”  Justice?  And Mercy?  And Faith? Tithing mint, dill, and cummin; NEGLECTING the weightier matters of the law: JUSTICE and MERCY and FAITH.”

Most conscious, then, of the presence of the scribes, Jesus’ pronouncement to the Paralytic takes a radical turn as all three Gospel writer’s record him saying, “your sins are forgiven!”  In the midst of a healing faith ministry, Jesus takes the opportunity (with scribes present) to deliver a direct ‘word of forgiveness of sin’ which had previously been the sole ownership of God in the priesthood.  So as not to mistake the weightiness of the matter, the scribe’s response was “blasphemy!”

It is my belief that Jesus is granting a personal permission to remove the guilt and shame traditionally associated with sin from a belief system that enabled the oppressive forces of evil to hold sway over life.  I think that this systematic oppression, as it relates to  authoritative ‘sin forgiving power’ is, and in itself a vital part of disease.  No need to wait for the order to come from the ‘holiest of holy’, you are free NOW to disassociate sin from disease.  Let the healing begin…

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