Rev. Don Erickson

This morning I wanted to focus on the current healthcare debate. The text we will focus on in discussing our topic this morning is one that has always intrigued me. It comes from Mark 12 but the same story is told in Luke and Matthew. It is the story of Jesus providing healthcare to a paralyzed man lowered down from a house’s roof.  Here is the story: When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home.  2  Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them,  3  four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat.  4  They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus.  5  Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.” 6  But some of the teachers of religious law w

For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father,     a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—   a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."    -  (Matthew 10:35-38) Jesus’ take on the family in Matthew 10 seems from an initial reading as rather harsh, doesn’t it? Remember hearing a lot about family values in our politics? Interestingly, you don’t hear as much about it anymore. I wonder why? But Jesus seems to be dismissing family values. In fact, he seems to be condemning family values. He seems out to destroy families. In the least, he seems out to divide families. What is this about? Well, let’s look a little deeper at what Jesus is really criticizing. It’s something he criticizes a lot in the gospels. Do you all know what a pyramid scheme is? Basically, it is a