One of the things that happens within medical pracice — one of the ongoing big questions — is what to sort out now. You cannot do everything at once.
Now, this is one of the criticisms of medicine by alternative therapists — that we don’t pay attention to the whole person. THis is worng — in any specialty, the social context of disease and the psychological consequences to the patient are important because that affects recovery.
But we really should only do one thing at a time and get that right.If we do too much, the risk of complications increases. One of the tasks in clinical judgement is to ask what is needful? what is the most important porblem here? If’s no good spending thousands of dollars on cognitive therapy for trauma if a person is homeless and being continuously traumatised. What is needful then is a home, and if not home, a shelter.
Jesus was looking at a cripple, and knew what was needful.
Mark 2:1-12
1When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them. 3Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. 5When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7“Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and he said to them, “Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? 9Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and take your mat and walk’? 10But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — he said to the paralytic — 11“I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home.” 12And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
The leaders and Pharasees were completely correct. Only God has the authority to forgrive sins. What Jesus is saying is (a) the son of man — code for the messiah, the awaited one — has authority to forgive sins and is therefore God. He is then saying that he is the messiah. There are only four responses to thsi.
- The entire gospel is a myth. Difficult to defend as (a) it does not read as a myth (b) the historical and archaeological evidence support the gospels (c) there are variations consistent with recent, eyewitness accounts.
- Jesus is lying. But he demostrated power — from somewhere. (That is not a defence — the power could be evit, as he was accused of at a different time
- Jesus is mad. The text does not show the phenomena of madness.
- Jesus is who he says he is.