Marriage equality based on Mark

Mark 2:1-12

           How often have we seen someone up the ante? It could be a parent disciplining a child. "You are grounded for 1 week for X and an additional week for talking back!". Or a judge might do the same thing, "$200 for speeding and an additional $100 in contempt for alleging that I am a crotchety old judge!" Sometimes I like to see someone get their comeuppance. Such is the case in this passage. Things don't turn out the way you thought they would.

            Jesus was content to forgive the sins of the paralytic because of his faith. When the scribes put up a huff and in a self righteous way, Jesus as much as says' you know what, just for that let me show what I really can do' and tells the paralytic to get up and walk home.

           Is it so hard to believe and accept that someone might want to do good, be good or love just because they don't measure up to your standards of correctness? Jesus was a heretic and a blasphemer for forgiving sins and quite often on the sabbath too! Was it really that bad to say his sins were forgiven? Isn't it easy? Wasn't it loving?

            Treyvon Martin and Mr. Zimmerman not withstanding, one of the most heated debates around the country has been about marriage equality or lack thereof.  When two men or two women decide to pledge their lives together and want to seal it with all the rights and responsibilities associated with it, what is so difficult to understand? I realize that it does not mesh with some peoples religious beliefs but no one has forced any church or denomination to honor or perform such marriages. In light of this passage though, is it so difficult to understand that there is a definite and real good associated with long term committed relationships even when they are same sex couples? Lets put aside the stereotypes and misinformation propagated by the anti-equality crowd, we are speaking of relationships no different in essence than any so called straight marriage. I know it seems heretical to some faiths. And with a sense of comic relief it is said that gays want nothing more than the  boring lives that straight couples have. Why should gays be denied the same marital anguish and arguments that straight couples have?

          All joking aside, it may not mesh with every one's standards of a Sacrament ( although it certainly does to me ), but in light of how Jesus handled the scribes, it is apparent that just because a person doesn't say it is valid doesn't mean that these marriages are not  real, substantive, committed loving relationships that can be legal marriages.  In the interest of separation of church and state, let the government allow same sex marriage and let whatever church wishes to restrict their definition of a marriage to that particular faith.  Instruct your faithful that marriage is only between a man and a women as the Catholics do. The faithful will see with their own eyes and with the eyes of faith that is is not true. Perhaps that is crux of the issue. Churches know that they run the risk of being 'found out'. People will realize all the more how hypocritical and narrow minded their leadeship is right from the top. Still, if the faithful believes it, fine. No one is forcing anyone to go against their religion and to marry someone of the same sex.

               Same sex marriage does not follow to the letter what Genesis puts forth as truth. However there are many, many things in scripture that we already realize are not true in a literal sense, creation itself being one big bang of an example. Same sex marriage does however follow scripture strictly in the spirit in that it is not right for 'man' to be alone. And lastly, marrriage equality corresponds deeply to a strict sense of love and respect that Jesus preached.

            So these marriages don't follow your sense of correctness but they are real with real people, real intent and real love. That is what God looks at and once again God ups the ante expanding love more and more.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. So 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. Then some people came, bringing to him a paralysed man, carried by four of them. And 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. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, ‘Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ At 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? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven”, or to say, “Stand up and take your mat and walk”? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—he said to the paralytic— ‘I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home.’ And 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!’