Book of Common Prayer

The reasons that lie behind some of the traditions

² I must give you credit for remembering what I taught you and adhering to the traditions I passed on to you.

I must mention serious faults in your Church

^17-22 But in giving you the following rules, I cannot commend your conduct, for it seems that your church meetings do you more harm than good! For first, when you meet for worship I hear that you split up into small groups, and I think there must be truth in what I hear. For there must be cliques among you or your favourite leaders would not be so conspicuous. It follows, then, that when you are assembled in one place you do not eat the Lord’s supper. For everyone tries to grab his food before anyone else, with the result that one goes hungry and another has too much to drink! Haven’t you houses of your own to have your meals in, or are you making a convenience of the church of God and causing acute embarrassment to those who have no other home? Am I to commend this sort of conduct? Most certainly not!

Jesus heals in his own town

9 ^1-2 So Jesus re-embarked on the boat, crossed the lake, and came to his own town. Immediately some people arrived bringing him a paralytic lying flat on his bed. When Jesus saw the faith of those who brought him he said to the paralytic, “Cheer up, my son! Your sins are forgiven.”

^3-8 At once some of the scribes thought to themselves, “This man is blaspheming”. But Jesus realised what they were thinking, and said to them, “Why must you have such evil thoughts in your minds? Do you think it is easier to say to this man, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or ‘Get up and walk’? But to make it quite plain that the Son of Man has full authority on earth to forgive sins”—and here he spoke to the paralytic—“Get up, pick up your bed and go home.” And the man sprang to his feet and went home. When the crowds saw what had happened they were filled with awe and praised God for giving such power to men.