Clearly, the paralytic was looking for a change. Jesus healed all of those who came to him - not only of physical infirmities, but more importantly, of sin. Most of us do not want God to create something new, especially if it involves a new us . One of the great problems that both physicians and physiologists face is when a patient really does not want to get better. Now, I am not talking about a serious illness when there is no cure, or when an indivdual is so ill that they are not responsible for their actions.
Illnesses can be a perfect excuse - for rudeness, childishness, dependency.
Oddly these tirades never seem to be over great injustices of unspeakable proportions, but are proclaimed when God gently goads us out of our complacency. If we look carefully at today s Gospel, Jesus words to the paralytic man fall into two levels. Forgiveness of sin demands the response of action. We cannot linger in weakness, we cannot fall back into the old behavior. If we do fall back into sin, the response must be the same - once more, we must stand up, pick up our pallet and walk.