Read: Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man
9 Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. 2 Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”
3 At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”
4 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? 5 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” 7 Then the man got up and went home. 8 When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.
When I was a teenager I was given a small overdraft with my bank far too early as I did not understand the dangers of debt. Before moving house, I made two big mistakes: I took out £10 too much money and I forgot to tell my bank my new address. Fast Forward twelve months and I get a surprise phone call from bailiffs who inform me that I owe the bank close to £500. Every month I had been given overdraft fees until they decided to close my account, blacklist me from being able to open any other account for years and threaten me with court. Despite my reasonable explanation, there was no forgiveness. There was just what was owed. I paid them the money they were owed but it took almost ten years for me to be able to open an account and get my credit rating back.
For the Jews in the time of Jesus, this was how they saw forgiveness. There was a debt that was owed to God and unlike mine, the debt was just and fair. There were no shortcuts, no get-out-of-jail cards, only justice and retribution. The debt must be paid or there would be consequences. As our sins are a debt to God, he is the only one who is able to forgive them.
In this story, the miracle is not so much about showing Jesus' power to heal a paraplegic, as amazing as that is, but is a revelation of his authority. He has the power to forgive debs that have been made to God. He has the power to forgive laws that have been broken. This was a bit like me offering to forgive your speeding ticket, I just don't have the authority to do that. He erases the debt and removes the sickness. The man walks away healed and forgiven.
Reflect
- Have you ever broken the law or owed a big debt?
- What happened?
- How does this story make you think about Jesus?
Respond
Pause and pray. Use this time to thank God for what he has done in your life.
