Yesterday we read a passage from the Book of Matthew about Jesus healing the paralytic. As the paralytic is not able to come to Jesus on his own, his friends made tremendous effort to bring him before Jesus. "What is the deepest desire of the paralytic?" I believed his deepest desire is to be able to walk again.
But Jesus did not heal him immediately. Instead Jesus said to him "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you." Jesus knew the actual condition of this man. Many a time, we are just like the paralytic. We are not able to walk before God because we have sinned against Him or perhaps our past sins were hounding us. Sins have a crippling effect. However, through the encouragement of fellow Christians, we are brought before Jesus again, and when we hear Jesus telling us : "Be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven you", it is liberating and immediately we are able to rise up and walk before Him again.
Below is an extract of the story:
Matthew Chapter 9
1 So He (Jesus) got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city.
2 Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”
3 And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!”
4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?
5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’?
6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”
7 And he arose and departed to his house.
8 Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.
Reflection:
V2 Jesus saw their faith - He saw the faith of the paralytic's friends. Are we like the paralytic's friends? Do we bring our fellow christians who are spiritually paralyzed before Jesus to receive forgiveness for their sins so that they may once again rise up and walk and serve God again?
But Jesus did not heal him immediately. Instead Jesus said to him "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you." Jesus knew the actual condition of this man. Many a time, we are just like the paralytic. We are not able to walk before God because we have sinned against Him or perhaps our past sins were hounding us. Sins have a crippling effect. However, through the encouragement of fellow Christians, we are brought before Jesus again, and when we hear Jesus telling us : "Be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven you", it is liberating and immediately we are able to rise up and walk before Him again.
Below is an extract of the story:
Matthew Chapter 9
1 So He (Jesus) got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city.
2 Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”
3 And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!”
4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?
5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’?
6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”
7 And he arose and departed to his house.
8 Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.
Reflection:
V2 Jesus saw their faith - He saw the faith of the paralytic's friends. Are we like the paralytic's friends? Do we bring our fellow christians who are spiritually paralyzed before Jesus to receive forgiveness for their sins so that they may once again rise up and walk and serve God again?
Yes, He is in control - all along
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