And they brought to Him a paralyzed man lying on a stretcher. And seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man who was paralyzed, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.” And some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming!” And Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, pick up your stretcher and go home.” And he got up and went home. But when the crowds saw this, they were awestruck, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men. (Matthew 9:2-8, New American Standard Bible.)

Which is easier: To speak healing or to pronounce forgiveness of sins?

Jesus created a scandal by telling the paralyzed man that his sins were forgiven. Nowadays, people would be upset that Jesus even suggested that he had sinned. In His day, though, the Jewish leaders assumed everyone sinned, especially paralyzed persons. Many Jews assumed that illness or handicap was a sign of God’s anger. You obviously did something to make Him mad if you are paralyzed; you must be worse than other people!

The scandal in Jesus’ day was not that He assumed the man had sinned. It was that He presumed to have the authority to forgive sins. Luke’s Gospel adds that the scribes and Pharisees added, “Who can forgive sins, except God alone?” (Luke 5:21).

Yet, Jesus showed that He had the authority to forgive sins. “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” He erased what many saw as the judgment of his sins. It was as if He was saying, “Why, yes, I do have authority to forgive sins. I’ll show you!”

Matthew ends this account with a statement we often overlook. The crowd glorified God “who had given such authority to men.” The scribes and Pharisees assumed that only God could forgive sins. Jesus showed that He could also forgive sins. Matthew, under the Holy Spirit’s guidance, points out that we, too, can forgive sins.

When we assume that only God can forgive sins, we give ourselves an excuse to remain bitter, hold grudges, criticize, condemn, and judge. However, Jesus has given His disciples His Spirit and His authority. Since He came to proclaim and reveal God’s forgiveness, we too must proclaim God’s forgiveness and extend it to others.

Have you experienced God’s forgiveness? Is there anybody you need to forgive? Do you know anybody who needs to hear Jesus’ message of forgiveness?

Copyright © 2023 Michael E. Lynch. All rights reserved.