Matthew 9:1-8
New International Version 1984
(NIV1984)
1 Jesus
stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. 2 Some
men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he
said to the paralytic, “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 so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority
on earth to forgive sins…” Then he said to the paralytic, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” 7 And
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 men.
The scriptures tells us that He was in His own town. There must have been some people there that
believed He could do what they had heard about Him because they brought a paralyzed
man to him. This man had to rely on
others to bring him to Jesus. Do you
know anyone that has relied on you to bring them to Jesus? There are many out in this world that are
paralyzed by the sin of this world and who need those who know Jesus to carry
them to Him.
I don’t know what kind of life this man lived but I have to
think that it was maybe a life that was full of sin because the first thing
Jesus says to him is that his sins are forgiven. I wonder if this man’s friends carried him to
Jesus to hear those words or to see him healed.
I have to think that this man first and foremost wanted his sins
forgiven but the teachers of the law weren’t willing to take him through that
process. In fact, they were appalled
that Jesus would even say such words to the man. I have to wonder if these teachers of the law
would not have given this man the time of day.
Another interesting note is that the teachers of the law
didn’t say out loud that these words were blaspheming but note that Jesus knew
their thoughts. Do you find that
comforting or frightening that Jesus knows your thoughts?
Lastly, I find it interesting to see why Jesus healed this
man. He did it so others would know of
His authority on this earth, to forgive sins.
Why do you ask for healing? Is it
to reveal the power of Jesus? Would you
rather be healed or have your sins forgiven?
Would you rather a friend be healed or would you rather their sins be
forgiven?
As you seek Him and find Him may you realize the awesome
power of our Lord Jesus Christ, the healer of our transgressions and the Savior
of this world.
Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila
No comments:
Post a Comment