The Bigger Deal
Grace to you and
peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
So,
which is easier? Is it easier to say to the paralytic to, “Get up and walk,” or to say, “Your
sins are forgiven?” In many so-called Christian Churches, we are told that “Get up and walk” is the more important
of the two, and so the harder to say, because there is empirical evidence to
prove whether or not bodily healing has actually been accomplished. Like the
Old Testament scribes, such modern-day Pharisees demand visible signs: healings,
manifestations of the Spirit, speaking in tongues, or some other power that
will prove that God is really with them.
We
recently heard the account of the man Jesus healed on the Sabbath. And just as
the Pharisees objected to Jesus healing on the Holy Day of the Lord, so the
scribes objected to our Lord forgiving the sins of this paralyzed man. Since
Jesus didn’t defile the Holy Day before the Pharisees, surely He must have
blasphemed by forgiving this man’s sins in the presence of the Scribes. After
all, everybody knows that God alone has the authority to forgive sins.
The
world agrees, but for a different reason. Anyone can say that someone is
forgiven by God. But the world requires a demonstration of power in a visible
way before it will allow itself to believe. Do something—still the storm, heal
the sick, make me wealthy, or raise the dead—and then I will believe. But the
Scriptures are clear: even if someone comes back from the dead, they will not
believe.
Jesus
says that He heals the paralytic to prove that He can forgive sins. Jesus knows
how we think, doesn't He? But our Lord’s answer to the question is the opposite
of how we think. To win the forgiveness He delivers to the man, Christ must
suffer. To earn the absolution He speaks to us, Jesus must be beaten, bruised,
mocked, and finally die. The cost of the paralytic's salvation, the cost of
your salvation, is the blood of Christ, shed on the cross.
The
crowd rejoices over the healing. That’s a big deal, truly. But the man had been
already made well by Christ before he could walk. Jesus forgave this man's
sins! God reconciled this man to Himself in Christ. Whatever else was said
about the paralytic at that point, whether he walked away or remained
paralyzed, he was a child of God whose sins were forgiven. The big miracle was
not the one the crowd thought was so impressive. Seeking the lesser miracle of
healing, the paralytic received the greater miracle of forgiveness.
You
are privileged to witness this miracle first-hand every Sunday. It's easy to
miss. We don’t seem to think it’s very profound when your pastor, acting “in the stead and by the command of our
Lord Jesus Christ,” forgives your sins “in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” It seems
mundane, but it’s a profound miracle. After all, every sin you commit in
thought, word, and deed, every sinful thing you have done and every righteous
thing you have ever left undone, was forgiven in Holy Absolution, covered in
the blood of Jesus. This is as certain and sure as Christ your dear Lord had
spoken that Word of forgiveness to you Himself! God makes you well by forgiving
you all your sins in Absolution.
Which
is easier: to forgive or to heal? Only Jesus knows the answer for sure, for He
is the only one who can do both. Jesus healed the paralytic to prove that He had
the authority to forgive the man’s sins. Jesus has forgiven your sins too. You
are a child of God. No matter what else is true about you, you have already
been made well by the forgiveness of Christ, won on the cross, and spoken by
the mouth of your pastor. All glory be to God, who has given such power to men.
In the name of the Father and of the Son (†) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The peace of God which passes all
understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment