Matthew 9:1-8
Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
There are those who come to Jesus and His Church because they want Him to fix something that is broken. Maybe it’s a bad marriage. Maybe it’s a lousy job. Maybe it’s an addiction. Maybe it’s wild and rebellious children. Maybe it’s parents who just don’t seem to love and care for their children as they should. Or maybe it’s people like those who carried this man, who come to Jesus for someone they care about, someone who means the world to them. Whatever it is, lots of people come to Jesus looking for a quick fix.
And when you come to Jesus, and He says, “My child, be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven,” you can scarcely hide your disappointment. “That’s it?” you think. “That’s all I get from Him? Why did I even bother coming in the first place?” So, Jesus put the question to the Scribes and to us: “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk?’” Which do you think is easier to say? “Talk is cheap,” as they saying goes. Don’t you think that fixing whatever serious problem you have is the harder thing for the Lord to do? Maybe He is just disguising His inability to really help you by telling you over and over again, “Take heart, your sins are forgiven.” What use is a church that only talks about forgiveness? That is what many would say, or at least think. Is that what you think? Do you want a church and a Jesus that fixes all the things that have relevance to your life right now?
“Which is easier?” As God in human flesh, Jesus could have healed the man with a word. After all, He created all things, including you. Doing a little “fix-up job” on something that has gone wrong with your life is really no work for Him at all. But forgiveness is another story altogether. You might think that is nothing. But stop and think about what forgiveness cost Jesus. He didn’t need to take on our human flesh to heal the paralytic. Jesus came into the flesh to do the hard thing: to take to Himself the entire burden and load of your sin, and to carry it in His body to the cross, there to endure the righteous judgment of the Father against all human sin. And He did it all so that He can speak the word of forgiveness to you, the word that is drenched in His own blood; signed, sealed, and delivered by His own death. “Which is easier?” To heal the paralytic, Jesus just spoke His word: “Get up!” And the man got up. But to speak the word of forgiveness to him and to you, He went to the cross. Forgiveness is anchored in our Lord’s death. Never forget what it cost Him to give it to you.
But you may still be thinking, “Sure, forgiveness is great. But what about those things that need fixing in my life?” Let’s get some perspective on this. If He heals you, you are still going to die one day and stand before the judgment seat of God. If He fixes your marriage, you are still going to die one day and stand before the judgement seat of God. If he fixes your job situation, you are still going to die one day and stand before the judgment seat of God. If He fixes every complaint you’ve got about your life, you are still going to die one day and stand before the judgment seat of God. That day may be today. And those who have not availed themselves of His forgiveness here on earth will not have the chance to avail themselves of it after this life is over. No matter what you think the big problem is, nothing comes even remotely close to the problem you have with sin. And you do not want to leave this world with your sin still on your back. You want to leave this world with the forgiveness of Christ poured all over you.
And He is waiting eagerly to do just that! He pours it over you in the water of Holy Baptism. He feeds it constantly into you with the promises of His Word. He seals that promise to you every time you come to this altar, trusting that you receive here what He promises: His body and blood, His forgiveness of all your sins; His life poured into you. Our Lord and His Church are concerned first and foremost with the only issue that ultimately matters: how you stand before God.
Wrapped in His forgiveness, you can face whatever comes your way with confidence, because you know how the story is going to turn out. The same Christ who says to you: “My child, take heart: your sins are forgiven,” is the One who will stand again on this earth, and He will call you by name from your grave and invite you into His eternal kingdom. The forgiven have an eternal home, a life in Christ that never ends. You are set free to live a blessed life of forgiveness, even in the midst of all the broken things that need fixing. Yes, He will take care of those things, too, all in His own time. But first things first—and the first thing is the forgiveness of your sins. 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