2 And just then some people were carrying a paralyzed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 Then some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’? 6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Stand up, take your bed and go to your home.” 7 And he stood up and went to his home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were filled with awe, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings.
Studying the Bible can be an exciting exercise if you approach it with the understanding that it has something to teach us every time we read/study it. One of the things that I always find interesting (and teach to all my classes) is to remember to set the context of the passage you are studying. What I mean by that is for the passage you are studying, look at the overall setting (i.e. context) by asking these questions:
1. Where was the previous action taking place?
2. What was going on the previous passages?
3. What is the current setting? (Where is it? a city, which one? the country, sea, mountain, plain, shore, etc.)
4. Who else is in the picture? (crowds, disciples, Pharisees, etc.)
5. What is going on? (teaching, mealtime, arguments, festival, etc.)
With these things in mind now we can more clearly understand what is happening in the scene, discover some things we may not have seen before, and understand Jesus' words (and Matthew's purpose) more completely.
For this setting, Jesus has just been on the Sea with his Disciples. He had entered the boat again, back to the chaos of the sea and what was waiting on him on the other side. Finally, Jesus may have gotten the rest (and the audience with his Disciples alone) he was looking for in chapter 8. What we know is that when he got to the other side, there were some people waiting for him. (We are not sure if it was just a few or a whole crowd, but we do know that some were expecting him, and may have been waiting for some time; even overnight.)
These people are bringing someone to Jesus for healing. It is their faith that moved Jesus to action. I love this part of the passage. It shows a grace as people bring their friend/relative to Jesus. I also think that this has significant meaning for us today.
What is the equivalent of doing that today? How can we take people to Jesus?
The Scribes charge Jesus with blasphemy. They see him as one who equates himself with God because he speaks for God, seems to know God's will, acts on behalf of God. Blasphemy can also include speaking against God, saying false things (teaching falsely), cursing God, claiming non-Godly things Godly, etc. and is a very serious charge. Jesus recognizes their charge and calls their thoughts evil.
What evil did the scribes do? Was it they who committed blasphemy? (as they spoke against the Messiah?)
There was nothing about Jesus' life that could have been in question. He lived a faithful life of piety. One way to look at the evil of the scribes is simply to call a Godly man evil is to commit an evil act.
How do we do the same today? When we talk badly about someone who claims to be Christian, or whose actions are done in the name of God, are we committing an evil act ourselves? Are we, in a sense, blaspheming God by denying that God could be using someone in an uncommon way?
The most striking thing that happens here is that Jesus heals the paralyzed man "so that" his authority would be proven. In other words, Jesus heals only to illustrate his authority. According to Jesus this man's greatest need was forgiveness. It was greater than his physical needs. And that this man represents all of humanity. I believe that this whole story is an illustration to help us understand the healing ministry of Jesus and the church. It has a different character than we usually expect or see. What I mean is that healing in Jesus' ministry was not the end, but a means to an end. He healed bodies in order to get peoples' attention at the need of the soul. In fact, the real healing ministry of the church (and of Jesus) has always been about healing the soul, because that is our greatest need!
The question Jesus asks is one that we must wrestle with as well, is it easier to forgive or to heal the body?
Tell me what you think!
Peace ><> PC
1 comment:
Forgiveness seems to me a healing (or maybe renewing) of the spirit for which is beyond complete human understanding. It is a cure for a disease that man is unable to even diagnose properly.
Healing of wounds however is something of an eye-catcher to us because we are so materialistic in thinking it automatically seems miraculous for someone to be able to bend logic and reason in such a way to heal a man instantly of any ailment. It is of the physical(public)world he performed petty miracles in comparison to the spiritual world where he performed the impossible.
So I would in conclusion say forgiveness is not so simple as gok commented. It is simply given but rarely or ever completely understood by mankind. It is an act of such deep proportions human logic is barely able to grasp its outer fringe. Jesus understands our material-focused nature and used it in accomplishing his eternal mission.
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