Have Can You Know if You Are Really Forgiven? Matthew 9:1-8

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man

Jesus continues his public healing ministry.  Today we see another aspect of healing is the forgiveness of sin.  

9 Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. 

We know from Matthew 4:13 that Capernaum is his home town. 

2 Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”

Like the story yesterday, this story is included in both Mark and Luke's gospel, and they give us some valuable, additional details.  In those versions there are four men carrying the paralytic in on a mat.  Since there were so many crowds around Jesus, they cut a hole in the roof where he was staying and lowered him down. 

Their strategy to get the man to Jesus showed, they believed in Jesus' healing power by the signs they had already seen. 

3 At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”

On the other hand, the teachers accused Jesus of blasphemy, or using God's name in vain.  The fact the Jesus says, "Take heart son, your sins are forgiven", is an early indication that he considers himself to be God.  After all only God can forgive sins.  If just Jesus was just a man it would have been blasphemy.  

Guzik says in regard to this, "The faith of the paralyzed man’s friends did something – they brought this man to Jesus. Yet they only thought of bringing him to Jesus for the healing of his body. They certainly didn’t think that Jesus would forgive His sins. But Jesus addressed the man’s greater problem. As bad as it is to be paralyzed, it is infinitely worse to be bound and lost in your sin. We need not infer that the man was paralyzed as the direct result of some sin that needed forgiving. This did not seem to be Jesus’ point in saying, “your sins are forgiven you.”

4 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? 

Jesus shows another aspect of His Divinity, as was able to know what they were thinking.  Why does Jesus connect healing with forgiveness?  First of all, one can see healing with their own eyes, but you can't see forgiveness.  Also, Jesus' healing was a sign of who he was or his identity as the Son of God..  Though the man was healed by Jesus, ultimately the man would die.  Therefore, the ultimate healing Jesus gave him was to forgive him of his sins. His soul was now healed. 

5 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 

It would have been easy for Jesus to tell the man he was forgiven, but the healing proved Jesus to be the true Son of God, so they would know his words were true.  Jesus does this as an act of grace helping the man and his friends to come to know him, while at the same time indicting the teachers of the law for their lack of faith! 

6 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.”

Authority was a big thing in the Jewish culture.  No one dared question the authority of the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees.  Authority is the right or power to do something.  Jesus' authority over sickness showed he had authority to forgive sins as well. 

7 Then the man got up and went home. 

The man demonstrated the validity of his healing by walking home. He would later demonstrate the validity of the healing of his soul by a changed life. 

8 When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.

Unlike the teachers of the law, the crowd was in awe.  They saw clearly what had happened and no person in their right mind could dispute what Jesus did with this man. Jesus' announcement of the forgiveness of the man's sins gave him the chance publicly to preach the gospel which was fulfilled in Him.  

Like any good deed led by the Holy Spirit it preaches the gospel and leads people to the one who is truly good!

How deeply have you felt or understood Jesus' words to you, "Your sins are forgiven"? Do you ever doubt those words?  Why or why not?  Remember Jesus has the authority to forgive your sins because He was and is God!  Therefore if you believe in Jesus there is never ever a reason to doubt you are forgiven.  As Paul says in Galatians, "If forgiveness could be earned through works of the law, Christ died for nothing!" Galatians 2:21