Several of my blog articles have noted that the issue of authority is prominent in the Gospel of Matthew. This one is no exception.
This time, we find that the one who has the power to heal also has the power to attack the very root of all sickness and suffering – sin.
And some people were carrying to him a paralyzed man lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, child; your sins are forgiven” (Matthew 9.2)
The Kingdom of God has arrived on Earth, and the King of that Kingdom exercises his authority to forgive this man’s sin.
The religious authorities believed that Jesus had overstepped his authority. They claimed he had blasphemed and that he had reviled the name of God. Jesus had pretended, in their minds, to do what only God can do.
Then some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming” (Matthew 9.3).
They believed that the priests were the ones who pronounced forgiveness of sins, not some carpenter’s son from Nazareth.
Jesus addressed the thoughts of these religious leaders with words and actions.
But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?
“For which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’?
“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.”
And he stood up and went to his home (Matthew 9.4-7).
Jesus could heal the man’s illness and forgive his sins because He knew that the cross and resurrection were in the future. Isaiah prophesied the healing and forgiving power of the Suffering Servant.
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole,
and by his bruises we are healed. (Isaiah 53.5)
E. Stanley Jones was a famous Methodist missionary to India in the last century. Jones was given the privilege of being able to spend the night in the Garden of Gethsemane.
While he was there, he meditated on the events that led from Gethsemane to the cross, and three days later, to the resurrection.
We don’t have the privilege of going to Gethsemane and spending a night, but we do well to take Isaiah 53 and the Gospel account and meditate upon it.
By doing so, we can gain an appreciation for these words from Isaiah: that He is the one who heals our illnesses and forgives our sins through what took place on the cross and resurrection.
The Healing, Forgiving Son of Man
Jesus was aware that He fulfilled the Son of Man prophecy from the Book of Daniel. He knew He had the authority to forgive sins and heal broken lives because He was the Son of Man.
I saw one like a Son of Man
coming with the clouds of heaven.
And he came to the Ancient One
and was presented before him.
To him was given dominion
and glory and kingship,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not pass away,
and his kingship is one
that shall never be destroyed. (Daniel 7.13-14)
As we combine Isaiah 53 with Daniel 7, we see how God exercises His power. He serves humanity not by crushing us, but by healing us as the Suffering Servant.
As we read further in the Gospel of Matthew, we will see increased opposition by the religious authorities. They were contending for God’s righteousness, and they thought that Jesus was blaspheming or reviling God’s name by saying and doing things that were reserved for God.
On the other hand, the crowd, the common people, recognized the power of God in His Son, and they saw His authority being exercised through healing and forgiving sin.
When the crowds saw it, they were filled with awe, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings (Matthew 9.8).
The Word of God and the Power of God
The story of this man encountering the word of God, “take up your pallet and walk,” exemplifies a key principle of faith. Despite his apparent inability, he acted on the belief that he could walk. In doing so, he opened himself to the power of God, which then enabled him to walk.
This illustrates how faith works in our lives.
We hear God’s word and respond to it by believing, even though we think we might not be able to do it. In turn, He releases His power to make it happen.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 