KINGDOM LIVING
Jesus has the authority to forgive sins
Matthew 9:1-8
Jerry A Collins
SCC
v How does Jesus healing here validate His ability to forgive sin?
v What did the Pharisees understand Jesus to mean?
v What is the meaning of the response of the multitudes?
Of course we live in a world that is full of differing religions. There are many purposes for these and one common denominator is that they devise a way to God. Whether by means of sacraments or faithful paths or religious duties or one’s morality and good deeds, a path is carved and a hope is gleaned that life can be attained with God in some way. The problem is that we can only come and hope to relate with God on His terms not ours. Those terms are that sin is paid for and we are forgiven. Other than this, religion is simply pie-in-the-sky—a preposterously optimistic goal; something good promised for the future but which one is certain not to get; an illusory prospect of future benefits. Enter Jesus who makes the claim to forgive sins! He claims to be the remedy for a relationship with God and He does it by means of a healing episode of a paralytic in an overcrowded house. The forgiveness of sins is an enormous issue in the OT where it makes very clear that only God can forgive sins (Isa 43:25; 55:7; Jer 50:20, Psa 51; Micah 7:18-19 the sacrificial system). This will help us understand the response of the teachers and also the reason for the authenticating miracle that takes place along with this claim. Jesus claim is something religions have to reckon with. We will see that the central theme of this event is that Jesus has the authority to forgive sins. And the primary need is for forgiveness of sins not the healing.
1. JESUS CAN AND DOES FORGIVE OUR SIN 1-2
The Background 1: Matthew begins by stating that Jesus took the
boat across the lake and stepped out at
The Response 2: (1) Jesus tells him to take heart my son. First, in this condition there is not much to take heart about. But also no teacher of the law would have said this kind of thing to him. It was a common Jewish belief that sickness was a caused by your sin or the sins of your parents (John 9:1-2) but that only God could forgive sin. If this man were righteous he would not be in this condition. Our response can be similar being religious we can see someone suffering and think in these terms—that some sin has caused their misfortune. Be of good cheer would not be the thing we would be saying to them either. Second, Jesus tells him his sins are forgiven. This is stated 3 times for emphasis. The forgiveness of sins and not the healing is the focus of this event. This was the last thing the people may have imagined they would have heard. These words are to render all opinions about his condition void—if this was caused by his sin then he was now forgiven. This is stated before Jesus heals him. So the basis of forgiveness was faith and that faith made him whole. For Christ to say the man’s sin was forgiven was the same as saying He was God and everyone in the room at that moment knew that was something only God could do!
2. UNBELIEF REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE JESUS
FORGIVES
They respond 3:
The teachers respond to Jesus claim to forgive sins saying he blasphemes. A word that means to speak or
represent God in an evil or irreverent way. Forgiving of sins is only God’s prerogative. So Jesus is claiming
He is divine. From their point of view, Jesus should never have claimed to
forgive sin especially, they believed, since He could not really have done this
being a mere man. Of course they are correct, unless He really was God.
Jesus Rebukes them
4-5: His rebuke is to the
point and
should have caused them to reconsider knowing he knew what evil thots they had. There was no reason to think evil of Him.
Jesus question in vs 5 connects sin and suffering and
that is what Jesus meant to do. Isa 53 mentioned in
3. FOR FORGIVENESS OF SINS ONE COMES TO JESUS BY FAITH
Jesus authority 6-7: This miracle of healing is designed to reveal that Jesus also has the authority to forgive sins. He uses the title Son of Man connecting Him to Dan 7:13-14 where Daniel saw the Son of Man coming in the clouds to execute final judgment. If He is the judge of the world then He does possess the authority to pardon and to condemn just as He claims here. Jesus made this same claim to the High Priest in Mt 26:64 affirming His divinity from Daniel’s prophecy. This healing implies that if he could heal the disease, He could also heal the cause of the disease—the sin.
The Response 8: Filled with awe and praising God, they still did not know Jesus was divine. They still thought he was a man. But Jesus had clearly demonstrated and established His authority as the Son of God.
1. Jesus is the only one whoever walked the earth who had the power and authority to forgive sins. So don’t go to anyone else or any religious system to get forgiveness of your sin.
2. Unless our sin is forgiven, we cannot have a relationship with God and we remain condemned.
3. Forgiveness of sin comes only
through faith that believes Jesus is able to forgive the sin and has made
provision to deliver us. There is salvation in no other name.