Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity

Christianity is a religion of forgiveness. This is the center around which everything revolves. While in every other religion the main point consists in giving directions for a pious and virtuous life, in the kingdom instituted by Christ the main point is the forgiveness of sins. This is the reason that the Son of God became the Son of Man and died on the cross. And after Christ by his life, suffering, and death had won forgiveness of all sins for all men, everything else that He did, said, and instituted was to bring all men to faith in this forgiveness that he purchased.

Jesus caused his Gospel to be written down. He instituted the Office of the Holy Ministry, that the forgiveness of sins in His name would be preached to all nations until the end of time. Whoever believes the Gospel has the forgiveness of sins, as surely as God cannot lie. According to His Gospel, God demands no work or suffering on our part. We do not and cannot pay for our sins. God alone wants to have the honor for the rescue of our souls and our salvation. He wants to give us his kingdom free of charge, without any worthiness or merit in us, purely out of divine grace and mercy.

But God knows that even after we have heard and believed his Word, our hearts are often filled with doubt. “I know I’m a great sinner. Can the promises of the Gospel really apply to me?” And so Jesus add Holy Baptism to His Word, as a seal, an official stamp, to his letter of forgiveness. Baptism is a visible pledge of Christ’s promise to you, “Whoever believes and is baptism will be saved” (Mk 16:16). Taking hold of this pledge, each baptized person can say, “Christ himself could not condemn me on Judgment Day, because he has given me his guarantee of forgiveness, Holy Baptism. I can appeal to this in all temptation and doubts, and even someday before his throne. I can say, ‘I am baptized, Jesus. If I wanted to doubt that my sins are forgiven, I would have to call you a liar. For with your Holy Baptism you have given me your grace. That is why you now absolve me and declare me worthy to enter heaven.’ ”

Baptism ought to be proof enough for every doubting heart, but Christ did not stop there. In order to remind us again and again of his promise, he instituted his Holy Supper. This Sacrament has no other purpose that to strengthen and renew our faith. Whoever has gone to Holy Communion can say, “How dare I doubt whether my sins are forgiven? Christ has given me the very body which he offered God on the cross for the sins of the world; He has given me to drink of the same blood which flowed on Calvary for the forgiveness of all! What more could he do to convince me that I am one of the forgiven?” All doubt must disappear.

But even after giving Baptism and his Holy Supper, our Lord is not done. He truly wants us to be overwhelmed with the pledges of his grace. So he commands the ministers of his church to say to every sinner in his name, “Take heart, your sins are forgiven” (Mt 9:2). He has promised that such an absolution pronounced on earth in his name will be valid in heaven, and that he will confirm it on the Last Day.

Our Gospel text is an example of this absolution given, not in a general way to all, but specifically to one individual. Jesus, surrounded by sinners as he always is, says to one in particular, “Take heart, child; your sins are forgiven.” At other times Jesus had spoken to the crowd, saying, “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Lk 19:10), or, “There is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Lk 15:10). But here, with the paralytic, why is Jesus not satisfied with the general sermon that forgiveness is given to all? The answer is simple. The paralytic was very much alarmed over his sins. They troubled him more even than his paralysis. He needed special comfort, and so Jesus speaks the words of absolution specifically to him. “Your sins are forgiven.”

We see in this what a great comfort private absolution is to us sinners. Yes, God has already announced the forgiveness of all the sins of all the sinners. He has done this in the preaching of the Gospel, by Holy Baptism, by feeding us the body and blood of his Son in Holy Communion. It’s true that whoever believes in God’s grace given by any of these three means already has the forgiveness of sins. It is absolutely certain! But what Christian doesn’t know from experience the voice of lingering doubt. Which Christian has not thought, “Yes, I know that God wants all men to be saved, but my sins have shut me out from his grace.” What Christian has not heard Jesus’ words to the thief on the cross—“Today you will be with me in paradise!”—and thought, “If only I had such a direct promise from Jesus…”

Knowing our weakness, understanding our doubt, Jesus authorized and commanded the ministers of his church to do exactly this, to give his direct promise to troubled sinners. What a great comfort to hear not only, “The sins of all sinners can be forgiven,” but, “I forgive you all yours sins.” What’s more, we can be comforted not by hearing about the forgiveness of all sins but with the words, “That sin in particular is forgiven.” When you hear these words in private absolution, it is as though Christ himself has come down from heaven and said them to you with his own mouth. How do we know this is true? Because Jesus himself said to his disciples, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them” (Jn 20:23). “Whatever you loose on earth, will be loosed in heaven” (Mt 18:18).

Since individual confession and absolution is given as a great comfort to the troubled conscience, why is it that so few take advantage of this wonderful blessing? Perhaps one of the most common arguments against individual absolution was voiced by the Pharisees. They saw Jesus declare, “Your sins are forgiven,” and said within themselves, “This man is blaspheming. Only God can forgive sins” (Mt 9:3). And so people continue to say today, “I don’t need to confess my sins to a man. I can confess them directly to God.” And you certainly can. Without question, God forgives them all! But is your conscience convinced? That is the question here. And this is why, in addition to giving his Gospel, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper to comfort terrified consciences, Christ also gave the authority to forgive sins to men.

That’s what we read in the final verse of our text: When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men (Mt 9:8). Yes, Jesus, the Son of Man who is also God has the authority to forgive sin. But he has given this authority to his church, to men. Why? Technically, since God has declared the whole world forgiven for the sake of Christ, it’s not necessary for this forgiveness to also be given from the mouths of men. But God is not about technicalities. He’s all about extravagant abundance. It is not enough that our forgiveness was purchased at the cross and announced to us by the Gospel. It’s not enough that it was guaranteed to us through Holy Baptism. It’s not even enough that we physically taste and touch the forgiveness as we eat and drink the Holy Supper. God in his super-abundant mercy wants you to hear the words of absolution, not in a general way, but specifically and individually applied to you, “Your sins are forgiven. That sin is forgiven. Be at peace.” Jesus wants these words to be spoken to you by a physical mouth, so that the physical sound waves might enter your physical eardrums, and so take root firmly in your heart. Your sins are forgiven. Jesus has bound himself by this promise to you. He can give no other verdict on the Last Day than this, “Take heart, child, your sins are forgiven.” As it is spoken by the ministers of Christ on earth, so will it be in heaven. Amen