Awe - 3

Awe - 3

Matthew 9:1-8

Introduction

In September of 2011, Brandon Wright, a 21-year old student at Utah State University was driving his motorcycle to class when he crashed into a BMW. Both vehicles immediately burst into flame and Wright was pinned beneath the car. A crowd gathered pretty quickly and could see that Wright was alive, but unconscious. No one could get to him or could move the car. But incredibly a group of about a dozen people all lined up and together lifted the burning car off of Wright and pulled him to safety, saving his life.

In a news interview on 9/15/11, Wright wept while he thanked all of those who had saved his life. He rightly calls them ‘heroes’ and owes his life to them. It is amazing what can happen when a group of people get together and help someone in need. This is what we will see in our text for today. We are walking through some of the miracles that Jesus performs in the Gospel of Matthew in the hopes they will ignite a renewed sense of awe in our heart. This miracle begins with a group of friends getting together to help someone in need.

Matthew 9:1-8 - And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. 2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, knowing 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, ‘Rise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Jesus has just completed a couple amazing miracles. He miraculously calms the storm that threatens to sink the boat he and the disciples are in, in the middle of the Sea of Galilee. Once they dock on the other side, Jesus miraculously casts the demons out of two demon-possessed men. He shows that he not only has power over nature, but also over the spiritual realm. Now Jesus shows that he has power over the body. This is the 6th miracles in a stream of nine miracles that Matthew records early on in his Gospel account. When Jesus had healed the demon-possessed men, the people of the region had rejected Jesus and asked him to leave. They left and have now crossed back over to “his own city.” This is the city of Capernaum, Jesus’ home base for his ministry in Galilee.

v. 2 - 2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”

As is pretty typical, Matthew’s account is concise and straightforward. Mark and Luke both include this account and provide more details. The miracle begins with four friends who want to help their friend. This man is a paralytic, meaning he was either born this way or had some sort of illness or accident. Think paraplegic. For this man, he is in one of the worst life situations imaginable, especially considering the lack of basic amenities. His life was lived on a 3x6 mat. He relied solely on family and friends to pick him up and move him places. He could not work, condemned to live life as a beggar. His entire life is based off of other people’s generosity. There are no treatment centers, wheelchairs, disability act, or anything that would help him. He is at the mercy of others.

But he does have one thing going for him. He has amazing friends. Mark and Luke tell us there are four friends who come to pick him up (literally) and carry him to Jesus. What they do is incredible. We are not told how far they carry him. Could be just across town or maybe from some distance away. When they get to the house where Jesus is teaching, so many people have gathered that the house is filled with a standing-room only crowd, and the crowd has spilled out of the house and surrounds it. These guys can’t get close to Jesus.

So one of them comes up with an ingenious plan that, while creative, involves damaging personal property. Houses in that day had flat roofs and an outside staircase to that roof. Since the crowd is too big for them to navigate through, they go around and above it. They carry their friend up onto the roof, set him down, and begin digging a hole in the roof. Now, as this is happening, Jesus is in the house teaching. Crashing a roof is no silent effort. The crowd hears the stomping above them. Dust particles begin to fall. Then chunks of clay and dried leaves shower the entire crowd. I imagine Jesus has had to stop teaching because of the huge distraction. This is the equivalent of a crying baby holding a ringing cell phone…no way you can continue!

Chunks continue to fall, and the sun begins to shine down into the house. A face appears in the hole, then two, then three, then four. This is no small hole they have to create…their friend is a grown man on a 3x6 mat. Then the crowd waits as the men tie ropes on the corners of the mat and they lower him down into the midst of the crowd. An absolutely insane scene. And now there he lay on his mat, hovering in mid air in front of Jesus’ face. And after all this work, all this effort, all this damage…what does Jesus say?

“Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” Gee, thanks Jesus. That really isn’t why we are here! Can you imagine the disappointment in hearing that? These guys have stepped up to help their friend…and all they get is this seemingly empty platitude about his sins being forgiven.

Now, Jesus obviously knows why they are there. So why doesn’t Jesus go right into the healing? Because Jesus meets you at the point of your greatest need. This man’s greatest need, contrary to what he thought, was not that he get healed and walk. His greatest need wasn’t physical; it was spiritual. Let’s talk about this for a minute, because I don’t want to minimize the reality of the need for healing. Many right now are desperate for Jesus to heal them. They’ve had a cancer diagnosis, or they have some ongoing mental health issues, or their diabetes gives them constant frustrations. Why hasn’t God healed? Or maybe you’ve recently lost a loved one to Covid, or some other illness…why didn’t God heal?

As we will see as this account continues, Jesus absolutely can and sometimes does heal people. But from an eternal perspective, physical healing is not your greatest need. And here is why…all physical healing is temporary. Let’s say God heals you today of whatever ailment you have. How amazing! We would all celebrate with you. But you will still die of something else. It’s all temporary. So because eternity is long and permanent, your greatest need is not regarding this life, but the next one. Your most pressing issue in life is spiritual…a soul not saved by the loving sacrifice of Jesus Christ. A life of sin not forgiven by the Savior.

So we get a glimpse of the ministry philosophy of Jesus…yes, he cares about physical, emotional, and financial ailments. But he cares first and foremost about your soul. Son, your sins are forgiven. Whether or not you ever walk again is secondary at best to that reality. And whether or not you ever walk again, this is cause for celebration. If God never did anything for you outside of salvation, your life would still be lived in grateful response to his grace.

And though all physical healing is temporary, God ultimately heals everyone of every ailment. The moment you step into eternity is the moment of your eternal healing. My stepdad was born with muscular dystrophy. He never walked a single day in his life. But he lived with that reality with much class. He had a brilliant, sharp mind. He graduated from the University of Illinois with degrees in law and accounting. He was a very successful attorney and accountant. By the time we met him when he married my mom, he was already in his 40’s, well past his expected lifespan. He loved my mom well, he loved his grandkids, and most importantly he loved the Lord. God never healed him, though he ached for that to happen. On November 2, 2015, very early in the morning before the sun came up, God lovingly, graciously healed him forever as he walked for the first time…as he stepped into eternity and walked with the Lord in Heaven. God eventually, ultimately, heals us all.

Though Jesus’ statement about forgiving sins may have disappointed the paralytic, it exploded among the religious leaders. v. 3 - 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” At first glance, they are right. Mark and Luke both record an additional phrase…”Only God can forgive sin.” So very true.

Isaiah 43:25 - 25 “I, I am he

who blots out your transgressions for my own sake,

and I will not remember your sins.

Isaiah 44:22 - 22 I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud

and your sins like mist;

return to me, for I have redeemed you.

Psalm 103:8-12 - 8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

9 He will not always chide,

nor will he keep his anger forever.

10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,

nor repay us according to our iniquities.

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

12 as far as the east is from the west,

so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

Only God can forgive sin. He and He alone can absolve you from sin’s penalty. One person can forgive another person, meaning they are choosing to set aside what was done and move forward in life. But no person can absolve you from sin’s ultimate punishment except God…because ultimately He is the one you’ve sinned against. So the scribes, academic religious experts, declare Jesus is blaspheming, a grievous sin of insulting God. But that is not what is really happening here, is it? Jesus now shows the utter ignorance with which they speak.

v. 4-5 - 4 But Jesus, knowing 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, ‘Rise and walk’?

This is a great question! Which is easier? Anyone can say ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ There is no way to validate or empirically prove whether it has actually happened. It’s just words. But if you say, ‘Rise and walk’ to a paralytic, there is a pretty simple way of validating whether you have that power or not. Jesus is using what philosophers call an a fortiori argument…if the greater thing is true, then so is the lesser. If Jesus could prove his power over the body, then he proves his power over the soul.

v. 6 - 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home.

Which is easier? Well, for Jesus, they are both just as easy. He holds all power over the body. He should, he is its Creator. Atrophied muscles, tendon strength, bone warping…all of it gone in an instant. But what does that prove? That he can heal if he wants to? Yes, but so much more. It proves that he has the power, not just to heal a body, but to heal a soul.

Once again, Jesus has revealed who he really is to the entire crowd. If Person A wrongs me, Person A does not go to Person B for forgiveness. I’m the one they wronged. They need to come to me. So if Jesus forgives sins, that means he is the one who has been wronged by your sin. And who is that you ultimately sin against?

So here is the logic…

Only God can forgive sin. Jesus forgives sin. Therefore, Jesus is God.

That is how simple, basic logic works. By the healing of this man, and by the forgiving of his sins, Jesus proves yet again that He is no mere man. He is God in the flesh.

When Jesus turns to this man and commands him to rise and walk, eternity hangs in the balance. If this man doesn’t actually rise and walk, then Jesus is not who he has claimed to be. He is powerless to heal a body and therefore powerless to forgive your sin. But if this man does in fact rise and walk, then Jesus is Lord and forgiveness is found in Him.

Each of us will come to a point in our lives, maybe even right now, where you are begging God to heal you of some physical ailment. Be encouraged to know that He absolutely can heal you. He lacks no power over your body. But that is never a promise or guarantee that, though he can heal you, that he will heal you. He has not promised you healing from every disease…in this life. But in Jesus Christ, he has promised you ultimate healing found in his saving power. By the work of Jesus on the cross, your sins can be forgiven, and you can confidently step into eternity knowing that you are healed forever.

Horace Bushnell - “Forgiveness is man’s deepest need and God’s highest achievement.”

And because of His saving work on your behalf, He can now say, not only to this man, but to all who come to Him in faith, “Take heart, son/daughter, your sins are forgiven.”

BELIEVE/REPENT/CONFESS/BAPTIZE

COMMUNION