Trinity 19 October 23, 2022
Matthew 9:1-8
Take Heart, Your Sins are Forgiven?
v.2 And behold, some people brought to Him [Jesus] 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."
Dear friends in Christ, this miracle of Jesus healing the paralytic in St. Matthew's Gospel is familiar to us. It stresses the overall importance of the forgiveness of sins in the life of the Christian—that as we are sinners, our greatest need is one of forgiveness—a need which only Jesus can provide with His own suffering death on the cross—pouring out His life's blood in payment for our great sins. We KNOW this to be true—for Scripture abundantly emphasizes this truth. But there are times, beloved, oh there are times when this Good news just doesn't seem to comfort us as we know it ought.
Such was no doubt the case for the paralytic and his friends in our text. Jesus had recently come back from traveling around the countryside where He had calmed a great storm, and later gone on to heal a demoniac. He has returned to His home town of Capernaum. Some people, hearing of Jesus' return, seize upon this opportunity and bring to Jesus a friend of theirs who is paralyzed. St. Matthew doesn't tell us much more, but both St. Mark and St. Luke record in their accounts of this event the fact that the men had to literally dig a hole through the roof of the house where Jesus was teaching and healing in order to let their paralyzed friend down so Jesus could heal him.
Knowing this then—the effort expended by these people to help their friend—their hopes and prayers for healing—can you imagine the let down they must have felt at Jesus' first words to the paralytic? "Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven." Be of good cheer—be courageous in the face of this great adversity—your sins are forgiven! "But Jesus, we brought him to you to be healed—make him well—help him to walk!" Forgiveness of sins is all fine and dandy, but that won't help him put food on the table—that won't help much in his everyday life…will it?
If we are honest with ourselves, beloved, this is sometimes our reaction to the Word of Christ. When we are facing challenges of health, mobility, finances, relationships, school, work, etc.—the declaration of Jesus that our sins are forgiven may ring hollow—it might not seem to give us much help—the help we think we need most—the help we are looking for. We desire the cure for whatever ails us—the bigger bank account to provide us security for the future—more loving and fruitful relationships among our family and friends. This, we think, is what we truly need! And so we blaspheme God.
We Christians don't often blaspheme God the same way that the Scribes did in our text—denying Jesus the power and authority to forgive sins. For we do recognize and believe that Jesus is God—and that by His blood shed on the cross—He can and does forgive by the power of His Word. However, we often begrudge Jesus this forgiveness—wanting more—wanting the comforts and pleasures of this life. "Why can't we have forgiveness AND miraculous healing, Jesus? After all, you did end up healing the paralytic eventually. Why not me?"
Beloved, sadly these feelings and thoughts are a natural part of our fallen nature. For in our own sinfulness, we often think we must know better than Jesus what we need most. "I'm sick—I need to be healed. I'm poor—I need more money. I'm lonely—I need more friends." It is often difficult for us to take heart in the face of such trials in this life.
And yet, we are admonished, dear friends, by the Scriptures to take heed of Jesus' word—to trust in His love for us—to trust that as God He DOES actually know what is best for us—what we truly need above all else—and that IS the forgiveness of sins. Forgiveness is our greatest good because sin is our greatest problem. Jesus knows that—better than we do. Our sin doesn’t just make us feel guilty or depressed or anxious—sin kills—eternally! Therefore, Christ has come to free us from our sin—to give His life to us—to raise us from the dead and bring to us the sure and certain promise of a future life without end where there will be no pain or sorrow or suffering of any kind. Where all our ills will be cured—where we will inherit the riches of the kingdom of heaven—where we will be surrounded by the love of fellow saints of God in perfect harmony—where we will be wrapped in the loving arms of our heavenly Father—resting secure in Him—all because of the forgiveness of our sins, which Jesus purchased with His own blood. As Jesus declares in Matthew 6:33, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
God, in His mercy, wants to encourage and comfort us all the days of our life. Which is why He graciously and freely forgives our sins by His powerful Word of Holy Absolution, the washing of regeneration in Holy Baptism, and the eating and drinking of Christ's own body and blood in Holy Communion. He knows our greatest need is the forgiveness of our sins—and so He provides sure and certain means whereby we may be assured of His mercy and forgiveness, despite what we experience in this valley of shadow and tears.
So, beloved, we can and do take heart—take courage—at the forgiveness Jesus gives to each us. For behind His admonition to us to take heart is the recognition that in our call to faith we have been liberated from our sins—set free from their deadly and damning consequences. This Gospel of Jesus truly is Good News, which gives us joy and confidence. For this blest assurance chases away our anxiety and distress and brings us into the goodness of God our heavenly Father. For we know, beloved, we KNOW that as we have been forgiven by Christ, we are in the hands of the Victor over the cosmos.
Indeed, we are mindful of Jesus' words in John's Gospel to His disciples (16:33), "I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." Because we rest in the hands of our Savior, Jesus, who is Victor over the universe by virtue of His own death and resurrection, we have no fear whatever the world or Satan may throw our way. We have all our comfort and peace from the victory of Christ.
Therefore, we do indeed, take heart—are courageous and of good cheer. For we know that our Lord has conquered all our enemies—all that threaten us—all that harm us—and that ultimate victory is already ours. Your sins, as serious and grievous as they are—have been fully forgiven—wiped away by the blood of Jesus. Death, which is the result of your sin—is now but the gateway to life immortal in paradise at Jesus' side as He Himself has promised. Even the devil—that old evil foe—has been undone—crushed by Jesus—for you. So take heart, beloved, amidst all of life's troubles, your sins ARE forgiven, and you have been raised to glory at the side of Jesus. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Matthew 9:1-8
Take Heart, Your Sins are Forgiven?
v.2 And behold, some people brought to Him [Jesus] 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."
Dear friends in Christ, this miracle of Jesus healing the paralytic in St. Matthew's Gospel is familiar to us. It stresses the overall importance of the forgiveness of sins in the life of the Christian—that as we are sinners, our greatest need is one of forgiveness—a need which only Jesus can provide with His own suffering death on the cross—pouring out His life's blood in payment for our great sins. We KNOW this to be true—for Scripture abundantly emphasizes this truth. But there are times, beloved, oh there are times when this Good news just doesn't seem to comfort us as we know it ought.
Such was no doubt the case for the paralytic and his friends in our text. Jesus had recently come back from traveling around the countryside where He had calmed a great storm, and later gone on to heal a demoniac. He has returned to His home town of Capernaum. Some people, hearing of Jesus' return, seize upon this opportunity and bring to Jesus a friend of theirs who is paralyzed. St. Matthew doesn't tell us much more, but both St. Mark and St. Luke record in their accounts of this event the fact that the men had to literally dig a hole through the roof of the house where Jesus was teaching and healing in order to let their paralyzed friend down so Jesus could heal him.
Knowing this then—the effort expended by these people to help their friend—their hopes and prayers for healing—can you imagine the let down they must have felt at Jesus' first words to the paralytic? "Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven." Be of good cheer—be courageous in the face of this great adversity—your sins are forgiven! "But Jesus, we brought him to you to be healed—make him well—help him to walk!" Forgiveness of sins is all fine and dandy, but that won't help him put food on the table—that won't help much in his everyday life…will it?
If we are honest with ourselves, beloved, this is sometimes our reaction to the Word of Christ. When we are facing challenges of health, mobility, finances, relationships, school, work, etc.—the declaration of Jesus that our sins are forgiven may ring hollow—it might not seem to give us much help—the help we think we need most—the help we are looking for. We desire the cure for whatever ails us—the bigger bank account to provide us security for the future—more loving and fruitful relationships among our family and friends. This, we think, is what we truly need! And so we blaspheme God.
We Christians don't often blaspheme God the same way that the Scribes did in our text—denying Jesus the power and authority to forgive sins. For we do recognize and believe that Jesus is God—and that by His blood shed on the cross—He can and does forgive by the power of His Word. However, we often begrudge Jesus this forgiveness—wanting more—wanting the comforts and pleasures of this life. "Why can't we have forgiveness AND miraculous healing, Jesus? After all, you did end up healing the paralytic eventually. Why not me?"
Beloved, sadly these feelings and thoughts are a natural part of our fallen nature. For in our own sinfulness, we often think we must know better than Jesus what we need most. "I'm sick—I need to be healed. I'm poor—I need more money. I'm lonely—I need more friends." It is often difficult for us to take heart in the face of such trials in this life.
And yet, we are admonished, dear friends, by the Scriptures to take heed of Jesus' word—to trust in His love for us—to trust that as God He DOES actually know what is best for us—what we truly need above all else—and that IS the forgiveness of sins. Forgiveness is our greatest good because sin is our greatest problem. Jesus knows that—better than we do. Our sin doesn’t just make us feel guilty or depressed or anxious—sin kills—eternally! Therefore, Christ has come to free us from our sin—to give His life to us—to raise us from the dead and bring to us the sure and certain promise of a future life without end where there will be no pain or sorrow or suffering of any kind. Where all our ills will be cured—where we will inherit the riches of the kingdom of heaven—where we will be surrounded by the love of fellow saints of God in perfect harmony—where we will be wrapped in the loving arms of our heavenly Father—resting secure in Him—all because of the forgiveness of our sins, which Jesus purchased with His own blood. As Jesus declares in Matthew 6:33, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
God, in His mercy, wants to encourage and comfort us all the days of our life. Which is why He graciously and freely forgives our sins by His powerful Word of Holy Absolution, the washing of regeneration in Holy Baptism, and the eating and drinking of Christ's own body and blood in Holy Communion. He knows our greatest need is the forgiveness of our sins—and so He provides sure and certain means whereby we may be assured of His mercy and forgiveness, despite what we experience in this valley of shadow and tears.
So, beloved, we can and do take heart—take courage—at the forgiveness Jesus gives to each us. For behind His admonition to us to take heart is the recognition that in our call to faith we have been liberated from our sins—set free from their deadly and damning consequences. This Gospel of Jesus truly is Good News, which gives us joy and confidence. For this blest assurance chases away our anxiety and distress and brings us into the goodness of God our heavenly Father. For we know, beloved, we KNOW that as we have been forgiven by Christ, we are in the hands of the Victor over the cosmos.
Indeed, we are mindful of Jesus' words in John's Gospel to His disciples (16:33), "I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." Because we rest in the hands of our Savior, Jesus, who is Victor over the universe by virtue of His own death and resurrection, we have no fear whatever the world or Satan may throw our way. We have all our comfort and peace from the victory of Christ.
Therefore, we do indeed, take heart—are courageous and of good cheer. For we know that our Lord has conquered all our enemies—all that threaten us—all that harm us—and that ultimate victory is already ours. Your sins, as serious and grievous as they are—have been fully forgiven—wiped away by the blood of Jesus. Death, which is the result of your sin—is now but the gateway to life immortal in paradise at Jesus' side as He Himself has promised. Even the devil—that old evil foe—has been undone—crushed by Jesus—for you. So take heart, beloved, amidst all of life's troubles, your sins ARE forgiven, and you have been raised to glory at the side of Jesus. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.