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Jesus Forgives Sins - Matthew 9:6
Jesus Forgives Sins - Matthew 9:6
When some good-hearted friends bring a paralytic to Jesus to be healed, they received more than they bargained for. Instead of ‘just’ healing him, Jesus tells him: “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.”
Jesus is not the first nor the last to claim the power to forgive sins, but I believe that he is first to actually HAVE such power.
The problem for the people was simply that such could NOT be proven. You can not SEE that it happened, you can not give any sort of verifying test to ascertain it has happened. So, Jesus gives them a simple way of knowing that the man’s sins were in fact forgiven.
First, a simple question from Jesus to get them to think: 5 "Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, and walk'?” (Matthew 9:5). Well, the truth seems to me that it is EASIER (safer) to claim to forgive sins because no one can prove it DIDN’T happen! On the other hand, to claim that you have healed him and given him back the ability to walk can be easily and quickly shown to be false, if in fact you had no such power.
Building upon that premise, Jesus states: “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"—then He said to the paralytic, "Get up, pick up your bed and go home." And he got up and went home” (6-7).
Jesus STILL has such power, but He is not here on earth to personally declare such to us. He HAS declared that he WILL forgive sins, who He will forgive, and the conditions upon which He does forgive our sins! He promised in the great commission that “he that believes and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). He further said that the preaching of this great promise would include ‘repentance and remission of sins’ (Luke 24:46-47). Peter, having heard both of these statements, puts them together on the day of Pentecost and informs the people how they can be forgiven by Jesus: “Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). There is no other person who can forgive our sins and provide salvation (Acts 4:12). There is no other way to receive such promise but to trust and obey (Heb. 5:8-9). The question is not ‘CAN Jesus forgive your sins’, but HAS He forgiven you?
Hugh DeLong
