1 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.
9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
A group of friends bring a paralysed man to Jesus who, seeing their faith, tells the man, “Your sins are forgiven.” This causes quite a stir amongst the Jewish leaders (the scribes). They begin to mutter amongst themselves and call Him a blasphemer because He is claiming to be able to forgive sins—something only God can do. It says, that Jesus knew their thoughts, something only God knows. Jesus laid aside His majesty to become a man but remained fully God (Phil 2:6-8). Anyone could say, “your sins are forgiven” but how would you know that your sins were indeed forgiven? That’s the point Jesus is making when He says, “which is easier, to say ‘your sins are forgiven’ or ‘rise and walk’?” Neither are really easier to say, but both are impossible for man to do. Then Jesus tells the man to get up and walk, proving He has the power to both heal and forgive sins. This is really important for you and me because Jesus said many things that we need to know we can believe. He said, “I am the resurrection and the life, whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25). He said, “I give them eternal life and they will never perish and no one will snatch them out of my hands” (John 10:28). And He said “Truly, truly I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life. He will not come into judgment but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24). If we are to believe these promises, then we need to know He can keep them. Jesus performed the miracles He did to show He had the power to do what He said He could do. The greatest miracle, His resurrection from the dead, proves that He has the power over death He promises us. Our faith is not just in the promise of life, but in the promise giver, Jesus, to be able to actually give us that life.
When Jesus calls Matthew, a tax collector (and the author of this gospel), He goes to his house and eats with his friends (also tax collectors and sinners). Again the Jewish leaders, this time the Pharisees, are upset because Jesus is hanging out with sinners. Jesus’ response is that it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. He then points them to Hosea 6:6 to remind them that, while God expected them to follow the law, He was primarily interested in mercy. The Pharisees had made the law everything but left it void of mercy. For us, it is important to remember that following Jesus is about loving others, not only about obeying Him (following rules). But if we look at what Jesus taught, they end up being the same thing, Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15) and He also said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34). As believers, it’s not wise to have our closest friendships with unbelievers (we need our strongest relationships to pull us towards God), but we must not avoid hanging out with “sinners”, because if we don’t hang out with them, how can we ever hope to lead them to Jesus?