When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” Luke 5:20
Imagine that Jesus is standing at your door. You invite him in, but you’re probably too shocked to think to offer him a seat and something to drink. He says he’s there to do a miracle for you.
What would you ask for?
When Jesus was here on earth, people were often shocked by the things he said and did.
In Luke 5:20, when four men had let down their paralyzed friend through the roof to get him close enough for Jesus to heal, Jesus saw their faith and said to the paralytic, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” Now, this was very shocking to the scribes and Pharisees who were there, for after all, “who can forgive sins but God alone?” (v.21). Jesus knew their thoughts and responded by healing the man of his paralysis so that everyone would know “that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins,” (v.24).
All three gospel accounts of this miracle focus on the Pharisees’ reaction to Jesus’s declaration of forgiveness. But I wonder how the paralytic reacted in the moment when Jesus said to him, “Your sins are forgiven.” After all, this is not why his friends had gone to so much trouble. They were hoping for healing of the man’s debilitating condition. Yet at first Jesus just says, “Your sins are forgiven.”
Perhaps, like the Pharisees, they were offended by this man’s audacity to declare someone’s sins forgiven. But considering their objective and how desperate they were, I wonder if the man and his friends just felt disappointed.
As Christians we realize that the forgiveness of sins Jesus offered was really the greater gift. And if that were all Jesus had done for the man that day, it still would have been reason to go home “glorifying God,” (Luke 5:25).
Having received that same forgiveness of sins, we also sometimes look to Jesus for a miracle, desperate for healing of some kind. When he grants our request, we go home glorifying God too. But what about when he says “no,” or when he doesn’t answer right away? If God says, “I’ve given you forgiveness of sins and that’s enough,” will we still rejoice?
If, like Paul, we have some kind of “thorn in the flesh,” God’s answer may be, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness,” (2 Corinthians 12:9). If so, then we must learn to respond as Paul did saying:
“Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (ESV)
Jesus said a lot of things that surprised people. When he told his apostles that he was going to suffer and be killed, Peter was so shocked, he rebuked Jesus! But Jesus returned the rebuke saying, “Get behind me, Satan! ..For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” (Mark 8:31-33 ESV).
Have we set our minds on the things of God? Most of us have grown up with the words of Jesus. They don’t shock or surprise us. Because of this familiarity, perhaps we fail to be properly impressed with the profound gift of salvation.
If Jesus were to offer us a miracle right now, it would be understandable to ask for healing or a fix to a personal problem. But wouldn’t it be wiser to fall at Jesus’s feet and simply thank him for his forgiveness? Or perhaps ask for help with setting our minds on the things of God?
Whatever healing you’re seeking or burden you’re praying to have lifted, “come boldly to the throne of grace,” (Hebrews 4:16). But while waiting for an answer to prayer, don’t forget that if God has forgiven your sins, then your most debilitating condition has already been healed. And if that were all God ever did for us, that is enough.
Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! 2 Corinthians 9:15
Dear Heavenly Father, You are so good and kind and have blessed me in so many ways. Help me to be mindful of these blessings, and help me especially to appreciate Your forgiveness as the greatest gift of all. Because of all this, I can trust in Your timing and Your will, knowing You will answer my prayers in whatever way You know is best. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
by Christie Cole Atkins
Walk Worthy 