ResponsiveReiding

From Matthew 10:5-15 / An Apostolic Primer

Jesus has just ordained His 12, and now He is sending them out on their first mission. His instructions are interesting, precise and useful even today.

Note first the urgency of preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom and demonstrating its power to the Jews first. These are God’s covenant people. As Paul will later say: “They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.” (Rom. 9:4-5) Christ was promised to them and it is only fitting that they receive the good news first. In Romans 1 Paul also observes that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes – to the Jew first! Though as a nation they were in a most dreadful spiritual state, God had not forgotten them. His mercy and grace are beyond compare. He comes to them and pleads with them and gives them demonstrations that were unequaled in history. And how they still need to hear the Gospel today.

Note secondly the powerful signs that are given here. But they are not so in the abstract. Healing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing lepers and casting out demons are tokens of how God overcomes all of the effects of sin in Christ Jesus. Sin infects the whole being. Sin, has killed us, separating us from the spiritual life we were created with in Adam. Sin incurably defiles us. Sin leaves us slaves to the influence of Satan and this world. The Gospel is God’s declaration of the healing, life restoring, cleansing, liberating work of Jesus at Calvary – and is free to all who believe. And as Jesus was wont to tell His apostles not to be stingy with it, we need to be of the same generous mind in giving the Gospel today.

Note thirdly, Jesus’ warning not to turn ministry into a profit making venture. This is not to deny needed sustenance. But it is to deny turning it into a money making machine. And can this admonition be any more timely for us today? How many in pop-Evangelicalism function on the platform of greed? And not only greed for themselves, but preaching and teaching in such a way as to foment greed in the hearts of their hearers. It is an abomination. It is true that the ox is not to be muzzled while treading out the grain. It is also true that the ox is not to take the grain and set up a roadside stand to make himself rich by means of it. The laborer is worthy of his hire. But no one is to enter ministry as a means to acquisition in this life. Such is a cursed thing. And so far from the Spirit and example of Christ Himself.

Note fourthly that it is part of our responsibility in evangelism to make it clear that to reject the Gospel is not something indifferent. This is not some mere option. There is something genuinely of an ultimatum in the Gospel call. We cannot leave people with the impression that each is “free” to believe whatever they wish, and that there are no certain consequences. When Paul addressed the Areopogites in Acts 17, he left this without question. “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” God now commands all men everywhere to repent. To fail to repent from sin and believe the Gospel is to defy God’s command. It is not some matter of mere preference.

Note lastly, just how serious that last point is. Jesus says that to hear and reject the Gospel, is to put one in a worse position on judgment day, than even those previously destroyed in Sodom and Gomorrah. America, listen! Who has heard the Gospel more than you? And now you scoff at it as never before. Your judgment will be worse than the proverbial worst of the worst.

And yet, today is still a day of grace. Final judgement has not yet come even though we are experiencing its first tremors even now. The Gospel is still being preached. The call to come to Christ and confess your sin, turning from it to Him – ending your rebellion against His right to rule you in every way as Lord and King – if you are reading this right now, by His grace it is not too late. But tomorrow may be. Come to Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins. Come for cleansing in His blood. Claim Him as your substitute on the Cross. Be reconciled to God by faith in Jesus’ atoning sacrifice on Calvary. Mercy is to be had.

Oh Father, send revival!

From Matthew 10:1-4 – 12 Ordinary Men.

Luke tells us that this appointment of the 12 happened on the heels of Jesus spending all night in prayer. That gives us something of the momentous nature of this event. He did this with no others. It is a singular event. The closest thing we have to it later is Saul/Paul’s calling on the road to Damascus. And it establishes the unique nature of their apostolic office. That being the case, we ought to discount out of hand the claims of so many today who run about calling themselves and one another “apostles.” They are nothing of the sort, especially if by it, they infer something of the same authority and place as these. This was a once-for-all occurrence. Jesus never repeated it during His incarnation and we’ve no reason from the teaching of the Apostles to expect anything else of the like. If you hear them refer to themselves by the name of apostle, you may discount them out of hand. They are at best deceived, and at worst, outright liars.

Note first then that the Disciple’s “power” was not some innate or imparted ability but was located in the permission to act in His name, and on His behalf. They were given authority, not power or ability to exercise at will. They were to act as His agents doing His will when and where He wanted. They were not free agents wielding magical abilities. Confusion here has given rise to much misunderstanding in some branches of the Church. Not a few are like Simon the Magician in Acts 8 who thought this authority could be had upon request. And the Apostle’s denial of it came with severe consequences. In fact, his seeking it in this way demonstrated his condition as still in bondage to iniquity.

Note secondly, and with reference to the first, that they did not seek this appointment. Christ Jesus was the initiator. Men seeking power and authority are always problematic. When people do so, they show already their misapprehension of what it means to serve Christ and His people. In the earliest records of the Church, it was the custom to choose only those who humbly refused the office of elder or deacon at first. Lust for power is a wicked evil that must be guarded against continually. Be careful when people are quick to put themselves forward for offices, and not for service.

Note thirdly, that there is nothing of a special quality in any of the 12 that would make them stand out above others. And so it is with all those whom Christ uses. For our usefulness is in our submission to Him as Lord, not in our native gifts or talents. It is not that He will not co-opt our gifts for His purposes, but it is that our gifts are not what qualify us. A submissive heart to His will, to seek and serve Him as Lord is what is most needed. And then, in His call itself will be all the equipping we need. These were available and willing. Are we? If so, He will use us.

You may think yourself without much to bring to Him so as to serve Him. But dear Christian, if you are His by the washing and regeneration of the Spirit – you are His. And having called you to Himself, He has equipped you to live life before Him, and to be salt and light in the world. His call is sufficient in and of itself.

Note fourth that even a Judas may be used to cast our spirits and heal the sick. Because he could do so in Jesus name, said nothing about him personally. Do not be led astray to listen to any and every teacher or preacher because they may have been used by God to do something spectacular. Many (Jesus will tell us later) will say to Him on judgment day that they did all kinds of wonders in His name. And He will nevertheless cast them into Hell as lost unbelievers.

It is incumbent on us as everyday Believers to measure the teachings of all by the standard of God’s Word. And if it does not pass the muster of sound doctrine already received by the Church, reject them. Apparently, Judas too did all these things. And he, proved at last to be the “son of perdition.” We know from later record that he was already secretly robbing from Jesus’ coffer. And at last his sin found him out. A liar, deceiver, filled with greed and serving self above Christ.

Note lastly, that even though there may be Judas’ in the ranks of the Church, God in His sovereign goodness uses even their wickednesses to fulfill His ultimate plans. They cannot destroy His Church. They cannot overturn the cause of Christ even if they throw the putrid mud of their wickedness upon it. Jesus said that even the very gates of Hell cannot resist the ultimate victory of the Church He is building. When Judases are revealed, we groan and grieve. But we do not despair. Christ is victor over all.

From Matthew 9:35-38 / The Shepherd at Work.

Note first, that what Jesus was preaching – the Gospel of The Kingdom – is still our message too; The King is coming, and with Him, the fullness of His kingdom. This kingdom, sees sin and all of its effects – destroyed. And as Jesus demonstrated the wonder of the coming Kingdom by proclaiming it, and healing every disease and affliction, it ought to make us so anxious for the day of His return. If we only grasped what we’ve begun to enter into, and what its fullness will be like, John’s prayer “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” would constantly be upon our lips.

Note secondly how it is our God is never, NEVER dispassionate toward the condition and sufferings of those made in His image. Here, He looked on the masses in the cites and villages He was preaching and healing in, not just Believers. And He saw them harassed, helpless and without any to care for their souls. His compassion is the fountain of all blessing and salvation. Compassion on the results of the sin we brought upon ourselves. Oh what a compassionate Christ He is! All mercy and grace toward us. If you do not know Him today, run to Him! He is compassionate toward the guilty and unclean. He knows what your sin has done to you. And still He calls.

Note thirdly the enlistment of the Disciples in His mission; an enlistment which always begins in prayer.

What a high privilege to become co-laborers with God. And this isn’t busy-work, prayer is front line action.

I am not certain that Jesus’ point here is that the people are the harvest, and we need more workers to gather in a “ripe” people. Though this is the most common interpretation. It may also be that the “harvest” is simply the bountiful blessings of God’s provision, and the sad reality is, we have far too few people who will by faith, lay hold of the multitude of blessings He has made ready for us. That we ought to be praying for many multiplied millions to be gathering in His wonderful and abundant blessings to satisfy our souls.

Then too, given the context that Jesus’ concern is a dearth of “shepherds” – the call for laborers is a call for those who will lead, feed and protect the sheep. And truly, there are so very few who will do that as unto Christ’s flock.

Father, make me such a laborer.

From Matthew 9:31-34 / Demonically Mute – It is interesting to note how many times muteness and deafness are associated with one being demon-oppressed in Scripture. We cannot make the false logical leap that the deaf and mute are in every or even in most cases demonized. But we can infer the inverse – that the demonized are often deaf and mute.

Why? Scripture never gives a stated answer to that question. But there are somethings we can nevertheless know.

First we know (in the case of the deaf) that Satan and his minions use all means at their disposal to prevent humankind from hearing and believing the Gospel. Romans 10:17 reminds us that faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. In a time when sign language and the such we not yet invented, and communication with the deaf was dreadfully inadequate, it is no wonder – especially when Jesus was about preaching and teaching – that the demonic forces would focus on this means of prevention. A means Jesus confronts and defeats. The most diabolical and cruel means that all the satanic powers can muster are no match for our Redeemer. He delivers His own from every power in the universe in bringing them to salvation. None can ultimately resist His power.

Second, while the word “mute” used in our text can refer either to deafness, the inability to speak or both together (for they often do go together) – we can see how the Enemy of our souls seeks to rob us of our birthright as made in the image of God – and uniquely created to offer up praise. No other creature in our realm is so equipped. Human beings above all others are given the privilege of being able to behold His glory, comprehend something of that glory – and declare that glory. So again, Satan longs to keep us from our privilege and call. But once again Jesus overcomes.

But we must not ignore the fact that the demon powers till work to these same ends today. They block our ears to the Word and bind our tongues from declaring Christ’s praises by distraction, discouragement, distress, disillusionment, and especially disinformation.

How can our ears be filled with the Words of Christ when we are too busy, too drawn off after all sorts of other things – legitimate and illegitimate? When due to all manner of external and internal distractions, we have no time to sit and read and mediate on His Word and hear His voice in it? Or when all other pursuits keep us from gathered worship to sing His praises together and glorify His name with our lips in testimony and song? When we are so wrapped up in the news and our troubles, that nary a word of thanks and praise passes our lips because we are fretting, complaining and declaring all that is going on in the World, but not what Christ has done for us, the surety of His promises and the glories revealed in His Word?

The demons are no less about their business because they do not do it as directly in an individual soul, but have shifted to broader platforms.

But praise God, our Christ overcomes even here. For Christians still take the time to read, study and take in His Word – freed by His grace. And many still lift up the name of Christ in gathered and private worship – delivered from the distracting power of our enemies by the presence of the indwelling Spirit of Christ.

Christ overcomes all the works and machinations of the Devil. Are you demonically mute today? Flee to Jesus. What a deliverer He remains today!

O for a thousand tongues to sing, my Great Redeemer’s praise

The glories my God and King, the triumphs of His grace

From Matthew 9:27-31 – Two Blind Men / Some believed because they saw His works. These, as blind, could only hear of His works. And yet, for them, that was enough. They believed having only heard. And so according to even that faith, a very slight, but still relying faith – they were healed. Note that v. 27 says they were following Him. They could only hear, and yet they followed.

Oh that just hearing would always be enough for me.

When Thomas finally confessed Jesus as his Lord and God, Jesus said to him – Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)

It is not great faith that is needed. It is faith in a great Christ that is needed.

Now note here again how it is faith works. Jesus says “according to your faith be it done to you.” Now if they had faith (the way we tend to think of it) then why weren’t they healed before Jesus touched them? It is because faith is not an independent power we can wield.

As we’ve already noted several times before, what faith does is bring us to Christ – to trust Him. It doesn’t operate on its own as some sort of cosmic force we can use at will.

Their faith brought them to seek out Christ to meet their need. This is what faith always does – it insists on finding Christ. And in finding Him, we will find the fullness of what we need. Faith, as faith, didn’t heal them. Jesus did. Faith, as faith, won’t save us. Jesus must. Faith leads us to put our trust in Him. Faith believes Him – who and what He is and what He can do. And He responds.

Note too how it is that a cry for mercy is a cry that denotes no sense of deserving or right. It looks to the benefactor to act only according to their own largess. And it is this recognition for mercy which is so essential to our right understanding of salvation. Jesus owes us nothing. We deserve only wrath. But recognizing He has both the power and the prerogative to show mercy, we appeal to Him only on that basis. And He is ever faithful to respond in kind.

What a great Savior He is!

From Matthew 9:18-26 – Part 2 / Prayer of Faith – As noted before, Matthew arranges this small section so that the account of the woman with the issue of blood, and that of raising the Ruler’s daughter form the dead are interwoven. Matthew’s account is briefer than both Mark’s and Luke’s, but all tell us much about faith.

Note first then in Matthew’s brevity how he carefully he removes any foundation for any sort of magical notion that Jesus’ garment was the means by which she was healed. There is nothing here that could carry over into a theology of holy relics or objects. The woman was healed, when Jesus pronounced it so in vs. 22. “Take heart daughter; your faith has made you well. And instantly the woman was made well.” His robe wasn’t the means. Nor was it faith in the abstract. It was faith in Him. Otherwise, seeking Him out would have been superfluous. If faith can do something on its own, she didn’t need to go to Him. But faith, genuine faith, always brings us to Christ – to set our hopes on Him.

Like the woman, this man’s faith did not come about in a vacuum.

The other Gospels tell us his name was Jairus, his daughter was only about 12 years old, and that he was a ruler – a man of standing and influence in the local synagogue. Remember, all of these things are taking place in Jesus’ home town of Capernaum. Jairus would have been present when Jesus attended, taught and healed in that synagogue. He had already delivered a demonized man in that very same synagogue, and taught there many times. Jairus’ faith was predicated upon the works and words of Christ already. And once again, he did not just have some form of un-directed, generic belief. He came to Jesus. Faith always leads to Christ, not to just have faith in faith.

Note then how even when Jairus’ says his daughter was already dead, he still believed Jesus was able even to reverse death itself. Genuine faith in Christ assumes that nothing is impossible to Him. Jairus is convinced that if Jesus acted, even his dead daughter would live.

Note how Jesus responded. No hesitation, no discussion – He just rises to go. And how we must trust Him to act with the same alacrity every time we as His redeemed ones pray. We may not always have the answer we seek in the manner we seek it. His wisdom and love may override our concept of what ought to be done – as it did with the raising of Lazarus. But we must never doubt that our earnest pleas are met with an immediate response. When you cry out Believer, Christ Jesus rises.

The short delay in stopping to deal with the woman with the issue of blood must have seemed excruciating and unnecessary to Jairus. He may well meet the needs of others on the way to meet ours, but we need not worry. His grace is sufficient for all.

Note lastly how undaunted Jesus is by the great unbelief and even scorn of others. So the unbelievers laughed at Him? So what? His grace is not dependent on others. Though all the world reject and scorn Him, He cannot be stopped. Though Heaven and earth pass away, His Word will never pass away. Our confidence in Him ought to be entirely unshaken by the way we hear unbelievers ridicule, laugh, scorn or otherwise reject Him. Jesus Christ is Lord. Of all. And we can trust with all, in all. Praise His name forever!

From Matthew 9:18-26 – Part 1 / Prayer of Faith – Matthew arranges his material here so as to keep the two events – that of the woman with an issue of blood and the Ruler’s daughter – in one pericope. I’m not sure why, but that both examples (and the one which follows these with the two blind men) all point to knowing our need, knowing only Jesus can meet it, and that in all three cases – all was hopeless apart from Him. And so it is with out lost condition before salvation, and our constant need of Him after saving faith. Sin is incurable. But for Christ.

Her faith did not do what it did in a vacuum, as though faith had power in itself. What her faith did was bring her to Christ, and to trust that HE could work. Faith does nothing on its own. Faith is neither a “work”, nor a generic cosmic force we can somehow tap into for our own uses, it is looking to Christ.

“Just believe” is the mantra of the mere supernaturalist, of the undefined mystic. It is not the faith of the Bible. Biblical faith always has as its object God Himself. Trusting Him, not just trusting – who knows what?

So note the nature of her faith. She did not imagine she needed Him to stand and make pronouncements, move mountains, still seas, rebuke storms or demons – she knew all she needed was the slightest touch. That grace and mercy are so grand, so expansive, that the slightest true touch – even of just His garment, will transform in the most unspeakably glorious and powerful way.

J. C. Ryle writes here: “what encouragement our Lord gives to the humblest faith. We read in this passage, that a woman sorely afflicted with disease, came behind our Lord in the crowd, and “touched the hem” of His garment, in the hope that by so doing she should be healed. She said not a word to obtain help. She made no public confession of faith. But she had confidence, that if she could only “touch His garment,” she would be made well. And so it was. There lay hid in that act of her’s a seed of precious faith, which obtained our Lord’s commendation. She was made whole at once, and returned home in peace. To use the words of a good old writer, “She came trembling, and went back triumphing.” _{Ryle, J. C. Expository Thoughts on Matthew. Robert Carter & Brothers, 1860, pp. 88–89.}

But note too what an example of prevailing prayer he have here. What you and I need every day, is the sense of our need being great enough, that we will press through the mob of all that claims our attention and seems to make Him distant, to but touch the hem of His robe. The “prayer of faith” in James 5:15 is not some special, secret species of prayer – it is as these demonstrate – trustingly seeking out Christ.

Christian, let me ask you, do you feel any sense of the NEED for Him today? If not, you probably will know little of meeting Him today.

And un-Believer, until you know the deep need of your soul, that only Christ can reconcile you back to God the Father through faith in His atoning sacrifice on Calvary – until you know you are truly lost and condemned apart from you – you will know nothing of Him or His power.

This dear lady was undaunted by the raucous crowd. Unfazed by the fact that Jesus was on His way to do something else for someone else. Undeterred by her own low and unclean status. Unwilling to be kept from reaching Him – if only to brush the hem of His robe. Her great object was to get to Jesus. This is what prevailing prayer is. When we know He alone can meet our need, when we have recognized that our greatest need is Jesus Himself, when we realize wholeness is found only in Him – and we pursue Him relentlessly – this is prevailing prayer. He loves to be sought out.

Lord Jesus, let me come to you – today! Fill me with a relentless, seeking heart after you. And let me be satisfied with nothing else than knowing I have touched you.

This is the place of prayer. Press through. Touch His hem.

From Matthew 9:14-17 – Reckoning with the New Covenant. Two things stand out in this encounter, which at first glance do not seem connected. But they are.

In the first instance, this question of fasting is posed to Jesus. John’s disciples and the Pharisees practiced regular fasting as a spiritual exercise. It is interesting to note however, that while God instituted a number of feasts for the Israelites, He commanded only 1 fast – on the Day of Atonement. Fasting always includes some element of mourning in it. To ignore this element leads to a superstitious use of fasting to somehow bend the arm of God against His will.

Because of this element of mourning, while Jesus was among them as God incarnate, the time of fasting and mourning was not appropriate.

Now while Jesus was here, the rest of the world hadn’t stopped. There was misery going on all around. The effects of sin had not been eradicated. But we see then that there are seasons to life – which ebb and flow but do not change the entire picture. There will be seasons of God’s outpouring, and seasons of seemingly little Spirit activity. There will be times when God’s movements are easily discerned, and times when they are more hidden from view. Times of mourning, and times of great joy. No one thing like these dominates all at all times. And so He told them that at the present, fasting was not appropriate for His disciples, but in days ahead, it would be. Serving God cannot be reduced to religious observances, no matter how pious they may seem.

Connected to this, is that Jesus begins to unpack the reality of an entirely new age dawning – the age of the New Covenant. And He introduces the idea in very instructive way. With the similes of patching old garments and putting new wine into new wineskins, He graphically communicates a most important reality.

In essence – contrast to how they were living out their religious lives under the Old Covenant (with all of the invented innovations) He in effect says: I have not come to repair an old system. I have come to make everything new. I have not come to revise Judaism but to institute its fulfillment. This is the New Covenant, not the Old one. And such a Covenant requires a New People, a regenerated people – recreated to receive the fullness of what it is Christ is bringing. They cannot accept what He is bringing in their old state – THEY need to be new as well. No one can serve Christ in the power of the old flesh.

Beloved, we are no longer under the Law of Moses, but have received new life in Christ. We worship in Spirit and in truth, not according to the letter of the Law. We are being conformed to the image of Christ by the influence of the indwelling Spirit of Christ so that we begin to love and live out holiness as naturally as God Himself. This is His goal in us. Not conformity, but transformation. To go back to the old, would be ruin.

Nowhere was this reality divinely displayed for us in greater clarity and power than on the Mount of Transfiguration. There, where Moses (representative of the Law) and Elijah (representative of the Prophets) are seen with Jesus – the voice of the Father says: “This is my beloved Son; listen to Him” He, is above all.

From Matthew 9:9-13 – Calling all sinners – It seems virtually baked into all religious thought (uninformed rightly by the Bible) that God saves good people only. It is a pervasive undergirding thought in almost all. And so it is most religion aims at making us acceptable to God by virtue of doing and being good. Living up to some imagined or codified standard somehow mitigates our sin, and weighed in these self-contrived balances, as along as we’ve done more good than not – God is OK with us. And nothing could be further from the Gospel .

In this short passage recording Matthew’s call to follow Christ, and the events immediately following with Jesus reclining with a host of that era’s religious outcasts, the Gospel is seen in its clearest relief against religiosity. Jesus came to call sinners, not those who considered themselves righteous.

Note this first then: If you will not reckon yourself a sinner, sick with that deadly disease and in need of a Savior and that all is lost apart from Him – you cannot be saved. If you know you need mercy because you know your own guilt, you are of all men most blessed – for He delights to show it. But if all you want is relief – you may just get it: But it may be all you get.

And this is what leaves the religious still dead in their trespasses and sins; they will not think of themselves as sinners in need of mercy. And such cannot be saved; because they will not be saved; because they will not admit that only mercy can save them.

Lord help us to know our sin.

Not only does false religion lead people to rely upon their own goodness, it feeds into their self-perception as good. Not as ruined. Not as guilty. Not as lost. Not as undone. Not as acceptable as they are, but as deserving salvation in some way.

Note second: That though He receives sinners, He does not justify them as they are. He does not eat with them as though all is well. By His own words, He clearly announces that they are NOT OK as is. No, they need mercy. They are guilty and need to be rescued from their guilt.

Yes, it is true Christ accepts us as we are. But He never leaves us as we are. Praise God! He has mercy on us. He deals with our sin, but does not leave us to it or justify it in any way. We need mercy. Because we are guilty. And it is only the guilty who can be and are saved.

If you would know salvation, you must know and own your guilt first. And for all who do, and look to Him as the only means to become not-guilty, justified before God, there is rescue. This, is the Gospel. This is the glory of our Christ.

From Matthew 9:1-8 / “Your sins are forgiven” – Matthew, Mark and Luke all record this event. It is not hard to discern why this is so. What can be more important than to know that Jesus has the authority to forgive sins? This is the obvious emphasis of the passage. Yes, the man leaves healed of his paralysis as well, but that is shown to be secondary. Yet, I wonder if we were in the paralyzed man’s condition, which one we would think more important in the moment?

Now there are several things to note here.

1 – Note that forgiveness of sins and physical healing are not so interconnected as to assume they must always go together. How many people did Jesus heal, who left without such a pronouncement regarding their sin? And how sad that is. Imagine, it is possible that we might be miraculously touched by the hand of God, and yet leave still dead in our trespasses and sins. Simply seeing or even personally experiencing a miracle says nothing about our reconciliation to God. And yet how many seek Christ only for what they might receive in the physical or natural?

2 – Note Jesus’ rhetorical question to the scribes? Which is easier to say, your sins are forgiven, or rise and walk? They could do neither. He could do both. And He says that He did this this way so that they might know something. That He could heal? No. That He had the authority to forgive sins. In the grand scheme of things, this is what is eternally and spiritually important. This is what He is after in communicating.

3 – Note how fixated we are on the temporal versus the eternal. I don’t know about you, but if I was that man, I would probably have thought I’d been shortchanged at first. Carried to where Jesus was by friends. Dramatically let down through the roof of Jesus’ own house. There, in front of a huge crowd, displayed in all my weakness, only to hear Him say: “Your sins are forgiven.” Did it dawn on him that moment? Would it have dawned on me, that the greater miracle, the greater need was met in His first act? I fear not. I fear that I, that we are so focused on our perceived need, that we are blind to our real and greatest need. That in our unregenerate state, we are paralyzed from following Christ, working for Him in any way. And left that way, we enter eternity only to step into judgment. Beloved, our greatest need is what He can do, HAS done regarding our sin.

4 – Note that Jesus could forgive sins, but not like the “ollie, ollie oxen free” of hide and seek. He knew full well that this power would rest solely in His own impending death on the Cross. Forgiveness isn’t a simple wave of the hand. Justice must be done. Sin must actually be atoned for. When Jesus said to the man “your sins are forgiven” – He was saying “I will die for you, taking the just wrath of God you deserve upon myself, so that you can be reconciled to God and have eternal life.” Now, His question takes on real teeth – which is easier to say?

5 – We are to carry all of our needs to Him. Every one. No matter how great or how small. But we are to do so, knowing His wisdom, power and love will first and foremost meet our greatest need. For if He can and will do that, everything else is truly secondary – as blessed as it might be. As Jesus will say in another context later (though the principle still holds) “it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire.” (Mt 18:8.) Praise God, He does the lesser often, the but the greater – for all who call upon Him in faith.