As I turn 70, I am more motivated to learn about longevity research findings! So many things that I thought were true about health are wrong, and the mixture of old guidelines and new is confusing. According to experts, aging is the root problem, not disease.
Jesus, who not only knows our thoughts but our organism on a micro-cellular level, knows that our root problem is sin. Not just individual sin, but the whole world is off-kilter in fundamental ways. Jesus holds the solution—forgiveness that brings us into His peace and wholeness.
In our passage, Jesus was back in His hometown, in a crowded home. It was so crowded that men lowered a paralyzed friend to Jesus’ feet by destroying the roof! Jesus saw their passion and the man’s need—for to be paralyzed was to be stuck and at the mercy of others’ care. Jesus saw the men’s persistent faith and called the hopeless man “my son.” He pronounced his sins as forgiven. Did the man and his friends have an internal response like, “Uh, that’s nice, but not exactly what we came for”? If they did, Jesus knew it because He also knew what the Jewish religious leaders were thinking—forgiveness of sins was God’s domain alone and that He was blaspheming.
Jesus demonstrated His authority over nature, sickness, and evil. These miracles led to controversy because they were visible manifestations of God’s power and revealed deity. To claim to have the ability to forgive sin was invisible—who could prove it? So Jesus healed the man’s paralysis, using the “lesser” miracle to confirm the “greater.” He is one with God.
But the opposite is often true for us. When we don’t experience answered prayer for healing or when we don’t feel like we are forgiven, we doubt God’s power, love, and awareness.
This story has several implications for us:
Bring others to Jesus in prayer and faith.
Know that wholeness includes forgiveness and healing, but forgiveness is our root need.
Be on the alert for the erosion of faith. Jesus has authority to forgive and heal; He knows our root need.
For reflection: Are you more in need of forgiveness or healing today? Bring your answer to Jesus.
by Lisa Sinclair
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