THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 2:1-12
“But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” (Mark 2:10)
The Son of Man was another title for the Messiah, based on Daniel 7:13-14.
The Messiah hope goes back to Genesis 3:15, where God promises a human saviour to crush Satan.
The teachers of the law were partially right, only God can forgive sins…
AND… those that God gives the authority to forgive for Him.
In Genesis 1, God assigned His authority to Adam and Eve as His appointed rulers.
When they failed, God stepped in by raising up a new Adam, the promised Son of Man.
By resisting Satan to His death, Jesus reverses the curse, crushes the serpent, and restores humanity.
Jesus, the restored Adam does have the authority to declare God’s forgiveness.
But what is more, SO DO YOU AND I!
“And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.'” (John 20:22-23)
We are anointed, like Jesus, to represent God on earth.
We do not accomplish God’s forgiveness, but we do announce it.
As God’s forgiven and restored sinners, we can also say to other sinners, ‘your sins are forgiven’.
People need to know this, and we have been commissioned to tell them.
‘God loves you, God forgives you, God wants to restore you as His much-loved child!’
Too many people are weighed down by guilt, shame or a sense of unworthiness.
And too often it is Christians that makes them feel this way.
With Jesus, I am God’s ambassador of grace and mercy… let people know they are forgiven!
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, Your Spirit has anointed me with Your authority to announce Your forgiveness too. What an honour, what a privilege. Please put someone in my path today that I can share this good news with!
Jesus says to the paralyzed man:” Your sins are forgiven.” I wonder if this was what he was expecting, or what he even wanted. Looking at him lying on the mat, it looked from the outside that he needed healing, which he also received. It is great to know that Jesus heals us. It is ultimately better to know that I am forgiven. This is either something that one pays little attention to, or it is something that one wallows in. What does unforgiveness mean? This is an important enough subject that we are asked to pray about it in the Lord’s Prayer. How God forgives us, we are told, is related to how we forgive others. Jesus spent time telling stories about how we are to treat others. This is a big subject that stretches my mind. It makes me think that our interactions with others matter a great deal to God.
Observations/Application
Jesus saw their faith. He did not say the man’s faith. Yet He forgave the sick man’s sins. The root cause of all our trials and troubles. Jesus healed the source of the problems. He did not just heal the man and forget the root of the sickness. Those around the event did not understand this happening.
It is still true today. We mask the sickness by medicating. We do not, the doctors do not go to the source of the disease. Just medicate.
We all need Jesus the great Physician because He sees through the people and addresses the source of the issue – sin. And it is only in Christ we are healed. We all need Jesus to become whole.
Reminds me of children’s messages in church – and the answer to the question is – – – Jesus. How true! We all need Him. The whole wide world needs the Saviour.
1 Jesus calls us, o’er the tumult
of our life’s wild, restless sea,
day by day his voice is sounding,
saying, “Christian, follow me.”
2 Jesus calls us from the worship
of the vain world’s golden store,
from each idol that would keep us,
saying “Christian, love me more.”
3 Long ago apostles heard it
by the Galilean lake,
turned from home and work and family,
leaving all for his dear sake.
4 In our joys and in our sorrows,
days of work and hours of ease,
still he calls, in cares and pleasures,
“Christian, love me more than these.”
5 Jesus calls us! By your mercy,
Savior, may we hear your call,
give our hearts to your obedience,
serve and love you best of all.