Forgiveness

Just got home a little while ago, from spending time at His Mansion in Deering, NH.  This was a trip planned by the Calvary Cruisers as an opportunity to minister through service.  We went over on Friday night.  Unfortunately we didn't ride motorcycles for several reasons:

• the weather the past several days has been on and off thunderstorms
• Got home from work too late to avoid riding at night
• Plus I don't have a motorcycle (that makes it tough).  Actually have put down a deposit and am picking up a new one Tuesday night.

 Anyways back to our trip to His Mansion.  After breakfast on Saturday morning we were taken to the mission field in order to save the cucumber plants from weeds.   This might at first not seem like a bold service for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  However His Mansion is an incredible ministry that provides long term Christian residential care for young adults struggling with addictions and abuse.  So any work that they needed done is a ministry and on the day we were there they needed weeds pulled.

Not only did we have an opportunity for service we were able to share several meals with the staff and residents. As is always the case when you go somewhere to provide encouragement and support, you end up being blessed and in turn more encouraged by God's grace than before.

In this post I would like to continue with a look at Luke 5:17- 26.  As I mentioned several posting ago I wanted to look at this passage from several perspectives.

• The challenge of the Scribes and Pharisees
• The faith of the friends
• The priority and power to forgive sins
• The healing
  

We have already looked at the first 2 in the previous posting.  This time I would like to discuss the priority and the power to forgive sins.    I have included here again to refresh you memory.

Luke 5:17 Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them. 18 Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. 19 And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.
20 When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”
21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’? 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”
25 Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. 26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today!”

The man mentioned in this story is paralyzed in such a way that he is unable to walk.   His friends go to extraordinary steps to bring him before Jesus.  The hope is that Jesus would heal him and the man would be able to walk.  However the scribes and pharisees are present and looking to charge Jesus to expose Him as a fraud.   He was treading on thier turf.  So what does Jesus do, He looks at the man and says "...your sins are forgiven you.".  We have already discussed the reaction of the scribes and pharisees, so lets look at our reaction.


We might be surprised that Jesus didn't heal the man right away.   Why did he forgive his sins.  How did Jesus know that the man needed his sins forgiven?  In reality this is exactly what is needed by everyone.  I will only include 2 more verses.

1 Kings 8:46 "When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to his own land, far away or near; 47 and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their conquerors and say, 'We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly';

Rom 3:22b For there is no difference; ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

 Everyone has sinned.  Everyone has a broken relationship with God.  We have all put ourselves first.  We rebel against the authority of God.   And we all feel that emptiness.  We fill that emptiness with pleasure, abuse, selfish pursuits, vanity and so forth.  But none of these bring satisfaction.   We go around hurting, seeking healing.  So the man that came to Jesus also had that hurt.   The priority is the forgiveness of his sins.  A restoration of his relationship with God. 

The Pharisees made a good point, only God can forgive sins.  When Jesus healed the man and demostrated His power.  It signified He was God.   He had the authority and power to forgive sins, heal the broken spirit and the broken body.

If you do not know Jesus as Savior, than you are in worse shape than the man who was paralyzed.  You are walking around with a broken relationship with God.   You have not experienced the incredible healing of His forgiveness. 

To find out more on how you can know God's forgiveness and receive eternal life check out "The Bridge to Eternal Life".