TEMPORAL CURE OR ETERNAL CARE?
- Key Verse
And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, "Why are you thinking evil in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, and walk'? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"--then He said to the paralytic, "Get up, pick up your bed and go home." And he got up and went home. (Matthew 9:4-7)
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Central Truth
God's Word is all sufficient for our every need. While He is aware of our human suffering and limitations, He addresses our eternal needs as first priority, which is different than what we want Him to do. Psalm 139:23 is a great place to tune our ears to His voice!
Reflections
I was once in a job situation in which I excelled at everything I did, was given "positive feedback," and cannot remember an instance when a peer gave me constructive correction. I even had thoughts of how easy it would be to "coast" and continue to get promotions and accolades in that job.
I am thankful for the Holy Spirit's patience, counsel, and words of warning. Even though that job seemed wonderful, I knew I was not growing and that my gifts and skills would atrophy if I did not follow the path God had for me. Isn't it easy to hear only what we want to hear, according to what we want and think is right?
In Matthew 9:2 (NLT) Jesus addresses a paralyzed man, saying, "Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven." We must read this carefully, or it may appear that the Jesus who we know can heal physical sickness seems to breeze by this paralyzed man with just a smile and a pat on the back.
Could it be that we are so caught up in polite one-liners ourselves that we assume Christ is too busy to care for this man? Are we reading the text with the expectation that Jesus Christ, who claimed to be God and backed it up with the resurrection, should respond as we would respond? The Pharisees had a problem with Jesus' statement as well, but from the religious angle, stating "That's blasphemy! Does he think he's God?" (Matthew 9:3 (NLT))
Whatever our response, the only one that matters is the truth. Jesus illuminates this as He explains how easy it is to say that your sins are forgiven, but the command "[g]et up, take your mat and go home" (Matthew 9:6 (NIV)) is much more difficult because it is easy to verify whether it happened.
Jesus proved He has the authority both to forgive sins and to heal diseases. It is awesome to know that we have a God more concerned with addressing the truth of our spiritual condition than with impressing people by healing our temporal ailments.
Discussion Questions
1. How did you first respond to this passage? Were you encouraged by Jesus' statement to the paralyzed man, or did you wonder why He didn't heal him immediately?2. Think of a time when you were told the truth about something even though it was something you did not want to hear. How would it have affected you if you had been told something "nicer," but untrue?
3. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Romans 3:23-24 (NIV) "[A]ll our righteous acts are like filthy rags . . . ." Isaiah 64:6 (NIV) In light of just these two passages, how appropriate does Christ's initial response to the paralyzed man seem?
4. Given the truth about humanity's fallen nature, what kind of God would we have if Jesus did not first address the eternal condition of our souls?
FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Why did Jesus heal the paralyzed man (verse 2)?
2. Who has the authority to forgive sins (verse 6)?
3. Do you go to God and ask Him to forgive you when you sin? Is there anything you need to ask Him for His forgiveness today?
Jonathan
January 27, 2010 07:55 AM
Christ leaves the Pharisees tongue-tied yet again. No matter how hard they tried, The Pharisees could never win a debate or discussion against Christ. He always left them dumbfounded and with a question that confused them even more. Awesome.
Sue Bohlin
January 27, 2010 07:57 AM
Scott, you had lots of good things to say in your devo, but I especially appreciated your insight about how limiting it is to receive nothing but a stream of "attaboys" and positive affirmations that come from the self-esteem cult. God is so good to lovingly convict us of the areas in which we need to grow and submit to His leadership! I love the truth that He accepts us just the way we are, but He loves us too much to leave us there. And for some of us, that means swimming in a sea of contentment with our immaturity and mediocrity! (By the way, that's one of the things I treasure about Watermark: being challenged to stretch and grow in ways I've never experienced before.)
Liz White
January 27, 2010 09:28 AM
Scott, your central truth is profound. I read Ps 139 with an entirely different perspective, seeing the last two verses as David's request that the Lord tend to his heart first, before He handled the evil circumstances around him. I used to look at these as David moving back into his fear after just recounting God's sovereignty and omnipotence. Thanks for such keen insight, encouraging me to recognize the order of priority our Father will always have in my life.
Kathy Fehlbaum
January 27, 2010 10:14 AM
Jesus' healing ministry is proof positive that in Him there's always hope for all of us. I can be forgiven! I can be transformed, and so can those I'm claiming for the kingdom - some of whom I've been praying for since way back when. I will never give up on anybody.
Jim Wimberley
January 27, 2010 11:02 AM
Thanking God with you for the greatest miracle of all times - the forgiveness of our sins and that we have been made alive with Christ as a result of His loving sacrifice. May we be about sharing that love with others today, Jim
Laura Smith
January 27, 2010 10:21 PM
Scott - Thanks for an excellent devo today! I appreciate the challenges you set forth! I am one of those people that tends to only hear what I want to, and forget to listen to what the Lord has to say. I am thankful for the reminders you set out!
Courtney Vorel
January 29, 2010 12:02 AM
Loved your devo, friend. I especially loved your 4th question- great insight!
Cheryl Boyd
January 30, 2010 02:39 AM
Scott, Thanks for the great reminders. I am reminded that way too often my prayers for myself are more centered on my temporal circumstances and fleshly desires than my deepest need to know Jesus's love more intimately and surrender to His perfect plan and provision for my life.