Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!” Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts 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, take your mat and go home.” And the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men (Matt.9:1-8).
This a familiar story but one that should be revisited from time to time because it is so instructive. There are several players in the story. The central figure, of course, is Jesus and the other is an unnamed the paralytic, lying on a mat. Surrounding him are his friends who had faith for his healing, the religious authorities, and the crowds watching the action unfold.
The text says that Jesus came to his own town. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, raised in Nazareth, but after beginning his public ministry took up residence in Capernaum (Matt.4:13). In this town he had recently healed the centurion’s servant and Peter’s mother-in-law. He had just arrived back in Capernaum after encountering the Gadarene demoniac who lived among the tombs. Having delivered the man from a host of demons, he was invited to leave by the locals and had immediately returned to Capernaum.
When he arrived, the friends of a paralytic carried him to Jesus with an expectation of seeing their friend healed. Jesus recognized there faith but said something that didn’t quite seem to fit the moment. “Take heart son; your sins are forgiven.” Now, if I’m the guy on the mat I’m thinking, “Great, I wanted to walk but all I got was a some obscure statement about my sins being forgiven! I wanted healing but all I got was theology. You guys grab my mat and let’s head to Starbucks.”
But, as always, Jesus had a deeper point. Disease and debilitating physical conditions came to man because of sin. Disease was the symptom, sin was the ultimate cause and so sin was the greater issue. Jesus dealt first with the cause. How many times do we pray for people to be healed without first assessing their spiritual condition? I am certain that healing is hindered in the bodies of many believer’s by infirmities in their souls – unforgiveness, bitterness, pride, unbelief, and so on. Whenever possible it is always wise to do a spiritual scan of a person’s life before prayers for healing. Jesus placed this man in a state of forgiveness before healing him.
In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul revealed to the church that some among them were sick because they had brought judgment on themselves by partaking of communion while they had been treating their spiritual family at Corinth in ungodly ways (1 Cor.11:30). The illness was a wakeup call to repentance so that healing could then be experienced. Obviously, a prayer for healing without repentance first would be ineffective in those cases.
Sin and illness have long been connected in scripture. Sometimes we’re ill simply because we are part of a fallen race living in a fallen environment. The fall came as a result of sin. At other times, our sin has opened us up to spirits of infirmity and disease because of our choices. The psalmist made the connection when he wrote, “Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases”(Ps.103:2-3). Again, the conjunction “and” often carries a causative connection. The idea is that my diseases can be healed because my sins have been forgiven.
Does God ever heal before sins are forgiven? Certainly, because the kindness of God calls men to repentance (see Rom.2:4). Healing is a kindness. Jesus healed some who had not yet heard the gospel and warned others after they were healed to stop sinning lest something worse happen to them. For believers who know the call to righteousness and who have access to the blood of Christ, repentance most often should come first. James counsels us to call the elders of the church whenever we are sick so that they can anoint us with oil and pray over us with faith. He tells us that their prayer of faith will being healing and if we have sinned we will be forgiven. (see James 5:13-16). The implication is that an ongoing, unrepented sin opened us up to some sickness or spirit of infirmity. Forgiveness was needed to open us up to healing.
As we move through the story, we also are reminded that words often need to be confirmed by actions or results even when the words are true. Anyone can say, “Your sins are forgiven,” but what is the evidence of that? Many people have “conversion experiences” so that the unusual experience they have when they come to faith confirms to them that God has truly accepted them and extended forgiveness. Many others take their salvation by faith based on intellectual persuasion that they have done what God asked and, therefore, have received what he promised.
I find, however, that more people with a “conversion experience” are solidly convinced of their salvation than those who chose to believe the truth without experience. The man on the mat had just heard the words that he was forgiven, but I wonder how certain he was of that? Jesus moved ahead, however, and acknowledged that it’s easy to say “Your sins are forgiven” because there is no concrete evidence to determine whether they have been forgiven or not. In essence, he says, “If I were to heal this lame man, would you be more likely to believe that he is also forgiven since the power to heal affirms my connection with the Father who also forgives? ”
When the man was healed, the crowds believed and I am certain that the lame man not only rejoiced in his healing but rejoiced with much greater certainty in his salvation. It’s easy for the church to declare that someone has been saved and all their sins are forgiven. But how many believers still struggle with some doubt about that because they cannot forgive themselves and still wonder if God has totally forgiven them? Their certainty increases when they have a powerful experience with God. That experience demonstrates his love for them on a very personal, individualized basis. Suddenly they are no longer just a face in a crowd of those who were declared to be forgiven but that declaration of forgiveness has been delivered to them personally by the King. Of course, not all will believe even in the face of miracles. Religious leaders who have always denied the operation of miracles today will still discount what they have witnessed and call it “strange fire.” The crowds, however, will come to faith.
In a world filled with words and outrageous claims, our words alone are easily discounted. Preach the gospel, offer forgiveness, and then release sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, pregnancy to the infertile, life to a splintered marriage, the tangible touch of God to the lonely, deliverance to the hopelessly oppressed, and the crowds will be in awe. But more than that, the ones touched by God will be secure in the promise that not only are they healed but their sins have also been forgiven. Be blessed today. Go out there and heal someone.
