Devotion - Tuesday, November 8

Matthew 9:1-8 retells an encounter between Jesus and the scribes.

It begins with a healing, of which the scribes are critical of Jesus. When he sees the paralytic, lying on his bed, Jesus says to him, "Your sins are forgiven." This is the reason for their criticism. They would point out that only God can forgive sins. Their opposition to Jesus is that he would announce the forgiveness of sins.

The reply Jesus gives them is intended to show that he does have this authority; it is a message for the early Church that Jesus is the Son of God. But this morning I found something else in his words which stuck with me.

Jesus asks these scribes, "Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk?'" Having been criticized for announcing the forgiveness of sins, Jesus now gives the command to stand and walk.

Again, this story's purpose in scriptures is to assure us of Jesus' authority. But this morning, with these verses fresh in my head, as I prayed for those of you facing various illnesses and diseases, I found myself thinking how impressed we would be were healing to occur, and yet we overlook the miracle of the forgiveness of our sins.

I don't want to pretend that it is easy to heal someone. Many times disease takes a strong hold of us and will not let us go. But the scribes appropriately understand that healing is in no way comparable to forgiveness. One is an option for many; the other is solely the realm of God.

My prayers will continue to include petitions for healing. May God's grace be with each who suffer in body or spirit. The assurance we have is that our suffering is not a result of unforgiven sin. We can face our challenges confident that Jesus has looked upon us and that he has also said to us, "Your sins are forgiven."