your sin is forgiven

Is it me or does it seem that when we are to work for Jesus but he seems to so much for us.

9 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. ² And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” ³ And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” ⁴ But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? ⁵ For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? ⁶ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” ⁷ And he rose and went home. ⁸ When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men. ¹

Jesus forgave a sin. God is who we sin againsst yet Jesus here forgave. Note Jesus does not heal the man right away. He forgives then heals. What I would rather have is all my sins forgiven and not healed then healed and have sins before God.

Jesus’ tactic caught the leaders off guard. Though these leaders might deny His ability, or right, to forgive sins, the outward physical healing could not be denied. It was far easier to say Your sins are forgiven you because there would be no visible proof that the sins were forgiven. The healing of the paralytic, however, was proof that forgiveness of sins had occurred as well. Neither physical nor spiritual healing pose any difficulty for God’s Son.

Jesus proved he is God here by forgiving and healing

Matthew then continues, When Jesus saw their faith … (v. 2b). Here Matthew obviously alludes to the extreme exertions of the men who had brought their paralyzed friend to Jesus. He could see that they strongly believed that if they could simply get the paralytic to Him, his broken body would be healed.

When Jesus saw this faith, He spoke to the paralyzed man, but He did not say, “Be healed.” Rather, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you” (v. 2c).

First, note the very warm term of endearment with which Jesus addressed the man: “Son.” If Jesus were to address you as “Son” or “Daughter,” you would sense immediately the affection that was being expressed by that form of address. Second, however, note the words Jesus said to the man: “be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” I think we can confidently say that this man and his friends had not come to Jesus expecting forgiveness of sins. They had come simply hoping that his paralysis might be healed. But Jesus made this unexpected comment about forgiveness of sins.

Many of you no doubt know of Joni Eareckson Tada, who has been a quadriplegic for several decades. She is confined to a motorized wheelchair. However, she paints by holding the brush in her mouth, she composes music, she writes books and speaks at conferences, and she has a glorious testimony and an international ministry. She says that she knows that when she gets to heaven she will be whole, and she cannot wait for that moment. In the meantime, she is trusting in the love of God to sustain her during this earthly time of travail. She has said that she would rather be in her wheelchair knowing that she is forgiven in Christ than to be whole without His forgiveness.

Jesus, of course, has the power to heal Joni’s paralysis in an instant. He had that same power to heal the paralytic who was brought to Him. However, instead of addressing the man’s debilitating physical condition, Jesus addressed his spiritual condition by saying to the man, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”

It is tempting to conclude, based on this statement, that the paralytic was suffering this dreadful affliction as a direct result of some sin he had committed. But the text gives absolutely no reason to make that inference. When people came to Jesus, it did not matter whether they came on stretchers or walked in under their own power, whether they were blind, deaf, crippled, or completely healthy—all of them came into His presence carrying a burden of guilt. To have that burden removed was far more important ultimately than to receive physical healing of their bodies. If Jesus had done nothing else for this man that day than to say, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you,” he would have had no reason to do anything other than go to his house rejoicing.

Have you had the experience of having your sins forgiven? It is a wonderful thing. My daughter became a Christian at the age of seven or eight in response to an altar call. I was a bit skeptical about that, because I thought she was too young to understand what it was all about. I was afraid she might be missing the real significance of the gospel. So, I asked her, “Why did you go forward?” She said: “Daddy, I couldn’t help it. I had to go. And now I feel as clean as a newborn baby.” I got her point. When she said that she felt clean, fresh, and newly born, I saw that she understood what had just happened to her. She had experienced the grace of forgiveness.

Forgiveness is wonderful precisely because the burden of guilt is so horrible. Many years ago, a friend of mine who was not a Christian asked me to leave the ministry and come to work for him in his psychiatric practice. I was shocked because I know nothing about psychiatry, so I asked him why he wanted to hire me. He said: “You may not know anything about psychiatry, but you know something about guilt and forgiveness. Ninety-eight percent of the people who come to me don’t need a psychiatrist. They need a priest. You cannot believe how many people are walking around this world with unresolved guilt that’s eating them up.”

The great Reformer Martin Luther understood this, and that was why, after he left the Roman Catholic Church, he kept the confessional. He understood how important it is in the life of the people of God to hear someone say, “Your sins are forgiven.” In reality, the Protestants never had an issue with confession. It was the Roman Catholic sacrament of penance, in which people were sent out to do works of satisfaction by which they supposedly could get some kind of merit before God, that the Reformers opposed. They fully acknowledged that people need to repent of their sins and confess them, and then receive the assurance of forgiveness.

Do you have that? Do you know that your sins have been forgiven by Jesus?²

Forgiveness does not depend on our feelings. Forgiveness depends on the authority of God to forgive sins. Jesus wanted everyone to know that He has that authority. So, if your sins are unforgiven, why are you waiting? There is One who has the authority to forgive them, for He took your sin, assumed your guilt, and paid for it all. He has the power and authority to forgive you. Why do you hesitate? What holds you back from the good cheer that the Son of Man has for you?³

1 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2001). (Mt 9:1–8). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

2 Sproul, R. C. (2013). Matthew (pp. 262–264). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.

3 Sproul, R. C. (2013). Matthew (p. 267). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.