Some men bring a sick man to Jesus. They had to carry this man because his disease prevented him from walking with his own strength. No doubt they bring their friend to Jesus because He is known for healing the sick. In fact, in the previous chapter, St. Matthew went to great lengths to show us the power of Jesus over a variety of illnesses. Jesus had cleansed a leper; He had healed the centurion’s servant, Peter’s mother-in-law, and many others who came to Him. Not only that, He had calmed a storm on the Sea of Galilee and cast out the demons from two demon-possessed men. It is easy to imagine what the paralyzed man’s friends expect Jesus to do when they bring their sick friend to Jesus.

But what does Jesus do? He sees the faith of these men, their trust in Him, and instead of performing the work of a healing miracle, Jesus says to the sick man: "Son, be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven you." What Jesus has done is give a greater gift to the sick man. Jesus addresses the root problem, and that is not the paralysis, it is sin.

Here Jesus teaches us the great truth that our condition is first and foremost a condition that is troubled and poisoned by sin. It is not that other troubles do not threaten us and burden us, but it is sin that lies at the very heart of all these troubles. So when Jesus speaks to this man and forgives his sins He is going far deeper than the physical illness. Jesus is addressing the very soul of this man, and by the forgiveness of sins He is granting him far more than any physical healing can offer. The forgiveness of sins is the gift of eternal life – life beyond the confines of this world and all its troubles, illnesses, and death. That is what Jesus gives.

Notice how Jesus gives this great gift. He speaks. He simply tells this man the truth and gives him the very gift of forgiveness. Jesus does this because He is God, with all the authority of God, the same authority which Isaiah the prophet had proclaimed in the lesson for this morning: "I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, And like a cloud, your sins."

Yet what is the reaction of the enemies of Jesus? They accuse Jesus of blasphemy. They think that since only God can forgive sins, it is wrong of Jesus to speak that forgiving word. "Who does He think He is?"

But not only can and does Jesus speak this word, He does so as both God and man, "true God begotten of the Father before all worlds, true man born of the virgin Mary." And as Matthew points out for us, the crowd understood that this forgiving word spoken by Jesus was given to mankind to speak. Martin Luther preached about it this way:

The word of absolution, the word of forgiveness, spoken to you is not just any word. It is the word of God that gives you exactly what it says. Doubting this word and deciding that it doesn’t apply to you or that you can safely ignore it is to throw away the very forgiveness of sins that you need.

Perhaps the paralyzed man had been thinking that God hated him and was angry, therefore he was punished with this illness. And that would be an understandable thought from our human perspective. How often don’t we wonder: What does God care about me, how do I know if He will be gracious to me, what am I to God? Am I not just a sinner who deserves nothing good? But Jesus says: Do not look at your illness, your life, your doubts and worries, but listen. Listen to what? Listen to the word: Your sins are forgiven. And then trust that word and let no illness, no troubles, no doubts or concerns drive you away from this faith.

Again Luther says:

For the unbelieving who watched Him that day, Jesus went on to heal the paralysis of the man. "Which is easier, to say, ‘your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘arise and walk?’" ‘But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins’ – then He said to the paralytic, ‘Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.’"

Jesus did not give more when He healed the illness. What He did was give a preview of the resurrection of the body that will occur on the last day when all those who have believed in the forgiveness of sins through faith in their Savior Jesus Christ will rise from their grave and be granted eternal life in heaven. The difference to us seems great: being healed here and now, as opposed to "only" being healed for eternity. That is because we are so bound to this time and this place that we cannot see beyond. But Jesus here opens our eyes to the salvation that He brings, a salvation that goes far beyond the confines of our human limitations, a forgiveness that is real, lasting beyond our short lifetimes here. For what are 100 years, or 80, or 60, or 20, or 1 year, compared with eternity? In comparison to each other there is a great difference, but in comparison to eternity they are all the same: a small time, a little while.

We can only know this by faith, and that is why our Lord is so gracious as to make sure that this forgiving word is given to us again and again. Our Lutheran confessions make this same claim when they teach us this, something I have also used on the bulletin cover for the past month or so:

Spoken word, baptism, communion, absolution, and our mutual words of consolation of the Gospel. All of these bring to us the Word of Jesus, the Word spoken by our Lord to the paralytic: "Son, be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven you."

God help us to cling to this word, to trust it through whatever comes our way. God help us to use this Word as the light that drives away the darkness of our fears and doubts, knowing that this Word brings exactly what it says, for here we are connected with the power of God which overthrew death itself, as Jesus died and rose again.

In faith, Lord, let me serve Thee;
Though persecution, grief, and pain
Should seek to overwhelm me,
Let me a steadfast trust retain.
And then at my departure
Take Thou me home to Thee,
And let me there inherit
All Thou hast promised me.
In life and death, Lord, keep me
Until Thy heav’n I gain,
Where I by Thy great mercy
The end of faith attain. (ELH 494:3) Amen.