On This Day: When Reason Goes in the Wrong Direction

And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” (Mark 2:5-12)

 

   As I was meditating on the way Jesus’ opponents questioned what was going on, I could see some validity to the things they were wondering. Even the challenge, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” is not a bad question. The problem is the direction they headed in coming to a conclusion.

   Jesus could not visibly demonstrate that he was forgiving sins. Forgiveness is invisible, at least from our earthly standpoint. It was “easier to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’” than “to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’” because no one could prove Jesus didn’t forgive sins. However, everyone would know whether Jesus healed someone, so Jesus used a visible miracle to prove his spiritual authority to forgive sins.

   This made me think of many scenarios where people imagine that what is arguing around in their heads is so divine that it has authority over God and his word. I have heard about so many “conflicts” people present to deny the Bible is the word of God only to find those details are simply additional details on something that took place.

   The bottom line for me is that, even from childhood, things people have used to justify denying God’s word, or denying God, or especially denying Jesus Christ, look like they are affirming the credibility of God’s word, leading me to trust God all the more, and glorifying my Savior who healed people to assure me he could also forgive my sins.

   God has used this account of Jesus healing the paralyzed man to build up my tears-roofs-open-to-bring-people-to-Jesus faith, to reinforce how important it is to seek God together, and to always be ready to let God change my mind when what I thought his word said clashes with something I am reading in the Bible. Since we are “transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:1-2), let us “present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is our spiritual worship” so we can truly know and live by “the mind of Christ” for his church.

 

© 2024 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8

Email: in2freedom@gmail.com

Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.)