Genesis 28:10-17; Ephesians 4:22-28; St Matthew 9:1-8
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
Dear people loved by God, you have set before you today in the Gospel of St Matthew a blessed and magnificent text in which you learn how our Lord Jesus, with the authority of God alone, forgives sins, but also gives this authority to men, who in the stead and by the command of Christ forgive all your sins. The forgiveness spoken by the called and ordained servant of the Word is just as valid and certain, even in heaven, as if Christ our dear Lord, dealt with you Himself. This you confess in the Small Catechism and as you just sang.
After preaching His Sermon on the Mount, astonishing the crowds with a demonstration of true authority, not a derived one as the scribes, Jesus proceeds to put into action the very mercy, love, and peace of which He preached. For faith is never an idle thing, but is always active in love and busy doing good works, as Jesus Himself demonstrates. Crossing over the Sea of Galilee, Jesus comes to His own city of Caperanum.
And some people, likely having heard or even witnessed Jesus’ great signs and healings from His previous visit, believed that He could heal their paralyzed friend. And so, as faith does, it brings sick friends to Jesus, even as oneself is sick and in need of the healing Word of the Divine Physician. Here we see an absolutely beautiful example of true evangelism: faithful friends bringing the hurt and sorrowful, those stricken with sin and afraid of death, to where Jesus is present in mercy and love to forgive and heal.
For this is the busyness and activity of faith working in love for the good of the neighbor. Jesus saw their faith, St Matthew records. This does not mean that He saw their faith sitting silently in their hearts. Though He certainly could have done so, as He proves later by seeing the thoughts of the scribes. Rather, Jesus saw their faith active in good works.
Let us be clear. Faith alone saves. Corum Deo, before God, faith is passive. Like the open hand of the beggar, faith receives the gifts of the Lord - forgiveness, life, and salvation. As St Paul says earlier in Ephesians: For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this faith is not your own doing, rather it is a gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Eph 2:8-9). But that is not what St Paul is saying here in chapter four. Here he speaks concerning the Christian corum mundo, before the world, where faith is active, working in love. He says, put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. “True righteousness and holiness,” that is, true faith, which apprehends the promises of God and is credited as righteousness before Him.
Therefore, he says, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, doing honest work, share with anyone in need, etc. Before the world faith is busy and active, constantly doing good works, even before they are commanded. These do not save, of course, nor do they keep you in the grace and favor of God, but are merely the good fruit brought forth from the good tree. This is what Jesus sees in those who brought the paralytic; like parents bringing a child to Jesus in the water and Word of Holy Baptism.
When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Take heart, My son; your sins are forgiven.” Why this? Jesus is not blind. He can clearly see what they want Him to do. The man can’t walk. They want Him to heal him. This is why they brought the paralytic to Jesus. No one else could help. Their immediate need, so it seems, is restoration of his palsied limbs. But Jesus forgives his sins! Beloved, this a marvelous word from Jesus, received by faith.
Have you ever been sick, gravely sick, and as you lie in bed unable to do anything, your mind starts racing. You begin thinking back over your past actions, over things you have said and done, not said and not done. Now imagine a man who cannot move and everyday his conscience is afflicting him. Without a word of comfort from God he begins to think that God is angry with him and perhaps is even punishing him. Why is he sick? Why can he not be healed? He cannot work, he cannot help his neighbor, he feels like a burden to his friends and family. His conscience accuses him. Now he sits before Jesus, with palsied limbs and a guilty conscience. Which does Jesus heal first? Which is more important?
Take heart, My son; your sins are forgiven. Jesus deals with the more desperate need first. The pressing need. The eternal need. He assures this poor sinner that he is a beloved son. The man is humiliated sitting on this mat, but it is Jesus who humbles Himself to forgive this poor man.
Among the crowd are some scribes, who upon hearing Jesus’ word of absolution think to themselves in outrage that He is blaspheming. For they know the Law and the requirement of a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. Furthermore, they know that only God alone can forgive sins. Who does this man Jesus think He is?
Scarily, while they are thinking these things, Jesus sees their thoughts and asks, Why do you think evil in your hearts? Here Jesus is using His divine omniscience to read the hearts and minds of these scribes. With the friends of the paralytic He saw their faith active in love. But now Jesus peers into the inner recesses of man’s soul. And He knows what is in men. He knows our hearts and minds. But this does not cause Him to turn away in disgust or to shun you. Rather He speaks peace and forgiveness to your troubled heart.
And I contend, beloved, that this is not easier than saying, Rise and walk. It is harder to forgive sins than to heal. For from God’s perspective He is healing palsied limbs and curing the sick and restoring to health everyday around the world through medicine and surgery and physical therapy and the like. However, to say, Your sins are forgiven indeed does require a sacrifice of blood. As it is written, Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Heb 9:22).
And this is why forgiveness is harder. When Jesus forgives the sins of the paralytic and calls him ‘son,’ He is saying to him, “I will take your place on this mat. I shall be led and carried around, not by friends who love Me, but by wicked and evil men who seek My life. And I shall give it. I shall lay it down of My own accord. I shall not choose the easy part, but will gladly give My life and shed My precious blood in order to redeem and restore you. They shall accuse Me of blasphemy and cry for My crucifixion and death. But by this I shall become your once for all Sacrifice and even forgive those who crucify Me. That is, I shall even forgive you.”
But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins - Jesus then said to the paralytic - “Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. Jesus does what is lesser in order to prove the greater. His Word which immediately heals the paralytic is the selfsame Word that immediately forgave him. The crowds who see this miracle, now know that which was known only by faith, the forgiveness of sins, has also been accomplished.
This, beloved, is how our Lord Jesus accomplishes His work and shows His power. Not necessarily in the healing of palsied limbs, but in the word of absolution won by His bloody death and glorious resurrection. For a god can do anything is no comfort to the sinner who deserves nothing by death and judgment. Rather the sinner is comforted by faith in the almighty God who has compassion on sinners and uses His divine authority to forgive sins.
And this is what you see foreshadowed in the great dream of Jacob and his ladder. He saw ascending and descending upon this ladder that touched earth and was stretched to heaven, angels. Concerning this Jesus said to Nathanael, You will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man (Jn 1:51). This dream signified the wondrous mystery of the Incarnation of Christ, who came down from heaven when we could not climb to Him, not by works or intellect or emotion. He who is the highest comes down and takes the lowest place, united now in the one Person, the highest God lying in the lowly manger. The Son of Man lifted up from the earth and stretched to heaven in the ladder of His Cross.
And from this Ladder He sends out His angels, that is, His messengers and ministers, to speak His Word of absolution to poor, repentant sinners; to give comfort to all you Jacobs, running from your brothers, afraid of death, afraid of your own conscience. This is the authority which Christ gives to men, men whom He calls to serve in His stead and by His command, to forgive sins in His Name. And, yes, this is just as scandalous today as it was then. Pastors are accused of blasphemy when they speak God’s forgiveness.
But for you, beloved, this is a blessed and joyous Word! A Word of pardon and forgiveness. A Word of peace and comfort. A Word, which Luther says, we would gladly run a hundred miles to hear. Take heart, my child, your sins are forgiven.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
Dear people loved by God, you have set before you today in the Gospel of St Matthew a blessed and magnificent text in which you learn how our Lord Jesus, with the authority of God alone, forgives sins, but also gives this authority to men, who in the stead and by the command of Christ forgive all your sins. The forgiveness spoken by the called and ordained servant of the Word is just as valid and certain, even in heaven, as if Christ our dear Lord, dealt with you Himself. This you confess in the Small Catechism and as you just sang.
After preaching His Sermon on the Mount, astonishing the crowds with a demonstration of true authority, not a derived one as the scribes, Jesus proceeds to put into action the very mercy, love, and peace of which He preached. For faith is never an idle thing, but is always active in love and busy doing good works, as Jesus Himself demonstrates. Crossing over the Sea of Galilee, Jesus comes to His own city of Caperanum.
And some people, likely having heard or even witnessed Jesus’ great signs and healings from His previous visit, believed that He could heal their paralyzed friend. And so, as faith does, it brings sick friends to Jesus, even as oneself is sick and in need of the healing Word of the Divine Physician. Here we see an absolutely beautiful example of true evangelism: faithful friends bringing the hurt and sorrowful, those stricken with sin and afraid of death, to where Jesus is present in mercy and love to forgive and heal.
For this is the busyness and activity of faith working in love for the good of the neighbor. Jesus saw their faith, St Matthew records. This does not mean that He saw their faith sitting silently in their hearts. Though He certainly could have done so, as He proves later by seeing the thoughts of the scribes. Rather, Jesus saw their faith active in good works.
Let us be clear. Faith alone saves. Corum Deo, before God, faith is passive. Like the open hand of the beggar, faith receives the gifts of the Lord - forgiveness, life, and salvation. As St Paul says earlier in Ephesians: For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this faith is not your own doing, rather it is a gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Eph 2:8-9). But that is not what St Paul is saying here in chapter four. Here he speaks concerning the Christian corum mundo, before the world, where faith is active, working in love. He says, put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. “True righteousness and holiness,” that is, true faith, which apprehends the promises of God and is credited as righteousness before Him.
Therefore, he says, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, doing honest work, share with anyone in need, etc. Before the world faith is busy and active, constantly doing good works, even before they are commanded. These do not save, of course, nor do they keep you in the grace and favor of God, but are merely the good fruit brought forth from the good tree. This is what Jesus sees in those who brought the paralytic; like parents bringing a child to Jesus in the water and Word of Holy Baptism.
When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Take heart, My son; your sins are forgiven.” Why this? Jesus is not blind. He can clearly see what they want Him to do. The man can’t walk. They want Him to heal him. This is why they brought the paralytic to Jesus. No one else could help. Their immediate need, so it seems, is restoration of his palsied limbs. But Jesus forgives his sins! Beloved, this a marvelous word from Jesus, received by faith.
Have you ever been sick, gravely sick, and as you lie in bed unable to do anything, your mind starts racing. You begin thinking back over your past actions, over things you have said and done, not said and not done. Now imagine a man who cannot move and everyday his conscience is afflicting him. Without a word of comfort from God he begins to think that God is angry with him and perhaps is even punishing him. Why is he sick? Why can he not be healed? He cannot work, he cannot help his neighbor, he feels like a burden to his friends and family. His conscience accuses him. Now he sits before Jesus, with palsied limbs and a guilty conscience. Which does Jesus heal first? Which is more important?
Take heart, My son; your sins are forgiven. Jesus deals with the more desperate need first. The pressing need. The eternal need. He assures this poor sinner that he is a beloved son. The man is humiliated sitting on this mat, but it is Jesus who humbles Himself to forgive this poor man.
Among the crowd are some scribes, who upon hearing Jesus’ word of absolution think to themselves in outrage that He is blaspheming. For they know the Law and the requirement of a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. Furthermore, they know that only God alone can forgive sins. Who does this man Jesus think He is?
Scarily, while they are thinking these things, Jesus sees their thoughts and asks, Why do you think evil in your hearts? Here Jesus is using His divine omniscience to read the hearts and minds of these scribes. With the friends of the paralytic He saw their faith active in love. But now Jesus peers into the inner recesses of man’s soul. And He knows what is in men. He knows our hearts and minds. But this does not cause Him to turn away in disgust or to shun you. Rather He speaks peace and forgiveness to your troubled heart.
And I contend, beloved, that this is not easier than saying, Rise and walk. It is harder to forgive sins than to heal. For from God’s perspective He is healing palsied limbs and curing the sick and restoring to health everyday around the world through medicine and surgery and physical therapy and the like. However, to say, Your sins are forgiven indeed does require a sacrifice of blood. As it is written, Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Heb 9:22).
And this is why forgiveness is harder. When Jesus forgives the sins of the paralytic and calls him ‘son,’ He is saying to him, “I will take your place on this mat. I shall be led and carried around, not by friends who love Me, but by wicked and evil men who seek My life. And I shall give it. I shall lay it down of My own accord. I shall not choose the easy part, but will gladly give My life and shed My precious blood in order to redeem and restore you. They shall accuse Me of blasphemy and cry for My crucifixion and death. But by this I shall become your once for all Sacrifice and even forgive those who crucify Me. That is, I shall even forgive you.”
But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins - Jesus then said to the paralytic - “Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. Jesus does what is lesser in order to prove the greater. His Word which immediately heals the paralytic is the selfsame Word that immediately forgave him. The crowds who see this miracle, now know that which was known only by faith, the forgiveness of sins, has also been accomplished.
This, beloved, is how our Lord Jesus accomplishes His work and shows His power. Not necessarily in the healing of palsied limbs, but in the word of absolution won by His bloody death and glorious resurrection. For a god can do anything is no comfort to the sinner who deserves nothing by death and judgment. Rather the sinner is comforted by faith in the almighty God who has compassion on sinners and uses His divine authority to forgive sins.
And this is what you see foreshadowed in the great dream of Jacob and his ladder. He saw ascending and descending upon this ladder that touched earth and was stretched to heaven, angels. Concerning this Jesus said to Nathanael, You will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man (Jn 1:51). This dream signified the wondrous mystery of the Incarnation of Christ, who came down from heaven when we could not climb to Him, not by works or intellect or emotion. He who is the highest comes down and takes the lowest place, united now in the one Person, the highest God lying in the lowly manger. The Son of Man lifted up from the earth and stretched to heaven in the ladder of His Cross.
And from this Ladder He sends out His angels, that is, His messengers and ministers, to speak His Word of absolution to poor, repentant sinners; to give comfort to all you Jacobs, running from your brothers, afraid of death, afraid of your own conscience. This is the authority which Christ gives to men, men whom He calls to serve in His stead and by His command, to forgive sins in His Name. And, yes, this is just as scandalous today as it was then. Pastors are accused of blasphemy when they speak God’s forgiveness.
But for you, beloved, this is a blessed and joyous Word! A Word of pardon and forgiveness. A Word of peace and comfort. A Word, which Luther says, we would gladly run a hundred miles to hear. Take heart, my child, your sins are forgiven.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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