june 30, 2005

Healing Mt 9:1-8
After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town. And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Courage, child, your sins are forgiven." At that, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming." Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, "Why do you harbor evil thoughts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, ‘Rise and walk'? 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 stretcher, and go home." He rose and went home. When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe and glorified God who had given such authority to men.
The healing that Jesus first chose for the paralytic was forgivness of his sins. After being doubted for his ability to do this, he showed his divinity and compassion by healing the man's ability to walk. I get the message this morning that Jesus was teaching that inner healing and a return to God are more important than the phyical outer healing.