Power to Forgive Us

 

Jesus said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”   Luke 5:20-21

 

Forgiveness.

 

It must be delivered by the one

 

who has been offended or treated dishonorably.

 

We see that the religious people

 

listening in on Jesus’ conversation

 

with the paralyzed man

 

were rightly offended for as far as they knew

 

Jesus had no authority

 

to forgive

 

sin.

 

We see a paralyzed man loved by four friends,

 

lowered through a roof,

 

meeting Jesus and he’s forgiven, set free, and healed.

 

We see our deathly independent condition rendering us incapable

 

of merit, of sacrifices, or of goodness

 

sufficient to satisfy the heights God’s holiness.

 

But we see Jesus

 

who has authority to forgive;

 

It’s because of who He is.

 

He came down from the Father, and

 

suffered the humility of the Cross,

 

to forgive us

 

of sin.

 

Who will love us enough to bring us to Jesus?