2And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”  Matthew 9:2

It was a fact; this young man was a paralytic. That’s public information. What was not so public was the deepest need of his life: forgiveness.

His friends brought the young man to Jesus, so he could be healed. And he was healed first from the inside and then in his external relationships and capacities. That’s what forgiveness does. Jesus used the physical miracle here to demonstrate the reality of His authority for the spiritual miracle of forgiveness. The wonderful thing about it: there was nothing the could do to earn such forgiveness. That’s grace!

Only God can forgive sins: the act and condition of acting and being separate from Him. Jesus came from the communion of the Father and Spirit with a mission: to deal with our sin problem. His announcements of forgiveness were a prelude to the cross.

Our sin – God takes it personally.

(50 Day Gospel Challenge: Matthew 9-10)