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3 And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, "This Man blasphemes!" 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise and walk?' 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins"—then He said to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house." 7 And he arose and departed to his house. 8 Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men. ~ Matthew 9:3-8
Today, we return to our study of Matthew 9 where the teaching of the Lord Jesus given in Matthew 5-7 is being validated by a series of miracles that He performed afterwards. Although not in chronological order, these miracles illustrates the power the Lord Jesus has over everything, sickness, disease, the supernatural world and the rebelliousness of man.
In v.3 of today's passage we read, "And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, 'This Man blasphemes!'"
Right after the Lord Jesus had healed the paralyzed man in Peter's house, some of the religious leaders of Israel who were there accused the Lord Jesus of blaspheme within their hearts. Amazingly, the Lord Jesus knew what they were thinking. They should have been so convicted by this One who had the ability to know what they were thinking but they were too hard-hearted. This is the difference between the believer and the non-believer, it is really all about the heart.
In 2 Chronicles 36:13-14 we read, "12 He did evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the Lord. 13 And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear an oath by God; but he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord God of Israel."
These words were used to describe Zedekiah, King of Judah. His heart had been so hardened by his sin that he felt no compelling desire to repent and to turn to the Lord. He was unfeeling, unresponsive, like a stone to all the efforts made by the prophets to speak truth into his life. Sadly, even when the warmth of God’s grace and mercy shined on Zedekiah's heart, it did not melt. Zedekiah was so cold at heart, there was no thawing within.
Only humility, in response to God's grace and mercy, softens the hardened heart of mankind. And, in the same way that King Zedekiah was hardened to the Lord so were the religious leaders of Israel. Even though they were exposed to that which changes the human heart best, it was not met with the honesty and humility required to make the truth of God active within their hearts. As a result, the Jewish religious leaders there at Peter's house that day accused the Lord Jesus of blaspheme.
In v.4-6 of today's passage we read, "4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, 'Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, Your sins are forgiven you, or to say, Arise and walk? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins'—then He said to the paralytic, 'Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.'"
The religious leaders accused the Lord Jesus of being a blasphemer because He said to the paralyzed man, "Your sins are forgiven you." Only God can forgive sin and in forgiving this man's sin, the religious leaders knew that the Lord Jesus was declaring His divinity. But, as they didn't recognize, in order for the Lord Jesus to be our Savior He had to be God because only God can forgive sin. The Lord Jesus attempted to speak rationally to the religious leaders but to no avail. The Lord Jesus had healed the paralytic and He also forgave his sin. Only God can forgive, and the religious leaders were the ones who taught that disease and sickness was a result of sin. This is why the Lord Jesus asked them, "Which is easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you, or to say, Arise and walk?'"
The command the Lord Jesus gave to the paralytic man, "Arise and walk" brought this moment to a head because if the man had not been healed he would not have been able to get up, much less go to his house. But, in that most memorable moment, the paralytic arose. His movement demonstrated the Lord Jesus not only had the power to heal, He also had the power to forgive sin.
In v.7-8 of today's passage we read, "7 And he arose and departed to his house. 8 Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men."
When all those present there that day saw the man get up and go to his house, they marveled. The Greek word translated "marveled" is the word from which we get our English word "phobia." The multitudes saw that the man was healed and they were afraid. This was that kind of fear that leads us to glorify God. Through this true story, they knew the Lord Jesus to be God and as a result, they worshipped Him. Their fear was the kind of fear that made them reverent in the presence of the Lord.
This was not the type of fear that made Adam and Eve run from the Lord just after they rebelled in the Garden of Eden. This was the same word used to describe the reaction of the disciples when the Lord Jesus had previously stilled the storm. It was also used to describe the response after the healing of the demoniacs. A true encounter with the living God is truly life-changing and will alter our perspective on everything, especially God. The Lord Jesus came to this earth to transform us from within and it is as we submit to this reality that we will see Him as He is, awe-inspiring. Sadly, those who had studied God all of their lives, the religious leaders of Israel, they missed Him when He came. G.K. Chesterton got it right when he said, “This world will never starve through lack of wonders, only through lack of wonder.”
