Jeff Klein 0:07
Welcome to Elmhurst CRC's daily dose of the word of God. Today is Tuesday, June 21. This is Jeff Klein. I'll be reading from Luke chapter 5 verses 21 through 26.
Jeff Klein 0:18
"But the Pharisees and teachers of the religious law said to themselves, who does he think he is? That's blasphemy. Only God can forgive sins. Jesus knew what they were thinking. So we asked them, "Why do you question this in your hearts? It is it easier to say your sins are forgiven or stand up and walk? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins. And Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, "Stand up, pick up your mat and go home." And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped up, picked up his mat, and went home praising God. Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, "we have seen amazing things today."
Jeff Klein 0:59
Now, this is a story we talked about yesterday of the man being let down through the roof in front of Jesus, the paralyzed man, the theology of the Pharisees, had to offer an answer as to why this guy would be born lame like this paralyzed. Their answer was, that his parents sinned, or he sinned, and so God has punished him by paralyzing him and not allowing him to walk. Jesus knows their theology and does not agree with it. But rather than argue with them, he puts on a demonstration of the truth. When the man is lowered in front of him, he tells him his sins are forgiven. This leads to the accusation that Jesus has committed blasphemy because only God can forgive sins. In order to demonstrate that he does have the authority to do this, he tells the man to get up and walk. When the man does, Jesus puts God's truth on display. He dispels the myth that this man is paralyzed because of his sin. He forces the people to see that God is not vengeful and punishing but loving towards his people, even forgiving their sins and healing their diseases. Do you have any closely held beliefs that may not be in line with God's heart or his truth? Have you experienced Jesus' forgiveness and healing power in your life? Is something paralyzing you keeping you from really walking from making progress? Have you brought it to Jesus? He definitely has the power to forgive sins and heal our diseases.
Jeff Klein 2:23
Let's pray. Jesus, we want to bring to you today the things that paralyze us. We want to name them. We want to ask you to demonstrate your power on our behalf, forgive our sins and heal our lives. Your name we pray, Amen.