Having come bursting and bounding onto the scene, Jesus has already demonstrated authority to call people, heal the sick, evict evil, and teach! People have been absolutely astounded by his authority and continue to question who he might be. But now, as Jesus returns to Capernaum, something extraordinary is about to happen as the full extent of his authority is revealed.

It’s hard to imagine just how amazing it would have been to witness this scene. Without any concerns for social distancing, the house in which Jesus is teaching (note that he is preaching the word to them) is absolutely packed! There’s no room to even squeeze through the door or even outside of the door. But the crowd won’t deter four friends from ensuring the paralysed man is able to get before Jesus. So what do they do? They dig through the roof and lower the man down! It would have been phenomenally dramatic as debris from the roof fell to the ground on top of the people who were gathered inside. What tenacity!

However, when the paralysed man is placed before Jesus, something shocking happens. Instead of declaring that the man is healed - after all, that’s what they must have been longing for - Jesus says, “Son, your sins are forgiven”. To claim the authority to forgive sins was extraordinary (more on that tomorrow) but it must have also been baffling on a personal level. Jesus’ words indicate that whilst the man’s suffering is significant, his sin - and ours - is even a more significant problem. Who can possibly offer us such forgiveness? Only God himself. At what cost has this forgiveness been bought? It will cost Jesus his life. The religious folk know the significance of the authority that Jesus has just claimed to possess, but Jesus will address their concerns head-on. AL

Questions

Prayer

Gracious God, we thank you so much that not only do you have the authority to forgive, but also that Jesus has paid the price so that we can be forgiven. Please help us not to take that for granted, but to always rejoice in you. Amen.