Matthew 9:1-8
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Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man
1Jesus climbed into a boat and went back across the lake to his own town. 2 Some people brought to him a paralyzed man on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven.”
3 But some of the teachers of religious law said to themselves, “That’s blasphemy! Does he think he’s God?”
4 Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you have such evil thoughts in your hearts? 5 Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? 6 So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”
7 And the man jumped up and went home! 8 Fear swept through the crowd as they saw this happen. And they praised God for sending a man with such great authority.
Luke 13:10-17
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Jesus Heals on the Sabbath
10 One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, 11 he saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness!” 13 Then he touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised God!
14 But the leader in charge of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day. “There are six days of the week for working,” he said to the crowd. “Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath.”
15 But the Lord replied, “You hypocrites! Each of you works on the Sabbath day! Don’t you untie your ox or your donkey from its stall on the Sabbath and lead it out for water? 16 This dear woman, a daughter of Abraham, has been held in bondage by Satan for eighteen years. Isn’t it right that she be released, even on the Sabbath?”
17 This shamed his enemies, but all the people rejoiced at the wonderful things he did.
Mike's Thoughts:
How could a man who came to bring the light have so many enemies? Remember, the light reveals the darkness. It's almost as if Jesus is picking a fight. He had to know that they would have a problem with what he was doing. Why not just do it some other time and avoid the conflict? Jesus did all of this not out of spite, but to position himself so that people would know that he isn't what they were expecting. In the first passage, he wanted them to know that it's not about healing, it's about forgiveness. He needed to demonstrate to them that if he could heal, then he could forgive sins. In the second passage, he wants them to know that the rules have changed. The new rule is love. Don't put processes over people. The old process for loving God was to obey the rules. The new process is loving people. The life Jesus came to give is much more than what most people think. Honestly, I think if we study the life of Jesus we will realize there is more to him that what we thought. Sure, we know he came to die for us, but do we know his heart and thoughts? Jesus wants to position himself through the scriptures and in our lives to show us who he is and where his heart is. Don't just read these words, but consider how he is positioning himself to reveal the truth about himself to us.
Prayer:
God, thanks for Jesus. Thanks that there is more to his story than just dying for our sins. Thanks that he walked and taught for 30 years. Thanks that we can know his heart and through that we can know your heart. Help us to see what you see. Help us to live the life you dream of us living. --amen
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