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“They brought to Him [Jesus] a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, ‘Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.’ And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, ‘This Man blasphemes!’ But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, ‘Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, “Your sins are forgiven you,” or to say, “Arise and walk”?’” (Matthew 9.2-5).

We focus our attention on Jesus’ question to the scribes and Pharisees. Indeed, which is easier to say: “Your sins are forgiven you,” or “Arise and walk.” When Jesus asked this question, it is unlikely that He was speaking of the relative difficulty of forming the words involved in the two phrases; He could just as easily say one as the other; they were common Greek words and phrases. Neither do I think He was talking about the length of the words involved and the energy it would take to speak them. In the Greek, both expressions (one concerning forgiveness and the other concerning healing) contain three words and they are composed of 16 & 18 letters respectively. To think that one is any more difficult or takes more energy than the other is absurd!

The question then was not about the uttering of the words, but about bringing the results to pass which they anticipate. Which of the Pharisees could forgive sins? Which of them could heal the sick? The answer is clear; not a single one of them could do either of these deeds! So for them, it would have been impossible for them to say (with a view toward achieving the stated results), “Your sins are forgiven,” or “Arise and walk.” Both were impossible for the scribes and Pharisees.

However, for Jesus it was an entirely different story. He could just as easily forgive sins as He could heal. Both tasks were effortless for Him! Yet, the scribes and Pharisees were forced by His logic to consider the charge which they were ready to make against Him, i.e. that He was blaspheming. If He could heal, He could also forgive sins; if He could forgive sins, He could also heal. The ability to do one implies the ability to do the other in Jesus’ case. His miracles validated Him as a prophet and certified that His words were true. Since a part of His words were, “Your sins are forgiven,” they stand or fall with His ability to heal. Either He was God and could do both (heal and forgive), or He was a blasphemer and an impostor and could do neither.

For this reason, He said to the paralytic, “Arise and walk.” Jesus knew that the miraculous element of a prophet’s ministry was for the express purpose of confirming the authenticity of the man and the message. Stated succinctly, the man who could truly perform miracles was a man sent with God’s blessings and his word was to be treated as it was in truth, the very word of God. The miraculous element was God’s way of placing His stamp of approval on the man and on the message he was delivering.

Receiving “the love of the truth” involves the ability to discern between truth and error using God’s method of discernment. It is not a burning in the bosom, or a fluttering of the heart, or lightheadedness, or a great emotional rush, or any other of the scores of tests that men have devised. Man’s ability to tell truth from error is a God-given ability and it involves a proper view of the miraculous and its relationship to God’s word!

Questions:

1. Why would I state that if Jesus could do either, He could do both (forgive and heal)? Do you agree or disagree? Why?

2. Thinking practically, why did God chose the miraculous to confirm the message and the man (the prophecy and the prophet)?

3. Why is it necessary to discern between truth and error?

4. Why would Satan find it helpful to perform “…signs and lying wonders?” (2 Thessalonians 2.9). How does this relate to today’s message?

"The Way" from Kevin Pauley

A World of One