Monday 15 September 2014

Matthew 9:1-8 ~ A reflection

Jesus healed a paralytic.

Matthew 9:1-8 in the ESV goes as such:

"1 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home.When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men." 

Matthew did not mention the huge crowd in the home Jesus was preaching at... the Pharisees and teachers of the law present at the gathering (they came from every village of Galilee, Judea and Jerusalem, according to Luke)... the crammed space... or the four men carrying their friend on his bed and lowering him down through the roof in order that he could come before Jesus... all of which can be found in the parallel accounts (cf. Mark 2:1-12, Luke 5:17-26).

Matthew had neither Mark's flair in building up a climax to impress upon his audience the necessity of faith... nor Luke's apologetic habit of going into details. Matthew was certainly not into flowers and frills when it came to story-telling.

However, when read in context of Matthew 7:28-29 and chapter 8, the story's brevity gave no opportunity for readers to be distracted from Matthew's focus - i.e. Jesus' authority. His authority had been introduced in this line: "And when Jesus finished these sayings (pertaining to His sermon on the Mount), the crowds were astonished at His teaching, for He was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes." (7:28-29) The extent of His authority must have surpassed increasingly the imaginations of Matthew's readers throughout chapter 8 - and it was about to blow their minds (I guess) in the story of the paralytic, as it must have among Jesus' original witnesses.

You see, it was by Adam's sin that death - and every human suffering that it rendered natural to humankind from that point onward - entered the world (cf. Romans 5:12).

And like the first man, Adam, we sin. We suffer. Even while our sufferings are not always the result of particular sins, we cannot fully disconnect suffering from sin.

To think that Jesus has the authority on earth to forgive sins (Matt 9:6).

Could He then lift the life-zapping curse that has scourged Adam's race from the start of its unleashing?

The people recognised God as the Giver of this authority (9:8), even while they did not see what Jesus had to do with God. Not yet. And rightfully so. The title Jesus gave Himself, "Son of Man" (9:6) underscored His humanity rather than His divinity. It was a term used by King David himself when referring to the spiritual condition of man in his fallen state (Psalm 8:4) which debilitated man from fulfilling fully the commission he had been made for, i.e. to have dominion over all of God's creation. And so, when Jesus evidenced His authority to forgive sins by healing the man, they were afraid and glorified God, "who had given such authority to men" (Matt 9:8).

Indeed, who was Jesus to have been given such supreme authority? How could any one of the Adamic race qualify for the God-given authority to forgive sins, unless he knew no sin and had sinned not?

Was Jesus indirectly admitting that He had never sinned? And if so, was He attributing divinity to Himself?

It is no wonder that the scribes who considered themselves among the most righteous people on Earth thought that Jesus was blaspheming (9:3). They could have confessed, like Peter, that Jesus was "the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matt 16:16), but their pride hindered them from accepting the revelation - and thus, they thought evil of Him (cf. 9:4).

Couldn't they have asked Him for the forgiveness of their sins too? He was, after all, the Messiah that they had been waiting for.

The One who would lead fallen mankind to recover the privilege and commission that it had lost in Adam was right before their eyes. They had heard of Him, heard Him and seen what He could do.

But they still missed the signs.

And suddenly, we realise that the unprecedented miracles that Jesus had been doing prior were not merely acts of compassion. He had the authority to heal and cast out demons simply because... He had the authority over the root of all these things - sin, through which death had entered the world.

Ultimately, Jesus was evidencing His authority on earth to forgive sins (9:6) - and so, set man free from the law of sin and death (cf. Rom 8:2). In Him, a sick believer should be condemned no more as a sinner, if he ever was condemned. If God wills, he can be healed; otherwise, he should not fear that his illness is a sign of God's wrath upon him (or a sign that he lacks faith). Rather, his suffering would be a way to identify with Christ, to know Him (1 Pet 4:12-14) and to anticipate eagerly the culmination of His Kingdom - the end of the age.

"...And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age" - Christ has promised (Matt 28:20).

In reflecting on this passage, I remember the miscarriage I suffered end of year 2012. I remember the guilt that weighed me down and paralysed me for some time. I kept asking myself back then, if I had done something to offend God and therefore, lose the gift that He had earlier bestowed upon us. In hindsight, I thank God for having shown me, throughout my journey of working through my grief, His gracious love in Christ that I could never have earned anyway. If Christ, in whom I have believed, died to set me free from the law of sin and death, why should I live as if He has not? :) Indeed, there is no more condemnation for those who have put their hope in Him. Because He lives, we can afford to rejoice in our pain - and to appreciate such opportunities to be satisfied by Him alone.

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