Matthew 9:1-8

And after climbing into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city.[1]

² And see, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a cot. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Have courage, my son; your sins are forgiven.”

³ And see, some of the scribes said within themselves, “This man is blaspheming.”

⁴ But Jesus, aware of their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil thoughts in your hearts?

⁵ because — which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?

⁶ But so that you may know that the Son of Man has the right upon the land[2] to forgive sins”- he then said to the paralytic- “Get up, pick up your cot and go home.”

⁷ And he got up and went home.

⁸ After the crowds saw that, they feared and glorified God, who had given such a right to men.

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A Savior from sin

Like the Gadarenes, the crowds at Capernaum were also amazed at Jesus. But their amazement led them to fear and glorify God, not to beg Jesus to leave their region. There were religious officials there who thought Jesus was going too far, but the common people respected him because he changed peoples’ lives. Jesus challenged those scribes to look at the evidence – a paralyzed man healed.

Jesus challenges you and me to look at the evidence, too. If we look beyond our doubts and look at the lives that Jesus changes, we will see that he has the right to forgive sins. We are sinners. We need Jesus, because only he can attack our problems at their root – sin.

LORD, thank you for providing a Savior from sin – a man with the right to forgive transgressions against you.

[1] Capernaum, the location of most of his Galilean ministry.

[2] — not just as the Son of God in the sky, but also as the Son of Man on the land. Jesus was both.