Home   |   Sermons   |   Articles   |   Beliefs   |   Our Namesake   |   Photos

Forgiveness and Healing

Preached at St. Barnabas Church, Bellville, TX

Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity, 2009

by The Rev. Stephen E. Stults

Mt. 9:2 Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee

This amazing statement comes as Jesus comes into “his own city,” which we presume to be Nazareth. The Gospel tells that Christ entered into a ship and “passed over” to His own city. We can presume that this “passing over” concerns the Sea of Tiberius, because the Sea is the only major body of water between Nazareth and the Mediterranean Sea. An interesting bit of Biblical trivia is that this same body of water was known by three names in the New Testament: the Sea of Galilee, the Sea of Tiberius, and Lake Gennesaret! It is mentioned many, many times in the Gospels. Note that the Gospel account does not give any hint of time elapsed, we again presume that almost immediately they brought a man “sick of the palsy, lying on a bed” almost as soon as Jesus entered the scene.

What is amazing about this whole scenario is Christ’s response to the men carrying in their friend.  Note that Christ, “saw their faith.” He then made the puzzling and amazing statement, “Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.” Note He did not lay hands on him or ever pray. He merely said, “Thy sins be forgiven thee.” This pronouncement, naturally, brought forth scorn and resentment from the scribes standing nearby. “This man blasphemeth,” they think. Looking on this from their viewpoint, one can hardly blame them. After all, their whole professional careers had been spent in the service of God’s Word and Law. Recall that the scribes took incredible pains to ensure that their copies of the Scriptures were perfect, believing that leaving out a “jot” or “tittle” could compromise the rest. Such was their belief.

Then, who should come into their midst but some itinerant preacher and healer who says with absolute confidence, “Thy sins be forgiven thee.” How dare He? Who could countenance such blasphemy against the most high God, Yahweh, Elohim, the Lord of Hosts?  Who would dare say such a thing? It was unthinkable.

Who indeed! Jesus, knowing their thoughts, simply poses a logical and disturbing question, “For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?"

It is at this point, that the whole room must have been watching with bated breath. Not only have they been shocked to their very roots by the first statement, now they hear something totally incredible.  No doubt Christ used a dramatic pause here, not because He was seeking some sort of entertainment value, but because He wanted the enormity of his next statement to “sink in” with profound significance. He says, ”But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.”

This is a pivotal moment in Christ’s ministry. Although He has not announced that He is the Messiah in overt terms, in terms of signs it couldn’t be any clearer. Recall that the Pharisees were constantly asking for a sign from Him to indicate his status or his authority. Now He does so with unmistakable clarity. He does so, however, only for those who were spiritually attuned or spiritually oriented. For example, if there were any truly godly Pharisees present, as in the case of a Nicodemus, they would get the point and fall to their knees in adoration. They would know that this one was He.

How? The scene is logical and devastating. First, Christ claims an act that is reserved solely for God. When the crowd recognizes this, He declares His authority by linking this statement with a healing act that is unmistakably miraculous. By so doing, He seals his authority over both. He is de facto Ruler over both situations.

The tragedy, of course, is that the assembled crowd does not see it. They do not recognize that this is truly a momentous occasion, not just for the miraculous healing, but for the declaration of the Messiah, happening right before their eyes. Instead, they exclaim and marvel over the fact that God has given such power to men! Not to the Anointed Christ, but to men. In short, they just didn’t get it.

It is vital to us, beloved, that we do “get it.”  We must recognize the power of Christ in our lives. We too must marvel and glorify God, not that He has given such power to men, but that He chose to send the Christ to us! We are the lucky recipients of grace and forgiveness and power through Christ. This is a fact that we should never forget, no matter what the storms of life may bring.

There is, however, a larger point to this lesson. It is one imbedded in Jesus’ first amazing statement, “Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.”  Note once again that Christ did not say “Be healed!” or “Rise up and walk!”  Instead, He said, “Be of good cheer," that is, "Take courage.” Why was this man to take courage? “…thy sins be forgiven thee.” He was to take courage simply because his sins were forgiven! He was forgiven. This forgiveness was to precede a miraculous healing of the body. Of course, after Christ had established His authority over the situation (in fact, over all situations), He did bid the man to take up his bed and go to his house.

What then, is the point for us today? What one thing can be gleaned from this discussion of sin, forgiveness and healing? Simply this: we must recognize the healing power of forgiveness. We must recognize that something great is happening when God in Christ grants us forgiveness. Not only is there a wiping away of offense; that is a given. God does more than just forget our offenses and violations.  He also does something much more profound: He grants us restoration. In so doing, He grants us healing as well.

Exploring this concept for a minute, let’s examine what often happens when sin and forgiveness transpire. Let’s assume that a sin or offense has occurred between two Christians. The offender may have sought forgiveness, but perhaps not.  At any rate, the offended one declares that he or she has forgiven them. They choose to not hold the offense against the offender. This is wonderful, as they determine to “wipe the slate clean.” This is the first part of forgiveness. Yet, sometimes, there is something that lingers after, which has to do with the second part of forgiveness. That is the element of restoration. Recall from the General Confession in the Order for Morning Prayer that we pray, “Restore thou those who are penitent.” Thus, we pray that God not only forgives our sins, but doesn’t allow them to mar our relationship with Him, that is, that we may be restored to our former good relationship.

Yet, we, being human, often can’t totally accomplish the second part of forgiveness. We may be able to overlook the offense, especially if restitution is made, but we can’t give the “right hand of fellowship” to that person that may have occurred before. Unfortunately, we humans have something called memory. Memory linked to an offense often means that things will never be the same again.

Contrast now the mind of God with the mind of Man. God through Christ not only forgives us our trespasses, when they are truly repented, but remembers them no more. He doesn’t just absolve us of our sins, He actually welcomes back into fellowship with Him. I ask you, how many of us could do that? Most of us, once injured, find it difficult, if not impossible, to trust that person again.

This underscores the great lesson of today’s Gospel selection, which is the great healing power of forgiveness. God’s forgiveness does more than just wipe away sin; it also restores fellowship and relationship. It actually heals the sinful. Thus, when we accept God’s forgiveness, we also accept healing as well. That is when our relationship with God can actually blossom and grow. That is, when we realize that God the Father, through the intercession and sacrifice of God the Son, facilitated by God the Holy Spirit, not only desires to see our sins no more, but actually wants to have fellowship with us again, we should fall to our knees in worship. Once we realize this fact, there should be a grateful acknowledgement from us that is overwhelming, especially when contrasted to our own inclinations in a similar situation.

With that in mind, let us briefly return to our Gospel selection for the day. Christ so aptly demonstrated the magnificence of God when He first healed the man’s soul, then healed his body.  First, “be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee,” then “Arise, take up thy bed.” Christ knew that one must precede the other. He wanted to demonstrate the healing power of forgiveness.

So it is with us, dear brothers and sisters in Christ. When we pray and ask for forgiveness of our sins, let us truly accept the healing that comes with it. Yes, let us also accept the fact that God does not see our sins any longer. Let us rejoice in that fact. But let us also seize on the fact that we are healed as well, that we too are now made whole in the sight of God. Beloved, if God so loved us, should not we love ourselves as well? That is, allow God’s healing touch to extend into your soul as well when you hear those blessed words of absolution: “Who of his great mercy hath promised forgiveness of sins to all those who with hearty repentance and true faith turn unto him; Have mercy upon you; pardon and deliver you from all your sins; confirm and strengthen you in all goodness.” Thus, I urge you to extend forgiveness to yourselves as well, just as God has extended forgiveness to you. The results of this will be remarkable.

When you forgive and love yourself, you can in return forgive and love others in the way that our Lord envisioned. You can, in every way, extend the love to others in the same way that God has extended love to you. In that way, you will know that you are loved, you will know that you are forgiven, and you will know that you are healed.

Matthew 9:2 “Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.”

Return to Top

All material on this site is copyright © 2011 St. Barnabas Anglican Church, except where an author is named. In such cases, the author retains all rights.