1 Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. 2 Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”
3 At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”
4 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? 5 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” 7 Then the man got up and went home. 8 When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.
There is always work to do in your own back yard! Sometimes we forget about the importance of ministry in our immediate vicinity. Jesus had been asked or pleaded with to leave the region of the Gadarenes, so he took the boat home. As soon as he arrived he was met with a group of men carrying a paralysed man. It’s interesting that:
- Jesus forgives the man’s sin first
- Heals his sickness second
Jesus asks the question, 'which is easier to say?’ – 'Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? Human reasoning might encourage us to think long and hard about this question and query the answer with which we conclude. Jesus divine reasoning seems to be clear. It begs the question whether anything is more important than living to pursue holiness and righteousness with the promise of eternal life through Christ. What is the true definition of compassion?
We also have to remember that the man ends up walking home. This teaches me that things of importance also have to be prioritised.
I pray that God will allow me the discernment to understand what the important things are as I engage and interact with both Him and the culture that surrounds me.
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