Chapter nine starts out with Jesus preparing to heal a paralytic. He begins by saying, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven."My initial reaction is that this man's paralysis is a result of past sins he has committed.
(Isn't that incredibly unfair of me? - Just being honest - I really don't know why I would assume this man had sinned enough to deserve paralysis.)
However it does make me wonder if through frustration of his situation, this man had sinned after he became paralyzed.
(Many of us may have been so frustrated with situations in our lives that we may have temporarily thrown in the towel and quit trying to avoid sin, and in fact purposely chose to do whatever we wanted.)
The paralytic in this passage might have thought, "Surely Jesus will not heal me because of sins I have committed." I believe Jesus knew this man's heart and wanted to set his mind at ease by letting him know he is forgiven, before he is healed.
I am confident it is the same for us. We tend to carry an attitude that our recent sin or shortcomings will prevent us from being healed where needed. This scripture speaks to me as if Jesus were saying to me, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven."
(By the way, Jesus heals the paralytic even while being accused of blaspheming by "Teachers of the Law")
He continues His healing ways in this chapter by healing bind & mute, a sick woman, and a girl who seemed to be pronounced dead. And while doing so He still finds time to eat with tax collectors and sinners.
In a few words:
Be confident Christ's healing power will follow the forgiveness He freely gives.
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