February 28, 2015

“When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “My son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the Scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak thus? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but G*d alone?” And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven”, or to say, “Rise, take up your pallet and walk?” Mark 2:1 – 12

“We can all understand how a man forgives offenses against himself. You tread on my toe and I forgive you, you steal my money and I forgive you. But what should we make of a man, himself unrobbed and untrodden on, who announced that he forgave you for treading on other men’s toes and stealing other men’s money? This is what Jesus did. He told people that their sins were forgiven, and never waited to consult all the other people whom their sins had undoubtedly injured. He unhesitatingly behaved as if He was the party chiefly concerned, the person chiefly offended in all offenses. This makes sense only if He really was the G*d whose laws are broken and whose love is wounded in every sin.” C. S. Lewis (1898 – 1963) Mere Christianity

Jesus was not just a moral teacher, like Ghandi or St. Augustine, or even Mother Theresa. Jesus was the Son of G*d, and he offered to people what no one else would ever think to do when considering the sins of others. In the Hebrew bible, if someone sinned against you by stealing from you, they would need to restore what was stolen and add a fifth. If a man accidentally killed one of your animals, you would return to that one an animal of equal value. Rules were set up so that a community could function without chaos breaking out from bad behavior.

When Jesus came along, things changed – at least in terms of his teachings about sin. When a woman was brought to Jesus who had committed adultery, Jesus simply said “Whoever is without sin may cast the first stone”. When everyone had left Jesus said to her “Go and sin no more.” Jesus was not so fast to condemn people – except for the Pharisees and others who thought they did not commit sin. To those teachers of the law he made it his mission to point out their spiritual blindness. Instead of condemning people, Jesus met them where they were and loved them into a new life. But he also challenged them to repent and change their ways, while also forgiving them.

If you think forgiveness is easy, re-read the story of Jonah; recall how many times Jesus tells Peter that we must forgive a brother or sister who has sinned against us; and look around our world, our world that likes revenge more than forgiveness. Only Jesus can perfectly forgive all of us who do not deserve that forgiveness. And in this world, we need Jesus – he gives all of us the strength to get up again and face the world.

Pastor Dave