The Nineteenth Sunday After Trinity
Text: Matthew 9:1-8
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus,
Today’s Gospel is one of the most explicit texts you’ll hear about the forgiveness of sins.
The Christian Church is centered and grounded in forgiveness, secured for you by Jesus Christ upon the cross. From the cross, forgiveness of sins proceeds through the Church’s liturgy, including absolution, the Gospel, the Sermon, and the Lord’s Supper, and then flows into your lives, paths, and conversations you encounter every day and every week.
Yet this article of faith is one of the hardest for Christians to truly exercise in their lives. To forgive is often seen as a form of surrender; it’s the end of a battle and conflict, and it’s admitting a wrong, whether real or perceived. The old Adam residing in your hearts can’t afford this kind of humility before friends and foes. Thus, this hardness of heart paralyzes you and renders you immovable in your life and relationships.
In today’s Gospel, the paralytic is said to have been brought to Jesus by his friends. Those are some good friends. They cared for this man and brother. They wanted him to be healed again, to walk with them, to converse, and to be part of who they are as a community.
But as the friends bring the paralytic to Jesus, He says something odd, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” A better way to translate this pronouncement from Jesus may be, “Be courageous, child; your sins are forgiven.” It’s a nuance, but the courage needed for life is to face sorrow, hardship, broken relationships, and the like with confidence in God, remaining hopeful and courageous through the good and the bad of each day.
Jesus also says to you, as He did at the beginning of today’s service, “Be courageous, child, your sins are forgiven.” But like those gathered with the paralytic, that’s not what you genuinely want to hear. The friends brought the paralytic to Jesus for healing, and likewise, you want the challenges and tribulations of life removed from your path.
The person you struggle within the church, remove them! The child who struggles, who bullies others, send them away. The cloud of sadness that follows untimely deaths—well, just don’t let this happen to me.
Today, Jesus doesn’t treat the symptoms of paralysis in your life; he treats the cause – sin.
You see, the paralytic was healed, but there’s no guarantee he wouldn’t lose his ability to walk again. There’s no promise he wouldn’t face danger or trial. So Jesus tells him to be courageous – to face the days of his life and take comfort in what is eternal – the forgiveness of sins.
So, my friends, which is easier, “to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’?” Sure, at first, you might say that forgiving sins is the easier path. But you can’t necessarily see forgiveness, can you? You may know what’s in your heart, but can you see your brother or sister’s heart?
For the scribes gathered, they thought within their hearts that this Jesus was blaspheming God. Do you know why this whole interaction should scare you? Because Jesus likewise knows your thoughts and hearts and says, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?” He sees the paralysis of sin dwelling within you.
At this moment, Jesus reveals His omniscience in today’s Gospel. He sees beyond your external actions and knows your secret thoughts and words. He knows the deep waters of your heart and the evil that lies within, just as He knew the hearts of the Scribes.
Truthfully, we don’t want to face life’s darkness. We don’t want to confess what truly troubles us. We don’t want to reconcile with those brothers and sisters we genuinely loathe and despise. We don’t desire forgiveness; we simply want to be told, “Arise and walk.” We desire cures for the symptoms of life’s troubles, not the cause.
Reconciliation makes us uncomfortable and forces us to speak with one another. To say, “I’m sorry and I forgive you.” Yeah, no, thank you. Let’s just devise ways to coexist, tolerate one another, and keep the banter going for good measure.
Seriously, when was the last time you sat down with someone you disagreed with or had sinned against and walked through confession and absolution? When was the last time you spoke the tearfully freeing words to your greatest nemesis? We need to learn again how to say, I am sorry, and I forgive you – because it is life-giving, restoring, and eternal.
The healing and forgiveness of God did not remain in heaven but entered this world through the incarnation, taking the form of a man, the Father’s only begotten Son. He bore the world’s sin on the cross, and now, in the font, you have been united with Christ in death and resurrection. In the font of Holy Baptism, you have been made brothers and sisters. You are family.
In the Epistle this morning, the Apostle Paul wrote, “put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24)
After coming to the font, you are called to confess your sins and “put off your old self,” your pride, anger, and the secret motivations of your heart. But instead, you are called to go forth in “the likeness of God, in true righteousness and holiness.” In other words, having received the forgiveness of Christ Jesus, you are to be little Christs to your neighbors, to everyone you encounter – friend or foe.
Don’t just walk past the font as an ornament within the church, but be reminded of who you are in Christ Jesus. Seek reconciliation throughout life. Be a friend and neighbor to one another, and carry those paralyzed by sin in prayer to God – that their hearts would be softened and moved to confess. Above all, be courageous throughout this life, for when you confess, you can be assured your sins are remembered no more.
Life is full of adversity, periods of darkness, and unfortunate conflict. Do not permit the world to form you, but through confession and absolution, be continually renewed in Christ Jesus and His likeness – for on the last day He will return and say to you, “Arise and walk.” Come forth from the grave, for your faith has healed you. +INJ+
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Pastor, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Website: www.goodsheptomah.org
The Shepherd’s Voice Podcast: https://goodsheptomah.podbean.com/
