Matthew 9:1-8 And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city. And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? 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. And he arose, and departed to his house. But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.
Which is easier? Notice in the verses above that Jesus asks this question. Do you think it is easier for God to do some things than others? We think some things are harder than others. We give more thought to some things than others. Are any of them easier or harder for God? Is it as easy to fix the inside of a person as it is the outside? Can God do all things equally?
In today's scripture some people brought a man with palsy to Jesus. Notice that the first thing Jesus did was forgive his sins. He read the minds of the people at the scene and asked them if it is easier to forgive the sins or heal the man. Before the people could comment, Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and told him to get up and go home. The man trusted Jesus beyond what his physical ailment was; he got up and went home.
We see two miracles, one of the physical and one of the spiritual. Is the miracle of one easier than the other? Everyone here has different physical needs. If you cut yourself, I can put a band aid on it to help stop the bleeding. The real need of everyone is internal–the health of the soul–and no one else but Jesus can perform the miracle of removing the presence and guilt of sin. Do you really believe that Jesus has such power to heal your innermost being as well as the outermost reaches of your being?
Jesus has always had a purpose. He is here whether we accept or believe him or not. Do you find yourself saying things like I can't be saved or I can't turn it over to Jesus or Jesus can't give me the solution? That's all a lie. Get can't out of your mind! JESUS CAN! Because He can, we can.
Did Jesus not see that the man was paralyzed? Yes, but he knows more about us than we know ourselves. Remember that when Jesus speaks to us it may be different that what we expect, but it will be what we need. The most urgent problem of this man was within. He was separated from God. That is how we are without him. Why do we tend to put more emphasis on external, temporal needs? We rush to the doctor or dentist, and rightly so, when we have a problem, but we let our souls go. We may know we need to do something, but we put it off. The man wanted two things from Jesus. Jesus knew this; he realized the man saw his spiritual need. Did you ever stop to think that some of our outside problems may not be fixed because we won't deal with our inside problem? Jesus came to seek and save the lost. He starts on the inside, in the center of our being. Sin is so destructive yet we look at it as if it's nothing. It took the suffering and death of Jesus to save. That shows the dominating power of sin. Jesus examines us from the inside out. Until the inside is fixed, we should not be as concerned about the outside. The soul is eternal; the body is not. He needs to be God in us.
There are three signs of power in the scripture lesson today– the physical (external), the spiritual (internal) and the power of complete knowledge of God; Jesus read their thoughts. It's a miracle that God has complete knowledge of us and still wants to save and help us. What a Savior!
Jesus can take care of everything. Nothing is harder or easier. He wants the whole person. Because he has such power all things are possible for us and with us. He wants all of us, inside and out. Give your all to Him.
Thank the Lord for the salvation of a woman in the service.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 