< Matthew 9 >

When Jesus healed the paralysed man his words indicated that he had power not only to heal the sick but also to forgive sins, enabling men to recover from all ailments and to live for ever. Some scribes, however, judged this to be blasphemy, whereupon Jesus pointed out to them the logic that a man with power from God to perform miracles patently had power to forgive sins. Therefore, having declared the man’s sins forgiven, he cured him with a word so “that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins”. This is the real value of the record of the miracles: we can be sure that Jesus has authority to forgive iniquity and give us eternal life. It is as easy for Jesus to say, “Thy sins be forgiven thee” as “Rise up and walk”, but if we deny he cured a paralytic by God’s power, he is unlikely to forgive us our sins.

Those who readily accepted his word and the evidence of his mighty deeds were despised by the religious leaders. Matthew himself was a publican (tax gatherer) and classed among “sinners”, and Jesus himself was condemned by the Pharisees for associating with these “publicans and sinners”. But Jesus explained he had not come to call the “righteous”, i.e. the self-righteous like the Pharisees, but to call “sinners to repentance”. Jesus came to save us from our sins, and those he associated with in the past, and also will in the future, are those who receive his teaching, repent, and depart from their sins.

Jesus likened his followers to the friends of the bridegroom waiting for him to come to the wedding, most of whom have died and will therefore be raised from the dead. These are not dead for ever but simply “sleeping”, as Jesus said of the little girl because he intended restoring her to life. Most people, unfortunately, reject the doctrine of resurrection, adopting the same attitude as the majority at the girl’s funeral who “laughed him to scorn”. Jesus had them “put forth”, as all rejectors will be, while he brought her back to life. Jesus will likewise restore to life a great many who have fallen asleep in death. He will, however, only do this for those who, if asked by him: “Believe ye that I am able to do this?” can genuinely answer: “Yes, Lord”, for according to our faith it will be unto us.

Unfortunately, so many people do not have this faith but explain away his miraculous healing. The Pharisees, for example, attributed the healing of a dumb man, whom they thought had a demon, to the power of the “prince of demons”. Characteristically, they would not accept the evidence of God’s power before their very eyes but they did believe in the imaginary god of the Philistines. Jesus wanted all people to accept the evidence because he had great compassion on the multitudes because they were perishing, and he therefore desired “labourers” who could go forth and prepare people for the great harvest of the earth which is coming and who would “reap everlasting life”.