Christ's Power to Forgive Sins.—Luke 5:17-39

Notes

1. "There were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, . . . and the power of the Lord was present to heal them." How often has a similar thing taken place! How often the power of the Lord is present to heal people of all their sins, and they do not know it! They do not feel the need of any more power than they possess. They do not care anything for the power, unless all their doubts are first removed. Jesus would remove all their doubts, if they would yield to him; but they want their doubts reasoned away, and that is not the way that doubts are removed. Men cannot reason out the power and mercy of God. "The world by wisdom knew not God." 1 Cor. 1:21. Faith is the healer of doubt and the imparter of wisdom.

2. "And when he saw their faith." This does not mean simply the faith of the men who carried the palsied man, but his faith also. It must have been in response to his faith that they brought him.

3. How strangely hard the human heart is! The Pharisees murmured against Christ, because he said, "Man, thy sins are forgiven thee." They said, "Who can forgive sins but God alone?" They did not know that Christ is "the power of God, and the wisdom of God." 1 Cor. 1:24. Therefore Christ gave them an evidence of his power, by instantly healing the infirm man. No power but that of God could have done that, and the common people acknowledged it; but the Pharisees would not admit that the power of the Lord was present. What an opportunity for them to have been healed of their sins, for that was just why the power of God was present!

4. There are many who are not bigoted as the Pharisees were, who really want their sins forgiven, yet they do not receive forgiveness, because they cannot feel that God forgives them. This miracle was recorded for just such persons. God forgives sins just as Christ healed the palsied man. He said, Be strong, and the man was strong. When God says that we are forgiven, then we are forgiven. His word ends the matter. We can believe that a friend whom we have grieved forgives us; why is it not much easier to believe that God forgives, since he has shown his desire to do so, in giving his Son? "But if I could only hear him say that he forgives me, I would be sure of it." Well, then, hear him: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9. This is the word of the Lord, and it could not be any more true, or more plainly uttered, if we heard his audible voice. Those who do not believe this word, would not believe if they should hear the tones of God's voice.

5. "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." 1 Tim. 1:15. Happy the man who, with Paul, can add, "of whom I am chief." The man who is really convicted of sin, and the one who has known the depths of the Saviour's love in forgiving sin, can never think that there is anyone in the world more sinful or less deserving than himself, and this will always lead him to manifest tenderness and love toward the erring. Such an one will have the blessing of forgiveness. Jesus can heal only those who are willing to be healed; for he never uses force. The fact that Jesus mingled so freely with publicans and sinners, should forever shut off the saying, "I am so sinful that he will not receive me." The sinful are the ones whom Christ came to save. He associated with sinners in order that sinners in all time to come might know that he gladly receives them. Strange that men will think that Christ will not receive sinners, when he died for the express purpose of saving them! Can they think that Christ gave his life for nothing? "Him that cometh to me, I will in nowise cast out." John 6:37.

6. When Jesus came, there was a regularly organized church. The Jews were not simply a race of people, they were the church of God. There were hundreds and even thousands of priests—ministers. See Joel 2:17. The church had every facility for carrying on evangelistic work. But the new garment of Christ's righteousness could not be patched onto the filthy rags of Jewish self-righteousness. The new wine of the gospel could not be put into the old vessels. That does not mean that Christ would not have been glad to have the priests and Levites join him in his work, but that they could not be used unless they would consent to be made all over new. This they would not agree to, and so Jesus had to go out and select men who would acknowledge that they were sinners, and ignorant, and who would meekly learn of him.