“Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven.”
MATTHEW 9:2

The Greatest Miracle You Need Matt 9:1-8

The friends of a man with paralysis carried him to Jesus, who immediately saw their faith and the man’s sinful heart. Jesus’ first act was to pronounce forgiveness of the man’s sins. The man’s friends had brought him for physical healing, but Jesus decided that the greatest gift he could give this man was spiritual healing!

Sometimes, in the midst of our desire to see healing, cessation of pain, or prolongation of life, we can forget that there is something far more important than having more days, even painless days, on this earth. There is eternity to consider.

The religious leaders who were watching Jesus assumed that Jesus was disrespecting God by claiming to have God’s power to forgive sins. They didn’t believe that Jesus was God, but instead, that he was an imposter. When Jesus asked, “Is it easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or ‘Stand up and walk’?” he was challenging their priorities. Forgiving sins is a much bigger deal than healing this man’s legs, but it’s also much harder to see. Today, modern medicine has the ability to heal many physical ailments, but it is powerless to cleanse the soul. These religious leaders had it backwards, so to prove to them that he could forgive sins, Jesus performed the more visible miracle so they would realize who he was.

Our time on this earth can seem long, but it is just a moment in light of eternity. Be careful not to become so consumed by the prospect of healing—whether supernaturally instantaneous or more gradual, by way of medical treatment—that you forget that spiritual healing is what we really need. It not only helps us to cope with our present circumstances but also gives us assurance of an otherwise unbelievable life for all eternity.