In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Fear not, beloved, for the Jesus has destroyed the one who accuses you of your sins. As your Christian brother, I can say to you today, “Your sins are forgiven.” Marvel that the Father gives such authority to men!
Aren't those scribes eager little blokes? Jesus arrives in town. A paralyzed man is carried to Jesus on his own bed. And Jesus says to the man, “Be of good cheer! Your sins are forgiven!”No! Wait! This is blasphemy. The accusations flood the minds of the scribes. How dare this Jesus tell a man his sins are forgiven! Only God can do that.They are outraged. They want to know the facts of the case. Is this man a keeper of the commandments? And if he's not, what's this forgiveness nonsense? Justice, that's what we want. And look, he's paralyzed. God didn't punish him for nothing! Talk as we might about “innocent until proven guilty,” put the guy in handcuffs and a jumpsuit and we all know he's guilty, trial or not! As far as the scribes are concerned, the paralytic is wearing manacles and a lovely shade of prison orange.And really, doesn't it seem like the scribes have a point? We don't know anything about this guy. Just because his friends are bringing him to Jesus doesn't mean he has faith. It may mean they think Jesus can do something for him, but it doesn't tell us anything about the paralytic. He could be a murderer, a tax collector, a friend of prostitutes, someone who cavorts with Gentiles.And why would Jesus forgive such a person? Isn't He giving license to their iniquity? But the scribes are wrong. What they think is happening isn't happening. Jesus says, “Your sins are forgiven.” And as Jesus declares, “Your sins are forgiven,” He gives the forgiveness he is announcing!Jesus relates to the paralytic as you might relate to your father, your son, your brother, your sister.And so when Jesus comes to the paralytic and says, “Your sins are forgiven,” the people marvel. They do not marvel because God has given authority to Himself to forgive sins. That makes sense. God can forgive whatever He wants. No, they marvel because He has given such authority to men.And so Dr. Luther once preached: “All men who are Christians and have been baptized, have this power. For with this they praise Christ, and the word is put into their mouth, so that they may and are able to say, if they wish, and as often as it is necessary: Behold, O Man! God offers thee his grace, forgives thee all thy sins; be comforted, thy sins areforgiven; only believe and thou wilt surely have forgiveness. This word of consolation shall not cease among Christians until the last day: Thy sins are forgiven, be of good cheer.”
But as wrong as the scribes are, Jesus does want them to know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins. And so he says to the man, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” And the man does just what Jesus has asked him to do. He has been healed, he is whole. What was already true of the paralyzed man's spirit through the faith which had already received Christ's gifts of forgiveness, he now experiences in his own body.And so it is with you! When you ail, when you languish in illness, you receive comfort from your neighbor, “Be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven.” And what great comfort this is! Your neighbor tells you, “It is not because of some horrible grievous sin that you now suffer. God is not punishing you. He has not seen your secret sin and responded to it by increasing your suffering and bringing you into pain and anguish. No, death has taken hold of your sinful flesh and it will not let you go until, at the Last Day, your flesh is raised incorruptible. Take heart, your sins are forgiven. They are gone.”But as much as you treasure the forgiveness you receive from Christ, it's not an easy thing to share it. You know your sin. You know how much you need the free gift of love and life that you receive when your brother or sister speaks the Gospel to you.But what about when they need it. What about when your brother or sister comes to you and says, “I've sinned.” Don't you sometimes think, “Go to your pastor. He's the Gospel guy. Don't bother me with what's troubling you. What am I supposed to say?”And it can be even harder than that, can't it. What if they say, “I've sinned against you.” You might be upset. You might want to be repaid for what you lost. You might want them to suffer like you suffered. They say they're sorry, but a fat lot of good that does you. You were wronged! They need to pay for their sins! They're suffering? Good. They deserve it.But it is at this time, beloved of God, that the word of forgiveness from you, dear Christian, will be most true and sure to the one who has confessed their sins to you. This is why James, brother of our Lord, writes, “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”Beloved, forgive your brothers and sisters! Free yourself of the burden of the grudges that you bear. Keep no record of wrongs. Wipe the tally clean. Let Jesus speak with your lips, saying to your brother, “Your sins are forgiven.” Jesus has taken them away. He has destroyed them. Your neighbor is the one Christ has taken out of the ditch, the one whose wounds have been bound up with His words of mercy, the one whose life comes from the same Crucified One who gives you your life.When your brother confesses to you, it is you that God has placed there to speak the words of the Gospel to them. They have come to you because they want Jesus from you. And you can given all the Jesus you want to give and you'll still have all the Jesus you started with.Do not allow yourself to be the mouthpiece of Law and judgment. Speak not with the mouth of the scribe. The sinner who has confessed to you is bearing a heavy burden. It is a burden they have placed on themselves by the sinful thought or deed that troubles them. The Law has pointed its finger. There it is! Your sin is right there on your back! And Satan wants your brother to keep his sins. He wants them to crush them to the ground in despair. He wants them to taste the dust of death and sin that are his only food.He wants to use your hand to hold them there, suffocating in dirt and filth. He wants them to remain paralyzed, forever bound to their beds. He wants you to look at them and scoff, saying, “Sinner...” Such hatred for your brother brings you into Satan's dominion. Judge not your brother! Rather, forgive him. Remove the speck from his eye! Remove the burden of anger and hatred from yourself.Jesus has done for the paralytic what you and I are too often not willing to do. He has forgiven him. He has given him what he truly needed, the sure and certain word of the Gospel. And marvel, marvel that He has given such authority to men that you may proclaim to your brother the forgiveness you have received.What is harder, to say to your brother, “Your sins are forgiven you” or to say “Take up your bed and walk.” Christ has taken the harder road. He has taken up His cross. He has walked the road to Golgotha, bearing your sin on His back. In His blood He has forgiven you all your sins and given you authority to forgive your brother.Having been bound to Christ in your baptism, your burden is no longer yours. It has been carried and destroyed. And so now, approach the altar and receive the body of the living Christ, who has forgiven your sins, and desires to do it anew in His own holy supper.You and your brother are without sin. It stands destroyed on the cross. Be united in eternal fellowship. Come to the Feast. Amen.
