Tuesday Reading: Matthew 9:1-8
Key Verse: Matthew 9:8
8 But when the crowds saw, they marvelled and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
Devotion:
The faith of the paralytic versus the religion of the scribes... Not much of a context when viewed in God’s eyes, but a huge difference when viewed in mans eyes! The local law was maintained by the higher members of the Jews; it was upheld and controlled by them. Yes, they did have all of the laws given to them by God through Moses and they were continuing to try and maintain them, but they were ignoring the truth about Jesus being the Messiah and did not want to lose control. They were the ones that had the good positions in society because of what they had to do. They were the ones that should have been looking out for all off the prophecies coming true and proclaiming Christ as King...
We do like to keep control of our situations and of as much of the world around us as we can – or that is what we like to think that we can do... These men that brought the paralytic were doing it because they believed that Jesus would be able to heal the man. They did that by bowing to His superior position as their Messiah. That faith allowed the man to be forgiven of his sins. This single thing did not then allow the man to get up and run off... because he was not paralysed because of his sins! We do not have natural things happen to us in our lives because of our sins – they happen because that is the world that we live in, a world where things like this happen! This man was forgiven of his sins because Christ knew that he believed in Him through coming to see Him face to face.
The scribes may not have done anything if Jesus has simply healed the man, but Jesus knew what they were after in their minds and forgave his sins first. That got them a bit upset thinking that someone was usurping their position. After that Jesus did what the man and his companions had wanted; he healed the man and sent him on his way. When Christ answers prayers, they will be answered in a way that He will be glorified and without limit – simply because of His awesome love for us!
Points to Ponder:
What sort of things do you ask of your friends?
What sort of things do you bring to God?