Don't Call Me A Sinner

C. The Pharisees didn’t think they were sinners.

They worked hard to be righteous. Every day they made sure they obeyed the 10 Commandments plus other rules and regulations that they compiled from the Law of Moses. If they didn’t steal anything or lie about anything or curse or cheat anybody or covet something or murder someone then they weren’t sinners.

If God dared to call them sinners they could produce their day’s activities and prove they weren’t sinners. Their actions proved that they were righteous. You can imagine how hard this was to do but they worked hard to do it. They could also be self-righteous by showing how other people’s actions showed they were sinners. Compared to these bad people the Pharisees were good.

You can see this when they called Matthew a sinner. Look at what he does. He cheats in the collection of taxes. He steals from us Jews by asking for too much money. The Romans only ask for a certain amount and then these crooks make us pay more and they keep the profit. Their actions show they are sinners. We don’t do this therefore we are not sinners.

One very dangerous part of this attitude is the rigidity of rules and regulations. Often the rules and regulations become the major aspect of the religion. You see this rigidity to Jesus as he heals a man’s withered hand. Are the Pharisees happy? No. They are upset. They condemn Jesus for doing this.? Why? He did it on the Sabbath. You can’t do things like that on the Holy Sabbath. According to them Jesus had sinned.. He had broken their man-made rules and regulations. They thought it was God’s system. It wasn’t.

D. The Paralyzed Man didn’t come to Jesus because of his sins

I included this story in our Scripture reading today because of the sin that Jesus forgave. But I don’t think the paralyzed man came to have his sins forgiven. I think he was surprised that Jesus brought up his sin. He came because he was paralyzed. This was the most important thing on his mind. His friends didn’t bring him to have his sins forgiven. They brought him so Jesus could heal him.

I bring this into the sermon because I think we often have other things that we think are more important to talk to Jesus about to the neglect of our heart condition of sin.

**I just lost my job is important to talk to Jesus about

**I have just been told I have leukemia is a big thing

But these human problems must not mask our need to have our sins forgiven.

Why did Jesus let himself be hung on the Cross? Why did God’s Son allow humans to kill him?

Was it so that we could have our cancer healed? Or have God’s protection so that our house would never catch on fire or we would never have an earthquake shake where we live?

No. Jesus died on the Cross so that we could have our sins forgiven.

I want you to fully appreciate this scene of the paralyzed man and his sin. He is lowered with full expectation that Jesus is going to heal him. Then Jesus says, “Your sins are forgiven.” I see a puzzled look come over this man’s face. His friends are peering down from the ceiling above and they are surprised. Sins forgiven? Later maybe. Right now we want healing of his paralysis.