I would like to begin our message this morning with a true story about a woman’s healing. A pastor named John Wimber says, “A woman in her late forties asked me to pray for her healing. She suffered from chronic stomach disorders and arthritis . . . I asked her if she was feeling hostility, anger, or bitterness toward someone; and . . . then she told me about how her sister, years ago, had married a man she loved, then later divorced him. ‘I cannot forgive my sister for that,’ she admitted. ‘If you don’t forgive her,’ I told her, ‘your [body] will waste away’ . . . When she heard my words, she relented. ‘What should I do?’ she asked. I told her to write her sister a letter forgiving her and asking to renew their relationship.”(1)
“She wrote the letter immediately, but she did not mail it for several weeks. During that time, she became more ill, until she thought she was going to die. Then she remembered the letter. Somehow, she summoned the strength to drive to the post office and mail it. The very moment she dropped the letter into the box, she experienced relief, and she was completely healed by the time she reached home.”(2) In our message today, as we look at how Jesus healed a paralytic, we are going to learn about the connection between sin and illness, and forgiveness and healing. So, let us stand at this time in honor of God’s Word, as we read Matthew 9:1-8:
1 So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city. 2 Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” 3 And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!” 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk?’ 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins” – then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 7 And he arose and departed to his house. 8 Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.
The Connection Between Sin and Sickness (vv. 1-2)
Jesus had just crossed the sea of Galilee to test His disciples’ faith and to heal two demon-possessed men; and here, we find Him – no doubt accompanied by His disciples – recrossing the sea. Perhaps He left “the country of the Gergesenes” (Matthew 8:28), as the people had “begged Him to depart from their region” (Matthew 8:34). Whatever the reason, we see Jesus perform numerous miracles in chapter nine; not to mention, extend a call to Matthew, the tax collector. When Jesus crossed over, He “came to His own city” (v. 1), which is identified in Mark’s account as Capernaum (Mark 2:1). We learn from Luke, that Jesus “had been brought up” (or reared) in Nazareth (Luke 4:16); however, He was driven out by the religious officials, and Capernaum became His new base of operations (Luke 4:28-31) – it became “His own city.”
When we come to verse 2, we see something puzzling; something that troubled the scribes (v. 3). When the people brought a paralytic to Jesus, rather than saying, “Be healed,” He instead said, “Your sins are forgiven you.” Commentator David Garland says, “Most of us would be put off by any doctor who made this announcement to us when we came in for some medical treatment. We are accustomed to view disease as something caused by a virus, bacterium, or other pathogen and best remedied by medicine, not the forgiveness of sins.”(3) For example, when having prayer with someone in the hospital, it can be difficult to pray for divine healing, knowing that there are probably some skeptical people just outside the room listening. But can you imagine a nurse or doctor overhearing you tell someone they need to repent of their sins to be healed?
Garland continues to say that we are “uncomfortable with the worldview of the Bible that presupposes a direct connection between sin and sickness”(4) – but keep in mind that this was the worldview of the time. “In [ancient] Palestine it was a universal belief that all sickness was the result of sin, and that no sickness could ever be cured until sin was forgiven . . . Rabbi Chija Ben Abba [from the second century A.D.] said, ‘No sick person is cured from sickness, until all his sins are forgiven him.’ This unbreakable connection between suffering and sin was [also] part of the orthodox Jewish belief [during] the time of Jesus. For that reason, there is no doubt at all that this man could never have been cured until . . . his sins had been forgiven.”(5)
We just heard that there is “a direct connection between sin and sickness.” There is also a direct connection between spiritual wellbeing and physical health. Findings from research conducted by the Heritage Foundation show that those who have a healthy spiritual life have lower blood pressure, a stronger immune system, and even live longer.(6) Research from the Alban Institute shows that those with a healthy spiritual life have a sixty percent less chance of a heart attack, a fifty-five percent less chance of a one-car accident, and live an average of 5.7 years longer.(7) The National Institute of Health states that the leading factor in preventing coronary disease is weekly church attendance.(8) So, perhaps it would be prudent for us to acquire a biblical worldview and use spiritual discernment when it comes to illness.
The Battle for Healing Begins in the Mind (vv. 3-4)
I want to share something that commentator William Barclay adds to our understanding. He states, “Modern medicine would agree wholeheartedly that the mind can and does influence the physical condition of the body, and that a person can never have a healthy body when his mind is not in a healthy state.”(9) So, how does the mind have anything to do with sin and sickness? Because the mind is the very thing that comes under spiritual attack! The battlefield is within the mind!
In 2 Corinthians, the apostle Paul talks about this truth extensively. In chapter 2, verse 11, he says that Satan takes advantage of us through his devices or schemes. In chapter 4, verses 3-4, Paul says that the gospel is hidden “to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded.” In chapter 11, verse 3, He states, “I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ,” and in chapter 10, verses 3-5, Paul reminds us that “we do not war according to the flesh,” because the devil has set up strongholds within the mind; adding that we should be “casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (v. 5). Arguments, knowledge, and thoughts all pertain to the mind; which is where the real battle takes place.
In verse 3, the Scribes accused Jesus of blasphemy for saying, “Your sins are forgiven you” (v. 2). “Blasphemy” is defined as “an act of [bold, rude or disrespectful behavior] in which the honor of God is insulted by man.”(10) Notice how they saw Jesus as just a man, declaring, “This Man blasphemes!” According to Barclay, “It was the very manner of the cure which scandalized the scribes. Jesus [whom they perceived as being only a man] had dared to forgive sin. To forgive sin is the prerogative of God; therefore, Jesus had insulted God.”(11) “For a man to forgive sin was blasphemy that deserved punishment by death, preferably by stoning (Leviticus 24:16). Their problem was [that] they did not recognize Jesus was God; and, as God, He had every right to forgive sins.”(12)
Look at verse 4. We read that Jesus knew their thoughts. This confirms that the battle is indeed within the mind. Have you ever stopped to consider that God knows your thoughts? 1 Chronicles 28:9 admonishes, “Serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.” The Scripture is very clear that God knows our thoughts. A mind that is seeking will truly find the Lord; a mind that is evil will forsake Him; and when we forsake the Lord, He will forsake us. This is a frightening prospect! Isaiah urges, “Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55:6).
So, we have established that the spiritual battle is within the mind; but notice how Jesus asked, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?” (v. 4). He attributed thoughts to the heart. In Job 17:11, we read, “My days are past, my purposes are broken off, even the thoughts of my heart.” In the Bible, the mind and heart are synonymous in meaning. For example, in Mark 7:21, Jesus said, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts.” A person must be confronted by the power of God, if he is to be persuaded to turn from his evil thoughts; and Jesus demonstrates the power of God to the scribes by having the paralytic get up and walk! But there is no greater power confrontation to expose a man’s evil thoughts than the Word of God!
Hebrews 4:12-13 says, “The word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” The Word of God discerns “the thoughts and intents of the heart” (v. 12), or rather, “the thoughts and intents of THE MIND.” The Word of God exposes one’s evil thoughts to the individual, leaving them naked and ashamed before God; at which point a decision must be made – to continue in spiritual sickness, or come to Jesus to be healed in “soul and spirit” and in “joint and marrow” (v. 12; to be healed both spiritually and physically.
Through Healing, Jesus Proves He is Lord (vv. 5-6)
In verses 5-6, we see how Jesus “skirts the issue of blasphemy with a riddling question of His own; in effect saying, ‘Which is easier, to make a theological pronouncement about the forgiveness of sins, or to provide empirical proof that the man’s sins have been forgiven by virtue of his ability to get up and walk?’”(13) “Anyone can say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ and not have to worry about any demonstration of the words’ effect. How does one measure forgiveness? But demonstra[tion] is not a problem when [someone says] ‘Be healed of your paralysis.’ Such a claim may be proved or disproved [based on] the prayer’s result: if the person walks, there is the likelihood [that] he or she was healed.”(14)
“So, Jesus demonstrated that He was able to bring forgiveness to a man’s soul and health to a man’s body.”(15) He “offered proof that He could heal; and thus, supported His claim to be able to forgive sins.”(16) Jesus commanded the paralytic to get up and walk, so they “may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins” (v. 6) – “that they might have,” in the words of commentator John Gill, “a visible proof; an ocular demonstration.”(17) When the paralytic showed signs that he was healed physically, the scribes “were forced to admit that the greater miracle of forgiveness of sins had also occurred and that Jesus’ claim to deity was true.”(18)
Jesus Is More Than a Man; He Is Savior (vv. 7-8)
Verses 7-8 wrap up the account by telling us how the multitudes who were watching this interaction “marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men” (v. 8). What power? The working of miracles and healing of diseases.(19) Let me say that God can and does work miracles through men – His men, I should add; believers in Christ. But it seems the people missed the point. Jesus had just declared Himself to be the “Son of Man” (v. 6), and they seem to have gotten stuck on that word “man.” “Son of Man” did express that Jesus was a man, or part man; but it also revealed His identity as the Savior. The people missed the fact that they had just beheld the Messiah, because they were fixated on what God had just done through a man.
How many people miss what God is doing, because they only see the man? A church might have an outstanding preacher who attracts multitudes to hear him each week; but when he receives a call to another church, then half the congregation follows him. This is a case where people have only seen the man rather than God. Perhaps a Christian has done something hypocritical; and as a result, you want nothing to do with Jesus. If so, you are focused more on the man who messed up, rather than the Savior who wants a relationship with you. Maybe you have put your trust in the wisdom and ingenuity of man, and you feel that God is a crutch for the uneducated. This too is a case of fixating on man, and missing God.
Perhaps you are willing to admit that Jesus, the man, existed in history. You see Him as a kind man, who did good deeds and left us with a treasury of philosophical thought. But those who only see Jesus as a man – whether that be a good man or a wise man – will fail to recognize and acknowledge Him as the “Son of Man,” the Messiah and Savior who can forgive our sins and bestow eternal life. Seeing only the man, rather than the Savior is a form of spiritual blindness. In 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, Paul said, “If our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”
Time of Reflection
In 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Paul pleaded, “May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Total and complete restoration starts with healing of the spirit. The spirit is the part of a person that transcends bodily limitations. It is what connects with God when we believe in Him and receive Jesus as our Savior and Lord.(20) All healing begins when the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ shines on us (2 Corinthians 4:4). We need healing of the spirit to be forgiven of sin, to be justified before God, and be released from condemnation to serve the Lord with gladness (Psalm 100:2).
Healing of the spirit moves into healing of the soul. The soul is our mind, our emotions, and our will. It is who we are as human beings.(21) It is where we express our free will to choose either evil or righteousness. Healing of the soul occurs over time as we submit to the lordship of Jesus, following His commands, and conforming our life to His image; thereby, allowing Christ to do a work of sanctification. Proverbs 3:7-8 says, “Fear the LORD and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.” As we begin making godly choices – which are wise ones leading to healthy outcomes – this moves into healing of the body.
But let me circle back and say that “all healing begins when the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ shines on us.” So, what is the gospel message? In 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Paul said, “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you . . . For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”
According to Romans 10:9-10, if we confess our faith Jesus – including our faith that He died for our sins and was buried – and believe that He rose again, or was resurrected, we will be saved from our sins and receive eternal life. I want to invite you to come and confess your faith in Jesus today and to be healed spiritually.
NOTES
(1) John Wimber, Power Healing (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1991), pp. 70-71.
(2) Ibid., p. 71.
(3) David Garland, “Mark,” The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), pp. 96-97.
(4) Ibid., pp. 96-97.
(5) William Barclay, “The Gospel of Matthew,” The Daily Study Bible, vol. 1 (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1958), p. 334.
(6) Raymond McHenry, McHenry’s Stories for the Soul (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2001), pp. 44-45.
(7) Stories for Preachers and Teachers, on CD-ROM.
(8) Ibid.
(9) Barclay, p. 334.
(10) R. P. Martin, “Blasphemy,” New Bible Dictionary (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1982), p. 144.
(11) Barclay, p. 335.
(12) Wimber, p. 127.
(13) Garland, p. 95.
(14) Wimber, p. 126.
(15) Barclay, p. 334.
(16) Frank Stagg, “Matthew,” The Broadman Bible Commentary, vol. 8 (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1969), p. 128.
(17) John Gill, “John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible,” Bible Study Tools: https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/matthew-9-6.html (Accessed October 15, 2024).
(18) Wimber, p. 127.
(19) Gill, https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/matthew-9-8.html (Accessed October 15, 2024).
(20) Glory Dy, “What Is the Difference Between a Soul and a Spirit?” Christianity Today: https://www.christianity.com/wiki/salvation/difference-between-a-soul-and-a-spirit.html (Accessed October 16, 2024).
(21) Ibid.
