The Exposition of Matthew (Matthew 9:1-8)

November 17, 2020

(Miracles of Jesus)

Questions to be answered in this study

1. Why did Jesus choose Capernaum as His hometown rather than Nazareth?
2. What great Biblical truth is revealed by Jesus’ statement “Your sins are forgiven?
3. What was the greatest misnomer of the Scribes and Pharisees?
4. What was the primary reason the scribes and Pharisees rejected Jesus?
5. What does it mean to blaspheme God?
6. Jesus said to the man with palsy, “Be of good courage;” what did He mean by that?
7. In what ways did Jesus prove to the crowds that He was the Messiah?
8. No doubt some reading this study have also yet to accept Jesus as their Messiah; Here a sobering question for you: Where will you spend eternity when you die?
9. What two things concerning salvation did the Scribes falsely reject?
10. The scribes and Pharisees had a different concept of sin; what was it?

Introduction

Today we enter Chapter 9, as we continue to look at the miracles Jesus performed in Galilee and finish the second section out of three divisions of miracles. Our study last time was concerning Jesus’ power over demons. Today our study is a demonstration of Jesus’ power and authority to forgive sin. To escape the pressing multitudes, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee to Gadara, where He encountered some demon-processed men, which He healed. This miracle so frightened the gentiles living in that area that they asked Jesus to leave. It is at this point, after healing the demonic man, that we pick up the following story in chapter 9.

Matthew 9:1-3, “And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city. 2And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus, seeing their faith, said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. 3And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.”

Jesus respected the wishes of the Galileans of Gadara and crossed back over the Sea of Galilee to His city of Capernaum. Choosing Capernaum as His hometown rather than Nazareth was for geographical reasons. Nazareth was off the main road in a rather difficult place surrounded by hills, whereas Capernaum was on major highways and the trade route. Jesus had chosen Capernaum because apparently of its being central to His Galilean ministry. Luke, who also records this, says, Jesus was teaching in the inner courtyard of a home in Capernaum, which had attracted some religious leaders: Luke 5:17 (KJV), “And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the LORD was present to heal them.”

These Jewish leaders had heard of Jesus and had traveled as far as 60 miles away from Jerusalem and other towns to listen to him. Mark records that there were so many presents, on this occasion, that they were standing outside the house in the courtyard. News of Jesus’ healing of the leper, which we studied earlier, had spread throughout the area; this was understandable since this was the first time the requirements resulting from the healing of leprosy, as recorded in Leviticus 14, had ever been invoked in the history of Israel. According to the Law of Moses, a healed leper was to go to the priests, who would verify the cleansing of leprosy. Then that person was declared officially restored. However, at this time, no leper had ever been healed; this was the first great truth that proved Jesus was who He claimed to be, the Messiah.

Many religious leaders came there this day to see the evidence with their own eyes whether Jesus was the Messiah. Ironically, rather than being convinced that Jesus was the Messiah, they set themselves against Him and accused Him of blasphemy. Their rejection was primarily based on Jesus declaring this man’s sins forgiven as he meets him.

Let’s look closer at this story to get a better picture of what happened. First, others brought this paralyzed man to Jesus lying on his bed because he had palsy. According to Luke, so many scribes were present that they blocked the way and were unwilling to give up their space for the man to be brought before Jesus. So, the men carrying the man of palsy looked for another way and finally lowered him down through an opening in the roof. The scribes became barriers that day, blocking the way to Jesus, resulting in Jesus calling them stumbling stones. There are many stumbling stones to Jesus today, and some are religious leaders, as were those in the time of Jesus who preached other ways to God other than faith in Jesus.

Next, notice that Jesus says to the man, “your sins are forgiven;” this was not a delayed action. According to the Greek verb tense, forgiveness was instantaneous; this is evidence of justification at the very point of salvation. Jesus forgave this man’s sins, and he was clean before God without any works of restitution, penance, or anything else. The forgiveness of this man’s sins was entirely based on his faith in Jesus. A number of those present that day shared the belief that Jesus was the Messiah and possessed the power to heal. When Jesus said to this man thy sins are forgiven it created two concerns from the scribes:

First, the scribes would reject the idea that a man could be freed of sin merely by faith. Traditionally Jews believed they were born into the family of God. They told Jesus on other occasions that they were born children of God. They did not understand the way of the gospel and true salvation. In John 8:39 (KJV), they said that Abraham was their father. Jesus told them in John 8:44 (KJV), “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”

Second, they believed they were kept saved by keeping the Law, not by grace through faith. Their salvation was based on the works they performed. It was up to the scribes and Pharisees to determine if they had done enough works for salvation. Therefore, they rejected the premise that Jesus could forgive sins. Ironically, many today still follow the same idea that a person is partially saved by their works, or by baptism. They disregard the New Testament, which plainly says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast,” Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV). By the way “works” includes the works of baptism. They were right about one thing: No man has the power to forgive sins. However, Jesus was more than just a man; He was God manifested in the flesh. That was their problem; They could not accept Jesus’ real identification as the promised Messiah.

The scribes and Pharisees had a different concept of sin. Sin is more than a simple mistake; it is disobeying God and is an offense against Him. For example, if we harm another person by offending them or speaking falsely about them, and that person forgives the transgression, all is well, and the thing is settled. However, to be taken into consideration is that we have also sinned against God and need His forgiveness; this is an example of sin that only God can forgive. As a result, of our sinful actions, we have incurred a debt before God. Therefore, we must pay the penalty for our offenses. The Bible says, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,” Romans 5:8 (KJV). Because of the price Jesus paid, we now can be forgiven of all our offenses against Him. Therefore, until we confess our sins before the Lord and He forgives us, we must continue to bear our offenses and one day will stand before Him and give account for our transgressions and face the penalty.

So, here was the big problem: The religious leaders rejected Jesus because He was changing their rules and counted Himself, God. Matthew said that some scribes thought to themselves, “This man blasphemes” Blaspheming is profaning the holiness of God. We blaspheme when we presume to put ourselves in God’s place or when we misrepresent God’s Word or character. These men concluded Jesus had committed this offense because He took the place of God and altered their view of God’s Word. In reality, Jesus hadn’t changed God’s Word at all. Instead, it was the scribes who had misrepresented what God’s Word said about forgiveness and salvation. The prophets told the truth. The scribes and Pharisees depended on unwritten oral tradition while the prophets depended on the Word of God: “Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith,” Habakkuk 2:4 (KJV). Jesus was teaching that eternal life is not by works of the Law but instead comes by a confession of faith; Jesus’s had the power to forgive sins. It was not blasphemy because He is the Son of God, possessing God’s power.

Matthew 9:4-8, “And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore, think ye evil in your hearts? 5For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? 6But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. 7And he arose, and departed to his house. 8But when the multitudes saw it, they marveled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.”

Matthew says Jesus knew their thoughts. Jesus responds by asking, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?” The crowd was probably amazed that Jesus knew their thoughts and answered before they could say anything, further proving He was God.

Jesus used a technique of logic called “Kal v’chomer,” which shows something from that which is accessible to something difficult to prove a point. In other words, it was easy to say their sins are forgiven, which could not be established, but challenging to say to this man stricken and paralyzed with palsy, “Take up their bed and walk.” When the crowd saw that, they marveled and glorified God. Forgiveness of sins is spiritual and cannot be seen. However, physical healing is evident; the cripple gets up and walks, proving the first statement of Jesus, the forgiveness of sins, is true also; this is what was needed on this occasion to prove that Jesus was the Messiah. Unfortunately for them, the hard-hearted scribes were to set in their false doctrine to even recognize the truth when they witnessed it with their own eyes. The fact that God’s Word is true today is overwhelming, yet many still deny it. As a result of their stubborn unbelief, the scribes would go on accusing Jesus of blasphemy until it finally led to Jesus’ trial and crucifixion.

What do you suppose went through the mind of the paralyzed man when Jesus said, “Thy sins are forgiven” rather than healing him, which was the reason they brought him there that day? Was he somewhat disappointed? Think about him. He had probably been in this condition for a very long time. It was a complicated way of living in that day when there were no social services to assist him, and he was considered an outcast cursed of God. Others, friends, had  brought him to the great healer, and now the first thing he hears Jesus say is “Thy sins are forgiven.” However, he did not have to wait long to hear Jesus say, “Take up they bed and walk.” It, without a doubt, was a great relief to hear Jesus say that, but do you suppose that this man realized the greater of the two sayings of Jesus that day.

Maybe it took some time until later in life when his health began to fail again, as is the fate of all of us, and he sees the end approaching, and when he realizes what a blessing it was to have his sins forgiven when later he would stand before Christ who loved him and forgave him. Jesus said to this man on that day, “Be of good courage.” Perhaps it took until the end of life to fully realize the significance of that at that time when death was at the door, and this man realizes that he would stand before the Lord fully forgiven, loved, and saved for eternity. “Be of good courage” that you have received a full pardon for your sins. Be encouraged that you have eternal life. That same truth is available for anyone today who will trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins.

Over and over again, Jesus Christ proved through His works His claims to be God. He proved His power over the physical by healing the multitudes who came to him. He showed his control over natural forces. He defeated the demons of the spiritual world and finally went to the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. He was buried and rose again to prove His power over death. Today He forgives all those who place their faith in Him and gives them the gift of eternal life.

We, along with this cripple of olden times, can also claim the promise of Jesus: “Be of good courage.” There is no encouragement in this world dominated by Satan; we can only find encouragement in Jesus, who shed His blood that we might come to know Him in salvation and truth. Placing your hope in the things of the world winds up in disappointment, for they will fade in time. Our faith in God is our hope for the present, and the future, the knowledge that we are forgiven, citizens of heaven and will spend eternity there with God and His angels. For some, the gift of heaven seems unimportant compared to all the other things of the world; that will change someday when they stand before Christ at the great white throne judgment mentioned in the book of Revelation, and God will ask, why did you not trust in me while you were on earth?

Where will you spend eternity when you die? The Bible says it will be either heaven or hell. If you haven’t already, why not decide now to place your faith in Jesus; He is ready to receive you and forgive you of every sin that blocks you from a relationship with God. You may be thinking: how do I do that? Well, I have prepared step-by-step instructions for you from the Bible. If you are willing to follow them, God has promised in His word to save you and grant you eternal life. Come to Jesus today. CLICK HERE for the way.