Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.”
But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves, “What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”
Key Thought
Yes, the statement is the correct one! “Only God can forgive sins!” This startling statement was made by the religious teachers who opposed Jesus, but it is intended for us as well. While we need to forgive each other, only God can completely forgive sins. That’s the point. Jesus is the Christ, God’s Son, who came among us. He is God in human skin. If we want to know how God values people, all we have to do is look at Jesus, and we know. Even more important, if we want to know how our sins can be forgiven, we can look to him!
Today’s Prayer
LORD God Almighty, I believe that you walked the roads of Galilee and Judea, getting your feet dirty with the dust of our mortality and your robe soiled with the sins of folks like me. Thank you for showing me your incomparable love and grace in Jesus, in whose name I praise and thank you. Amen.
Related Scripture Readings
John 1:14-18Luke 7:11-16John 14:8-11Ⓒ 1996-2024 Heartlight, Inc. This material may not be reproduced in part or whole for commercial use without written consent. What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form. Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.