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Is it
easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? (Matthew
9:5)
Jesus
asked this question of the religious leaders who were outraged that He would
say to the paralyzed man his sins were forgiven.
These
“spiritual” gurus had watched Jesus grow from a little boy into a man. To them he was a snot-nosed, skinned-up-knees
boy, born from a mother who had cheated on her husband and now was as an adult
claiming to be God! How dare this kid
from Nazareth say, “Your sins are forgiven!” In the words of Vizzini from Princess Bride,
“Inconceivable!
It
was a simple question, with a simple answer but one they refused to acknowledge. The religious leaders
rejection of Jesus’ authority, created a chasm in their hearts between who
Jesus was and who they wanted Him to be.
And
we are not much different than they, if we’re willing to admit it. Often, the divide is long and wide between who
Jesus really is and who we want Him to be.
We
want the love of Jesus, not His justice.
We want a comfortable Jesus, not one who pushes us into the unknown. We want to trust God with our eternal
destination, but refuse to allow His “interference” in our everyday living.
The
simple fact remains, Jesus is God; able to heal the sick and forgive sins. True followers of Jesus refuse to let their
own desires define Him and allow Him to be the Jesus He is!
Lord, I confess my propensity
to create You in my own image, rather than allowing You to be the God You
are. Open my eyes to Your truth, teach
me Your ways and help me to follow You with a pure heart. Amen.
