The Healing Power of Forgiveness

Sunday, December 21st, 2025

8:34 am

Good morning! This morning I am in Matthew 9:1-8, Mark 2:1-12, and Luke 5:17-26. Matthew tells us that Jesus climbed into a boat and went back across the lake to Capernaum. When He got there, some people brought a paralyzed man on a mat to Jesus. Now Mark and Luke tells us that Jesus was teaching in a house, and a large crowd had gathered, so large that no one else could get into the house. So the people that had the man on the mat, took him up to the roof of the house, and dug a hole in the roof, and lowered the man down in front of Jesus to be healed. Jesus saw the faith of the friends of the man and told the man, "Be encouraged, your sins are forgiven!" Among the crowd watching was some Pharisees and teachers of religious law. When they heard Jesus say this they asked each other, "who does this man think He is, only God can forgive sins. He is speaking blasphemy!" Jesus knew what they were thinking so He asked the men, "Why do you question in your hearts? Is it easier to say your sins are forgiven or stand up and walk?" He told them men that He would prove to them that the Son of Man has the power and authority on earth to forgive sins. Then He turned to the paralyzed man and told him to, "Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!" Immediately the man jumped up, picked up his mat, and went home praising God. Everyone who saw were amazed and praised God. All three of the gospels tell it slightly different, but they say pretty much the same thing.

Wow, its amazing to see how Jesus works in our lives. The same thing He did for this man is the same thing He still does for us today. The sins of our past burden us, they weigh us down. They weigh us down so much that they affect us mentally and physically. Jesus wants to help us. He doesn't want us to carry our burdens on our own. He offers us help.

You may not be physically paralyzed, but you can be mentally paralyzed. You can be so burden in your pain and suffering, that you can't see straight or think straight. Many times when we are like this, we turn to alcohol, drugs, sleep, etc.... to drown out that pain that is there. But there is a better way. Jesus is the better way. Jesus is the way. When we seek Him, and ask Him to help us in our pain and struggles, He will help us. But we must believe that He can. The more time we spend in His Word, the more He shows us who He is and what He can do in our lives.

Are you weighed down by so many burdens that you feel paralyzed or stuck? Turn to Jesus. He will help pull you out of the pit you feel stuck in. He will take some of that burden off of you, so you can continue on. Here is the thing, if you are still alive today, God has a purpose for you. A purpose you can not walk out unless you ask Him to help you. Because He is the one that can guide you and help you with any and every situation that can and will arise in your life. And He wants to do that for you today. Seek Him, and ask Him to forgive you for the past, and ask Him to help you walk on a new path. He will do it.