Text:

Mark 2: 1-12

When [Jesus] returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them. Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, "Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and he said to them, "Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, "Stand up and take your mat and walk'? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"?he said to the paralytic? "I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home." And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"

Sermon Text

If only we were as simple as children we might more readily accept forgiveness. If your son or daughter, grandson or granddaughter has misbehaved, a hug usually suffices to convince them that they are still loved. But, adults are often harder to convince. They hold onto their guilt. They refuse to accept the fact that they are forgiven. They keep insisting that they will not be all right with God until they make the grade, until they set things right. Weighted down by remorse, it is nigh impossible for them to move forward. They become paralyzed, like the poor cripple in the story we just heard. Jesus looked into his eyes, and at once perceived that illness ran through his entire being: body, mind, and spirit. Jesus recognized that he needed to be freed from guilt; and so, he declared to him: "You sins are forgiven."

To have another human being declare to you that God has forgiven you--that is such a simple gift, but oh, such a precious one! Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his little book, Life Together, points out how important an assurance of pardon can be. As a Protestant, he believed, as you and I do, that God listens to our prayers, and that God is ready at any time to forgive us. Bonhoeffer believed, as every Protestant does, that there is no need for a spiritual intermediary. Priests do not grant forgiveness, God does. So, why then did he stress the importance of an assurance of pardon? Please notice that every Sunday, just after our prayer of confession, we hear an assurance of pardon from the lay liturgist. Why is that always recited? Why do we need that? Well, it just seems to be psychologically helpful. You see, we can be steeped in the knowledge that God forgives sinners, but then, when we've done something that makes us feel rotten through and through, we find that the idea of a forgiving God isn't enough, especially since God can be annoyingly silent! We need reassurance. Bonhoeffer discovered in his own life how helpful it was to have another flesh and blood person say "Your sins are forgiven!" He believed that each and every one of us can do that for each other. We don't have to be ordained to a special position of spiritual leadership. We just have to be convinced ourselves that God forgives. And of course, we also need to have compassion for our neighbor, laboring under a load of care. We mustn't minimize the hurt and say: "Oh, don't be silly. Didn't you learn anything in Sunday school?"

The religious authorities of Jesus' day wanted to know by what authority he declared to the ailing man, "Your sins are forgiven." Jesus' answered them, "Which is easier to say: Your sins are forgiven, or stand up, take up your pallet and walk?" Was Jesus evading their question, or was he trying to teach them something about this man's illness, an illness that had afflicted him, says the Gospel of John's version of the story, for thirty-eight years? Jesus recognized that this poor man wasn't paralyzed just in his legs. His mind and spirit were also paralyzed. Jesus saw that, and he knew that the remedy for his paralysis had to do with his whole being. So, Jesus cut to the center of the knot. He declared to him, "Your sins are forgiven." How appropriate it is that in our services for healing we begin with a prayer of confession. We ask God to forgive us, and reconcile us with persons with whom we have been in conflict. We ask God to make us whole again in spirit. Then we pray for the healing of our minds and our bodies.

Jesus eventually did address the question about spiritual authority which the anxious religious leaders had put to him. He said that he told the man that his sins were forgiven and that he should now take up his pallet and walk so that they would "know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." "Son of Man" is a phrase lifted from Hebrew. It means simply, a human being. In other words, human beings have the authority to declare to each other that God has forgiven sins. When Matthew tells this same story he finishes by writing: "And [the man] stood up and went to his home. And when the crowds saw this, they were filled with awe, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings." Yes, to human beings. Every human being can give a healing assurance of pardon. This is God's medicine, which any of us is capable of administering.

In 1975 when Saigon fell to the Communists, I was hit with a load of guilt that didn't make sense. I felt sorry for shooting at other human beings. I felt sorry for abandoning Vietnamese friends. I felt sorry for not doing enough for peace since I had come home. I just felt really, really sorry. And I couldn't sleep. I was all tied up in knots. I had terrible dreams, not about combat, but about failing people. No matter what I did in those dreams, I couldn't win. I couldn't put things right. I almost saw a shrink. Instead, I saw a pastor. I told him I thought I was feeling guilty, though I couldn't say for what, specifically. He prayed with me, and afterwards he said, "Tom, your sins are forgiven. Whatever you might have done or not done, it's past. Leave it back there." That very night the dreams stopped. The healing had begun.

Last week I was counseling a man from the street. He's a Christian. He's been to Sunday school. He knows that God forgives sins. But, he's been laboring under a load of guilt for years. He can't seem to let go of it, even though he knows in his head that God does forgive us when we sincerely ask for forgiveness. So, I looked this man in the eye, a man all tied up in knots as I once was, and I said to him, "I tell you what you already know in your head, but haven't accepted in your heart: God has forgiven you. You are free to start over. There is no use to beat yourself up this way. Let go of your need to make things right. God has forgiven you. God has forgiven you." His eyes teared up. "Thank you, thank you" he said.

Brothers and sisters, each of you has at least one spiritual gift, and probably many more. You may have the opportunity sometime to say humbly to someone who is hurting: "God forgives you." Don't neglect this opportunity to speak a healing word. The assurance of pardon is such a precious gift. With the humility of a forgiven sinner, give it when you can.