Any feedback would be appreciated.
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"Your sins are forgiven you."
Matthew 9:1-8
Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. Amen.
It is all too easy for us to doubt the power of God in the lives of men.
When you look around you and see all the suffering of humanity-when you see
a young woman struggling over her last breath as cancer wins its battle with
her body, when you see your life flash before your eyes as the car pulls out
in front of you, when you see your parent slowly losing his grasp on sanity
as dementia overtakes his mind-it is all too easy to question the goodness
and power of God in our lives. Sinners that we are, even as we consider our
baptism or kneel in confession or stand before the altar rail, it's easy to
look at the water of baptism or the bread and wine of the Lord's Supper, to
hear the words of Holy Absolution, and to question their power. Is this Word
of God really effective? After all, we can't read the hearts and souls of
men-not even our own hearts and souls-to find out if the forgiveness of sins
is doing its work in our hearts. There is no warm and tingly physical
sensation to tell us that the Word of God is proving itself powerful in our
lives. And without some sort of proof, we don't trust the Word of God. After
all, as the saying goes, talk is cheap. Like the Pharisees and Scribes, our
flesh and our reason want nothing to do with the Word of God. These things
hear only what they want to hear; they believe only what they want to
believe.
When the friends of the paralyzed man brought him to Jesus, our Lord said to
him, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you." It might seem that
Jesus missed the point. After all, this man was paralyzed. Wouldn't it seem
to you that the man's problem was a physical issue, not a spiritual one? It
might seem that way to us, but we don't think or understand the way the Lord
does. To Him, the connection between sin and suffering is apparent. Adam and
Eve were not created to die. It is only after they partook of the forbidden
fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that they were exiled
from the fruit of the tree of life. It is only after they disobeyed the
command of God that they became subject to illness, disease, and death. In
other words, if this man did not inherit original sin from our first
parents, Adam and Eve, he would not have experienced paralysis; he would not
have needed healing. He is experiencing what the Apostle Paul calls "the
wages of sin". When Jesus speaks forgiveness to the paralyzed man, he is
actually dealing with the man's greater need, the greater dilemma: the sin
which is the cause of the man's suffering.
So which is easier: to say, "Your sins are forgiven you," or to say, "Arise
and walk"? You can answer either way, but the reasoning behind the answer is
the same. If you assert that it's easier to say, "Your sins are forgiven
you," it seems easier to say because it's harder to prove the forgiveness of
sins. If you assert that it's easier to say, "Arise and walk," it's because
it's easier to prove that someone has been healed of that which has
prevented them from walking. It comes down to proof. We want it, and we want
God to provide it. But whichever is easier to say, the person who makes
either statement has encroached on God's territory: for it is because of sin
that sickness, suffering and death entered God's perfect and holy creation;
and only God has the power to forgive sin.
But for Jesus, there is no encroachment. Jesus can and does speak both of
these with equal ease. He is not stepping on God's toes, for He is God. Here
our Lord reveals Himself as the Savior and Healer of body and soul. The One
who has power over the spiritual disease of sin must also have the power to
heal the physical diseases which assail us. So which would make us believe
that Jesus is the Christ, true God and true Man? For the crowds that day, it
was both together that made them fear and believe. And the same holds true
for us. The One who can heal our bodies is the same One who can forgive our
sins: Jesus Christ. The One who has the power to forgive our sins is the
same One who will raise up our bodies on the last day, and we will no longer
be subject to the corruption of the flesh through sin. The work of
redemption will be completely fulfilled. We will sin no more, and our bodies
will never again break or bruise or fail us. Jesus is the resurrection and
the life. He is the Lord, and the curse of sin that, for now, allows us to
die, He will undo forever.
Do you question the power of Holy Absolution when your pastor speaks it to
the whole congregation? Are you concerned that the Lord might not be able to
hear your confession and address your specific sins? I assure you, the Lord
knows your heart, no matter how many people are confessing around you. Is
your conscience burdened by something that you believe the Lord could never
forgive? I assure you, there is no sin you could confess that Jesus Christ
did not die to forgive. Nevertheless, the Lord has graciously provided for
you individually, too. The invitation is for you, and it stands open: come
to your pastor by yourself. Speak to him in a private setting the sin that
troubles you. Confess your sin before the Lord individually. The words of
Holy Absolution which your pastor will speak are the words of Christ's
forgiveness, which Jesus applies to you personally, whether you make
confession in the midst of the Divine Service or in the solitude of
Individual Confession and Absolution. It is for you, given to you
individually. As our Introit says, "The righteous cry out, and the Lord
hears. He delivers them out of all their troubles. For this is God, our God
forever and ever." Your sin is removed from you as far as east is from west.
It is removed from you, and the Lord never looks at it again. You are
cleansed of that sin, and He will never again hold that sin against you.
Every gift of forgiveness is for you. Every healing of body and soul which
you receive is a precious gift from God. We receive that healing again
today. We received it in the Word of Holy Absolution, spoken by your pastor
as by Christ Himself. And we will receive it again as we taste that
forgiveness on our tongues in the body and blood of Jesus, given and shed
for you for the forgiveness of your sins. Christ has all authority in heaven
and on earth-power over flesh and blood, and power over those things that
afflict the soul. Cling to that Word. Cling to the forgiveness of sins.
Cling to the promise of the resurrection of the body on the last day, the
full healing of body and soul. Do not doubt the power of the Word. Be of
good cheer, son of God, for your sins are forgiven you. In the name of the
Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and
minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.
--
Rev. Alan Kornacki, Jr.
Pastor, St. Peter Lutheran Church, Campbell Hill, IL
[email protected]
http://pastoralkorn.blogspot.com
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