Directions – January-February 2021
Sometimes we may wonder what good God’s forgiveness does. It doesn’t always seem like this Gospel proclamation—“Your sins are forgiven!”—makes much of a difference.
It doesn’t do our dishes, cook our dinner, work our job, or fix our car. It doesn’t raise our children, impress our friends, or silence our critics. It doesn’t solve our conflicts, cure our illnesses, increase our intelligence, or improve our appearance. Meanwhile, we watch as someone else gets a financial blessing. We witness someone else get an answer to prayer. And someone else gets an angel visit, a conversion experience, or spiritual fire. And someone else saw a vision, heard a voice, or spoke in tongues. But all we got was this lousy forgiveness.
How can that help when folks can’t afford another baby? How can that answer when the doctor says, “I’m sorry”?
Read Matthew 9:1-8. What comfort comes from the simple detail that this takes place in “His own city”? Consult Psalm 95:4-5, John 1:10-14, and Philippians 2:5-8 for clues.
What hardships do you imagine this fellow suffered as a paralytic? What difficulties does surprise pregnancy bring? How might someone suffer after an abortion? And during a terminal illness?
Look up John 9:1-3 and Romans 3:22b-24. Why doesn’t the Gospel highlight how he became paralyzed?
What do Genesis 3:16-19 and 1 Corinthians 7:31b explain as the ultimate answer to why anyone suffers?
Compare with Mark 2:3 and Luke 5:19. How did the Lord care for him in his affliction?
Whom does God provide to accompany individuals amid surprise pregnancy? Terminal diagnosis?
What does Jesus notice first about the situation in Matthew 9:2? What does this reveal about what gives human life its real value? Check 1 Samuel 16:7, Matthew 18:8-9, and John 15:5 to illuminate.
See Luke 5:21 and James 2:15-16. Why does Jesus’ statement astonish the audience? What incredible claims do Gospel-motivated voices make about unborn and impaired persons?
How do these words of Jesus provide precisely the solution to the fellow’s situation? Find hints in Matthew 6:33, Romans 8:32, and Revelation 21:5.
Now check with Psalm 103:2-3, 1 Peter 2:24, and 1 Corinthians 1:18. What does forgiveness have to do with healing? How is authority over sin related to power over disease and death?
Turn to 2 Corinthians 4:7, 2 Corinthians 12:9, and Psalm 34:18. What meaning did Jesus give to the man’s healing? How did this also give meaning to his hurting?
How can we embody these blessings for our neighbors dealing with life-and-death circumstances?