Matthew 9:2-3

THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS

‘Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.… This man blasphemeth.’

Matthew 9:2

It is in this pronunciation of forgiveness that the most important part of the teaching of the passage is to be found.

I. Attitude of the multitude.—The Evangelist does not endorse, but simply reports the feelings of the multitude. There may, then, have been a mixture of truth and error in their minds; when they spoke of ‘such power being given unto men,’—‘to mankind,’ that is; not, ‘on behalf of men.’ Their thoughts may have been entangled, their vision not perfectly clear. But they had got hold of a new truth. What was it?

II. Man’s power of forgiveness.—There is a sense in which we can pronounce authoritatively the forgiveness of our fellows. When a man has sinned against Society the ban may be taken off, the offender received and welcomed again; and when this is done, the sinner has a chance of believing in the forgiveness of God. But this was nothing new to the Jews. There is a sense, too, in which we can pronounce authoritatively the Divine forgiveness. But our pronunciation is only declaratory. ‘If you comply with such and such conditions, you will be forgiven.’ But this, too, was nothing new to the Jews.

III. Our Lord’s authority.—What struck them in our Lord’s language was His claim to be acquainted with the secrets of heaven. ‘I know, and I announce to you, that your sins are forgiven.’ This seemed to them some new power granted to men. If, then, they thought that God had granted to one man the power of authoritatively pronouncing the forgiveness of another man’s sins, so that that other would be certain of being forgiven, on the ground of his brother’s declaration, they were so far in error. The new truth was, that the power not merely of proclaiming but of dispensing forgiveness was possessed by One who belonged to the human race and who had a brother’s heart.

IV. What is forgiveness?—Not mere remission of penalties, but restoration to the forfeited position,—the being made right again with him whom we have wronged.

Prebendary Gordon Calthrop.

Illustrations

(1) ‘Blasphemy consists in hurting the fame, good name or reputation of another. The word is specially applied to anything said, that expresses or implies what is greatly derogatory to the character or prerogative of God. The blasphemer was to be put to death by stoning, his body hung on a tree, and then buried with shame. This was the turning point in the life of Christ, for the accusation of blasphemy, now muttered in the hearts of the Rabbis present, was the beginning of the process which ended, after a time, on Calvary. He knew it, and the shadow of the cross had already fallen on His soul.’

(2) ‘The absolving words were not optative only, no mere desire that it might be so, but declaratory that so it was; the man’s sins were forgiven. Nor yet were they declaratory only of something which passed in the mind and intention of God; but, even as the words were spoken, there was shed abroad in his heart the sense of forgiveness and reconciliation with God.… He did not, as the Church does now, in the name of another, and wielding a delegated power, but in His own name, forgive him. They also understood rightly of this Divine forgiveness of sins, that it was a Divine prerogative; that, as no man can remit a debt save he to whom it is due, so no one can forgive sins save He against whom all sin is committed, that is, God.’

(SECOND OUTLINE)

THE DIVINE HEALER

I. Christ’s forgiveness.—He pardons the sins of the poor sufferer before Him, on His own authority as a King, which it would have been contradictory to have done, had He Himself been conscious of having sin and guilt of His own. It was at once a proclamation of His own sinlessness, and of His kingly dignity as the Messiah.

II. Faith the condition.—Whilst the faith of the four friends attracted the attention and elicited the respect of Christ, we must also remember that the sick man himself had faith to receive the blessing. The words of Christ to him imply this—‘Son, or child (he was probably a very young man), be of good cheer.’ The Saviour saw in him a state of mind and feeling different from theirs; aiming at an object distinct from that of the bearers, who only sought for his bodily healing.

III. Christ’s authority proved.—The cavillers should be doubly convinced—(a) by the proof which He gave that the thoughts of all hearts were open to Him; and (b) by the miracle.

The Rev. W. Oliver.

Illustration

‘In the Pilgrim’s Progress Christian is represented to be toiling under a heavy burden up a steep fenced way, till he came to a place somewhat ascending, and upon that place stood a cross, and a little below a sepulchre. “So I saw in my dream that just as Christian came up to the cross his burden loosed from off his shoulders, and fell from off his back, and began to tumble and so continued to do till it came to the mouth of the sepulchre, where it fell in, and I saw it no more. Then was Christian glad and lightsome, and said with a merry heart, ‘He hath given me rest by His sorrow, and life by His death.’ Then he stood still awhile to look and wonder, for it was very surprising to him that the look of the cross should thus ease him of his burden. Now as he stood looking and weeping, behold three Shining Ones came and saluted him with ‘Peace be unto thee.’ So the first said unto him, ‘Thy sins be forgiven thee’; the second stripped him of his rags and clothed him with change of raiment; and the third set a mark upon his forehead and gave him a roll with a seal on it which he bid him look on as he ran, and that he should give it in at the celestial gate.” ’