“Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, ‘Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.’ At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, ‘This fellow is blaspheming!’ Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, ‘Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Get up and walk”? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.’ So he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Get up, take your mat and go home.’ Then the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.”—Matthew 9:1–8 (NIV)

Have you ever heard someone make a bold claim but then wonder about the validity of it? Marketing gimmicks come to mind. Some “amazing” deal of a lifetime on a miracle product with all the “but wait there’s more” prepositions that go along with it. But if you’re like me, you’re skeptical about the validity of those claims just like the audience was in today’s passage of Scripture after Jesus claims to forgive a man’s sins. What authority does Jesus have to make such a claim and how can we be assured of its validity?

The skeptics believed that only God has the authority to forgive a person of their sins. Rightly so, since that’s also what all Christians believe. We’re called to forgive one another as brothers and sisters; however, there’s a difference in forgiving someone who sinned against you and the level of forgiveness Jesus is referring to here. The claim that Jesus makes here is putting Himself on par with God; to forgive the lifetime of sins that this man has incurred without making an animal sacrifice. 

So, of course there is going to be some raised eyebrows and questioning of Jesus’ authority to make such a bold claim. But then there’s also the question of its validity. How can the skeptics be sure that when Jesus says, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven” that his sins truly are forgiven? Well, thankfully Jesus can read their minds and hear their whisperings and He addresses both questions. 

Jesus proved His heavenly authority by forgiving the man of his sins—remember, something only God could do. Then when He senses the rumblings of the skeptics He asks, “Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?” He’s basically saying, “Is heavenly authority not enough to prove earthly authority?”

Jesus proved He had authority on earth by healing the man of his paralysis in the sight of all the witnesses and skeptics. He proclaimed His heavenly authority first, which is greater than earthly authority; however, for the sake of skeptics and those with little faith, He displayed His earthly authority through physical healing. The assurance of witnessing the man get up, take his mat, and walk home would have given assurance to Jesus’ first claim, “Son, your sins are forgiven”. 

In Matthew 28:18 (NIV) Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” What a bold and comforting claim this is! If we trust Jesus to forgive us of our sins and to sanctify us by His Spirit to make us holy and blameless before God, then let us also trust Him with our daily lives and the desires of our hearts. He has authority over all that we can’t see and struggle to believe, but also over everything we do see and do believe. 

Pause: If Jesus doesn’t have authority on the earth, then how could He possibly have authority in heaven? But if you believe He has authority in heaven, then how much more authority does He have on the earth? I think for most of us, it’s easy to envision Jesus’ heavenly authority. However, we can tend to live as if He had no authority on the earth. Ask yourself why it’s easier to envision Jesus’ authority on life in heaven than it is to envision His authority over life on the earth.

Practice: Examine the way you think and feel after hearing bold truth claims. Consider the source you’re hearing that claim from and examine it against the Word of God. Ensure there’s proper authority and validity to any claim you put your trust in believing.

Pray: Lord, in the words of a desperate father from Scripture, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief” (Mark 9:24 NIV)! Amen.