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REFLECTIONS TODAY (19459010) MATTHEW 9: 1-8
AFTER the entrance of a boat, Jesus crossed and entered his own city. And there, people brought him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Courage, child, your sins are forgiven." To this, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming." Jesus knew what they thought, and said, "Why do you keep bad thoughts?" Which is the easiest to say: "Your sins are forgiven," or to say: "Get up and walk"? But for you to know that the Son of Man has authority over the earth to forgive sins, "he said to the paralytic," Get up, take your stretcher, and come home. "He stood up and went home. When the crowds saw this, they were struck with fear and glorified God who had given such authority to men.
REFLECTION
AUTHORITY ON THE EARTH TO PLEASE THE SINS. On the one hand, we are edified by the love and concern that his friends show to the paralytic, doing the unthinkable just to bring him to Jesus. On the other hand, Jesus wants to show the religious authorities present that he has as much power to heal the "spiritual" illness of the paralytic as to heal his "physical" infirmity. And Jesus seems to imply that doing one also means doing the other. Spiritual health and physical well-being go hand in hand.
We sometimes see how people show great concern and love for people in need, even if they do not know them and do not pay attention to protocol or rules. For them, what is of utmost importance is the well-being, the "salvation" of the person. But, alas, there are others that focus more on the rules and laws. Jesus reminds us that the Sabbath is made for man, and not the reverse
SOURCE: "365 days with the Lord 2018", ST. PAULS Philippines, 7708 St. Paul Road, SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel .: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
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