Let's grab a theme from a few weeks ago when we asked the question, “What do you say at a funeral?” Let's broaden it out and ask: What do you say to someone who's just landed some bad news on you. “My kids are in trouble. My marriage is falling apart. They told me it was cancer. You're being let go. You've lost everything.” What do you say to such a person? You know what I would say? “Your sins are forgiven you!” And you might reply, “But Pastor, that doesn't make any sense! How is that relevant? How can that be of any use to someone in the midst of their trouble?” Well, ask Jesus. They brought Him a paralyzed man and the first words out of our Lord's mouth are “Be happy! Your sins are forgiven!” I'll bet that the man was hoping the first words out of Jesus' mouth would be “Get up and walk.” But that's not what Jesus says first. And that teaches us that no matter what else, the one thing we need the most of all is the forgiveness of sins. If something awful and terrible happens to you: your sins are forgiven. Your despair that such a thing is taking place. Your doubt of God's goodness. Your anger and lashing out at others. It's forgiven. The Lord doesn't count it against you. You have eternal life and a clean slate before God. Because the worse thing is never the tragedies of this life but to die and perish apart from Christ and His forgiveness.
Notice that Jesus doesn't even wait for the man to ask for forgiveness. They bring the guy to Jesus and He just says it. “Your sins are forgiven you.” There's a bad notion that people get into their heads that you can't get forgiveness unless you ask for it. If you do something wrong, you have to ask for forgiveness or else you can't be forgiven. Some churches even teach that if you were to die before you asked for forgiveness, you would go to hell! What horrible, frightening and WRONG teaching! What does Jesus do? He forgives the man before he even asks! That's how the Lord does things, you know. Before we ask. If forgiveness only came when we asked for it, do you think Jesus would ever have come to die for sinners? If forgiveness was only available upon request, would our Lord ever have come into this world? As if the Lord was just sitting up in heaven thinking, “Well, I'd really like to forgive them but not until they ask me nicely!” God forbid! Our Lord doesn't wait on us! He comes because we are dying, perishing, dead in our sins. God the Father sends His Son to go to the cross and save us before we even dreamed we needed it. Before we would ever have asked because we would never have asked. And so our Lord forgives this man's sins because that's what He needs, even more thank being able to walk. Jesus just does it. Understand this, brothers and sisters in Christ: When Christ died on the cross, He wasn't making available the possibility of forgiveness. His death IS the forgiveness of sins. It is a death for you to wipe away your sins, before you even knew to ask for such a thing!
So Jesus tells the paralytic his sins are forgiven. That man can be unable to walk and still have eternal life. But he can't have eternal life if his sins aren't forgiven. He'll perish eternally if he has to stand before the Lord and answer for what he's done. So Jesus forgives him. The religious leaders don't think He can do that. So Jesus heals the man too, to show that He has the power to forgive sins. But why does Jesus have the power to forgive sins? Because He is the One who has forgiven them by His death on the cross. Jesus can throw forgiveness around because He's the One who's going to get that forgiveness by dying for this paralytic and for you and me and everyone. Jesus takes our sins away by His death and so He is the One who can declare to this man that His sins are forgiven. Again, without anyone asking, Jesus was born to do the will of His Father and save sinners. On the cross, Jesus has effected a healing that goes beyond this life. Forgiveness means that nothing we've done against God or others, no thought, word or deed will be held against you. Can you imagine what would happen if you had to answer for every wrong thing you've thought or done? Eternal death! Sin condemns us to death. Jesus gets rid of sin. You can die lame or deaf or even blind or crippled. And in eternal life, you'll run and leap and sing and dance. But without forgiveness, you'll be doomed. So Jesus, by His death on the cross brings such a healing and medicine to take away our worst disease: sin, the one that would keep us from God.
The forgiveness Jesus has for this paralytic is delivered by the words: “Your sins are forgiven you.” So it still is. The Lord calls men to be His preachers to speak those words to you, too: “I forgive you all your sins. Your sins are forgiven.” Your most pressing need is this: the forgiveness of sins. Here in Christ's church, that's what is delivered. When you turn from God, when you abandon your neighbor, repent! Flee to Christ's church where your Baptism is preached, where your pastor is forgiving you, and where Christ's body and blood are. I'll challenge you even further. When you are sick, what do you do? You go to your doctor. When you sin, come see your pastor. When the things you have done trouble you, come and hear from your pastor the Good News that your sins are forgiven you. And yes, I'm talking about private confession and absolution. There you have the chance to unload all that truly burdens you, for God alone to hear and forgive. In that way, by the absolution and care of your pastor, by the pronouncement of forgiveness and the application of the salve of God's Word, you will be healed, just as this paralytic was.
And there's more! This forgiveness that is given by Christ, is given for you to give out and give away! You, Christian, have been given authority by Christ to forgive others. And here is how we repent and learn to live as Christians. Don't wait for someone to ask you for forgiveness. Give them forgiveness. When those around you sin, be ready to dish out this gift of Christ: forgiveness of sins. Don't say, “I'll forgive them as soon as they're sorry. As soon as they get their act together. Just as soon as they apologize and realize what they did!” No, forgive like Christ does: without being asked, without being prodded, without expecting anything in return. The world teaches us to put conditions on everything, to pay what is owed and give back what you got. But Christ is teaching us to give freely that one gift that the world can't figure out: forgiveness. And such forgiveness isn't just SAYING “I forgive you.” True forgiveness is as the Lord does it, not actually treating you like your sins deserve. When you tell someone you forgive them, don't just say it. Act as if they have not sinned against you. Treat them as one who has not wronged you. That is to forgive as the Lord does for remember: it's not YOUR forgiveness to give out. It's Christ's. Just as Christ's Word made the paralytic well, so His Word also truly forgave sins. When you speak the forgiveness of Christ to someone, who knows what that Word will do because it's the saving Word of Christ by which the Holy Spirit works in hearts.
So what do you tell someone who's got terrible news? Who has heard bad news? What is there to say to someone whose family is a mess or job is in danger or life is at an end? Tell them their sins are forgiven for Jesus' sake! What do you say to someone who has wronged you? Tell them their sins are forgiven for Jesus' sake! When you are troubled by your own sins, what should you do? Come and hear your pastor tell you your sins are forgiven for Jesus' sake. It doesn't matter what the situation is. What we need more than anything else in the world is forgiveness for our sins, the promise that God does not hold against us what we have done. And that forgiveness is yours. Jesus said to the paralytic and he says to you: Be happy! Your sins are forgiven you! So arise and walk away today as one whose sins are forgiven, because they are! In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
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