More Than A Miracle - The One Year At His Feet Devotional
More Than a Miracle
Read: Matthew 9:1-8
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”
Matthew 9:2
“The healing acts of Jesus were themselves a message that He had come to set men free.”
—Francis MacNutt
IN WORD A broken man was brought before Jesus by his friends. They were seeking his healing from the miracle worker they had heard so much about. There was probably little theology in their actions. They had a friend who was paralyzed, and they had heard of someone who could help. That was all they needed to know. So they thought.
But they encountered more than a wonder worker. They heard the voice of God. “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” Those who say that Jesus never claimed to be God have never wrestled with this verse. Only God can forgive sins. And Jesus said He had that authority. The paralytic and his friends were confronted with Deity—the Source of all life and the Master of all diseases. Even spiritual ones.
IN DEED When we come to Jesus, we often come with only our perceived needs on our minds—our circumstances, our health, our direction, etc. Just like the paralytic, we receive no rebuke from Him when we do. His words are gentle and comforting. But He also takes the opportunity to teach us about Himself. In fact, He may allow deep needs to surface in our lives specifically so we will come to Him for help and learn about Him in the process.
What did the paralytic learn? That God’s first purpose for him was spiritual wholeness—healing from the crippling disease of sin. That faith in Jesus is the key to receiving healing from God. That the work of the group on behalf of the individual is valuable in the eyes of God. And that the Son of Man has authority over everything that afflicts us.
We come to the wonder worker for a miracle. We leave knowing God. He is not content just helping us get by in this world and meeting only the needs we think we have. He who offers us Himself will not rest until we get up and go home knowing Him and His authority.
