Pious Lutheran

The Healing of the Paralytic,  Le Tintoret, 1559 Jesus’ forgiveness is healing. Forgiveness of sins is greater than physical healing Confession and Absolution is a notable miracle Yet, what’s good for the soul is good for the body Because the body and soul are more united than we often think This past summer I cut my finger such that I had to go to the ER to get stitches. But imagine if upon my arrival to the Emergency Room, the doctor simply said: “ Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven .” Then, he just stood there as if his job were finished, while my finger continued bleeding profusely. That’s kind of the picture we get in today’s miracle. Four men bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus in order that He might make him better, and what happened? “ When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic: ‘Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.’ ” For a moment it doesn’t even sound like He was going to heal the man’s paralysis. Only later does Jesus say to the paralytic: “ Ri...

Jacob's Ladder,  Tintoretto, 1578 “ And Jacob dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it!... Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. ” According to Rock and Roll, there’s a highway to hell and a stairway to heaven. I suppose that’s kinda Biblical, because Jesus says: “ Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it. ” Thus, a highway to hell and a narrow stairway to heaven. But where are those places? Where’s the highway to hell and where’s the stairway to heaven? Where are the holy pl...

“ And behold, some people brought to Jesus a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” ” That’s not exactly the response you would expect from a healer probably. If an ambulance takes you to the ER, you don’t expect the doctor to look at you and offer you friendly platitudes. You’re looking for real help and real relief from your physical ailment. But what Jesus speaks here is no mere platitude, because in those four words a far greater healing is given to the paralyzed man: “ your sins are forgiven. ” This same sort of healing Jesus still gives to His church to this day. Like the paralytic, prior to conversion, sin paralyzed us and often still does, but Christ has the power to forgive and He makes us alive in Him. You see, prior to becoming a Christian, prior to conversion, we were powerless like the paralytic was powerless. We were in the “ old man, ” as St. Paul writes, “ which belongs to o...