St. Matthew’s Ev. Lutheran Church + Benton Harbor, Michigan

The 7^th Sunday after Epiphany, February 20, 2000

Mark 2:1-12

“Amazing Absolution”

By Pastor Timothy H. Buelow

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. ² So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. ³ Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. ⁴ Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. ⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” ⁶ Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, ⁷ “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” ⁸ Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? ⁹ Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? ¹⁰ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . .” He said to the paralytic, ¹¹ “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” ¹² He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Dear Friends in Christ,

Last year our former vicar, Pastor Roger Kovaciny came to tell us about the mission work going on in Ukraine, of which he is a part. It’s too bad not that many came to hear him speak. What a contrast to the exciting stories he told of people thronging to services in Ternopil and Kiev and other cities across Ukraine. He told of standing-room-only church services to which curious visitors would come. They’d stand in the back for a while and listen, then disappear, only to come back a while later with others. They’d been so overwhelmed with joy to have found a church that spoke with the authority of God’s own truth, that they just had to run out and get their friends to come and see for themselves! It’s a good thing the Ukrainians don’t try to get their services done in an hour like we do! Needless to say, our sister synod, the Ukrainian Lutheran Church, is one of the faster growing Lutheran church bodies in the world today.

One of the things that sets Lutheran church services apart is at the very beginning of our service. We begin every service with an honest statement of our guilt before God’s holy law. And that confession of sins is immediately followed up by the minister telling us that through Christ our sins are forgiven. That’s called the Absolution, and what makes it so amazing, is that the Absolution actually has the power to take away our sins.

In our text today, we hear Jesus pronouncing an absolution on a young man to the amazement, and in the case of some, the irritation of the crowd. Today, let’s look at the story of Jesus’ Amazing Absolution in Capernaum.

1. Thronging to See Jesus

Just as pastor Kovaciny has experienced in Ukraine, Jesus was preaching to standing room only crowds. Wherever Jesus went, great numbers of people were thronging to see him, to hear him, and some to be healed by him. When Jesus was at the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he had to deliver his sermon from a boat, just so he could be seen and not pushed into the water by the press of the crowd. Today he was in the town he had made his headquarters, namely Capernaum. Not only was the home he was in filled to capacity, there were people all over the porch, so that there was no way for anyone else to see or hear him, or to get in.

But there were five men who weren’t going to let anything deter them. Four men had come carrying a fifth, their paralyzed friend, on a stretcher. Since the doorway was blocked and they were determined to get their friend in to Jesus, they took an outside stairway up to the roof. They dug through the sod. Then they carefully removed the roof tiles. All the while Jesus was teaching beneath. It must have been quite a sight, once they broke through and Jesus and the others saw the roof suddenly open up. Having made their opening, they lowered their friend down to Jesus with ropes, until he was right in front of the One they wanted him to meet.

Why did they go to all that trouble? Because they believed in Jesus. They knew he was the One person who could help their friend. They knew that Jesus had come from God himself. Our text tells us so when it reports: Jesus saw their faith. They weren’t mistaken either. Jesus is the One to trust. He did come from God. His words come from God. Jesus is God. He can do all things, just as these men knew. He can’t refuse help to anyone in need. He is filled with love and compassion.

To what lengths will we go to hear Jesus speak to us? Would you be willing to open a hole through a roof, if it were necessary, to meet Jesus? To what lengths are you willing to go to bring your friends to Jesus. You know that’s what they need, don’t you? You know that no one can get to heaven without him, right? You know and believe that he will not refuse to help them in the best possible way, no matter what their problem is, don’t you?

But you know that you have not been as eager to listen to Jesus as the men in our text. You know that you’ve let all sorts of minor obstacles prevent you from bringing friends to their Savior. You’re afraid they might reject you. You’re afraid they might take offence, or just say no. And you don’t want to deal with rejection. Don’t let obstacles get in your way! When Jesus wants to meet you in church—be there. When you know someone who needs Jesus, bring him. You won’t even find the doors blocked here. There are plenty of seats.

2. Jesus speaks the powerful word of forgiveness

Jesus, as always, knew just what the young man needed most. He’s always going to meet the need the way he knows best—and number one with Jesus, is always to make us right with him, by giving us faith and taking away our sins. Sin is the root cause of all disease and sickness, of all crime, of all poverty. Not that this man had brought paralysis on himself by some special sin. He wasn’t any worse a sinner than you or I. We’re all sinners. We’ve all been sinning since Adam and Eve first ate the forbidden fruit. So don’t misunderstand. Don’t go thinking if you’re healthy and wealthy that means you’re better than others. The story of Job makes that all too clear. And Scripture says, “The Lord disciplines those he loves.”

No, what Jesus knew, was that this young man needed peace with God. The difference between this paralytic and so many others, is that he recognized his need. He needed to know that God loved him because he had his doubts. He wondered if his problem could be a sign that God didn’t love him. His being paralyzed reminded him ever so personally about the results of sin in this world. God is gracious when he lets difficulties come into our lives and leads us through them to seek his grace. “The Lord disciplines those he loves” the Scripture says.

So before anything else, Jesus turns to this young man, calls him son, tells him eyeball to eyeball, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Don’t worry. You’re God’s friend. He loves you. He’s not angry with you. He forgives you.

There is no more wonderful thing on earth, than the Amazing Absolution of Jesus. There is no more wonderful thing we can hear and believe! This is the heart and center of what Christianity is. Christianity is all about forgiveness.

A lot of religions talk about the law—righteous living, pious thinking—just fix your life, and you’ll be right with God. If things aren’t going your way, you must not be good enough. “What, you’re not rich? What did you do wrong?” “What, you’re sick? You must not pray enough.” They think of God as some tit-for-tat divine accountant, who wants us to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps.

But the true God is the God of forgiveness. The true religion—true Christianity—is the religion of forgiveness, forgiveness through the perfect life and innocent death of our loving Savior and Substitute, Jesus Christ.

3. Jesus proves his power to forgive

And that’s what this story is all about. Jesus forgives sins. And through the miracles that day—he proved he has the power and authority to do just that.

Listen to the scribes, for whom nothing could have been further from their minds, than forgiveness. Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, ⁷ “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Self-centered, self-righteous, sitting there taking up valuable space while others can’t even get in to stand, grumbling and complaining the whole time, the scribes had no concept of forgiveness. And they had no concept either, of who Jesus is. But Jesus proves his power to forgive first of all by reading their thoughts. And then he proves his power to forgive by healing the young man. Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? ⁹ Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? ¹⁰ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . .” He said to the paralytic, ¹¹ “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” ¹² He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all.

People still object to the Amazing Absolution that begins all our services. “How dare the pastor say ‘I forgive you all your sins!’ Only God can say that! What’s the matter with you crazy Lutherans.” In so saying, they put themselves in league with the scribes, and miss the heart and center of our Christian faith.

Jesus proved his authority to forgive sins. And he conferred that power on his disciples. He said to them, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Mat 16:19) And on the night of his resurrection, Jesus appeared to the eleven and said “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” ²² And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (Jn 20:21-23)

Marvel and be amazed at the power of the absolution in your own life. If you confess your sins from your heart and believe the words of the Amazing Absolution, you can return home with a song on your lips and total peace in your heart. For as surely as Jesus died on the cross, your sins truly are forgiven. God gives you that same Amazing Absolution again, in even more tangible form through his body and blood in Holy Communion. This is the church of Jesus Christ. Jesus himself is here and forgives you all your sins, with the same power and effect by which he made the paralytic walk. What could be more wonderful? God meets you right here, and unlocks the doors of heaven for you!

Why wouldn’t we throng to meet him and overcome every obstacle on earth to bring our friends? Why should Jesus have to go to India or Africa or Ukraine to find eager, receptive, appreciative hearts for his Amazing Absolution? Friends, do like the Ukrainians, do like these four friends. Don’t let anything stand in your way. You have found the greatest thing on earth—the Amazing Absolution. Bring as many as you can, to enjoy Christ’s peace with you, that the doors of heaven may be open to them as well! Amen.