Matthew 9:6

Saturday, 5 April 2025

 

But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” Matthew 9:6

 

“And so, you might have known that the Son of Man, He has authority upon the earth to forgive sins... Then He says to the paralytic, ‘Having arisen, you lift your mat, and you go to your house’” (CG).

 

In the previous verse, Jesus asked the scribes whether it was easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Arise and walk.” Without waiting for a reply, Jesus continues with, “And so, you might have known that the Son of Man.”

 

This is the second time the term Son of Man is used by Jesus in Matthew. Instead of saying “I have authority,” He highlights the title. This would then be a claim that He is the One referred to in Daniel 7:13, whether they made the connection at this time or not. As for His using this title, the first time was in Matthew 8, also when addressing a scribe –

 

“And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. 19 Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, ‘Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.’
20 And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.’” Matthew 8:18-20

 

The term is one that speaks of Jesus’ human nature. Thus, it is appropriate to use at this time because He is obviously a man of Israel, and yet He has stated that He can forgive sins, a prerogative that belongs to God alone. Instead of calling Himself the Son of God, He is leaving that to be understood from His actions. Understanding this, it next says, “He has authority upon the earth to forgive sins...”

 

In other words, He being a man is claiming that God has granted Him an authority no one else possesses. This is the most important authority that could be granted. The reason for this is because the entire sacrificial system that had been set up for the priests of Israel was to deal with sin. God had instituted the Levitical system, chosen priests from that tribe, and given minute instruction in what to do when the people sinned against Him.

 

The rights and responsibilities of this system fell to the Levitical priests alone, and yet, they did not possess the authority to forgive sin. Rather, they performed the rituals through which the Lord would then provide the forgiveness and restoration. The words “shall be forgiven” are repeated again and again in the book of Leviticus when detailing these rituals. For example –

 

“The priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the Lord for his sin which he has committed. And the sin which he has committed shall be forgiven him.” Leviticus 19:22

 

It is the Lord alone who can forgive sin, and this is provided only directly or through the mediatorial work of priests. For Jesus to claim this right means that the Levitical system must be lesser than the forgiveness He could offer because no sacrificial work by the priests was necessary. Thus, it would be comparable to the words of Nathan to David –

 

“So David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’
And Nathan said to David, ‘The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.’” 2 Samuel 12:13, 14

 

After making His astonishing claim, He will now proceed with the more difficult of the two options presented to the scribes in the previous verse, as Matthew notes, “Then He says to the paralytic, ‘Having arisen, you lift your mat, and you go to your house.’”

 

The words are strikingly similar to the words Jesus spoke to the infirm man in Jerusalem in John 5:8. In fact, in the parallel account in Mark 2:11, they are word for word identical to John 5:8. Those words say, “Jesus said to him, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk.’”

 

There, Jesus was accused of violating the Sabbath because He told the man to do this on a Sabbath. Jesus is revealing to these scribes that He not only has the power to heal and to forgive, but that His authority also transcends the Sabbath because He is, as He says elsewhere, the Lord of the Sabbath.

 

With the mere spoken word, the man here in Matthew is told that he will be able to arise. In so doing, he is to lift up his mat and return to his home. Not only does Jesus speak the words, but they are such simple words that it makes the authority in them all the more striking. He doesn’t appeal to the Lord (Yehovah) or to God in general. Rather, His words bear the authority because they are uttered by Him.

 

Life application: Everything about the encounter between this paralyzed man and Jesus has brought forth the understanding that Jesus is God who is also a Man. The Bible doesn’t give us any other option in what is being conveyed. And yet, Israel denied this. At the time of the Lord’s appearing, they rejected Him, crucified Him, and called for His blood to be upon them and their children.

 

They got what they asked for and have suffered two thousand years of punishment (so far) for their unbelief. Do you think God is going to treat anyone else any differently? The Jehovah’s witnesses deny Jesus’ deity. The Mormons have twisted the nature of Jesus to deny it as well while still claiming they believe it.

 

The other religions of the world reject Jesus as their Savior. Those who have no religion have rejected Jesus as well. When Jesus said that He is the one way to be saved, it means that anyone who has not come through Him is... well, he is not saved. God’s wrath has been upon Israel. God’s wrath will remain on all others who do not come to Him.

 

Be sure to accept the Bible as it is written, accept who Jesus is shown to be, and call on Him as Lord, to the glory of God the Father, and unto your salvation. Don’t put it off!

 

“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:18

 

Lord God, there is a world full of people who need to hear about Jesus. Some will reject the message. Others will accept it, if they are given the opportunity to do so. Help us to have pity on the world without Jesus and to get the word out. May we be a part of the solution to the tragic situation in which they currently stand. To Your glory, we pray. Amen.