From The Crucible (by Pastor Linda Pugsley)

Hey God, are you deaf? Didn't you hear me? We sometimes treat God as if He is deaf! That's because we don't understand Him. We ask for one thing and yet He very often gives us something else – even the opposite of what we ask. Remember that account in the Gospels about the paralyzed guy that had four friends dig a hole through the thatched roof of a house where Jesus was visiting? Because the guy can't walk and the crowds are too large to haul a stretcher through, they lower him inside from the roof; now that’s some faith! I suppose, though, as little bits of dirt and hay started falling down on the occupants of the house, they would take notice! So Jesus is watching this scene and when they lower the guy down into the room He goes over to him. Now, you don't need to be a rocket scientist to guess what the paralyzed guy wanted when he was placed in front of Jesus; the same Jesus who was doing all these miraculous healings. And Jesus said to him – hey dude, your sins are forgiven. Well, He didn't really say "dude", but you get the picture.

I am sure they were all stunned. They were probably thinking, "Sin? Who mentioned sin?" The poor paralyzed guy must've been thinking, "Are you blind and deaf, it's my legs – I can't move them – I need them fixed, not sin". The onlookers even asked “who is this guy that he thinks he can forgive sin?”

What great lessons here. Jesus knows that every person He heals – it is only temporary, because even though physically healed, in case you haven't noticed – every one of them still dies! So Jesus in this account was trying to show the more important "healing". Physical healings are temporary; but the forgiveness of sin, the spiritual healing, is eternal. What a God we serve! Endure the fire...it's producing pure gold!

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