Matthew 9:1-2

Matthew 9:1-2

And after embarking into a boat He crossed over and He came into His own city.  And behold!  They were bringing to Him a paralytic having been thrown upon a bed.  And after Jesus saw their faith He said to the paralytic, “Be courageous, child.  Your sins are being forgiven.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Let’s start with a note of curiosity.  This section opens with a note of Jesus returning to His own city.  Mark 2:1, which is the parallel to this passage, tells us that Jesus returned to His home.  Both passages point us to a neat concept.  Jesus had a home.  Jesus had a house.  This house was in Capernaum.  It’s so easy to think of Jesus as some itinerant speaker who was always on the move.  And in some cases this is absolutely true of Jesus.  But He also had a home.  It was in Capernaum.  This is interesting in its own right.  The Old Testament talks about Jesus being from Bethlehem.  But Jesus chooses to center His ministry in Capernaum.  Jesus fulfills scripture, but Jesus also expands upon scripture.  He fulfills it to the greatest measure.  Jesus takes what we are told, fulfills it, and then takes it to the next level by giving us the unexpected!  He is incredible in that He can simultaneously fulfill scripture and give us something unexpected at the same time.  That’s how capable God is in His truth.

What does it mean to you to realize that Jesus had a home?  Is this a surprise?  How can you appreciate the fact that God is able to fulfill His Word in addition to bring the unexpected to our doorstep?

Second Thought:

In this passage we also meet some really good friends.  These people bring a paralytic man into the presence of Jesus.  These people are willing to make a sacrifice for the benefit of another.  They are willing to look past themselves and instead focus upon the needs of someone else.  They are willing to be the hands and feet of God as they quite literally bring someone into His presence.  That’s God’s love on display.  That’s God’s faithfulness on display.

Are you inspired by these men?  How can you imitate their faith, friendship, and faithfulness?

Third Thought:

Jesus tells this paralytic to be courageous.  He tells him that his sins are forgiven.  What an incredible message of hope!  Imagine being this paralytic man.  He likely had very little reason to live.  After all, what could he do except drain away resources from his own family?  But in the presence of Jesus, he begins to get a new vision.  Jesus tells him to be courageous.  Jesus is setting him up to see a greater vision from God, but we’ll get to that tomorrow.  For today, let’s just bask in the wonder of a God who looks into a life and gives reason to be courageous and to have hope.  That is what God wants for all of us.

Into what do you hope?  Where do you need to be courageous in your life?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 9:3-8