Text: Luke 5:17-26
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These four friends carry this palsied man to Jesus Christ. They’re determined to get their friend to Jesus. They can’t enter through the door because of the crowd; to which you could say the crowd is often the problem between you and God. The crowd is about physical things, lust in my eyes, lust in my flesh, and my own pride. That’s the movement of the crowd, and you’ll never find contentment in that life. But these friends are motivated to get their friend to Jesus. From the looks of it, the friend who has the palsy is the one asking to go. Maybe he’s going to be healed, but by the LORD’s response, the healing is clearly not the main goal. Forgiveness is the point.
First of all, this is about forgiveness from God
- …thy sins be forgiven thee…
- What follows is an argument about forgiveness and who has a right to speak for God on that behalf. Who can say God has forgiven your sin? Jesus Christ can say that. And so he follows up with an irrefutable proof. Jesus says so you don’t believe I can forgive sins, how about if I tell this man to rise up and walk? Then you can know that not only is the power of God with me to heal, but also to forgive.
- In Jesus, we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.
- The LORD Jesus would eventually die on the cross and say, Father forgive them for they know not what they do. Would all those around the cross be forgiven? No. Why? Because true forgiveness is a two-way street.
- It requires an offended person to be ready to forgive. And it requires the offender to seek out forgiveness. And there you learn that forgiveness is simply canceled debt.
- Such is the case with this palsied man who is seeking out forgiveness from the LORD.
Forgiveness requires BOTH parties to agree
- Not everyone in the crowd heard those words of Jesus, your sins be forgiven you. Because not everyone in the crowd was looking for that.
- Now, I’m not saying if they won’t beg you for forgiveness you should hold a grudge. No. You should be ready to forgive because that is the nature of God Almighty.
- On the other hand, you should have enough humility to apologize when it’s your fault.
- Forgiveness is the responsibility of two parties. Do you remember where two or more are gathered in my name there I am in the midst. So that’s said in the context of people who have been offended and the offender confronted and has sought to make things right. Jesus says if it just took two or three of you to get together, and you’ve aired it out, and people have taken responsibility, and the offended party is ready to forgive, then I’m there in the midst of that.
Forgiveness and trust are not the same thing
- People are regularly accused of not forgiving when the issue is trust.
- In a marriage where trust has been lost through adultery. People can and have worked through forgiveness in those situations and they’ve done it many times. But, if you’re the offending party, you won’t be trusted in certain situations by your spouse. And rightfully so.
- Borrowing money and not paying back. The debt can be forgiven, but I’m not loaning you any more money.
Forgiveness is a Christian duty
- If forgiveness can happen, it should happen. Especially in the life of a Christian. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
- Luke 17:1-10 …if he repent… Increase our faith… done that which was our duty.
- It’s something to be taken very seriously that Jesus says if you can’t forgive then how can God forgive you? Someone protests and says, well that’s a work of the law and we’re not saved by works. But in Luke forgiveness is a part of faith, not works of the law.
Forgiving spirit allows people to be free
- Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
- I need more faith to stop thinking about vengeance.
- I need more faith to let go of the burden of bitterness.
- I need more faith to act genuinely charitably toward an offender.
- I need more faith to genuinely pray for this person’s well-being.
- Not everyone wants to be free. Sometimes you want to play the victim. So you don’t make any attempt at forgiveness.
- The reason you play the victim is so you can get away with doing something wrong.
- Sometimes it’s fun to have a pity party.
- Sometimes it allows them to be free as well.
- On the other side, someone seeking forgiveness like the Corinthian young man who was having a relationship with his stepmother.
- 2 Corinthians 2:6-11 where it’s said that Satan gets the advantage in a case where there is more guilt than there needs to be. And there is withholding forgiveness that should be given.
- If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins – this is God’s attitude and response. He’s faithful and just to forgive those who seek it out.
On July 31, 1977, David Berkowitz – the Son of Sam – killed Robert Violante and Stacy Moskowitz, at the corner of Shore Parkway and Bay 14th Street in Bath Beach, Brooklyn. Berkowitz silently came to the passenger window and shot them. Two bullets hit Moskowitz in the head and neck, and a third pierced Violante’s left eye.
Neysa was Stacy’s mother. In 1978, Neysa, during Berkowitz’s trial, shouted back across the packed Brooklyn courtroom: “You animal”. She vowed vengeance on Berkowitz. “I don’t believe in turning the other cheek when you take a child from a mother,” she said.
However, her stance on vengeance changed over the years. “She would say things like, ‘this kind of anger can make you sick. Don’t let anger eat you up,’” said her close friend and neighbor, Sharon Denaro.
David Berkowitz, 10 years into his prison sentence was saved. And it was a glorious change. One thing he did afterwards was he began praying for the lives and families he destroyed. Neysa Moskowitz, Stacy’s mother, heard that Berkowitz was saved. She sent him a letter that said to call her. Berkowitz got the letter and after three months of praying for courage to talk to her, he used an old pay phone at the prison to call Neysa. He walked through the cold prison yard, made the call on the payphone, and Mrs. Moskowitz answered. David said, Hello, is this Mrs. Moskowitz? She said, Yes, is this David? And for five minutes he couldn’t control the tears, crying, apologizing, begging for forgiveness. Neysa Moskowitz replied, David, I’ve already forgiven you because the anger I’ve held in my heart toward you is poisoning me.
