The Son of Man Has Power

And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city. 2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. 3 And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. 4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? 5 For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? 6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. 7 And he arose, and departed to his house. 8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.

Condition of a Sick Man - vs 2

Shockingly, Jesus addresses the invisible problem before the physical problem.

We often focus our prayer life on the physical needs of sickness, disease, stress, emotional distress, weariness, brokenness, and more.

But the hear of the problem is sin.

This man cannot walk.

This man cannot stand on his own.

This man cannot work.

Surely, he needs healing. But his condition is much worse. Why can he not work, stand, or walk? He has a physical problem.

He is dead. Here is the picture of a lost man who is helpless, hopeless, and hell bound.

But Jesus raises him to new life.

Criticism of a Smug Man - vs 3

He belittled. He called him a man.

He blasphemed. He bore false witness.

He was blind to the Scriptures. He was a scribe and could not see the Word made flesh standing before him.

It matters not how much scripture you know. Satan knows more scripture than you do. If you do not know the Author of the Word, them the Word does nothing but condemn you.

Capability of the Son of Man - vs 8

The story does not end with the paralytic walking away and the scribes rebuked. There is more to the story. There is a greater objective.

What could be of greater significance than what we have already seen? Is there a greater reason than the forgiveness of this man’s sins and the healing of his body?

Yes. All of these things were done for the glory of God.

We see it in how the Lord identifies himself:

93 times in Ezekiel, God refers to Ezekiel by this title. It denotes a humble servant. Ezekiel is clearly a man.

2 times in Daniel, this term is used in a very unique way. A contemporary of Ezekiel in Babylon during the exile, Daniel has a vision of one like the Son of Man who is given an everlasting kingdom.

Daniel 7:13–14 KJV 1900

I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

This is a great picture of the Jewish Messiah, the promised Christ.

In verse 8,

- God is glorified in the healing of the crippled.

- He is glorified in the rebuke of the critic.

- He is gorified in the response of the crowd.

The chief end of man is to glorify God. It is ultimately not about you and me. It is all about him.

The signs are for his glory.

The forgiveness of sins is for his glory.

The rejection by the wicked is for his glory. No, God does not rejoice in the death of the wicked, but he will be glorified in their humiliation and judgment.

The marvel of the crowd is for his glory.

Closing

Everything is for the glory of God.

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