December, 1937
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
506
BLACKBOARD LESSON
They were immediately rebuked by the Lord who read their unuttered thoughts (vs. 8, 9). The very fact that He showed to them that He could read their thoughts should have caused them to pause in their determined opposition to , Him. If they could say, “Who can forgive sins but God only?” they certainly could say also, “Who can read unspoken thoughts but God only?” Not only was He revealing His deity, but He was likewise showing His right to Messiahship (cf. Isa. 11:3). It was as easy for Him to say, “Thy sins be forgiven thee,” as it was to say, “Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk.” The latter, men could see; the former, God knew. The scribes were the legalists of their day and they have a multitude of followers. III. R evealing P ower (10-12) The patient forbearance of our Lord is seen in the fact that He would give to His opposers ocular proof that His claims were true (v. 10). Aside altogether from His gift ,of health to the palsied man, He desired to speak concerning Himself to the hearts and consciences of all those who were present. It was at once apparent that their hearts were stubbornly set against the Lord, for after proof had been offered, they turned away unbelieving. Indeed they were far ther away than before, because each divine revelation of truth • that is rejected will leave the soul worse off and more hardened than before the proof was given. . Some one has written that there are two great words in Christianity, illustrated in this record. The first is, “Thy sins are forgiven” (v. 9, R. V.). God has nothing less to say to the sinner. Salvation is wholly a matter of grace, to be accepted by faith. The second word is, “Arise, . . . and walk” (v. 11). The first word is God’s part, the second, man’s part; the first is grace to be taken by faith, the second, faith reveal ing the grace; the first is for the sake of the second, and the second proves the first to be a reality. What proof has any one of us for saying, “My sins are forgiven” ? The only worth-while proof is a worthy
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walk that can be seen of men—a walk that forces the acknowledgment that God is present with the believer whether that ac knowledgment on the part of the observer is followed by belief or not. The Chris tian’s supreme business is to glorify God, and this result can be accomplished only as the healing, corrective, blessed work of Christ is publicly seen in the manner of life of the Christian. In itself, the Chris tian’s word of testimony concerning sins forgiven is of little or no value to the world. If one’s sins are forgiven, let that one “Arise, . . . and walk” to the glory of God (v. 12). Points and Problems 1. The great miracle recorded in this lesson was performed by our Lord in the presence of a ’very distinguished company. Luke in giving his version of the matter declares that “there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting bys which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judea, and Jerusalem” (5:17). Christ’s ministry had attracted so much attention that the leaders of the nation could not ignore Him. The miracles of our Lord’s ministry on earth were not as a rule done in a corner, but were public events. 2. “Who can forgvve sins but God onlyf” (Mk. 2:7). The Pharisees, scribes, and doctors of the law were keen-minded men, not always wrong in their theological notions. They were better than some of our more modern wise men who argue not only that there is no such thing as sin, and no such thing as the need for forgive ness, but also that there is no such Being as God. Certainly it is true that only God can forgive sin. And if Jesus Christ was not God, then the Pharisees were right in calling Him a blasphemer. It is no use to speak of Christ as a good man, if we do not admit His deity. Either He is the eternal God, or He is not a good man. We must make our choice between these two alternatives. 3. In the passage before us there are at least three great demonstrations of the deity of our Lord. First, He forgave the sins of the palsied man (v. 5), and only God can forgive sins. Second, He saw the invisible reasonings of the Pharisees and scribes (v.8), and only God can thus search the hearts of men. Third, He healed the sick man instantly with the simple utterance of His almighty word (v. 11), and only God can create by speaking the word. +. “They were all amazed, and glorified God” (v. 12). They were amazed, not be cause the man’s sins were forgiven, but because his palsy had been cured. This has been the reaction of the crowd from
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