Several Old Testament prophecies speak of forgiveness as a sign of the Messianic Age. Unfortunately, the Jewish leaders, the Pharisees, and teachers of the religious law overlooked this as they criticized Jesus. Four men had just dropped their paralyzed friend through the roof of a house to bring him to Jesus. Instead of just healing him, Jesus first forgave the man’s sins. This upset the visiting Jewish leaders.
Jesus’ miracles and healings attracted crowds of ordinary people and even got the leadership’s attention. Luke 5: 17 One day while Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of religious law were sitting nearby. (It seemed that these men showed up from every village in all Galilee and Judea, as well as from Jerusalem.) [1]
Some of these leaders seemed to have traveled quite a distance to come and check out Jesus. They felt threatened by Jesus’ popularity. They gave lip service to the concept of Messiah but enjoyed their power and prestige. Thus, it seems they had come with an antagonistic attitude, and Jesus knew it.
Only God Can Forgive Sins
The leaders were correct in saying only God can forgive. The priests could only announce that people were ritually clean after a sacrifice. They could not forgive sins. These men had come to find fault with Jesus. So when Jesus said He had the authority to forgive, these Jewish leaders immediately accused Jesus of blasphemy. Blasphemy is defined as claiming to be God or doing only what God can do.[2] Their mindset prevented them from seeing Jesus as the Messiah, God in the flesh.
Several prophets foretold of a Messiah that would forgive sins:
Micah 7: 18 Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love. 19 Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean! [3]
Zechariah 13: 1On that day a fountain will be opened for the dynasty of David and for the people of Jerusalem, a fountain to cleanse them from all their sins and impurity. [4]
Isaiah 40: 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem. Tell her that her sad days are gone and her sins are pardoned. [5]
Don’t Let Tradition Blind You to Messiah
Jesus let His actions reveal His identity. He was God and thus had the authority to forgive sin. But instead of being in awe of God in the flesh, the Jewish leadership accused Jesus of blasphemy. They refused to believe that He could be the Messiah.
Jesus came in a way they had not expected, and these leaders could not let go of their traditions to search the Scriptures. We must take this as a warning for ourselves. Traditions can be good, but we don’t want them to close our eyes to how God may act. God is faithful to His Word, and we can trust it. Do you have questions about how God may act? Search Scripture and listen to the instruction of the Holy Spirit. To learn about forgiveness as a sign of the Messianic age, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/a-paralytic-healed
[1,3-5] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.
[2] Barton, B. B. (1994). Mark (p. 50). Tyndale House Publishers.