“Son, your sins are forgiven… I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” Mark 2:5, 11
Jesus gave two wonderful gifts to this man—the gift of forgiveness and the gift of healing. Now, which of these two gifts do you think was more important?
A preacher from London by the name of Dick Lucas explains it this way: Suppose we could visit with the paralyzed man today and hear his story. He would probably say something like this:
It really was a wonderful day when I met Jesus—the greatest day of my whole life. It was an extraordinary experience being lowered through the roof. I had some great friends, and I will always be grateful to them.
When I finally arrived in front of Jesus, He said to me, “Your sins are forgiven.” I didn’t think much about that at the time, but then He said, “Get up, take your bed and go home.” That was what I really wanted to hear! And I have to tell you that it changed my whole life.
After that day I was able to get a job. I got married, had two lovely children, and lived for another thirty years… Since then, I’ve been enjoying paradise for the last 2,000 years. There’s no doubt in my mind now about which of the two things he said to me that day was most important.
Do you share this man’s view of the priority of forgiveness? Why or why not?
